Chapter 97: Chapter 11

NATE

In the aftermath of Matt shooting Donald, we stand frozen in time. Matt is in shock, and I gently take the gun from his trembling hands, texting my dad for help. He arrives swiftly, the room emptying as he enters.

I give him a knowing look, and he understands immediately. He approaches Matt, gently tapping his shoulder, guiding him to sit down.

Matt’s face is a mirror of a memory I wish I could forget. It is the same look I saw on Jesus’ face, a look of guilt so profound it is etched into my memory. I can’t bear to see that look again.

Matt slumps into a chair, resting his elbows on his knees, his head hanging low. We can only guess at the guilt consuming him, but he needs to stay strong.

I hand my dad all the guns in the room to dispose of, ensuring Matt can’t do anything rash. We position ourselves so that Matt is facing us, not Donald.

“Matt, we can’t pretend to understand what you’re feeling,” I begin. “But you’re not alone. My dad met my mom when she was in an abusive relationship. I met Mandy under similar circumstances. I’m not my dad’s biological son, and Mason isn’t mine, but we’re family. Life throws shit at us, and we can either let it define us or rise above it. Sasha needs your strength now more than ever.”

I pause, remembering a friend who had let guilt consume him. “We had a friend who couldn’t bear the guilt of not protecting his cousins’ grandkids, Angela and Angelia. He ended his life right in front of us.”

“The twins at the house?” Matt asks, his voice barely a whisper.

“Yes,” I confirm. “He couldn’t protect them from their ‘father’. He was in the same state you’re in now, a blank stare, no emotion. He looked at me, and in a split second, he pulled out his gun and killed himself. Please, Matt, don’t do that. I can’t bear to tell your family what you did. We’ll get through this. Talk to Penny if you need to. That’s why we hired her. We moved her to the estate after Jesus killed himself.”

“I’m not planning on killing myself, Nate,” Matt says, his voice hollow. “But I can’t understand why they had to scar her like that. I wanted her to meet a nice man, have a family. Every dad’s dream for their daughter. But that’s been taken from her.”

“There are always ways around that,” I reassure him. “Half the kids in the house aren’t even my blood. We adopt kids all the time. Who knows what the future holds for those two, but we’ll support them every step of the way.”

Matt looks at my dad and nods. We all stand up, patting him on the back. I look at Matt again, relieved to see the blank stare is gone.

We leave the room, heading back upstairs to the conference room. I give a nod to signal that it is over. Almost everyone leaves, leaving Mason, Matt, Jessie, Jace, Dad, and me. We know we haven’t caught the main man, but there has to be a trail somewhere.

“Do we know where these lowlifes live?” I ask.

“We have addresses for each one around town,” Jessie replies, spreading out some papers. “But there’s a small problem.”

“What’s the problem, Jessie?” I ask.

Jessie and Jace exchange a glance before Jace answers. “They all have young families, Nate. They probably have no idea what their fathers are up to.”

I lean back in my chair, processing this. We need information, but we don’t want to traumatize these kids. “How young are we talking?”

“Mostly five to ten years old,” Jace replies. “One has infant twins. We’ve had people watching, and they seem like normal families, except for the one with the twins. We think it might be a drug house.”

“All right,” I say, formulating a plan. “Get Chris and Chief Tranton here. We’ll hit the house with the twins first. Have the guards secure the other houses quietly. No one goes in, no one leaves. We’ll meet out front to load up. If these kids are in danger, they need to be removed. That’s why Chris will be there.”

MASON

As we leave the conference room, I see Sasha crying in my mom’s arms. I look to my mom for answers, but she just shakes her head. What the hell does that mean?

I quickly pick up Sasha, carrying her away from the crowd. I set her down and lean in, asking her to tell me what is going on.

“I saw the doctor yesterday with your mom,” she whispers. “She wanted to consult with a colleague and then call me today. Your mom just talked to her, and she said there is too much damage. The scarring will prevent me from ever carrying a baby. Mason, I’m so sorry!”

I pull her into my arms, holding her as she cries. I don’t care if she can’t carry a child. We will find a way to have a family.

I see my mom explain the situation to Sasha’s parents. Her mom buries her face in her dad’s chest, and I can see the fear in his eyes. I walk over to them, Sasha in tow, and place my hands on their cheeks.

“I don’t care what she can or can’t do,” I tell them firmly. “She will still be my wife. This changes nothing. We’re all family, blood or not, and so will our kids, however we get them.”

I wrap my arms around them, Sasha squeezed in the middle, and we take a moment to absorb the news. The arrival of Andy, Chris, and the chief breaks the silence. My dad fills them in on the plan, and we start getting ready to leave.

“If the house with the infants is a drug house, and the mom is arrested, what will happen to the babies, Chris?” I ask.

“Mason, if no family members can take them, they’ll have to go into the system,” Chris replies. “We’ll try to keep them together, but it doesn’t always work out that way. They often get separated.”

I swivel my gaze toward Sasha, catching the faint trace of a smile that dances on her lips as she brushes away her tears. The way we create our family doesn’t matter to me, but I know we’ll build one, no matter what it takes.

I give her a nod, pressing a swift kiss to her lips before turning to make my way to the cars. Once we are all settled in, we speed off, cutting across town toward the given address. We rendezvous with our lookouts a block away, observing the suspicious figures moving in and out of the building.

We bide our time until everyone is in position. The chief orchestrates the SWAT team to assume their posts. They are to go in first, secure the premises, and then we’ll follow to gather any information we can.

I feel the familiar buzz of my phone and glance down to see Sasha’s name flashing on the screen. She is probably more on edge than I am.

Another message pops up, this time from her parents. I can’t help but chuckle to myself. Weren’t they standing right next to each other?

I pocket my phone, waiting for our cue to move.

A tap on my shoulder pulls me from my thoughts, and I turn to face Chris and Andy.

“I did a quick background check on the girl from the hospital,” Chris says. “She doesn’t have any next of kin listed in her file. We looked up her parents, but they’re both deceased.”

“All right, Chris. But what about the father?” I ask.

“She didn’t list one. If she ends up getting arrested and you want custody of the twins, Andy can prepare the paperwork. We can present it to a judge and see what he decides,” Chris explains.