Page 42 of Single Mom for the Mountain Men
“I’m not insinuating anything. It’s just that I found a letter written to me, on my doorstep last year, warning that they would kill me and chop me into pieces if I didn’t make my brother pay them back. The Lalita gang, if I recall the name signed at the end of the letter. You had assured me that you had dealt with it back then, too. Made me wonder how sharp and vigilant you really were when you said you made sure they didn’t track you back here.”
Brody’s words send a chill down my spine, and I put down my beer. Aiden has straightened up also, all traces of amusement gone from his face. Tanner’s face is completely blank, and there are no emotions in his eyes.
“They sent you a letter?”
“That’s not the point, is it, Tanner?” Brody says simply, not raising his voice, nor softening it. “You’ve put all of us in danger, the one thing you swore on your life that you would never do.”
“And that’s why I told you four to book it as soon as I was spotted,” Tanner defends himself, though he does raise his voice. “I tried the best I could.”
“Your best wasn’t enough, then. Can I ever trust you to take anything seriously?” Brody’s words are as sharp as a blade, cutting through the air violently.
“Don’t act all high and mighty like our fucking dad, Brody. I don’t know what high horse you’re talking from if they could easily pin you down as my brother. What happened to all your military training? Gone soft now?” Tanner taunts.
“Guys, let’s not do this right now,” I intervene nervously, looking at Aiden for support. The latter looks indifferent, his arms crossed with a blank face. It’s like he’s watching a show, completely detached from the scene taking place before his eyes.
“Don’t pin your shit on me. If you’re as irresponsible as you were before and nothing has changed, just say it. Admit it, then, instead of acting like a little—”
“I told you I’m working things out! Everyone makes mistakes, Brody. At least our mistakes don’t cost people their lives.”
Tanner’s words strike a chord in Brody because the latter gets up. The table shakes with the force of his movements, causing Sophie to jump back and grab onto Aiden’s shoulder.
Brody storms out, leaving his food half-finished. The door slams behind him, and his departure creates an uncomfortable silence.
“Man, fuck this,” Tanner mutters under his breath and gets up, too, not looking at anyone else as he leaves as well. The door shuts behind him, but not as loudly as it did when Brody left.
The three of us sit and take in whatever just happened. Aiden breaks the silence after what feels like an eternity and apologizes, “Lena, I’m really sorry about this.”
“Don’t be, it isn’t your fault,” I say automatically, my brain trying to digest the entire scene that just took place.
Chapter twenty
CHAPTER 20: Tanner
Iroll over in my bed and stare at my phone. It’s still early, but the first light of dawn pours in through my bedroom windows. I’ve been awake all night, tossing and turning, the guilt over what I’ve done to my brothers, Sophie, and Lena tearing at me. I keep wishing, over and over again, that there was a simple solution to this problem, that I can just snap my fingers and make my debts go away, stop the gang from trying to find and harm me.
Now that my brothers, Lena, and Sophie are involved, I know that simply running away isn’t going to help anymore. I need to make a real plan, come up with a solution that will resolve this issue once and for all. I don’t yet know what that solution will be, but I need to do something.
Grumbling, I get out of bed and go to the bathroom to splash cold water on my face. I’m restless, not sure how to calm myracing heart or to soothe the guilt that is eating me up. I look in the mirror at my haunted expression and realize that thereissomething that I can do. I can go to Lena and apologize to her for the blow-up last night. It’s not going to solve the rest of my problems, but it’s a start.
I hurriedly brush my teeth and then go back to my bedroom to get dressed. I look out the window again, frowning. It’s still really early, but Lena has never turned any of us away when we’ve needed her.
I pull out my phone and send her a quick text message.
I know it’s early, but can we talk?
There’s a brief pause, then I see the little dots that indicate that she’s typing something back to me.
Sure. Come on over. Don’t knock, or you’ll wake up Soph.
That’s all the permission I need, and I struggle into a sweatshirt and a vest before leaving the house. I hunch my shoulders against the cold as I hurry down the path between our houses. It’s heading into the coldest part of the year. I need to remember to get more wood stored on the side of Lena’s house for the stove.
When I reach her front door, I pause, peering into the glass inserts. It doesn’t take long before I see Lena’s form heading toward the door. She has a robe wrapped around her when sheopens it, and she presses a finger to her lips to indicate that I need to be quiet.
I nod and follow her inside, and she takes my hand and leads me to her bedroom. Once she closes the door, she leans back against it and looks at me.
“You okay?” she asks me, one blonde brow lifted as she waits for my reply.
“I…I just…” I hesitate, not sure how to start. “I need to apologize,” I manage to force out.
