Tainted, Book One: Possessed

44. No One Else (The End)

Kerry

Gemma had nightmares for a while after that. She didn't say anything to anyone, but Gigi stayed with her at night and she told Jax, and he told me.

I was all set to cut the ward outta my arm and give it to her, but Chessie rolled her eyes, called me an idiot, and said that wouldn't work. Then she went off and made Gemma her own ward.

Maddy, who was half-Chippewa, made her something called it a dreamcatcher. It looked like a spider web inside a hoop with beads and feathers and stuff. I didn't have any faith it would work, but Gemma was fascinated by it, so I hung it up for her above her bed and kept my thoughts to myself.

All the support helped, but when August said she'd have to testify at Argaud's trial, she flat-out panicked.

"Nothing's gonna hurt you, angel." I smoothed my hand up and down her back as she did her best to squeeze the air outta me. "I'll be with you the whole time."

"Promise?" Her bottom lip quivered, and I wanted to find Argaud and half-kill him all over again.

"Promise." I smiled, and she relaxed enough to follow August into my kitchen.

She'd been leaning on me hard, which I kinda liked. It proved she trusted me, and I could repay a little of my debt to her. So, yeah, I would carry her for as long as she needed me to - but I didn't wanna do it for long.

And no, not for any selfish reason. Well, I mean, yeah, I missed my Gemma, but it went beyond that. It was hard to explain, but I could tell she wasn't happy with how she was coping. She hated being weak and vulnerable, and I imagined she thought people were mistaking her reaction for both.

But the truth was, Argaud had shattered her confidence and sense of safety, and I didn't know how to help her get either back.

Jax and Gigi told me I was doing what she needed by just being there for her, and Hank said the same, so that was what I did. And she had seemed to be getting better until August dropped by.

I poked my head into the kitchen to check on them. She was calm enough and looking over some papers August had spread across the table. I was debating whether to join them when my phone rang. A familiar face popped up as the caller, and I answered with a half-smile.

"Hey, John."

"Come play football after lunch." He never said hello like a normal person.

"Uh, I dunno if that's a good idea." I rubbed the back of my neck. I wanted to hang out with him, but I knew my limits. "I mean, me and tackling and stuff."

"It's flag football. You'll be fine. We need another couple."

"Couple?"

"You, Gemma, Jax, and Gigi against me, Tara, Travis, and Maddy. Come on, man. It'll be good for both of you."

"All right. I'll check with her and get back to you."

"The quad. One o'clock. Wait a sec, Jax's talking. Okay. He said wear sneakers, not your boots."

Then he hung up, no goodbye or anything.

Shaking my head, I went to slide my phone back in my pocket when it rang again. No face came up this time, but I answered because I was curious who had my number - and why.

"Harker, I found a lead on your mother's killer." Clem's words hit me right in the gut. "I'm leaving in ten to follow up on it. It's in New York City, so I thought I'd see if you wanted to tag along to your old stomping ground."

A mix of adrenaline and fury tightened every muscle in my body.

"I need to warn you, though," he went on before I could reply, "I don't know how long we'll be gone. It may be days or it could turn into weeks."

Bouncing on my toes, I opened my mouth to say yes - and my eyes landed on Gemma's pale face. I'd just promised her that I'd be with her at Argaud's trial, and we had no idea when that would start.

So? Just means it's time to walk away. Remember? You said that was how it was gonna be.

Some days, I wanted to throat-punch that voice inside my head.

I took a deep breath and let it out slow.

"Thanks for asking, Clem, but I got something else I need to take care of right now." I turned away from the kitchen so there was no way Gemma could overhear what I said next. "But if you do find that son of a whore, I'd count it as a personal favor if you left enough of him alive for me to finish killing."

"Fair enough, son."

#

I liked flag football. Gave me a chance to blow off some steam and have fun with my friends at the same time. Gemma enjoyed it, too. She even laughed when Jax face-planted while trying to do a backflip after he scored a touchdown. I hadn't heard her laugh in forever, so the dent to his dignity was worth it.

After everyone was played out, we all headed to the cafeteria for supper. Gemma and I held hands as we ambled along and soon we were far behind the others.

"Kerry?"

She stopped walking, so I did, too. Looking down, I saw her serious face.

Is this it? A flash of panic stabbed me. Is she done with me?

I swallowed hard. I'd always known she would walk away.

Yeah, but I'd hoped it would be years from now.

"I think we can officially move from more-than-friends to dating now."

Just breathe through the— Wait. What did she say?

"What did you say?"

"Is it okay to call it dating now?" She gave me a tiny smile. "It's just changing the label on what we're already doing, right? And everyone thinks we're a couple, anyway."

Oh, I so knew I didn't deserve this, that it was just a dream, but I was gonna enjoy every second for as long as it lasted. Taking a deep breath, I put my feelings out there.

"I don't care what anyone else thinks, but yeah. I want you for my own, Gemma."

Her eyes were soft as they searched mine. There was that golden feeling again, filling my veins with bubbles, but it also riled up the taint. I winced as it dug its claws in me, but it was only pain. It didn't matter. For her, I'd endure anything.

"To make sure there's no misunderstanding, we're dating." She leveled dead-serious eyes at me. "I'm seeing you, you're seeing me, and there's no one else for either of us."

"Yep." I kept it simple so I didn't mess up.

"We're boyfriend and girlfriend."

"Yep."

"I'll be yours and yours alone?"

"Yep."

"And you'll be mine and mine alone?"

"Aw, angel. Don't you know?" The good side of my mouth kicked up. "I've always been yours."

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End of Book One: Possessed