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Truth was, he needed help too.
He’d only been in the rehab facility for a month but was already looking healthier like he’d put on some pounds.
“What are you doing here?” Shay exclaimed with a smile when they finally broke apart.
Ali nodded to me and Blue. “Bishop organized for me to have a couple of hours out of the center to come have lunch with you guys,” he explained.
“Speaking of lunch,” Blue announced, turning on his heel and heading for the back porch.
The house was full, everyone either on the back porch, in the living room, or out the front in the driveway, all eating, chatting, or tinkering with their rides.
This was a Sunday.
This was my family.
“You want some food?” Shay asked, tugging on her brother’s shirt.
“Sure—”
“Actually,” I interrupted, nodding toward the kitchen. “Can we all chat in here just for a minute?”
They followed as I stepped into the empty kitchen, nodding for them to sit at the table. “What’s going on?” Ali questioned, looking at Shay, who shrugged.
I pulled a piece of paper from my pocket and slid it across the table between them. “So, I did have an ulterior motive to asking you to come today,” I explained, making Ali sit a little straighter. “I’m not sure if Shay told you, but I asked someone to find your dad.”
“You found him?” Shay whispered, holding my gaze like she was afraid to look down.
Ali, on the other hand, grabbed the paper, his eyes scanning it furiously, slowly growing wider and wider as he read about the car accident and his father’s fiery demise. “He’s dead?”
“He’s dead,” I confirmed, and Ali slammed the paper down on the table and let out a heavy sigh.
“Wish I could have a drink because I’d be toasting the universe right now,” he exclaimed, leaping up while Shay took the paper, her brow knotting as she scanned it. “The bastard got what he deserved. Karma. That’s perfect karma.”
“Well, if you want to toast something, tuna casserole and lemonade are out on the back porch,” I told him, the knowing look on Shay’s face telling me I wasn’t about to get away with this without giving her an explanation. “We’ll be out in a minute.”
He turned to his sister, leaned in and gently kissed her head. “This is a good thing, Shay. Right?”
She looked up at him, forcing a smile. “Hell, yes. It’s a great thing.”
Ali nodded, patting me on the back. “Thanks, Bishop,” he said, his voice a little raspy. “Thanks.”
He walked out, leaving us alone, and Shay wasted no time. “There’s no date on this.”
“Correct.”
She narrowed her eyes. “When did this accident happen, Bishop?”
“Last week.” I wasn’t about to lie to her. “I made a decision to give the go-ahead to rid the world of a man who not only killed your mother but also tried to kill you. And I did it because I knew no matter what the bastard had done, you would still never make that choice yourself. And I wouldn’t want you to carry that on your shoulders anyway. So, I took it on mine.”
Shay had been to hell and back multiple times in her life, each time clawing herself from the depths to survive and battle another day, even stronger than before. I wasn’t about to give that man a chance to return one day and try to drag her back there with him.
My hands already had blood on them, years’ worth of it.
Another life taken because of me wouldn’t be the difference between Heaven and Hell. And in my eyes, if Shay hated me for it and walked away, at least I knew she would be able to sleep at night—wherever she was—knowing he wasn’t coming back.
That was the choice I decided that I could live with.
“I understand if you’re mad—”
