standing there.
He jerks left, but more come from the other side. His head snaps right to find Micah, Mac, and Andre, but they’re all on the outside of the gate and we’re in here.
The gun points back to me.
I get a solid grip on the bar, my toes brushing the wall of the pool now. “Who will remember you after tonight, Leo?”
He growls, now at the very edge of the pool’s side.
With all my might, I yank on the pole he still holds on to, and into the pool he falls, and this time, there will be no one to help him climb out.
I quickly kick-off, spearing myself across the water so that there’s no possibility of him reaching me, but the tiny bit of relief is short-lived, because then I hear their jarring cries.
I whip around, only halfway to the edge, and my body ceases.
Royce lies on the ground.
His brothers rushing to his side.
It happens in slow motion, they fall to their knees beside him, their eyes growing wide, instant tears and deep screams following, but it’s when my brother’s wretched expression finds mine that I double over.
His jaw tight and his chin falls to his chest.
There’s a loud cry, and I think it’s mine, the screams too, but suddenly everything inside me is numb, so I can’t be sure.
I can’t even breathe.
And with my next blink, can no longer see.
The darkness takes over, and then the water.
I start to sink, and I don’t care to find my way to the surface.
Not if his eyes won’t be there waiting for me.
Not if I can no longer seek out his touch, hear his voice, or feel the depths of his heart.
Not if he’ll never reach for me again and pull me into his open and wanting arms.
Not if his love is gone.
As I sink to the bottom, and the blackness takes over, his eyes appear behind mine.
Suddenly, everything is right, because he’s right here.
He’s with me.
You die, I die, baby.
That’s what I tell him.
And tonight, under the summer moon we lay beneath, in the town we were born in, surrounded by the people that we love...
We let go of the hurt, and the pain, and the ache, and we do it together.
I love you, Royce Brayshaw.
Always.
Chapter 38
Bass
I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve cried in my life, and today, looking down at my baby sister’s beautiful face, it’s number four.
When I think back on our lives, the pain we lived, the darkness we saw, the end result, as much as it hurts to admit, was inevitable, but the path toward it, I’d never have fucking guessed.
All my life, all I ever wanted was to protect my sister, to make sure she understood how important she was to me, as a good brother would, but somehow, with those thoughts constantly sitting in the back of my mind, I dropped the ball. And this is where it brought me.
To the goodbye.
I failed her in more ways than I can count, failed myself, and I’ll never forget it.
Never ever forgive myself for it.
But I will be better for it. Because of it.
The memory of what happened here will never leave me, and the nightmares will only get worse, but I’ll find comfort in knowing my baby sister isn’t alone.
That she’ll be loved, no matter where she is.
That she’ll be safe and without fear.
That no one can ever hurt her again.
And if they tried, they’d have a hell of a fucking wall to get through to do it.
Because my baby sister... she’s no Bishop.
She’s Brayshaw.
Through and fucking through.
Chapter 39
Brielle
I lift my hand to my brother’s bruised and busted face, and the tears he’s fought hard to keep locked in place slip free, my own following.
“Big brothers aren’t supposed to cry.”
“Little sisters aren’t supposed to die.”
“They brought me back.” My voice is a scratchy whisper, coated in a heavy layer of overflowing emotion, but my attempt to tease, to lighten the far too grim mood, works a little.
His frown deepens, but his lip twitches. “Yeah and thank fuck for that.” He trails the bruising on my cheek up to my temple. “What you did was reckless.”
My mouth pulls to one side and I nod. “I know.”
We both know I can’t apologize for it, because I’m not sorry.
His face falls and my lungs ache, but it has nothing to do with my injuries, and everything to do with what I know is coming. “You need to leave.”
His eyes snap to mine. “I