The Gritty Truth (The Whiskeys Dark Knights at Peaceful Harbor #7) - Melissa Foster Page 0,115
least mostly. She pushed free from his grip, holding his arms, but the tears in his eyes slayed her.
“You almost died.”
His jaw clenched. “I’m sorry, beautiful. I promise, I did not use those drugs.”
“I want to believe that, and I don’t believe you would, but I’ve read all about denial, so don’t play me for a fool.” Tears spilled from her eyes. “That hurts too much.”
“I’m not. Simone’s ex, Puck, injected me with them.”
The air rushed from her lungs, tears flooding her eyes again.
“It’s true, baby. He tried to kill me in order to send a message to the club.”
“Oh my God.” She hugged him again, crying harder. “I knew you wouldn’t use them! Is that why the police are here? Can they arrest him?” She realized he wasn’t embracing her. His body was rigid. She leaned back, searching his anguished eyes. “What’s wrong? Oh God, did they hurt Simone? Where is she? Did they kill her?”
“No, baby, she’s safe.”
She swiped at her eyes. “Then why aren’t you hugging me?”
He lowered his eyes, the muscles in his jaw bunching. “I’m going back to rehab, Roni. Starting from ground zero again. I’ll need to work the program when I get out, and you don’t need my shit in your life.”
Sobs burst from her lungs.
“You can move back to your place, move on with someone who doesn’t—”
“Shut up!” she seethed. “You shut your mouth right now, Quincy Gritt. I am not quitting on you, and you are not pushing me away because of some convoluted honorable idea in your head. You are my other half, and you love me. I know you do, so if we need to go to NA meetings seven days a week, or twice a day every day, then that’s what we’ll do. But you are not alone in this, and you are not getting rid of me that easily.”
Tears spilled from his eyes. “But, Roni—”
“No!” She wedged herself between his legs and took his face in her hands. “No, Quincy. No buts. Yours is the face I see in my future, and I know you want that, too. Two kids and a puppy. I don’t care if we’re back to square one. You didn’t do this to yourself, and you’re not throwing away our future because of it. Our five-year plan starts now, like it or not.”
His strong arms circled her, crushing her to him. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” she said, their hearts hammering frantically. “Please don’t say you don’t want us again. Please.”
“I’ll always want you, Roni.” He took her by the arms and pulled back, agony billowing off him. “But there’s more.”
“Whatever it is, we can handle it.”
“I’m not so sure. Your accident, it happened September nineteenth, right?”
“Yes. Why?”
His jaw tightened again. “Puck admitted to firing the bullet that killed the driver of the car that hit you.”
“Ohmygod.” Roni covered her mouth, more emotions swamping her. They finally found the person responsible for the accident. “Is that why the police were asking to see you?”
He nodded, swallowing hard, and let go of her arms. “Remember I said that I owed Puck money, and when his guys found me and dragged me back to him, I got away?”
“Yes…?”
Tears poured from his eyes. “The bullet that hit the driver was meant for me. I didn’t know. I promise, I didn’t know. Puck told me when he was roughing me up, and the timing makes sense. The police verified it. If I hadn’t been there that day, if I hadn’t run, you’d still be dancing professionally.”
His words knocked the wind out of her, and she stumbled back, hand on her chest. The room careened, making her sway. She stared at a speck on the floor, trying to ground herself, but her head was spinning, and her heart felt like it was shredding. They were shooting at Quincy.
“You lost everything because of me, baby,” he said regretfully. “There is no apology big enough to make up for that.”
The bullet was meant for you. She could barely hear past the blood rushing through her ears. “But you’d be dead,” she said more to herself than to him. She lifted her eyes to his, the world coming back into focus. “That bullet was meant for you. If you hadn’t run, you’d be dead.”
“And you’d have the life you always wanted.”
There were no tears stinging her eyes, only vehemence burning her chest, emboldening her. “The life I wanted then, not the life I want now. Not after meeting you.”