Page 517 of The Tempted

“We being real with one another?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“You about over the whole Jack being Danny’s brother thing? I mean when you get the fuck out of here you’re not going to hold some sort of grudge over the man’s head are you?”

It was time for me to pass the torch to Reina. It was time for her to battle Jack’s demons with him, it was her job to wear down his maker.

“I’m over it,” Reina stated “I don’t like being lied to, but…” she attempted to shrug her shoulders.

“I love him,” she whispered.

Love.

It keeps us holding on.

Even when we don’t know we’ve got it.

Even when we don’t know we have a little left in us to give.

It’s one of the divine gifts.

One of the few.

“Hold onto that, what you feel for him, it’ll help,” I said.

She stared at me silent for a moment before she spoke.

“What are you holding on to?” she asked hoarsely.

I looked away as Christine whispered all the words I never knew I needed to hear.

Let me go Blackie.

It’s time.

It’s not too late to change.

Change your life.

You did it once before.

You did it for me.

Change your life.

Do it for her.

But mostly, do it for you.

You.

“Which question do you want me to answer? Where I went after I dropped you off or what I’m holding on to?” I asked, finally.

“Something tells me both questions have the same answer,” she said, softly.

“Yeah,” I agreed, diverting my eyes to the floor.

A memory flashed before my eyes, the same memory I struggled to remember this morning when I held Lacey in my arms and she asked me if I remembered the first time she called me Leather.

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