Chapter Thirty-Five

Saint was waiting on me when I stepped out of the dressing room after work on Monday night.

When I’d arrived, I’d asked Marley to cut my work days down to two a week, and I had expected Saint to say something about it. I had been the one to ask for more shifts until I was working five days a week. There had been weeks I worked six days straight.

I had money in savings and plenty in my checking account. There was no need to keep working so many shifts. This was about me. At least, that was what I kept telling myself. I didn’t want to make this about Rio. I had barely seen him since Friday night. Our work schedules didn’t match up, and his pops had fallen Sunday night, so Rio was over at their house again, helping with him.

We had only had two really good days together. I wouldn’t be making a job decision because of that. Would I?

“Only two days a week?” Saint said as I closed the door behind me.

I nodded. “Yep.”

He studied me. “Is it because of what I said to you?”

The night in the club last week seemed so distant now. I’d almost forgotten. I shook my head. “I promise you it’s not. Summer is here, and I want to have more time to do things with Cullen.”

Saint didn’t seem convinced. “You’re the best server we have.”

I knew that, and I felt guilty about it. “I told Marley I would work Saturday and Sunday nights. Those are always the busiest.”

He frowned. “When you need more hours, they’re always yours.”

“Thank you,” I replied.

“Maybe seeing less of you will get you the fuck out of my head,” he said.

I hoped it did, but I wasn’t sure I should say that.

“You have my number,” he added.

I nodded. I did have it, but I would never use it.

“I’ll walk you out to your car,” he said.

I knew he did this with most of the girls if someone else couldn’t do it, so I didn’t argue this time.

Once I was in my car and driving away, I felt relief. My nights working topless were less now. I’d done it. I had saved up the money we needed. I had overcome my fears to make sure Cullen had security. There was no need for me to continue. Maybe, in the fall, I could get a daytime job here in town. Now that people no longer turned me away in stores and I didn’t get glares from strangers on the streets, I could probably get hired doing something here.

Once at Marley’s guesthouse, I crawled into bed with Cullen and went to sleep instantly.

The next morning after arriving back at the apartment, I was making waffles, and Cullen was playing with his new Spider-Man figures when there was a knock on the door. Smiling, I wiped my hands on a towel. It was early, and Rio had texted he would stop by before work if he could get away from his grandparents soon enough. My stomach was all aflutter with the excitement of seeing him even if only for a moment.

Without checking to see who it was, I swung the door open, but the smile on my face instantly fell as I stood there, staring at a police officer. I hadn’t broken any laws.

“Can I help you?” I asked.

“Are you Bryn Wallace?” the officer asked.

I nodded my head, starting to feel panicked. What had I done that the authorities had to come to my door? Sure, they’d come to our door many times but always because of Tory. I racked my brain as I stood there, staring at him. Trying to think of any reason they would need to come see me.

Understanding slowly started to dawn on me, and fear weighed heavy in my stomach as I asked, “Is it Tory?”

The officer nodded. “Yes, ma’am, I’m afraid so.”

“Oh God, what has she done now?” How could she get in trouble in jail?

“Ma’am, your sister, Tory Wallace, was found dead in her cell this morning at five a.m. There was a lethal amount of fentanyl in her system. We don’t know who gave it to her, but it was taken between the hours of midnight and three a.m.”

There was a pounding in my ears as I listened to him speak, but accepting what he was saying was difficult. How could she have overdosed in jail? Hadn’t she been safe there from drugs?

I shook my head and then remembered Cullen. Spinning around, I found him watching his Spider-Man movie with his toys in his hands. He hadn’t heard. Thank God for Spider-Man.

“Aunt Bryn, are the waffles ready?” he called out then, only realizing I was at the door. He jumped up and ran over to me. “Is it Rio?” he asked excitedly. However, seeing the officer, he grabbed my leg and held on to it tightly. He had seen too many of them at our door in his short life.

“Not yet, buddy. Go on back to your show. I’m finishing up here with this nice officer, and then I will get your waffles done.”

He didn’t budge. His small hand went up and held mine tightly. Twice, his mother had been taken away by officers in front of him. They hadn’t kept her, as the offenses were misdemeanors, but it had still been traumatic for him.

“My aunt Bryn ain’t a bad guy,” he told the officer. “She didn’t break any rules.”

The officer looked down at the boy and nodded, then lifted his gaze to me.

“Can we talk about what I need to do over the phone?” I asked, not wanting him to say anything about Tory’s death in front of Cullen.

He understood and nodded. “Yes. We will be in touch today. Again, I am sorry.”

I didn’t let him say more before I closed the door and locked it. Then, I bent down and held Cullen in my arms tightly. Tears burned my eyes, but I could not cry. He would worry and ask questions. I knew I had to tell him, but how did I do it?

“Thank you for being such a good protector,” I told him, blinking back my tears and putting on a smile. “Now, go on back to what you were doing, and I will finish those waffles.”

Cullen nodded and hurried back to the toys he had left on the coffee table. I finished making the waffles, but I only made enough for him. I had no appetite. Tory was gone. Sure, she had made life hard, and I had threatened to take Cullen from her, but deep down, I’d thought that would straighten her out. That one day, she would clean herself up and grow up. I had never considered that she would die. Leave us this way. Forever.

I had been so mad at her that I hadn’t written to her or visited her. I hadn’t taken Cullen to see her. I had been punishing her for what she’d done. Now, it was too late, and there would be no visits. He wouldn’t see her again, and it was my fault. I should have taken him to see her.

My throat was so thick with emotion that I could barely swallow. The lump there was painful, and I managed to feed Cullen without breaking down. Rio didn’t come, and by ten, I knew he wouldn’t be by here this morning. It was for the best. I needed to be alone to figure this out.

When Cullen’s nap finally came, I went to the shower and stood under the hot water and cried. I let out all the pain, the loss, the regret. I cried for the big sister who had protected me for years. I cried for the only family I’d had when I was left without a guardian. I cried for all Tory could have been but chose not to be.

Could I have done more to help her? Had I given up on her too soon?

The water turned cold, and I stepped out and wrapped myself in a towel. Then, I went to my room and sank down on my bed. How had we come to this? Life had given her physical beauty, and maybe that was what had haunted her the most. She never admitted or talked about the years of being sexually abused. I had heard it though. I knew. I hadn’t hidden what was done to me, and I’d faced it head-on.

Was that why I wasn’t haunted? Should I have pushed her to accept the past, so she could move on?

There was another knock on the door, and I stood up and walked to see who it was. I didn’t have the energy to talk to anyone, and I was still in my towel. Rio stood there, holding a box of what I knew were cupcakes.

I opened the door slowly, then stepped back for him to come inside.

His eyes looked me over, and then he closed the door behind him, set the box down, and pulled me to him.

“What is wrong?” he asked. “Did something happen to you? Is Cullen okay?” His tone was demanding. He looked ready to take on any demon he needed to.

“Tory,” I managed to croak out.

“She’s out? Did she come here?” His eyes flew to Cullen’s closed bedroom door. “He’s in there, right?”

I nodded, and then a tear rolled down my face as my throat tightened some more. “She’s dead,” I whispered. “Overdose.”

Rio held me against his chest. “I am so sorry,” he whispered into my damp hair.

“I never went to see her,” I told him. “I was punishing her. Cullen won’t ever get a chance to see his mama again.”

A sob broke free, and Rio’s hold tightened.

“Do not blame yourself. Nothing is your fault. Listen to me, Bryn. You did more for Tory than anyone would have ever done in your situation. You treat your nephew like your own son. He loves you like a mother. Nothing about this is your fault.”

I sobbed again because he only saw the positive things. He didn’t see the negative. He was wrong. I should have gone to see her. I should have let Cullen draw her pictures and mailed them to her. I should have reminded her what she had to live for. Instead, I’d abandoned her.

Rio lifted me up in his arms and took me to my bedroom. He sat me down on the bed, then started going through my drawers, looking for my things. He found panties, shorts, and a tank top. He took my hand and pulled me up, then began to dress me. I let him.

He was right. I needed to be dressed. Cullen would wake soon. The police would call me. I had things to handle. Falling apart was not one of them. I just couldn’t get past the sorrow enough to do anything about it.

Rio walked out of the room but returned within seconds with my brush in his hand.

“Sit down,” he told me, and I obeyed.

He brushed out my damp hair until it was smooth.

When he was done, he bent down to look me in the eyes. “Lie down. Rest. I’m not leaving. When Cullen wakes up, I will be here.”

“I haven’t told him,” I whispered.

Rio nodded, then kissed the tip of my nose. “Rest.”

I moved to lay my head on the pillow, and then Rio covered me up. I watched him leave me there and close my door behind him. I knew sleep wouldn’t come. If it did, nightmares would come with it. I thought about her room and all her things. I would have to go through it. Keep things for Cullen. Find all the pictures of them together on her phone and get them printed.

But how was I going to tell him? How did you tell a little boy you loved more than life, wanting to do nothing but protect him, that his mother was dead?