The Inevitable

I open it up and find Brenton standing there, only before I can yell at him and tell him to go fuck himself, an officer steps between us. “Sir, there’s a restraining order.” The officer hands him a piece of paper. “If you come within fifteen hundred feet of Blakely, Sierra, or Zane Jacobs, you will be arrested. This is your one and only warning.”

“This is bullshit,” Brenton hisses, but does as the officer says and walks away.

“Thank you,” I tell him.

He nods once. “Someone will always be here to make sure you’re safe.”

“Who was it?” Blakely asks as I close the door.

“Brenton.”

“What? He came here?”

“Yeah, but he only made it to knock on the door before a police officer stopped him and made him leave.”

“I think maybe I should take Keegan up on his offer to move in there with Zane.”

“I think so too,” I agree. Even if they can’t make it work, I know Keegan will keep them safe.

“I’m going to speak to Keegan today. Let him explain. I don’t know where we’ll stand afterward, but at least that way you and Kolton can move forward.”

I wrap my arms around her and give her a hug. “I’m not going anywhere. Not until everything is figured out.”

Chapter Twelve

Kolton

Knock. Knock. Knock.

I jump up and sprint to the door, hoping like hell it’s Sierra. She texted me earlier that she was watching Zane so Blakely and Keegan could talk. Then, a few minutes ago, Keegan sent me a text that said he told Blakely everything, and they’re okay. I was dying to text Sierra to ask her to come over to talk, but I didn’t want to appear too crazy.

“Hey,” she says when I open the door.

“Hey.”

“My answer is yes.”

“Yes?” I quirk a brow up, confused.

“I’ll move in with you.” She steps inside, and I close the door. “I needed you to know that before we talk. No matter what you have to say, I need you to know that I’m one hundred percent in.”

We sit on the couch, and as much as I want to pull her onto my lap, I refrain, needing to tell her everything. But before I can start, as if she can sense what I really need, she edges closer and then climbs on to me, straddling my thighs.

“Talk to me, Kolton. Tell me everything.”

I close my eyes, taking a deep breath, then open them, ready to tell her the entire truth. “When I was nineteen, and in college, I did the stupidest thing someone could do. I was struggling to keep up with my classes, and I went in search of drugs to help.”

I search Sierra’s face for judgment, but she doesn’t give anything away as she waits patiently for me to continue. “A friend of a friend referred me to this guy, Miguel. He sold all types of shit, including pills he swore would help me stay awake and focus. One pill turned into several, and soon, I was addicted, relying on them to help me function. I didn’t know it at the time, but my brother Keith was a narcotics officer investigating an influx of drug dealing on campus…”

Sierra’s arms snake around my neck, and I grip her hips, needing to feel her to keep going. “I was buying another bottle from Miguel when Keith approached. Miguel took one look at Keith’s badge and pulled a gun on him. Shot him dead right there.”

Sierra gasps, and her hold on me tightens.

“That’s right. I was buying drugs from the man who killed my brother. Everyone went into panic mode, and Miguel got away. Keegan became a narcotics officer, determined to follow in Keith’s footsteps. A few months back, there was a whisper that the dealing was happening again. Keegan was brought in undercover as a college student to catch the guy.”

“Brenton,” she breathes.

“Yep, he was selling. Only, he wasn’t doing it on his own. The man running the operation was his ex-stepfather… Miguel Sanchez.”

“Oh, my God!” Tears prick Sierra’s eyes.

“Keegan not only brought Brenton down, but he also brought down our brother’s killer,” I choke out. “It won’t bring him back, but…”

“But your family will at least have some closure.”

I nod. “Yeah. I can’t bring him back, but at least I could give them that. I went in and identified it was him.”

“Oh, Kolton. I can’t imagine that was easy for you. Having to see that piece of shit.”

“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, but something I deserved because it was my fault…”

“Stop it,” Sierra demands. “That man choosing to kill an officer was not your fault.”

“If I hadn’t been buying from him—”

“You can’t live like that. It’s unhealthy. But I get it,” she says. “When my parents first died, I used to blame myself. I overheard my dad hurting my mom so many times, yet I never told anyone. I used to think, what if I would’ve told someone: a teacher or another parent. Or what if I would’ve told my mom I knew. Maybe she would’ve left him sooner… But eventually, I realized that there was no point in wondering what-if. We all make choices, and many of them are mistakes, and most of the time, we get a chance to right them.”