The Piece System

Chapter Thirty-Eight: ALEX

"Alex!"

Alex spun around to see her father running towards her. She froze. Her heart wanted to embrace him, forgive him, make him see reason. But her head told her to back away, shout, hold it against him forever.

She turned away from Lisa and Charlie, bracing herself. Upon reaching her, Brennan pulled her into a hug. One she fought not to return. Her fingers twitched, begging to embrace her dad. But she held back. Getting the hint, he drew away. Alex watched as confusion took over, then apprehension. Then fear. Brennan, standing in the middle of the road with a dusty suit and unkempt hair, searched for answers in her that he did not want to find. That she didn't want him to find.

"Dad, what are you doing?" she asked, hugging herself.

Brennan glanced at the Tesla, at Amy's car, at Charlie. "I, I'm protecting you?"

"Protecting me?" Alex couldn't believe it. "Protecting me from what? Jake? Are you serious?"

Brennan looked around frantically, breath quickening. "Yes! You are risking your life for something that needs to be gone, Alex. That'll only hurt you and I can't just sit and watch it happen."

As Alex shook her head in disgust, opening her mouth to speak, Lisa got there first. Once she knew Charlie could stand on his own, she stepped forward, confronting Brennan.

"You are insane." she said, walking closer. He backed up slightly until she shoved his chest, forcing him to stumble. His face creased with fear, pain, regret. His eyes darted to Alex before fixing on his fiancé.

"You are hurting us!" she said. Alex widened her eyes, catching Lisa's voice crack. Her eyes shone with tears.

Brennan attempted to reach for her. "I—" Lisa didn't give him a chance. He shrunk back.

"You need to wake up, honey." she said. "Stop hurting us. Please."

Alex stepped forward, her cane clinking with the tarmac.

"These people are not mindless threats," Lisa said, gesturing to the wreckage around them, at the onlooking pedestrians. Then she prodded his chest.

"You are the threat." she said, "You are the one making the mistake and risking your life for the wrong thing, not Alex. Not me."

"Lisa," Brennan's face was painted with pain, slicked back hair falling and grazing his forehead. "I told you it would work out in the end. Why didn't you trust me?"

"Because you were wrong." she said. Hurt flashed across his face.

"I was just trying to keep you both safe." he said, looking between her and Alex. "Believe me."

Lisa slapped him. Alex raised her eyebrows, ignoring Brennan's shocked gasp as he looked back at her.

"You ruined everything." She said, voice cracking, eyes filling with tears. She looked down, raising her hand. Her breath hitched as she reached for the ring around her finger. Brennan looked up, tears falling down his cheek. He bit his lip, shaking his head.

"No, please no." he said.

Lisa looked nowhere but her ring as she, trembling, slid it off her finger. Then she met his gaze and, taking a deep, shuddering breath, spoke.

"We could've been so much more. You could've been so much more, Brennan." she said. Brennan let out a sob, shaking his head. Lisa took his hand and pressed the silver band to his palm.

"Take your promise back." she said. His hands shook as he looked at it, lying there. He watched her, wordlessly begging for her to stay.

"Charlie?" Lisa said, turning away from him.