My Future Stepbrother

Chapter 72

We all just stand there. This can’t be happening, he’s the fucking villain here. He can’t win.

Tara re-enters the room. “Jayce you don’t have to do that.”

“You know I do. I won’t let him break May like he did us. I won’t let him do to her what he tried to do to Milo.” Jayce is trying to be strong here, he’s trying to show he’s okay with this but he’s failing at convincing anyone.

The atmosphere in the room shifts as the street is suddenly filled with the overwhelming noise of sirens. The rays of sunlight are replaced with flashing blue lights.

“No sweetheart, you really don’t have to do this.” Her sheepish demeanour is replaced with a bad-ass attitude.

“What did you do this time Tara?” He growls at her but she stands tall not backing down from the intimidating form of the man that once ruled over her life.

“Something I should have done a long time ago.”

Dad jumps from the doorway as 4 large armed police officers enter the room. Everyone holds their breath as two of them grab hold of Nigel and send him crashing to the floor.

A female officer walks in behind them. She smiles at Tara and looks down at Nigel now on the floor. He looks up into her face.

“Hannah?”

She smirks. “It’s Captain Rees now. Oh I’ve been waiting to do this for a very long time. Nigel Thompson you are under arrest for assault, battery and child endangerment. Will one of you lot read this piece of crap his rights.”

She comes up to Tara and pulls her into a hug. Now closer I realise I recognise her, she was one of the women sitting on the table chatting with Tara at the engagement party.

“It’s about fucking time.” She states.

Tara grips her friend tightly. “Thank you for coming.”

I look back to Nigel flailing about on the floor. “Bitch keep moving like that and I’ll add resisting arrest to this ever growing list of charges.”

Nigel is pulled to his feet and Tara approaches him. “Next time you decide to beat on a woman and her kids maybe make sure her former college roommate isn’t a fucking detective you idiot. They tend to take notice. I wasn’t ready to press charges back then but she kept a record of everything, every mark you ever gave me, every mark you ever left on our kids. She knows it all.” Damnnn Tara.

“This is a small town, your arrest will probably make the evening news. Now its time to make a choice. You can go ahead and fight the charges, but considering I know every decent lawyer in a hundred miles of here I don’t think it would work out well for you. Or you can accept my deal.”

He looks at her and talks through gritted teeth. “What deal?”

“I will offer a plea deal. No jail time in exchange for a lifetime restraining order preventing you from coming near or contacting me and my family. Including  all three of your children. And you relinquish all parental rights you have to them. That’s the deal.”

He pulls back and spits directly in her face. “Fuck you Tara.”

She just smiles and grabs a tissue. “I had a feeling you’d say that.”

She takes the envelope of images from the side and hands them to Hannah. “How old are you Brianna, not quite 18 yet no?” Brie shakes her head. “What do you think he’ll get for paying to have images taken of a naked underage girl without her consent and then printing and threatening to distribute those images?”

Hannah’s face beams at Tara after scanning the images. “I can already hear the sex-offenders register calling his name.”

All colour is drained from Nigel’s face as the realisation of his world tumbling down around him hits.

“Tara! Don’t! I’ll sign anything you want. I swear I’ll leave this place and never come back. I swear I’ll do anything you want! Please Tara!” I’m not going to lie, I could listen to the cunt beg like that all day.

I’ve got to give it to the woman. That was a boss move.

“Take him to the station. I’ll be there soon and we’ll discuss it then.” The officers pull Nigel from the house as he still cries out for mercy.

Jayce steps forward and pulls his mother into his arms. I can’t blame him, she just saved him from having to sacrifice the last part of himself to his father. No matter how I still feel about what her and my dad did to my mum, she just protected her children, Brie and May. I would be eternally grateful to her for that.

Granny turned to Anna who was hovering in the doorway. “What are you going to do child?”

Anna just looked at the ground. “I’m going with him. I won’t come back again Mama, I know I can’t.”

Granny stood strong. “You’re damn right you can’t. Walk out that door Anastasia and don’t you dare ever think of coming back. These are my girls, don’t forget it.”

Anna nodded and followed an officer outside.

Jayce let Tara go and looked back on me, he mouthed that he was sorry, clearly not remembering until right now how angry I still was with his mother. I just smiled, she was his mum, I didn’t want him to be angry at her forever.

She stood to Brie, taking her face in her hands. “You don’t need to do that anymore Brianna. I have so much respect for you doing what you had to in order to look after your family. You are twice the woman your mother could ever hope to be.” I couldn’t have said it better myself.

“I wanted to talk to you after the engagement party but..” She trailed off trying not to look at me. “I was very impressed with you that day, the way you took charge and got things done when I couldn’t. I want that super power of yours on my team. I need an assistant for the gala and I know after that every party dwelling socialite in this place is going to want to fight me for you. You will never be out of work. We can sort it out later but just promise me that if you ever find yourself needing to go back to that place you will talk to me first?”

Brie nodded and for the first time since I arrived she let Mays feet touch the floor. May walked up to Jayce and pulled on his jacket.

“So if you’re my brother does that mean you have to buy me Christmas presents now? Because I want that thing you got Milo last year that he showed me.” Jayce just laughed at her little upfront attitude. Those two were going to be lethal together, Jayce was always protective but the world giving him a baby sister? God help the first guy she brings home. I guess Milo was going to get to be a big brother after all.

I could see dad talking to Granny. It looked serious and I didn’t want to interrupt.

Tara finally turned to me. She had seemed so strong in her dealings with Nigel but looking at me seemed to really break her. She held in tears as she looked between me and where Dad was sat talking.

“Aleah. I know you’re still angry. I didn’t come here to help and expect it to all get better straight away so don’t think that’s why I’m here. You’re father and I have been worried sick about you, both of you. Please come home. You don’t need to look at me or talk to us, just please come home where we know you’re safe.”

I knew I needed to go home at some point. I couldn’t keep living out of my old house without anyone noticing forever. Plus I was running out of clothes.

“Okay. We’ll come home.”

She was clearly elated but I just looked at Jayce.

Guess we were back to hiding.

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