Page 35 of Tell Me You Need Me

Tentatively, Rich and King release their hold on me, and I grab Teddy, pulling her into me. "I'm okay," Teddy keeps saying as I lift her, burying my face in her neck. Breathing in her heavenly sweet smell. "You saved me." She runs her fingers through my hair, like someone trying to soothe a rabid beast.

Once my mind clears and the adrenaline starts to subside, I begin to calm down. She’s the only one that has this effect on me, who can soothe that side of me. A side I wish she never would have had to see. A slight panic starts to fill me that she will be scared of me. That she will think I’m like my brother and father.

“I’m not like them,” I whisper so she can only hear me. I can hear the vulnerability in my own voice, something I haven’t allowed myself to be in a very long time.

"To me, West, you are unlike anyone else. You’re different and everything I never knew I needed.” I lift my head to meet her smiling face.

"I tracked you here," I tell her, not wanting to hide anything.

“Not surprising with some of the inventions you’ve told me about.”

“That doesn’t scare you?”

“West, you have never scared me a day in my life. Not even that first day.”

“Really, because you scare the shit out of me.”

“Good.” She lets out a small laugh.

“Take him to the mainland.” Teddy turns her head, and I slowly put her back to her feet to see King issuing orders. Two men pick up a bloodied Derrick and drag him out of the room. The door falls closed behind them, leaving King, Rich, Willa, and us. “I’ll clean this up.”

“Why?” I wasn’t worried about it, but I’m curious why he’s so quick to help. Then again, I'm guessing he doesn't want an ambulance and police coming down here to collect Derrick.

“I have my reasons.” His eyes flick to Willa.

“I don’t want him back on this island.”

“He won’t be,” King responds.

“What the fuck are you two even doing here?” Rich glares at his sister and then turns to Teddy.

“Watch it.”

“Don’t speak to her in that tone.” Both King and I speak at the same time.

“Are you fucking kidding me right now? That’s my sister, and she is pretty much my sister too. This is exactly why they shouldn’t have been down here.”

“I take responsibility,” King says. “This is my operation, and no one should have been able to get into one of these rooms, let alone without one of my men seeing it.”

“If you can be here, I can be here too.” Willa glares back at her brother.

“You won’t come back here.”

“Enough!” King barks. For once, Rich actually keeps his mouth shut, but I'm guessing he wants to continue fighting.

The twins continue to glare at each other, a side of Willa I’ve never seen come out.

I think things have only just started to shake up for the Haven family.

Chapter Twenty-Two

TEDDY

“You ready?” I ask Willa, now that everything has settled down. West is wiping the blood off his hands. I’m sure I have some on me too, and I want to get it washed off. I want to wash all of this away.

“You’re not going with West?” she asks.

“You both can come.” West answers before me.

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