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Ian sighed, scanning the parking lot behind him before bringing his attention back to us. “Shut up. Listen to me. When she went to handle Paris, Paris asked James for help. James also offered to take care of it for her, but she declined.”
“Wait,” Chance scoffed before bringing his voice back down to a whisper, “Jade killed Paris?!”
“There’s things we keep hidden because I need them to be,” Ian continued. “I can’t get into it here.”
As the sun rose, the birds chirped around us. They’d recently returned from their journey south, reminding me once again that as they sang beautifully in the trees around, our lives would never be completely peaceful. We would always be tangled in a web of secrets and lies.
Tyler rapidly scanned our surroundings before locking his eyes onto Ian’s. His voice was low and intense as he spoke. “My. Wife. Is. Dead. I don’t give a shit who did what. I’m going to fucking murder every single person in that fucking family. They’ve done nothing but terrorize my entire family and all of you. I’m done. I may not be involved in your organization the way you are. Mark my words, I’m taking every single one of those fuckers out myself.”
“Ty—” Ian began.
“Ian,” Tyler sighed, “I’m all those kids have now and I’m not even biologically their father, which doesn’t even matter to me. That’s not my point,” he exhaled. “Their mother was ripped away from them. Their own blood. So, now I get to raise them alone while full of guilt that I brought them into my family, only to have their lives utterly destroyed by someone who?—”
A loud ring from Ian’s inner jacket pocket erupted, causing us all to pause, diverting our attention to him. Reaching inside, he pulled it out. “Jake.”
“Shit,” Tyler ran a palm over his mouth before placing his hands on his hips. “Can I just go be with my kids?”
Ian put the phone to his ear. Hey.
His eyes darted between us. Still at the hospital.
Okay, sure.
Right.
Find James in the meantime and take him into custody.
Yeah, I’ll text you.
Okay, bye. He hung up, slipping his phone back into his pocket “It might seem impossible to sleep after everything that’s happened, but we need to rest if we can.” Tyler’s eyes widened in disbelief, but Ian held up a hand to silence him. “Jake wants to meet with us tonight. He’s coming to my place at seven and I want everyone there, including all the kids. I’ll make sure they’re safe.”
“Whatever,” Tyler grumbled, his voice low and dripping with anger. His eyes burned with tears as he spoke. “This shit won’t bring Mila back, so I don’t give a fuck anymore.”
He spun around, his steps heavy as he marched back toward the hospital. Chance followed closely behind him, reaching out to lay a calming hand on his shoulder as they rounded the corner of the building. I turned my attention to Ian.
“Luke,” he sighed, “he said there’s something he needs to tell everyone, so make sure she’s ready.”
“She will be,” I replied, “and what about Dante?”
His expression hardened, his jaw tightening. “We’re going to torture him and kill him when I think he’s ready.”
“Good, because I can’t wait to carve that fucking tattoo of my daughter’s name out of his neck.”
18
BEST KEPT SECRET
JADE
The quiet hum of the Escalade’s engine was the only sound as we drove home from the hospital. The events of the early hours of the morning played in a continuous loop in my mind, preventing any hope of sleep. My thoughts drifted to Tyler and his kids and how they were coping with everything. I couldn’t imagine the pain and grief they must be feeling.
As we entered our house, Luke and I didn’t speak of Paris, Dante, or anyone else connected to the Mussolini or Mascioli families. We simply collapsed into bed, physically and emotionally exhausted. The ceiling above us seemed to hold all of our unspoken words until exhaustion took over and we both drifted off to sleep.
Thankfully, Maddie slept almost all day because we could barely move once we were up and somewhat functioning on multiple cups of coffee. That evening, Kieran followed us over to the Knight’s house, per Ian’s request. The car ride was silent with us in the front, Giovanna and Maddie in the backseat. Maddie finally broke the silence when we pulled into the driveway, asking if she could go back to sleep once upstairs in their media room. Of course, Luke agreed she needed the rest and told her to go for it.
When we entered the house, we hung our jackets up on the coat rack, and we filed into the den while Maddie veered up the main staircase in the foyer to see her friends. Ian and Jacob were standing next to a built-in bookcase, talking privately. Chance and Amber were on the loveseat. Tyler and Jenna were side by side on the couch, her arm hooked to his, with her head on his shoulder.
Tyler’s eyes were downcast, his shoulders slumped and defeated. His entire world had been taken from him and he wore the weight of it heavily. Amber, Chance, Ian, Jenna, and Tyler all carried scars from their experiences. But for Tyler, his wounds ran deeper. He still blamed himself for putting Jenna through pain, even though it was to protect her.
