by Joy Wild
“Wait. Let them get the door first. You and Abby need to stay away from the doors.”
“Let me talk to her now,” a voice boomed.
“Not gonna happen,” Mark said.
“She needs to hear this,” the voice said.
“You can tell me, and I will tell her,” Mark said.
“Bring her in here and I will tell her,” the voice said.
“What do you want, Blake?” Autumn asked, walking up to Mark. She knew Steve was right behind her, she could feel his anger.
“I came to tell you that I have petitioned to take Abby away from you. You are living in a house full of men. You are unfit to be her mother. You’re a whore and bitch. I will take Abby from you soon.”
“No!” Autumn yelled. Mark grabbed her around the waist before she could try to attack Blake.
“Remember what I am capable of, Autumn.” Blake laughed and turned and left.
Autumn sank to the floor, sobbing. Mark sat down on the floor with her.
“Let me in, Autumn. Trust me,” Mark said.
“I can’t Mark. He will kill you. All he wants to do is hurt me,” Autumn cried.
“Stop trying to protect me. It is my job to protect you,” Mark said.
“I have to get Abby away from here. Blake will take her only to hurt me. He doesn’t want her.”
“It’s not going to happen. From the moment on, you do what I say, when I say, without question Autumn. Do you understand me?”
Autumn stared into his eyes and nodded.
“Say it, Autumn. I need you to say it,” Mark said.
“I understand. Mark?”
“Yeah, baby?”
“I’m scared. I’m really scared.”
“I know, baby, but we will protect you.”
“Okay.” Autumn wanted to give up. She was tired of being brave, tired of hurting all the time, tired of pretending she was okay. Maybe Abby would be better with Blake. Maybe he would leave her alone now.
“Come on, baby. Let’s get something to eat and then we are going to town.”
He stood up and pulled Autumn up with him. He put his arm around her and Autumn let him guide her to the kitchen, but she wasn’t hungry. She sat in silence as the guys talked. For the first time in her life, she wasn’t even paying attention to Abby.
She closed her eyes and wished for a moment that this nightmare would end. She didn’t want to be tough anymore. She glanced over to see what the guys were doing and they were lost in conversation. Autumn saw Abby playing with one of the staff and she was laughing. She slipped off the barstool and slowly wandered up to her bedroom. She wanted to be alone. She was going to let Mark worry about it for now.
She laid down on her bed and closed her eyes. She was tired of everything.
The emergency tones went off. Autumn jumped up and ran to the ambulance. A house fire again. This meant a long night of sitting at a scene. There are rarely any survivors. They treat firefighters if needed, but mainly they sit there. Autumn wanted to sleep, but that wasn’t going to happen. They arrived at the scene. It was a beautiful mansion, but it was fully engulfed in flames. Autumn felt sadness for the owners. It reminded her of her house. She stared at the house. As she watched the firefighters struggling to get the fire under control, she glanced up toward the upstairs windows. She saw a little girl crying. Abby!
Autumn was trying to get out of the ambulance to get to Abby.
“Abby!” she screamed.
She yanked on the handle of the door, but it wouldn’t open. She saw a man running toward the house. Mark! He’s going to save her Abby! She watched him run toward the house and go in the door. The firefighters didn’t see him go in. She held her breath as she waited. She looked back up at the window and the little girl smiled and waved at her. Then boom! There was glass and wood flying everywhere. Firefighters were being thrown everywhere. The house had exploded. A body slammed into the windshield of the ambulance and Autumn screamed. It was Mark and he was dead!
“Mark!” Autumn screamed. “No!”
The guys were sitting in the kitchen discussing the situation. They came up with a plan on how to draw Blake and Diego out.
“This will work to draw him out, but it will put Autumn and Abby in danger, Mark. We need to fill Autumn in,” Sam said.
“Fill her in on what?” Summer asked, coming up and kissing Sam on the cheek.
“On our plan,” Sam said.
“What plan?” Spring said, joining the party. She wrapped her arms around Steve.
“One I don’t like,” Mark said.
“We don’t have a choice. We are good at what we do. We will protect her,” Caleb said.
“What are you protecting her from?” Stephanie asked.
For the next fifteen minutes, the guys filled the girls in on everything going on. About Blake and Diego and the life insurance money Blake wants.
“Wow!” Stephanie said.
“Damn!” Summer said.
“Well, crap!” Spring said.
“There’s a car approaching,” one of the staff announced. The guys rose and headed for the door. The car was racing down the drive and came to a screeching halt. Winter jumped out and ran up to the door with a box.
“Winter what’s wrong?” Mark asked.
“This was delivered to my house a little while ago,” she said and gave Mark the box. Mark opened the box to find a picture of a dead horse with Abby in the background.
“How is this possible?” Mark asked. “Abby is inside.”
“It’s photoshopped. It’s not a great job either,” Sam said.
“I’m scared,” Winter said. “That could be one of my horses.”
“Stay here with us, Winter. We can keep you safe,” Mark said.
“No, I have to protect my horses, but you needed to know about this,” Winter said, she turned abruptly and left.
The guys headed back into the kitchen with the girls.
“What was that all about?” Stephanie asked.
“It was Winter. She brought this,” Mark said and set the box down on the table. The girls stared at it and Spring shrieked.
“Oh my God, that’s horrible. What’s Abby doing there?”
“It’s photoshopped, but I think it is a statement,” Caleb said.
“Guys, where’s Autumn?” Mark asked, peering around.
About that time an ear-piercing scream filled the house.
“Mark!”
Mark took off running upstairs. He reached Autumn’s room as another scream filled the air. He knew the guys were right behind him as he burst into the bedroom. Autumn was laying on the bed, thrashing around, and screaming. Mark immediately grabbed Autumn, pulling her against him.
“Autumn, baby, wake up,” Mark said, quietly.
When she didn’t respond, he spoke louder.
“Autumn, wake up!”
Autumn opened her eyes and Mark could see the fear in them.
“I’m here honey. It’s okay,” he assured her.
“Oh, Mark, it was horrible,” she held onto him and cried.
“Come on, baby. Let’s go for a drive. Let’s get out of this house for a little bit.”
He had heard the guys go back downstairs so he knew that they were with Abby.
“The guys are with Abby. She is safe.”
Autumn nodded and got up. She grabbed her purse and cell phone without saying a word. Mark took her hand and they walked down to the kitchen.
“We’re going for a drive,” Mark told the guys.
“Need a guard?” Caleb asked.
“No, we’re good. We won’t be too long.”
“Okay. Call if you need us. We’ve got Abby,” Sam said.
“Will do,” Mark said. He led Autumn out to the SUV and buckled her in. He climbed in the driver’s seat, and they drove away from the house. Mark held Autumn’s hand as they drove around the winding roads outside of Baton Rouge. Autumn was silent and Mark let her stay silent. He wanted her to talk, to trust him, but he kne
w she would when she was ready. His phone rang.
“Owens,” he answered.
“If you want her to keep Abby, marry her. Right now at the courthouse. Paperwork is waiting for you. It is the only option,” the voice said.
“Uh, Gene, there has to be another way. That hasn’t worked out well for me before,” Mark said.
“Do it, now,” Gene said and hung up.
“Fuck,” Mark said.
He regarded Autumn, who was watching him.
“It’s nothing, baby, just work.”
She nodded and turned back to look out the window.
Mark knew Autumn was giving up. He could see it in her face and her actions. She didn't panic over Abby anymore. She was shrinking into a shell. Mark was determined to bring her back to him. He pulled up to the courthouse. It was a tall building, not overly impressive, but it would do. He parked and shut the truck off. He sat for a moment watching Autumn. She didn’t seem to notice they were parked.
“Autumn,” Mark said, gently squeezing her hand.
“Hmm?” She murmured.
“Please look at me. We need to talk.”
She slowly looked at him. Her eyes were no longer the bright emerald green they usually are. They were dull as if her light was going out. Mark’s heart was breaking for her. He reached out and rubbed her cheek.
“Listen. We have a plan to get Blake, but it is going to take a little time. He is going to marry his girlfriend so he can use it to get Abby.”
“No, he can’t get her,” Autumn cried.
“I have a plan, but I need you to agree to it. I won’t do this without you fully committed.”
“What?” she asked, searching his eyes.
“Marry me. Right here, right now. We can beat him at his own game.”
“Mark, no. I will not have you tied down to me over this and I won’t put Abby through that,” Autumn said.
“I am not and will not be tied down. I love you Autumn and I know you have strong feelings for me, even if you don’t want to admit them. I will not ever do anything that would hurt you or Abby. If, when this is over, you want me out of your life, I will go. I will not fight you or cause you any grief. I might not like it, but I will go. I hope that maybe you decide you like being married to me.” He gave her a small grin, hoping his charm would win her over.
She sat in silence and he knew she was thinking it over, but he was scared she would say no. He never told her about Renee`.
“Before you make up your mind, there is something I need to tell you.”
“What?”
“I was married before. It didn’t end well.”
“Tell me,” Autumn requested.
For the next ten minutes, Mark proceeded to tell Autumn about Renee`. He told her how they met, his military career, and how she left him. He re-lived all the pain so he could be honest with her. When he finished his story, she sat staring at him. The sparkle seemed to return to her eyes again.
“I’m so sorry you went through that. She knew what it would be like. She shouldn’t have signed up for it.”
“Only you would think that way, baby. I think it is because you are so special.”
“I am not special, Mark. I have been raped and beaten over and over again and I never fought back. That’s not special, that’s a coward.”
“Oh honey, you are special. You took that abuse to protect your daughter. There is no greater sacrifice than the love of a mother. You are not a coward.”
“Only you would think that. Everyone else would tell me how stupid I was. I couldn’t even be brave like Spring and run.”
“Spring might have been brave, but she was also stupid. Running is the worst thing to do. We had to search for her and then find out she was almost dead. Steve almost went insane over that. Please don’t run from me. I would lose my mind. You know that I can never promise you that Blake won’t get to you or Abby, but I can promise I will do everything in my power to keep it from happening. And should the bastard get lucky and get to either of you, I promise you that either he or I will die. Because I will either kill him or die trying to.”
“Is that your wedding vows?” Autumn joked.
“If they need to be,” Mark joked back.
“I hope you don’t regret marrying me, Mark.”
“I will never regret marrying you, Autumn. Now is that a yes?”
“Yes. But how? It takes days to get the paperwork through?”
“Not when you work for Gene,” Mark laughed.
“Who is Gene? I mean I know he’s your boss, but who is he?”
“My boss. He signs the checks. That’s all I know.”
“You’re brave to work for someone you don’t know.”
“Nah. Gene takes care of all of us.”
“One day, I hope I can thank him,” Autumn said.
“Maybe one day, we all can.”
“Let’s go get hitched, ma’am,” Mark gave his best cowboy impersonation.
Autumn laughed. What a glorious sound that was. Mark vowed to make her keep laughing. He got out and went around to get her out of the vehicle. Hand in hand they walked in to become Mr. and Mrs. Mark Owens.
It didn’t take long to stand before a Justice of the Peace and exchange vows and rings. Rings…Mark didn’t even have rings for them. But the wife of the JP was prepared with a little plastic wedding ring. Mark knew she had done this before. They were pronounced man and wife and he got to kiss his wife. The JP’s wife served as their witness and she offered to take a picture for them. Mark handed her his cellphone and they smiled for the picture. Mark’s smile wavered just for a second as he thought of his mom and his brother. They were the only two people he wished could have been there for this moment. He wiped the thoughts from his mind. He needed to focus on his wife and daughter. Now that thought made him smile.
23
Sitting in the truck outside the courthouse, Mark turned to see Autumn.
“So how does it feel being Mrs. Mark Owens?” he asked her.
“I don’t know. How does it feel having another Mrs. Mark Owens?” she asked.
She saw his smile falter and she immediately lost her smile and said, “I am so sorry, Mark. I did not mean that the way it sounded.”
“It’s okay, I know.”
“See, I’m not cut out for marriage. Ten minutes into marriage and I already said something stupid.”
“Honey, it wasn’t stupid, and to answer your question, it feels wonderful to have the right Mrs. Mark Owens, at last.” He stared into her green eyes and somewhere deep in them he saw a flicker of a flame. He smiled; it did his ego good to know he did that to her. It was him she was in love with, even if she won’t say it yet.
“What’s that?” Autumn asked, there was an envelope on the dash.
Mark grabbed it. Someone had been in his SUV. He carefully opened it. Inside was the key to a hotel room, with the reservation information.
Honeymoon Suite for two nights. Meals and champagne included. Enjoy! Afterward, we nail this bastard. Gene
“Well, it seems that Gene has made our reservations for our honeymoon. We have one stop to make first.”
“Wow, Gene must be mega-rich.” Autumn laughed. “That’s an expensive hotel.”
“Yes, it is. It is also a well-protected hotel.”
“Very true,” Autumn said, she laid her head back on the seat as she watched her husband put the truck in drive.
“My husband,” she whispered.
“My wife,” he said and smiled. Wow, I never thought I’d say that again.
“Abby. She’s going to be upset,” Autumn said.
“I don’t think she will, baby.”
“She called you daddy already. Are you okay with that?”
“I am more than okay, Autumn. I was proud that she called me daddy.”
“I do love you, Mark.”
“I love you too, baby. I’m gonna call the guys and let them know we aren’t coming home.”
“Okay,” Autumn grinned.
Mark dialed Steve’s phone.
“So congratulations, asshole. You couldn’t invite the rest of us?”
“Well, I guess that means you guys know already.” Mark laughed.
“Yeah, we know. You guys are in a whole lot of trouble,” Spring chimed in.
“We’ll celebrate later guys. We did what we needed to do. Keep Abby safe for a couple of days.” Mark said.
“Abby is oblivious to everything going on. She’s playing with Lizzie and Bella. Oh my gosh, Autumn, I didn’t ask if it was okay that I brought Bella here.”
“It’s fine, Spring. Bella is awesome.”
“Thank you! I’m so sorry I didn’t ask first. I was missing her so much.”
“Please keep my baby safe,” Autumn said.
“We will. You guys have fun!” Steve said.
“We plan on it,” Mark said and winked at Autumn, who turned several shades of red.
“Later,” Steve said and hung up.
“I’m sure we are never going to hear the end of this,” Autumn said.
“Probably not. But it’s worth it,” Mark said as he pulled into a parking lot.
“What are we doing?” Autumn asked, studying the shopping mall.
“Well, first, we are going to put a real ring on that finger,” he said, pointing at the little gold plastic ring on her finger. “Then we are going to get something to eat because you didn’t eat earlier and then we are going to go to our hotel, where I intend to make love to my wife several times before letting her go to sleep. Thus she will be too tired to have nightmares.”
Before Autumn could say anything, Mark got out of the SUV and went around to help her out. He knew her ankle was still sore from twisting it, not that she would let anyone know. As he lifted her out of his vehicle and slid her down till her feet hit the ground, he pushed her back against the SUV and kissed her. His cock was hard as a rock, and he knew she could feel it. He couldn’t wait to get her to their room. He pulled back from her delicious lips.
“Let’s get that ring before I take you right here and now,” he said, his voice raw with passion.
“That might not be a bad thing,” Autumn teased.
“It wouldn't be for me, but I don’t plan to let anyone see my wife like that,” he whispered.
