Page 91 of Twisted Redemption

My stomach turns at the thought. No. Don’t let your mind go there.

I have to believe Alex and Blaze will be safe. I have to.

But my thoughts turn darker by the minute. I can’t help it. All Blaze told me was that Alex was in trouble. Who knows what could be happening right now?

For what feels like hours, I pace the bathroom, grateful Angel is here with me. She may be a cat, but I still feel safer with her here.

At some point, I hear a noise outside, and then the whir of the garage door opening sounds from downstairs. I grip my gun tighter.

After I broke up with David, I did everything to make sure he’d never get in again: changed my locks, changed the code for my garage door, and then did the same thing for my alarm system.

But he still managed to break in.

Please be Blaze. Please be Blaze. Please be Blaze.

The pounding of footsteps on the stairs has my knees threatening to give out. But I stay on my feet, raising the gun and pointing it at the door.

If it’s David, you can’t hesitate. Just shoot.

The thought feels wrong in my head.

“Brooke?”

“Oh thank god,” I murmur at Blaze’s voice. I unlock the door, sprinting out of the bathroom and throwing the bedroom door open.

In front of me stands the man who’s been my best friend since childhood. The man who I left. The man who tore me to tiny pieces. The man who’s fighting to do better for me.

And he’s covered in blood.

I must look panicked, because he smiles, reaching out and brushing his thumb over my cheek. “I’m fine. It’s not my blood. I just had to help deal with the body.”

My heart stops. “Body? Please tell me Alex—”

“Is fine. Tristan, however, is not. He tried to attack Alex. Thankfully Dom got there faster than I could. By the time I showed up, Tristan was bleeding out in the pool.”

“Oh, shit.” I cover my hand with my mouth. Tristan is dead? Tristan is dead. “What does that mean, exactly?”

He takes my hand in his, kissing the soft skin of my palm. “It means that you’re marginally safer. And it also means that David is on his own. Easier to catch. And easier to get him into the FBI’s custody.”

“It’s almost over.”

Blaze nods, taking the gun from my hand. A smile is on his face, mirroring the relief blooming in my chest. “It’s almost over.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

BLAZE

AT SOME POINT during the early morning, I crash. Don’t even make it upstairs to bed. Instead, when I wake up to the sun rising, it’s shining through the living room windows and directly into my eyes. I push myself up into a sitting position, my back protesting from my nap on the couch.

“Morning.”

I smile. Hearing Daisy’s voice first thing has warmth spreading through my chest. It’s a type of warmth the sun itself would envy.

“Morning,” I manage, rubbing my face. My eyes refuse to stay open.

“There’s coffee.” The cushions beside me sag, and a small arm wraps around my waist. Brooke kisses my cheek before giving me a quick squeeze and standing.

“Mmmfgh.”

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