Kele Moon - Crossing the line

Tabitha swallowed his moan when he kissed her again. He thrust the rest of the way in, claiming what had always been his. It wasn’t sweet. It was hard, strong, powerful, and it was perfect just how it was. She had always loved every side of Wyatt, the dark as well as the light, because Tabitha understood it was an all-or-nothing deal. The meek lived their lives devoid of these turbulent emotions that created rocky peaks and valleys. They carved out an amazing man, because Wyatt had never been meek. He was so much bigger than that, and Tabitha wouldn’t change him.

Even if it would’ve made things so much easier.

She just savored the climb to the top and tried to forget about the plunge to the bottom waiting on the other side. Now was theirs, and she wasn’t going to ruin it by thinking about tomorrow.

He broke the kiss to bury his face in her neck and started fucking her as if he needed to extinguish the flame of passion between them that never flickered, no matter how tumultuous the storm. It had always been a warm, steady glow in the night that beckoned them toward home. Like their love, it was a something that never died, but it wasn’t the first losing battle Wyatt fought.

He tried to take the last of the passion.

He failed.

He only fueled the fire.

Tabitha stiffened under him at the first surge of ecstasy, digging her nails into his shoulders as she surrendered to their destiny instead of fight it. She reveled in the sea of desire rather than try to drain it. She just wanted to enjoy it for as long as she could.

She pulled Wyatt down with her, and he grunted against her ear when he lost the war. She was so wrapped up in him, she could feel the ripple of bliss in the muscles of his back when they tensed under her fingers as he moved in her to the pulse of his release.

They were both breathing heavy and sweaty once it was over. Individually shattered, but still together. For now it was okay to lie there and just accept the loss.

Tomorrow was a new story.

Tabitha knew from hard-won experience the hardest part wasn’t enduring the storm, or accepting the end. It was finding a way to put the broken pieces together in the aftermath.

Wyatt looked at the DOJ card in his hand.

He tapped it against the aged wood, trying to get up the nerve to make a call he didn’t want to make. He tried to think rationally and consider his options, but none of them were great. He could step down as sheriff to save himself from the embarrassment of being fired.

But damn, he liked being sheriff.

Even on bad days, he liked it.

Willingly letting it go was going to be the second-hardest thing he’d ever done in his life. Losing Tabitha would always be the most difficult. He’d already done it once. He knew how fucking heart-wrenching it was. He breathed for her, but he thrived because of his job. Now he had to do both at the same time. What the hell would he have left to keep taking blood pressure medication for? He might as well just toss the bottle in the trash now and let the stress of a criminal trial kill him.

Jules had Romeo now. She had Nova and Tino too, and like Wyatt had observed at the hospital yesterday—his father had raised his sister strong.

Clay had Melody, and Wyatt knew the two of them would flourish easily without him.

There really was nothing left.

“For you.”

Wyatt looked down at the plate Tabitha put in front of him and grimaced. “What the hell is it?”

“It’s a broccoli-and-spinach egg-white omelet.” Tabitha sat down across him with another plate with the same beige-and-green creation. “At least try it.”

Wyatt picked up the orange Tabitha had garnished the dish with and put it in his mouth, giving her an orange-rind grin.

She giggled as she looked at him. “You’re silly.”

He snorted and took it out of his mouth. “Sometimes.”

Wyatt went ahead and picked up the fork on the plate and tried a bite. He raised his eyebrows after a moment and said, “It ain’t half-bad.”

“Ain’t half-bad at all,” Tabitha agreed as she took a bite too.

“You can officially make anything taste good,” Wyatt said as he stabbed at the omelet. “It’s one of your many talents.”

“You can thank my mother for that.” Tabitha laughed bitterly. “I’ve put some pretty creative ingredients together to make something palatable.”

“Your mother’s a bitch, Tabitha,” Wyatt declared as he took another bite, and it felt good to finally say it out loud after thinking it since he was eight years old. “I hate her.”

Tabitha was silent for a long moment before she nodded. “Yeah, she is.”

“You just spent forty thousand dollars restoring her house,” Wyatt reminded her.

“I did,” Tabitha agreed.

“And I ain’t even gonna ask what the medical bills cost,” Wyatt went on. “Why?”

“I don’t know.” Tabitha shrugged. “I probably need to go to a support group for codependents and figure it out.”

Wyatt laughed. “Better late than never, I guess.”

“What’s one more support group, right?” Tabitha laughed with him. “I’m making a collection over here.”

“Do you have support groups in Key West?” Wyatt asked her seriously. “Have you been getting help with everything?”

“I have.” Tabitha gave him a wan smile. “I have a good network there.”

“Good.” Wyatt took a deep breath, taking comfort from that. “I want you to be okay. I want it more than anything.”

Tabitha seemed to consider that for a long moment, as if actually looking for a way to assure him she’d be okay if they broke up again. Then she looked back down at her breakfast and whispered, “Eat your omelet.”

Wyatt ate it rather than point out it could use salt. He noticed the shaker had disappeared off the table. Rather than irritate him, it made him smile as he stared at the lonely pepper now by itself. He couldn’t really complain about someone loving him enough to forgo salt and cheese on an omelet and appear to enjoy broccoli and spinach instead.

They were nearly done with breakfast when a knock sounded at the front door, and Wyatt frowned as he looked out of the kitchen. “It’s seven in the morning.”

“I can get it.” Tabitha pushed away from the table.

“No, I’ll get it.” Wyatt stood. “I’ll look for the saltshaker while I’m at it.”

Tabitha giggled again and announced, “Silly.”

Wyatt touched the top of her head affectionately when he took the long route around the table. “Love you.”

“Love you too.”

Wyatt pulled his phone out of his pocket as he walked to the door. He was looking for some sort of hint as to who it could be. Maybe someone had tried to call and hadn’t been able to get through. It had been snowing through the night, and it messed with his connection sometimes.

Garnet didn’t have the greatest cellular service.

No messages.

No texts.

Wyatt pulled back the curtain at the window next to the door. He found Nova Moretti tilting his head and looking at him, as if expecting the action.

Fantastic.

Wyatt opened the door. “Is everything okay?”

“Did you make the call yet?” Nova asked rather than answer his question.

“The call?”

“To the DOJ,” Nova clarified. “You didn’t do it last night after you left, did you?”

“Why do you care?”

“Did you make it or not?” Nova countered in a sharp voice.

“No. I was gonna do it after breakfast.”

“Okay.” Nova pulled his coat off and walked in without being invited. “So we’ll figure out your story over breakfast. I haven’t eaten yet.”

Wyatt just gaped at him. “You think I’m going over my story with you?”

“Why wouldn’t you?”

“Nothing personal.” Wyatt let out a laugh of disbelief. “But you’re not exactly the best person to go over a DOJ case with. This is my business. I can handle my own case.”

“No, it’s my business.” Nova gave him a pointed look. “Eluding federal investigators is one of my specialties. This is what I do, Conner. I make sure family doesn’t get caught. The money laundering is just the icing on the cake. I’m capo bastone for a reason, and today’s your lucky friggin’ day, because I’ve decided I’m gonna help you whether you want me to or not. The fee for it has been paid way in advance.”

Wyatt stood there in shock because he and Nova had come to an unspoken understanding when they’d first met that they wouldn’t talk about or even acknowledge what Nova did for a living.

Now he’d just blurted it out as if he’d never treaded lightly to begin with. It was one of the most bizarre things Wyatt had ever encountered.

“Your turn.” Nova gave him a smile, obviously knowing he’d shocked Wyatt speechless. “Time to spill it. I need all the gritty details. We can go somewhere else if you don’t want Tabitha to hear.”

“What’s a capo bastone?” Tabitha asked from the doorway to the kitchen.

“Mafia underboss,” Wyatt answered for her.

“Very good.” Nova’s smile widened. “Next you’ll tell me you know how to read and write too.”

“Screw you, Moretti.” Wyatt glared at him. “I ain’t stupid.”

Nova laughed. “You just said ‘ain’t.’”

“Oh my God; get the fuck out of my house.” Wyatt gestured to the door. “I appreciate the offer, but I got this, and I’m just going to pretend you didn’t say the rest.”

“Look at me, chipping at your morals one annoying rule at a time.” Nova sounded genuinely proud of himself. “We’re making good time. We could have you self-serving enough to pull this off before lunch.”

Wyatt just shook his head, because he’d been dealing with this family for almost a year now, and he knew they were loyal to a fault. “Is this for Jules?” he asked. “’Cause I think she’d disagree with this.”

“Her too,” Nova said cryptically and then gave Wyatt a hard look. “Look, Conner, if you’re in half as much trouble as I think you are, I’m your only chance at getting outta this. Is this guy you shot worth losing everything for?”

“No.” Wyatt’s stomach lurched at just the thought of Vaughn Davis being his downfall. “There ain’t even words for how much of a low-life motherfucker that asshole is.”

Nova held up his hands. “Then why not give me a shot?”

“And you think you know more ’bout the laws than I do? I was raised on the law.”

“The difference between us is they’re not laws to me. They’re loopholes,” Nova countered. “Here’s another secret for you. I’ve got a photographic memory. I have read a lot of law books in my life, and I remember all of them. If anyone can find you a loophole, it’s me.”

Wyatt was stunned speechless for the second time that morning. Anyone else, and he would call bullshit, but he had to admit Nova Moretti had an annoying tendency to know the answer to just about everything. He shouldn’t be nearly as surprised as he was. It was just such a remarkable thing to confess to.

“Is that true?” Tabitha sounded awed. “You remember everything you see?”

“Not just everything I see.” Nova turned to Tabitha with a genuinely warm smile rather than the sharp, cynical ones he gave Wyatt. “I remember everything. Period. I can fix this for you, Tabitha. Please let me.”

Tabitha looked to Wyatt, and he saw the small glimmer of hope in her gaze. She wanted to trust that the help was available. It was one of the things he loved about her. She could find hope even in her darkest hours. She believed in heroes and happy endings. Wyatt never wanted to see that rare light go out. She had managed to touch the whole world with it.

He would do anything to preserve that innocence in her…even align himself with Nova Moretti.

“Yeah, okay.” Wyatt spoke to Tabitha rather than Nova. “We might as well tell him and hear what he’s got to say.”

* * *

Nova’s scowl grew deeper the more Wyatt and Tabitha explained.

Tabitha watched the story turn his handsome face and easy smile into something dark and menacing. It was hard initially to believe the young man who had been so determined at the hospital to make sure his family was well cared for could also be involved in the mafia, but now she saw it.