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Authors: Chelsea Ballinger

BOOK: Love and Sacrifice

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Chapter 23

“Point Of No Return”

Ella

The police were twenty minutes late to the party. My dad’s men were long gone, and my dad stayed to make it look like Mickey’s men took him from our home. He also said that Tommy wasn’t involved, that he helped us. I don’t why he did that.

I watch the police handcuff Tommy and
take him to the police car. My dad asks if I’m alright, and I should be okay. My dad is okay, I’m okay, Mickey is dead, and Tommy is going to jail. I should be happy. I am happy about it.

Tommy

The trial has been pretty quick. The prosecution is going for twenty-five years, but my lawyer is going for ten with the possibility of parole in five. I’m being charged with assault, second-degree manslaughter, and possession of an illegal firearm, short sentence for manslaughter because I killed Mickey Valentine. But because I don’t have a clean record, the lawyer is arguing that I am a danger to the community and that I killed Mickey for my own greed and personal reasons. Bullshit, but it’s a good case. I also think the cops are pissed because surprisingly, Roman said I wasn’t involved in the kidnappings and that I saved them. All in all, it doesn’t matter. Once I step into prison, I’m a dead man. Guys from Mickey’s crew or rival families are going to want me dead.

The jury finally came to a decision. I’m guilty. I wait for the judge to give me my sentence.

“Even though you have arguably redeemed yourself in some way, by saving an innocent girl, you are still a man that has not learned from your mistakes, Mr. Dumas. I believe the years you spent in a juvenile detention center and in prison did not fit you well. Therefore, Tommy Dumas, I hereby sentence you to ten years in the New York State penitentiary, with a possibility of parole after serving five.”

Damn.

That’s that. I turn to see Joey who pats me on the shoulder and pulls me in for a hug. “You keep your head down. You’ll be okay. You can get parole soon.”

“You and I both know I’m not getting out of there, Joey, unless it’s in a body bag. Thanks for everything. You’re the best brother I ever had.”

As the bailiff gets ready to take me to my cell, I see Ella in the back. She’s sitting next to her father with a blank expression on her face so I don’t know if she’s happy or sad. I want her to care but I don’t want her to hurt more than she already does. She should just forget about me. But I’ll be damned if I ever forget about her.

Ella

I don’t care. I don’t care. I don’t care.

I’ve been telling myself since I heard his sentencing today that I don’t care. There’s a knock on my bedroom door.

“Come in,” I say. My dad walks in and sits next to me on my bed.

“How are you doing?” he asks.

“Good,” I lie.

He looks around my room and stares at a picture of me on my dresser from when I was five and they’d taken me to see the Nutcracker on ice. I’m smiling and jumping for joy. I was so happy that day. I think that’s why I framed it. It was a time when I was purely happy and didn’t think anything could hurt me.

“I remember that day,” my dad says. “You were so excited to see that show. I want you to be happy, Ella.”

“I am happy, dad.”

“No you’re not,” he sighs. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

“Doing what?”

He looks at me. “I’m going to ask you a question. I want the truth.”

“Okay.”

“What would you like me to do?”

“What?”

“What would you like me to do?”

I’m clueless to my father’s question, but I know what he means. “That kid isn’t gonna last a month there, Ella; too many enemies there.”

“Dad, I don’t care.”
“He’s gonna die, Ella.”

“I don’t care,” I lie, trying to block my pain.

“I don’t want you to regret anything.”

“You are unbelievable. You should hate him for what he did.”

“You’re right. But I respect him for what he has sacrificed. I respect him because… I understand.”

The tears fall and I’m left speechless as my dad hugs me.

“What do you want me to do, Ella?”

I cry out loud into my father’s arms as he holds me. Thinking of everything that has happened, Tommy did give up everything. He messed up but he didn’t fail me. But I’m so hurt, how could I go back?

I never really understood the love my brother and Claudia shared. I just thought they were dramatic. Now I realize that I was scared to love someone to the point of no return. That’s where I am now… the point of no return.

Tommy

This is it. I’m about to be transferred to my new home. The home I never wanted to go back to. I’m thinking the guard is taking me to the shuttle bus, but I’m surprised when he brings me to a room.

“You got five minutes,” he tells me as he removes the cuffs and steps out.

In walks Ella. My heart just stops. She’s in jeans with holes in them, gold sandals, and a white low-cut top. I look at her chest and I see my mother’s St. Michael’s necklace. She’s wearing it.

She glances down and grabs the pendant. “Your brother gave it to me when I went to go see him last night.”

What?

She gazes at me and walks closer. “I’ll be in school soon and… I’ll meet guys.”

The thought of her with another guy makes me want to hit something.

“I could meet a nice guy who treats me right and be okay,” she pauses. “But okay isn’t enough. Okay is never enough when you’ve had… unconditional love. I think that’s what I had with you. As much as I want to hate you and say it was all a lie, I don’t think it was. So, I want you to answer me this one question. You’re about to go to prison. What’s the last thing you want me to know before you leave? The last most important thing you need to say to me?”

“I love you.” Without a second thought, I say it. I’m not losing another moment to tell her. “I have loved you since the first moment I saw you. You are in every piece of my soul and I just… I love you. And I don’t think it will ever change and more importantly, I don’t want it to. I want to give you the world. I know I wouldn’t be able to, but I would follow you anywhere.” I suck in a breath and bite my bottom lip to keep it from trembling.

I watch the tears stream down her face and I just can’t get enough of her being here right now. “I love you,” I tell her one more time, just to make sure she knows that it’s the truth and it is the only truth I will ever live by from this day.

“Times’ up,” the guard says, walking into the room.

Ella grabs my face and presses her lips firmly against mine. She devours every part of me as she kisses me with everything she has. I hold onto her and return the favor, and I just want to remember this moment forever. It would be bittersweet if I died today, sweet because of this final moment, bitter because of the loss of having even a smidge of hope of a future with Ella.

“Time to go,” the guard says again, but as our kiss ends and she gazes into my eyes, I feel as if the world has stopped for just her and me.

“I’ll wait for you,” she whispers to me and I want to tell her not to, but I won’t.

I won’t because I have something to live for now and I’m going to fight to be with her again. I’m going to do whatever it takes to be with Ella Pierce again
because she is my light. She is my heart and soul. She is the very stray bullet that has pierced through me and stopped the darkness that had taken over me for so long. My sacrifice will not be in vain.

Epilogue

Tommy Dumas knew he was going to have to fight his way out from the moment he stepped foot in the prison yard. He scanned each crowd, separated as usual, just like the cafeteria at a high school, by cliques, based on gang or race. Tommy had already spotted the group that glared at him as if a bull’s eye was painted on his forehead.

Tommy tried to ignore them by keeping his head low, but sat by the weights in case he needed a weapon to defend himself. All he thought about was Ella. She was the reason he would get through this; his hope.

As a gang of men rose and whispered to each other, Tommy grabbed a dumb bell and squeezed tightly. The men slowly approached the space where Tommy was as he stood up, ready for them. The closer they were, the more Ella’s face popped in his head. If this was his time, he would die thinking of the woman he loved.

But that time was not today as a group of men stepped in between him and his enemies. They took one look at Tommy’s guardians and turned away. Tommy stared, dumbfounded at what had just occurred. One of the men approached him. He was tall and muscular with tattoos covering his whole upper body.

He patted Tommy on the arm and smiled. “Mr. Pierce said he’ll be seeing you soon.”

Tommy laughed to himself. He never would have thought that Roman Pierce would be the one to save his ass. Not even Mickey did that for him when he was first locked up. But he knew he didn’t do it for him, he did it for his daughter, Ella. She saved him.

He felt a weight lifted from his shoulders and was overjoyed. Right there, Tommy knew for a fact that he would see Ella again and sooner than expected.

The End

Playlist

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.”

—
Plato

Florence and the Machine- Cosmic Love

Miley Cyrus- Adore You

Raleigh Ritchie-
Bloodsport

Ed
Sheeran- Give Me Love

Elisa- Dancing

A Great Big World Ft. Christina Aguilera- Say Something

Imagine Dragons- Demons

Sam Smith- Latch (Acoustic)