I wasn’t an angel. I was the devil at that moment. I wanted Tito to suffer for what he’d done.
Denim pried me off Tito, and once I was on two feet, I spat in Tito’s face. “You are a monster, just like my sister said.” Tears burned my eyes, but I wasn’t going to cry. Not yet. I wasn’t sure Savannah’s written confession or Tito’s verbal one was enough to put him away. It was his word against ours, and Savannah wasn’t there to tell her side of the story.
You have more evidence to put him away than the police had for Denim when the jury convicted him. And you have witnesses. Tito will pay in prison.
“Why did you kill Savannah?” I asked. I knew why. I just wanted to hear him say it. “She never did anything to you. She kept your secret for years while Denim paid for your actions.”
Duke was at my side. “Answer her. Or you’ll feel my wrath next.”
Tito stumbled to his feet, his eyes widening at Duke.
With Duke as scary as he was on one side of me and Denim with a gun on the other side of me, Tito should be scared, although I didn’t see the gun in Denim’s hand anymore.
Tito’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “One of my girls overheard her talking to Duke.” He spat blood on the floor. “I couldn’t let her live.”
Duke took one step toward Tito when an army of law enforcement surrounded us with guns at the ready.
Duke and Denim raised their arms up in the air as though they’d made that very move a million times.
Tito didn’t move.
I snarled at Tito. “I hope you rot in prison for the rest of your life.”
A man behind me with a baritone voice said, “He will.”
As if those two words were a balm to my severed heart, I sagged in relief.
31
Denim
Acop frisked me, removed the gun from the back of my jeans, then cuffed me. Other cops did the same to Duke, Lou, Tito, Mallory, and Jade.
God. Jade.
The bravery she had exhibited when she’d walked in was gone. In its place was fear.
A pang of hurt spread through my chest. The last thing I ever wanted to see was her in cuffs.
Officer Ted Hughes, tall and mean as fuck, helped Jade to the table. “Sit here.” His tone permitted no argument.
Another officer did the same with Mallory, Lou, and Duke.
Then Ted Hughes waltzed up to me and sized me up with a snarl that made the hairs on his mustache twitch. “Denim Hart. I was surprised to hear you got parole.”
“I’m surprised you showed up today,” I said in a nice tone. The last thing I wanted to do was piss off the man. With my luck, he was still going to lock me up for shooting Tito, but honestly, I didn’t give a rat’s ass. I would gladly spend time in jail as long as Jade didn’t. She wouldn’t survive in jail, nor would she have forgiven herself if she had shot Tito dead.
“Dillon is a good friend,” Hughes said.
“Where are the Feds?” They were the ones who’d put a wire on me. They were the ones taping everything.
“I’m right here.” Travers strutted in, scanning the club with his normal scowl.
“Did you get everything on tape?” I asked Travers.
“You fucker. You set me up?” Tito’s voice cracked.
I gave him a crisp nod as a weight was lifted off my shoulders. “You’re lucky I didn’t kill you.”
