She doesn’t elaborate on who they are, but I have my own suspicions. And I pray to God I’m wrong. “All right, hang tight. I’m grabbing Pap and we’re on our way.”

“Okay, just hurry, please. They…” she pauses, “they hurt him bad, Liv. I’m so scared.”

Oh God.

Hanging up, I slip on my shoes and run as fast as I can to the field to grab Pap. My heart pounds and my stomach twists. He has to be okay. He has to. I can’t lose anyone else, and I sure as hell know Tania can’t lose him either.

It would kill her.

CHAPTER 29

Grayson

“You sure you can handle this, Taylor? Maybe you should—”

“Just fucking play it.” I grit.

Henderson redirects his attention back to the computer, pressing play. Wilkinson and Dixon stand next to me as we all focus on the screen ahead.

It’s been hours since I brought Brandon in to make his statement. He’s already been released back into his parents’s custody and a warrant was put out for the arrest of De’Shawn Miller and the others he implicated. I urged Henderson to cut the kid some slack. Not only because Liv practically begged me to but also because it was the right thing to do.

Yes, he should be punished for breaking into someone’s property, and although I’m still angry that he didn’t come forward sooner, I know he didn’t want that to happen to Liv. Brandon and Jamal were just two kids who were afraid to say no to West.

Henderson agreed and promised to work something out that would be more beneficial than jail time.

That was good enough for me.

Brandon gave us the exact location of not only the others but also West’s drug operation.

It took everything I had not to go with them and arrest the others. Instead, I paced a hole in the floor of the station for three solid hours. I’d been trying to get ahold of Terrell, to let him know what’s going on, but I couldn’t reach him. I have no idea where the fuck he is.

Finally, the others were brought in about half an hour ago. It took every ounce of self-control I owned not to unleash the fury I’ve been keeping locked up since last night, especially after holding Liv as she cried herself to sleep.

That’s when Henderson showed up to watch the video. Without Larson, thank Christ.

I snap out of my thoughts as the monitor comes to life. The images are dark at first, nothing more than muffled sounds and lots of grunting, but then sunlight bounces off the screen before the camera tilts down, zooming into focus. Her screams are what rip open my goddamn chest first, clawing and tearing at me until I can hardly breathe. Her voice is raw, completely shredded by her desperate cries for help.

“Hold her legs.”

“Hurry up, man, I want another turn.”

My fists curl in on themselves as I try to prevent myself from destroying the laptop. The red haze of rage is blinding when the camera scans each of their faces. Each one laughing and smiling while my woman lies on the ground, destroyed by their vengeance and hate.

Henderson quickly stops the video. “I’ve seen enough, the rest isn’t necessary.”

I know he’s doing it more for my sake than his. I walk to the other side of the room, pressing my palms to the cool wall, but it doesn’t do shit to chill my heated body. My head hangs heavily between my arms, eyes closed, trying to block out the images in my head.

A hand clamps my shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “We got ’em. Justice has prevailed, son,” Dixon says, but his words do nothing to ease this unbelievable force building inside of me.

Henderson may put them all away for a very long time but it doesn’t seem like enough. They deserve to feel every ounce of pain Liv did and then some. And I wish for nothing more than to be the one who delivers it.

I shake my head, trying to suppress the violent urge. I need to get out of here and calm down before I barge into the interrogation rooms and kill every single one of those fuckers for what they did.

Without a goodbye, I head out of the station, climbing into my truck and slamming the door. My mind is still locked down in a fit of turmoil when I pull into the cemetery, but the closer I get to his gravesite, the more my anger subsides. Sharp pain infiltrates my chest. The same as it always does each time I come here, which is why I don’t come often. But I need this more than ever right now.

Kneeling down, I take a seat next to his marker.

James Alan Taylor

Beloved husband, father, and servant.

Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

Psalm 34:14

I expel a heavy breath, and for the first few minutes I just sit, trying to collect my thoughts until I can’t take the silence any longer.

“You told me if I sought the truth I’d find justice.” I start, my throat raw with grief. “Well, I did that, Dad. We got them all. But at what cost? A kid is dead. Liv was raped, beaten, and almost suffered the same fate. Half the town has gone fucking crazy. So…where’s the justice in that? Anything those boys get will never be enough, not with all the pain they’ve caused. So how do I just move on, how do I move on after knowing what they did to her, especially when I know their punishment won’t be enough?”

I’m left with silence, not that I expected him to answer back, but I had hoped being here would give me some sort of guidance. There’s a tight, uneasy feeling in my gut, gnawing at me, like this is far from over. Is it just from feeling like those assholes deserve harsher punishment or is it something more?

Time is as vague as my thoughts, passing by in a storm of uncertainty and confusion. I’m not sure how long I’ve been here but it’s completely dark now.

I finally get up and head to my truck, knowing I need to get to Liv and tell her about what happened today. I feel like shit I waited so long, but I needed to calm down before I saw her.

As I open my door I hear the shrill sound of my phone and realize I left it in my vehicle. “Taylor,” I answer, not even bothering to check the caller ID.

“Grayson, where are you? I’ve been calling you for hours.”

My back stiffens when I hear the panic and raw pain in her voice. “Liv, what’s wrong?” At the sound of her sobs I put the truck in gear and haul ass. “Baby, talk to me. Are you hurt?”

“No. It’s Terrell. You need to come to the hospital, quick.”

I don’t waste time asking why, the urgency in her voice tells me whatever it is it’s fucking bad. I peel out of the parking lot, hitting the gas harder when I make it out onto the street. “I’m on my way. I’ll be there in a few minutes. Hang tight.”

I walk through the doors of the hospital ten minutes later and head straight to the waiting room but there’s no one there.

“Deputy Taylor,” Nurse Fisher calls my name. I’ve known her as long as I can remember. She and my mother have been friends for years, and she was one of many who worked on my father after the accident.

I clear my throat, trying to eliminate the panic threatening to choke me. “Hey, Dina. I’m looking for Terrell. Liv called and told me he was here.”

Her expression pinches with sadness as her lip trembles. “Come. His sister and Olivia are with him now. We finally got ahold of the Johnsons, they’re on their away.”

I follow after her, my stomach churning with every passing step. I’m met with agonizing sobs as I enter the room. Tania lies over Terrell’s chest, blocking him from my view as she cries uncontrollably. Liv hugs her back, burying her face next to hers, tears of sorrow staining her face. Walt stands in the corner, his expression hard yet tormented, and I finally realize it’s far worse than I thought.

Dread sinks in my gut like an anvil. The weight of it almost too much to carry. “What happened?” My voice comes out shaky and gruff, terrified of the answer.