Kat let out another sigh. “Lily, we’re looking into how he got released.” She was quiet for a second. “Antonio is one hundred percent certain Greg is no longer in jail.” Antonio was Kat’s husband and the owner of a mercenary company in Ft. Lauderdale.
I heard the muffled voices of Kat and Antonio as they discussed my situation, while pacing in front of my floor-to-ceiling windows and contemplating the rain falling like sheets outside. The weather here in Houston wasn’t much different from that of Ft. Lauderdale, both cities were known for their wet, humid climates. Tommy and I just finished unpacking from our cross country move and now it looked like we’d have to do it again. “I don’t know where to go.”
“You stay right where you are. Abe is staying in Houston until we figure out where your ex is. He’s one of Antonio’s top bodyguards and instead of you putting Tommy into daycare like you planned, Abe will watch him while you’re at work. Nova Satellite Security has Neal’s technology running through the building, plus they have security guards at the entrance. I’ll talk to Jacob tonight and make sure nobody gets into his building unannounced.”
I leaned my hip against the kitchen counter and gazed out into the dark night. “What do you mean, you don’t know where he is? Doesn’t he have to go to a halfway house or report where he’s living?”
“The only information we’ve received so far is that one of the officers who worked on the case contaminated some of the evidence. We’re told the evidence was thrown out, and Greg’s lawyer got him released and the charges dropped. Antonio has a call in to find out what evidence could’ve been contaminated. The story we got doesn’t add up. The main part was your testimony along with your photos. When we find out, you’ll be the first to know.”
The bruise on my face from his fist last week still hurt, and I wondered what more evidence they needed. “He’s going to come for me. This time, when he finds me, he’s going to kill me, Kat. I need to get Tommy out of here.”
I owed everything to Kat Ross. When we met, she was a volunteer at the Women’s Shelter in Ft. Lauderdale. Each day, she would help me study for my GED, helped me learn how to use a computer and talk with Tommy. The day she wrapped her arms around me, gave me a hug, and I flinched under her contact, our friendship changed. It wasn’t the hug from Kat that made me flinch. It was when she touched the bruise along my side. Greg had been upset— he’d lost yet another job, and instead of trying to find a new one, he took what little money we had left and hit the bars. When he finally came home, he was plastered and blaming me for him losing his job. He used me as a punching bag, only stopping when I passed out yet again from his rough hands choking me.
Each day, Kat and I talked about our lives. When she tried talking me into leaving Greg, I was scared—nobody would be able to stop him. But Kat confided in me that she was a retired assassin for the CIA and married to Antonio Ross, one of the richest men in the world. I burst out laughing when she told me she’d been an assassin, but when she didn’t laugh back, I started to wonder if it was true. She told me stories about her work for the agency, and when I started to hang out with her outside of the shelter, I learned she’d killed a few men who’d hurt the women at the Ross Women’s Outreach Center. Kat’s husband tried to stop her from taking matters into her own hands, but she was protective of the women she loved, and Kat kept her gators happy by feeding them the bodies.
Kat’s voice broke through the fog in my brain. “He’s not going to find you. I won’t let that happen. Just trust me. Please, Lily, stay in Houston and start your new job tomorrow. If—and I mean if—we think he’s heading your way, I’ll let you know.”
A flash of lightning lit up the sky, followed by a crack of thunder. The sound alone triggered a memory I wished I could forget, of Greg wrapping his fingers around my neck as I begged him to let go. It was only one of the many times he’d squeezed my throat until I passed out. Storms always sparked that particular memory. It was the first time I’d watched Greg hit my son as I fell to the ground gasping for air.
“Breathe, Lily.” Kat’s voice was soft and full of concern.
Remembering the technique my therapist at the Ross Women’s Outreach Center in Ft. Lauderdale told me, I took three deep breaths and counted back from a hundred until my heart no longer felt like it was going to beat out of my chest. I wiped my sweaty palms against my jeans, another item Kat Ross had purchased for me. Before she helped Tommy and me pack up our small apartment, she took me shopping for clothes to wear on my first day working for Jacob Black at Nova Satellite Security. “Sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for. I know storms bother you. Just promise you’ll stay. We covered your tracks. Make sure to use the cash we gave you, and don’t use your debt card. The Black family owns the building you’re in. They know what’s going on and kept your name off all the paperwork. Jacob put a different name on your new-hire paperwork, and they plan to pay you in cash.”
I would do anything Kat asked. I owed her my life. “I’ll stay. But why would they want to keep me around? I’m causing everyone so much more work.”
“We care about you, Lily. This is just a rough spot in your life. When Greg is taken care of, Jacob will change your paperwork, and you can stay on with his company. Now get a good night’s sleep, and good luck tomorrow on your first day. Call and tell me about it when you get home. Jacob is the nicest of the Black brothers, but if he crosses you, let me know.”
“It’ll be fine. I’ll call you tomorrow night.” I said goodbye then ended the call before turning toward the gourmet kitchen. The condo Kat had set up for me was breathtaking—the place Tommy and I lived in Ft. Lauderdale could fit in the kitchen. Once we were on our feet, I vowed that we would leave the beautiful condo and get our own place. I didn’t want to keep relying on Kat to pay for things. I wanted to take care of myself.
“Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!” Tommy came running down the hall and slid across the cherrywood floors. “I opened the closet, and it’s full of toys!” He scampered over and grabbed my hand.
I jogged to keep up with my six-year-old pulling me down the hall. He pushed the white door to his bedroom open and tugged me over to the closet. “Look, Mom! A police uniform and police cars.”
My eyes had watered numerous times at the store when Tommy would look at the toys but never ask—he knew I couldn’t afford them. Kat must’ve had Abe, who had arrived in Houston a few days before us and set up our condo, stock my son’s closet. For the past hour, Abe had helped to drag the few boxes from our lives up into the condominium. Kat had called when I set the last box down.
It was sad that Tommy and my whole life fit into the trunk of my nineteen-ninety Ford Escort. Kat and I had battled about my car. She’d wanted to buy me a new one for my trip to Houston, but I’d put my foot down—she had already given me too much. She finally stopped going on about the car as long as I allowed her to take the Escort into the shop to get everything fixed.
Tommy grabbed my hand again and pulled me over to his bed. “Mommy, look, I have my own bed. I don’t need to sleep with you anymore. And look.” He pulled the blue comforter back to show me the police sheets. Kat had thought of everything. “Mommy, why are you crying?”
“I’m just happy, Tommy.” I tousled his hair. I didn’t know how long the happiness would last. Greg being out of jail hung over me like the black clouds outside. I grabbed Tommy under his arms and swung him onto the bed. He giggled as he landed, and the sound was magic to my ears—I hadn’t heard that giggle in a while. When I tickled his sides, his laughter filled the room.
“Stop! Mommy, it tickles.”
I leaned down and kissed his forehead. “Why don’t you play for a little bit, and I’ll go see what food is in the fridge.” Before leaving us tonight, Abe said he had stocked the condo with some groceries. “I’ll make us a quick dinner before bed.”
Tommy nodded before he rushed back to his new toys. The couple of toys I could afford to buy him sat in the box next to the bedroom door. A si
ren blared from his new fire truck as he pushed it across the floor. I glanced at my little boy playing with his trucks before I went to go make us dinner. When I rounded the corner, tears streamed down my face. I hadn’t been able to provide in the way most mothers could. I’d failed my son.
I reached for my phone as I walked back to the open kitchen then sat on a barstool, pulled up Kat’s name, and sent her a quick text thanking her for the toys. She replied immediately: Anytime.
My stomach growled as I set my phone on the counter and walked to the fridge. When I opened the door, I saw that Abe had filled it as if a family of eight lived here. I had no clue how Tommy and I would be able to eat everything in it before it went bad. I reached for the chicken breast and veggies before closing the door and placing the items on the counter. I started opening all the cabinets and was blown away by the number of items packed into each one. I must have just about every type of pot, pan, and utensil known to man. I sat on the floor and cried. When I heard the sound of Tommy running down the hall toward the kitchen, I quickly wiped my eyes and stood. He rounded the corner and threw his arms around my legs.
“I like our new home, Mommy. Did you look at your room yet?”
I pulled Tommy into my arms and put him on the counter. “Not yet, honey. I wanted to cook dinner first.”
I spent the next half hour making a chicken and vegetable stir-fry. When it was done, I set Tommy on the stool next to the counter, and served him a bowl of his favorite dish.
My son looked up from his plate. “Do you think the kids at pre-K will like me, Mom?”
“You're not going to start Kindergarten quite yet. Abe is going to stay with you tomorrow.” I wondered how the mercenary was going to like spending the day with Tommy. Abe didn’t talk much-his usual reply to questions was a grunt.
“I like Abe, he’s funny.” I let out a sigh when Tommy didn’t pressure more about going to school. After he popped the last piece of his chicken into his mouth, he jumped off the stool and ran around the kitchen counter. “Come on, Mom. Let’s look at your room.”
I grabbed my suitcase from the living room where Abe dropped it before he left, and we walked down the hall towards the bedrooms. I opened the double doors at the end of the hall and I could feel my eyes go wide. The room was jaw droppingly beautiful. White linens covered a dove gray bed, and the matching furniture was set off by the cool, crisp linens. Off to the left looked to be a massive bathroom, decorated in the same soft colors of the bedroom. Tommy and I slowly walked in, taking in the beauty of the room. Upon checking out the bathroom, I discovered a walk-in shower large enough to easily fit two people. While perusing further, I was brought to tears. When I opened the closet door, I realized it was full of clothes. Kat must’ve sent more clothes—I wouldn’t let her buy much when we’d gone shopping, but it seemed she’d gotten her way.
Tommy sat on the bed while I lifted my suitcase then set it next to him. He helped me unpack. I hung up a few pieces of clothing while Tommy flipped through TV channels.
“Wow, Mom, we have cartoons!” He sounded so excited that it sent a pang to my heart. I quickly wiped the tear from my eye so he wouldn’t see.
I could finish hanging up these cloths another day. I put my suitcase on the floor and climbed on the bed next to him. “This was one of my favorite shows growing up.”
Tommy looked from the TV to me. “You had a TV growing up?”
I leaned over and tickled my son until he pleaded for me to stop. Tommy had never met his grandparents, and I didn’t talk about them much. He didn’t know I had to sneak to watch cartoons at a young age. Mother thought they would lead me to do wrong. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes as my mother’s voice came through my mind, telling me cartoons would lead to devil worship. “Yes, I had a TV. How old do you think I am?”
Tommy giggled. “Old.” He threw the covers over his head.
“I’m not old!” I protested.
He peeked his little head out from under the covers. “I know, Mommy.” He scooted closer and laid his head on my arm. “I like it here. I feel safe.”
“Let’s watch cartoons for a little longer, and then you need to get to bed.”
“Okay.”
Neither of us made it through the first ten minutes. We fell asleep while The Flintstones played in the background. I woke to the sound of thunder later that night and carried Tommy to his room. I couldn’t help but stand by the door and watch my son sleep. The next day was the first day of our new lives, I hoped.
Continue reading - Pursuing Phoenix
About the Author
Linzi Baxter lives in Orlando, Florida with her husband and lazy basset hound. She started writing when voices inside her head wouldn’t stop talking until the story was told. When not at work as an IT Manager, Linzi enjoys writing action-packed romances that will take you to the edge of your seat.
She enjoys engaging her readers with strong, interesting characters that have complex and stimulating stories to tell. If you enjoy a little (or maybe a whole lot) of steam and spice, don’t miss checking out White Hat Security series.
When not writing, Linzi enjoys reading, watching college sports (GO UCF Knights), and traveling to Europe. She loves hearing from her readers and can’t wait to hear from you!
LinziBaxter.com
[email protected]
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