Part 26 (2/2)

Jonah's arms gave me a squeeze as he whispered to what I was guessing was Nicky, ”Keep her eyes on you don't let her look around.” His arms let me go as my body was pulled into the arms of my brother.

Pulling my face up with his hand at my chin Nicky looked into my eyes, ”I have to go baby girl. I need you to forget what happen here today. Jonah will take care of you I can see that now. Let go of all the bad surrounding Alex and hold on to the good time we had with him.”

”Don't leave me again.” I cried.

Closing his eyes Nicky kissed my forehead, ”I love you baby girl hold on to knowing there will be a one day for us.” Before I could say a word Jonah's arms were back around me and Nicky was once again gone.

Chapter 26.

One month latera I woke to the sounds of Jonah's alarm going off and his side of the bed empty. Waking alone wasn't unusual for the last couple of weeks. After Jonah got over the flu a'which took over a weeka' Jonah and Denny immediately went to work to erase Vinnie's business.

After Nicky and his boys left, Mason carried me out as I was stuck in a crying fit at losing my brother again and the fact that Vinnie was just shot in front of me. Denny had to help Jonah as he was sick with the flu, had been hit in the head with a gun, was almost shot by my brother and watched his uncle be shot, so to say Jonah was a mess was an understatement. Denny was holding his emotions close to himself which made me concerned at the time but I learned later that Mason had told him about Vinnie killing Jonah's family so Denny was struggling with what to feel as Vinnie was his father but Vinnie had done something unforgivable to his brother.

Mason, Denny and I told Jonah everything Vinnie had done leaving nothing out. As soon as we told him Vinnie had killed his family Jonah shut down and if he wasn't so sick I'm sure he would have taken off. For two days Jonah didn't say one word to any of us. Finally two days later in the middle of the night Jonah broke letting it all out. It was awful watching him break down and it made me break down also but once he was done I could tell that Jonah was better, he was still hurting but it was a hurt he could live with and move on with his life.

We were all waiting for Denny to have a break down too but Denny wasn't breaking he was actually acting like life was better then ever. Jonah told me this was Denny's way of coping he'd done the same thing since he was a kid and one day it would all just explode out of him.

We were still waiting for that to happen.

I had my break down with Jonah and since then I was feeling better than I had in four years, I finally believed that Alex dying was not my fault and although I didn't have everything I put the pieces together and realized that Nicky didn't leave because he wanted to he left because he had to, it was the only way to keep me safe. Safe from what I wasn't sure and no one could really answer that not even Shark and it seemed Shark knew a lot.

Shark couldn't tell us everything but he did tell us he was a DEA agent that had been undercover trying to take down the drug lords working in Denver, he didn't want the little players like Jonah and Denny he wanted Vinnie and the other big players but as his cover was blown he was leaving Denver to go after Mika. Shark's real name was Shane and the people I'd met when he took me to the ranch really were his family and that was his family's ranch. Shark promised to come see us when he made it back to Denver. Before he left he made sure that everyone knew Vinnie's business was no more and Jonah and Denny were out and wouldn't ever be going back. Shark also shared some information that had me having a second breakdown. Vince another DEA agent who apparently was gunning for Nicky, had followed Nicky and another man in a black car to Alex's grave the night I was chased by two people through the graveyard. Finding out it was my brother chasing me through a graveyard in the middle of the night didn't break me down it was the information that he had come to Alex's grave stone every year on the anniversary on his death just like me. Why he was approaching me this time Shark didn't know and it was driving me crazy not knowing either. We also with the help of Vince learned that it was Mika who had been calling me from Alex's phone. Shark told me he had a feeling that Mika was using this as a way of controlling my brother and I wasn't to pick up a call from Alex's cell ever again.

My brother had made some bad choices and taken even worse risks but it was looking like he had taken those risks to protect me. I loved and hated him for this and I couldn't wait for our one day. I still wasn't sure if I was going to beat him or hug him when he had our one day.

Darcy was kind of a mystery; we knew she was working for Mika but no one including Shark could figurer out what she was doing with me over the last four years. Jonah really didn't like this because although no one said it everyone was thinking it, Mika wouldn't have Darcy hanging around me for the last four years for no good reason, their was a reason. And the reason was a big problem because no on could answer why and that scared the s.h.i.+t out of me, the boys and Shark.

Denny's mother and Jonah's Aunt did all the work arranging Vinnie's burial and it was held last week, none of us went. Jonah instead used that day to call his grandparents that Mason had found were living in Texas. They were flying out next weekend. They were beyond happy to finally get to meet their grandbaby. This pushed me into finally coming clean to my parents about everything to do with Alex and Nicky. My dad told me this changed nothing because the fact of the matter was both his sons had screwed up to a point he would never be able to forgive them but my mom surprised the s.h.i.+t out of me by apologizing and promising me she would make our family a family once again, she had put Nicky and Alex's pictures back on the wall yet but we were working towards that.

Everything was falling into place Jonah was finally getting the life he'd always wanted. As for me I realized that I'd never lost my life I was just waiting for someone special like Jonah to help me heal my broken heart. And heal it he had, I still missed my brothers very much and thinking of them still did hurt but I wasn't focusing on the bad anymore I was focusing on all the good.

Sitting up in bed I found a red rose and a folded note lying on Jonah's pillow. Grabbing both I opened the note, Four months ago I ran into a woman, that woman turned out to be an angel that changed my world and because of that she deserves the world, moon and stars, I wish I could give you all that but this will have to do. Put the clothes on I left on the end of the bed and meet me at the college parking lot in thirty minutes. Don't keep me waiting my angel.

Looking at the end of the bed I found the clothes and didn't waste a minute getting ready to meet Jonah.

As I walked out of our bedroom my eyes caught on to the yellow envelope Rachel had given to me to give to Denny, with everything that had happened I'd completely forgotten about it.

Picking up the envelope I walked down the hall and knocked on Denny's door. No one answered, Denny was no doubt down at the new store Denny and Jonah had just purchased to finally start their tattoo shop. Opening the door I walked through his room and left the yellow envelope on his bed.

I was standing in the exact spot I met Olivia, the exact spot my world changed, the exact spot that I found I could have sweet, innocent and pure in a life that had known dark and ugly for far too long.

I watched Olivia park her car and follow the red and yellow rose petals towards me with the biggest, brightest smile I'd ever seen.

Olivia had not only given me her love she had also saved me and my brother from a life of working for Vinnie, a life that was going to get us killed.

As Olivia took the last step towards me I dropped to one knee taking the ring box with the princess cut diamond out of my pocket and opened the lid. ”I fell in love with you right here when I ran into you. I was stuck in a dark place Olivia and nothing and no one could pull me out of that until you came along and did just that. You have given me so much Olivia and for that I want to spend the rest of my life giving you all that and more back. I love you Olivia Rees and I'm hoping you will take one more risk with me and say you will marry me. What do you say Olivia am I worth the risk?”

Tears were running down her face but the smile was still in place. Biting her lip she let it go and whispered ”Yes.”

Standing up I took the ring from the box and slide it on to her left ring finger. As soon as it was in the place it would stay for the rest of her life she jumped into my arms crus.h.i.+ng her lips against mine.

Working in the drug business was like walking on broken gla.s.s, some steps you took wouldn't cut but sooner or later you would hit a sharp piece and it would cut you deep. Finding out what Vinnie did to my family and then watching him die was my sharp piece. But by some miracle I pulled my foot off the sharp piece and took one last step that took me on to a path where there was no more broken gla.s.s only a smooth path that led straight to the love of my life.

I'd taken a lot of risks in my life and almost all of them were bad but the risk I took back in Club Risk that led me to this moment was the best risk I'd ever taken and would be for the rest of my life.

The Risk sires will continue with Daddy's Boy ~ Denny's story.

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