Page 190 of Healed

His hand was on my shoulder, his other on the floor somewhere.

Blood, spit, and vomit covered the table. He had shit himself at some point, and the stench filled the air, overpowering the copper. It even overpowered the stench of burnt flesh that clung to my nostrils.

“Did it do what you needed it to?” Dante asked suddenly.

“What?”

“Did it give you the release you needed? Are you ready to let it go now?”

I paused, remembering our conversation from Church a few days back.

Had it?

Did I feel released?

Nico was dead. That was always going to be the end goal. But had this done what needed to be done? Did I feel like justice was served?

No, was the honest answer. Not really.

Because the damage had been done. Countless people had lost their lives at the hands of this cunt. What he went through didn’t feel like nearly enough.

But this marked the end for Gabriella. This was her release. And that would have to be enough.

“I get it, brother,” Dante said when I didn’t answer him. “When we tortured Ben, it still didn’t feel like it was enough. Knowing what he and Alex put Rachel through made me want to resurrect him, just so I could do it all over again. I used to dream about all the ways I would make them pay. How I would become their own Grim Reaper and torture them for all eternity.”

“How did you get past it?”

“I didn’t,” he shrugged. “Not really. But I did realise that my obsession with something that could never happen was taking me away from my family. From my club. Obsessing over a dead guy was making me a worse partner, a worse father, and a worse leader. I had to learn to just let it go, even if it was hard. Because the woman I wanted to save, the woman I wanted vengeance for, she was losing me to my obsession. I wanted to hurt others because I loved her. Instead, I was pushing her away and risking losing her.”

He looked at me then.

“Nico died by your hands. Let that be enough. Replay it in your mind. Remember his screams. Remember the agony. Let that soothe you, because there are no more chances coming. You don’t get a do-over. This was it. Let it be enough, Vienna.”

A weight seemed to lift from me then.

He was right. This would have to be enough. I had to let it be enough. Our lives were ready to start, and I needed to be ready to live it.

Dante slapped me on the shoulder. “You’ll get there, brother. I promise.”

A van pulled up outside the garage.

“They’re here,” Dante said. “Do you want me to come with you?”

“Nah,” I said, shaking my head. “I need to do this on my own. Will you let Gabby know where I—”

“You don’t even need to ask.” He pulled me into a hug. “She’s one of us now, brother. Go on and do what you need to do and then claim her as your old lady. Properly. In front of all of us. Let’s get this chapter closed and start a new one.”

“Amen to that.”

Chapter 61

Gabriella

It took hours for Vienna to return to me.

I’d spent some of them with Rachel, but I hadn’t wanted to encroach on her space too much. I stayed with them just long enough to watch them all relax, to make sure they ate, and then sat back, letting Rachel whisper to them as she told a bedtime story.

She fell asleep with both children in her bed, hugging them fiercely. I’d left them sleeping peacefully—something they all deserved after today.