After Forever & Ever

Chapter 142

Tessa-Present

I can't help but notice his hands starting to shake and his palms starting to sweat.

"I didn't want him to die." He finally gets out.

"Hardin I know that's why they released you they have the evidence they know it was self defense." I try to reassure him.

"I didn't like any part of the plan the DA set up...it was too rushed and I knew it wasn't going to end well." He tells me.

"I feel like it's my fault i pushed you to move forward on the plan with the DA." I say to him.

"No, it's not your fault...." he assures me. "When I told Dean and Reed that the guy we were supposed to meet stiffed us out of product like I was told to do I guess I didn't know what was going to happen next." He tells me.

"Could you have backed out of the plan?" I ask him.

"No, I knew whatever was going to happen had to happen. I couldn't get out of it....When Reed and Dean walked into the garage and Reed quickly moved behind Fernando and put his gun up to his temple. He didn't waste any time he just started threatening him about stiffing us and then Reed made Dean and I go into Fernando's house and clear it out....he wanted us to look for any other drugs and money so essentially rob him. I played along and went in the house with Dean and started looking around. And so did he....What we didn't know was he had a daughter who was asleep in her room and she ended up coming out into the hallway as we were looking around. Dean pointed his fucking gun at her at this maybe 5 year old little girl. I lost my fucking mind and tackled him down. We were basically wrestling on the ground and he found the wire. He accused me of being a fucking narc which I was and came at me again. This time he was able to get on top of me and he put the gun to my forehead and he released the safety and I pushed him off of me and I was able to get the gun from him. As soon as he realized I got the gun away from him he tackled me and we went at it again and the gun went off. I thought I was shot all I felt was the pool of blood over me and I pushed him off of me and I was covered in blood but it was his blood and he wasn't moving. I looked up and all I remember is that poor little girl staring back at me, she was shocked but then she started screaming and crying. Then she ran.I quickly grabbed a towel I spotted on the ground and tried to put it over where the bullet went through but it was so much blood. I was actually shocked when Dean looked up at me and whispered I'm sorry before taking his last breath. I held his lifeless body in my arms. And I told him I was sorry too. Reed came into the house and...he lost it. His only family he ever had was lying dead on the floor. I remember standing up covered in his blood praying the police were on their way. I remember him pushing me back down to the ground then going to Dean and just sobbing into him. I felt numb and frozen I just stayed sitting on the ground." Hardin manages to tell me.

"Hardin I'm so sorry." I say to him as I grab his shaking hand. Then he proceeds to tell me what else happens.

"Once Reed moved his attention away from Dean being dead. He grabbed me by the shirt and pushed me up against the wall. Then he shoved his gun into my neck. It was supposed to be you he told me. I was supposed to be the one left here in a pool of blood that was the plan...." he pauses.

"I remember questioning Reed asking him what the fuck he was talking about and he told me the plan was to get me in the house, distracted and that Dean was supposed to put a bullet in the back of my head. I went in thinking I was playing them but they were also playing me. My plan was get them in jail their plan was get me in a body bag." He tells me.

I feel like I have no words. I feel sick knowing how much differently it could have went and if Hardin didn't fight off Dean he would have been the one who ended up dead.