by JL Hallow
“Yeah, whatever.” Gabe left the truck running and got out, coming around to the other side of the truck.
He was stupid, but not foolish enough to pretend like Mike wasn’t right. Driving angry would get them all killed. Mike was one of three people he would ever trust to drive his precious truck. Gabe ripped the passenger side door open and hopped in again, slamming it shut. He briefly fought with the seat belt before locking it into place. Mike spared a single glance in his direction before he put the truck in reverse and backed down the driveway with a sigh. Both men were silent on the drive to Aaron’s house, not even the radio was turned on.
As they made the final turn, Mike spoke up. “You know, there’s still time to not do whatever you’re about to do…”
“Fat fucking chance.”
Mike sighed, exasperated by the losing battle he was trying to fight. “Whatever, don’t say I didn’t warn you not to do this. I tried.” He shrugged. A few minutes later he slapped the blinker and turned down the road he knew all too well. How many times he and Caroline had come to get Grace or watch Victoria, or hell…even attended some parties they had hosted. Granted, it made him sick to be in that house, but he went for Grace and Caroline’s sake. It was still hard not to slug the smug fucker every time he was around Aaron.
Mike slowed the truck and parked near the curb. Turning it off, he pulled the key out of the ignition and gave it one more last ditch effort. “You should really let her lawyers handle this. It’s going to make things more difficult on Grace if you get involved or hurt him…”
“I’m not going to hurt him. Just going to get him to sign the papers.”
“Gabe…”
“Done with this conversation, Mike. Don’t know why you’re trying to protect the guy.”
“Because it’s not him I’m trying to protect! I’m trying to protect you, stupid. If you fuck up, your job and whatever this is you have with Grace? They’re both on the line.” Every bit of that was true. He didn’t give a shit about Aaron, he wasn’t worth protecting. It was Grace and Gabe he was trying to keep safe. Victoria too. If things went south and Aaron was awarded custody…Before he could say another word, Gabe was out of the truck and storming across the front yard.
“Oh, fuck me.” With a groan, Mike opened the door and followed his buddy across the front lawn.
He was not getting involved in this. Not a chance. He was only there to keep things as civil as…Yeah, that went right out the window when Gabe’s meaty hand came up and pounded into the door. He repeated that until the door was yanked open and he was greeted with Aaron’s snarling face.
“Who the fu-”
Aaron didn’t have a chance to finish the rest of his sentence, Gabe lunged forward and grabbed him by the front of his shirt. His body bullied the other man backward into the house, slamming him into the hallway wall. They were almost equal in height, almost, but Gabe had a solid thirty pounds on the guy and a hell of a lot more muscle. He had a much more physically demanding job than the man in his grasp. “Gabe. The name’s Gabe. I’m here because you’re going to sign those fucking divorce papers.”
A laugh echoed in the hallway as Aaron grabbed for Gabe’s wrists, trying to pry the man off of him. For the moment, he was able to keep his cool despite the anger radiating from the man. “Fuck you and fuck the papers. Grace too.” He leaned in close, getting in Gabe’s face. “I’m not fucking signing them, you can tell Grace that.”
Neither man had a chance to blink. Gabe released his hold with one hand, twisting it around to grab the nine-millimeter he had tucked in the back of his pants. In one swift motion, he had the gun up and pressed against Aaron’s temple. A low, almost feral snarl ripped out of him, the cold steel digging into Aaron’s soft flesh.
“Oh no, no, no. Gabe, put the gun down.” Mike took a step closer, hands up as he tried to reason with one of his best friends.
“Nope. Not until he signs the papers.”
“Gabe…”
“You should listen to your friend, Gabe. Mike, call your dog off.” Aaron’s eyes flashed to Mike for an instant before they returned to his assailant.
“He’s not my dog. Here on his own accord and let’s not pretend you didn’t put yourself in this position. I’m doing my best but it’s not exactly like I can call him off.” Yeah, Aaron deserved every bit of this.
But Grace didn’t deserve to lose Gabe. And Gabe certainly didn’t deserve to lose his life over it.
“Sign the fucking papers.” The safety clicked off and Gabe dug the gun into the side of Aaron’s head just a smidge harder. “I swear to God, I will splatter your brains all over this wall and make sure Grace and Victoria never have another thing to worry about.”
“Let me go and I’ll go get them.”
“Yeah, not happening. I’m not moving until they’re signed.” Gabe growled.
“How’s he going to sign them with a gun to his head, Gabe?” Mike was attempting to reason again, not really sure that he could.
“He’ll find a way if he wants to keep breathing.”
Aaron weighed his options, an angry breath heaving through his body. Yeah, he could fight the guy but this man? He wasn’t his wife. Gabe was going to swing back and likely pummel him into the ground. And he was out gunned, literally. Glancing at Mike, Aaron opened his mouth to speak. “The envelope is still on the counter to the right of the stove. Pen on the refrigerator. Bring them in here and I’ll sign the fucking papers.”
He wasn’t a stupid man. The rage in Gabe’s eyes? It was real. The threat of his death? Also real. The guy didn’t look like he had a thing to lose and his finger was heavy on that damned trigger.
Mike swallowed, hesitant to leave at first but finally, he nodded. “Yeah, alright. I’ll get it.”
He really, really didn’t want to leave Aaron and Gabe alone, but if this got them out of there faster… Mike jogged down the hallway and into the kitchen. The papers were right where he had been directed to. He grabbed them quickly, swinging by the refrigerator to grab a pen from the holder. When he returned, Gabe still had the gun to Aaron’s head. He was like a dog on a bone.
Mike approached with caution, thumbing to the pages that had to be signed. He handed Aaron the pen, holding out the pieces that required his signature. Mike turned around and allowed his back to be used as a makeshift table. When it was finished, he gathered the papers and slipped them into the envelope, holding onto them. They’d be taken straight to Grace.
Finally, Gabe released him with a shove, still not flicking the safety back on as he took a step back. He did, however, lower the gun. “You come near her or that kid again, I promise you Mike won’t be able to stop me. Stay the fuck away from her. And if you know what’s good for you? You’ll keep your mouth shut about all this. I know where you live, I know where you work and I’m feeling just reckless enough to not care what the repercussions are if it means keeping my girls safe. I suggest you remember that.”
Gabe turned on his heel and stormed out of the house, leaving the two men behind as he headed for his truck.
Mike blew out a breath, cursing as he kicked at the wall. “If I were you, I’d believe what he says, Aaron. Gabe’s never been a man to lie.” He didn’t look at his friend’s now ex-husband as he left the home and followed Gabe out to the truck.
Less than a minute later, they were pulling away from the house; signed divorce papers in hand and Mike at the wheel once more.
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Fight
Greg and Grace, present
Grace closed her eyes as she leaned back into the seat. The pounding in her head was getting increasingly worse as the minutes ticked by, the searing pain in her wrist shooting up her arm. The cold certainly wasn’t helping. Cracking an eye open, she glanced at her wrist; the swelling was still pretty significant, the bruising increasing as time went on. Yeah, that was definitely broken. Damn those fragile bones.
“Grace, are you alright?” Greg nudged her, shaking her back into the land of consciousness
.
“I’m alright.” Her eyes were all the way open now.
“Just getting exhausted, this headache is getting worse.”
Greg frowned. “You hit your head in the accident… we should work on keeping you awake then. You’ve probably got a concussion. I mean, I’m no doctor but I’d put money on it. So let’s keep talking.”
Grace nodded, shifting in the seat so she was sitting up more instead of nestling into the semi comfortable fabric. Using her good hand, she rubbed at her temple, eyes closing once more as she tried to will the headache away. “Yeah, good idea. Why don’t you tell me a little bit more about yourself?”
“What would you like to know?”
“Anything really, tell me about your wife, your kids. You mentioned you have several.”
“My wife’s name is Holly. We met in middle school. Her family moved her here from the west coast when her father got a new job and she didn’t have a ton of friends. We didn’t exactly hit it off from the get-go. She was a shy kid and I was loud and obnoxious, typical young boy. I accidentally spilled juice on her at lunch and made her cry. I didn’t mean to but that was kind of the start of a weird friendship. By the time we were sophomores in high school, we were dating. Everyone but us predicted that.”
“Did you guys get married young?”
“We did. About two months before high school graduation, we found out she was pregnant with our first child. So we planned a small wedding, our family, a few very close friends and got married at this little park we went to on weekends. She was beautiful. Absolutely glowing.”
“What happened after the wedding?”
“My parents let us move in with them for a few months through the summer, which turned into staying with them for a year, and then like we planned, we both went to college. Only she ended up staying in state. Originally, she was going to leave and go to Virginia but when we found out about the baby, we decided it was best to stay close to our support systems. So we did. She went to school for business. She was a secretary for years. It worked because my job was insane the first few years. I did an additional two years of schooling and then I was practically an intern…it was hard but…she made it easy.” He said with a shrug.
“Your kids…tell me about them?”
“Sure, of course. We have five kids; Two boys, three girls. Well, I guess they’re not really boys and girls anymore. They’re all grown and starting their own lives. My oldest is our son Sam. He’ll be thirty-five soon. He’s married with two girls of his own, Mariah and Carla. He works for a construction business and he’s looking to start his own pretty soon. I think he’s tired of not being his own boss. Then our second oldest is our daughter Sasha. She’s thirty-three, married but they don’t have any kids. A few dogs and by a few, I mean five. She’s a registered nurse and her husband works for an IT department at one of the local colleges.”
“Oh? Which college?”
“New England College.”
“That’s excellent. What a great job.”
“He enjoys it.”
“Who’s your next kid?”
“Justin. He was baby number three, the middle kid. He’s not married, has a long time girlfriend though. No kids. No dogs. He’ll be twenty-eight this year and they recently moved further south to Georgia. The cold winters aren’t really their thing. He works with helicopters; actually, more specifically, he does engineering work.”
Grace nodded, soaking in all of the information about her new friend’s family. She enjoyed learning about them, all of the little details that seemed so much happier than her own. “And your last two?”
“The youngest are twins. And they were totally unexpected. They’re twenty-two and getting ready to graduate college soon. Mora and Corrine. Mora is engaged to a Marine, high school sweetheart. However, the deal was she had to wait until after she graduated before she moved and got married. So like my son, she’ll be heading off to the west coast, far from home. At least for the time being. But I’m proud of them. They’re all doing exactly what they want to be doing. Mostly. Corrine is a bit lost but she’s young and she’ll find her way eventually.”
“Sounds like a nice family.” Grace’s eyes flickered shut and Greg reached out to nudge her again. “Come on, Grace. Stay awake.”
“I’m trying… Keep talking about them…”
“We have our flaws, that’s for sure. Just like every other family does but we do our best to make it work. I look forward to the holidays; no matter what, all the kids come home.”
Grace smiled, glancing out the window. “Yeah, I bet that’s perfect.” She murmured.
One day, she’d have that for her and Victoria.
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Impatience
Aaron, present
Aaron pushed himself up out of the leather chair and once again paced his lawyer’s small office. Approaching the window, he slowed, piercing, cold eyes staring dead ahead. The snow was falling harder, accumulating inch-by-inch as time passed. So much for a light dusting. But that was problem with living in the North East; when the weatherman called for a dusting, it could turn into a blizzard in a matter of hours.
“I don’t think they’re going to hold your court appointment today.” Mark murmured, barely glancing up from a stack of papers.
“The weather has gotten worse, the plows have slowed down and if I’m right, we’ll get a phone call here shortly telling us they’ve moved the court date a week or two out.”
“How do you know? We’re already here! They can’t cancel!”
“They can do whatever the hell they’d like and if I were you, I suggest calming down that temper so you don’t make me or yourself look like a damned fool. You might live close but Grace still has a bit of a drive, and they’ll take that into consideration as well as the safety of their staff members; the judges, the clerks, security. Sure, we’re used to driving in this but at some point it becomes a-”
Mark was cut off when the phone on his desk rang. He looked up and shot Aaron an ‘I told you so’ glare. “Mark Arican, how can I help you?”
“Oh, hello, Mark. I hope you’re well. This is Marie down at the courthouse…”
“I remember you.” How could he not?
Marie was the youngest of three court clerks and easily the most attractive. She was an intern they had picked up from one of the local colleges. A criminal justice major in need of some hours in the field to pass her internship. She was barely twenty-one and a real blonde bombshell. She had the brains to back it up, too. The girl was good at her job, fast and efficient. The kind of girls Mark liked. Hell, he had half a mind to offer her a job as a paralegal when she graduated. Perhaps he could even find a place for her before then…
“What can I do for you?” He interrupted his own train of thought.
“Well, I know this is quite an inconvenience and Judge Donaldson apologizes but they’ve made the decision to close down state buildings for the day because of the snow. It doesn’t look like there’s an end in sight to this storm and it’s only getting worse. They think it’s safer to just head on home.”
“I had a feeling that was going to be the case. No trouble at all. My client and I completely understand and we’re happy to reschedule that appearance with you. I don’t suppose you’ve got the time to do that now?” He laid on the charm.
Well, as much charm as he could over the phone.
“I shouldn’t, I’ve got a few other calls to make but let me see what I’ve got here… Hold for just a moment please.” A click sounded and actual music replaced the lyrical sound of her voice as she put him on hold.
“Rescheduling.” Mark said, looking at Aaron.
Aaron huffed, rolling his eyes. “At this rate, I’m never going to get my kid back.”
“Stop acting like that’s what you really want.” Mark growled back.
“Mark?” Marie’s voice sounded over the line once more.
“Still here.” He replied.
“Right, I’ve got a date two weeks fr
om now. Tuesday morning at…Nine – I’ll have to call and inform Grace of this change as well and if it doesn’t work for her, we may need to make other arrangements.”
“Oh that’s perfectly fine. Not a worry. I appreciate your time. My client works for the city police department and knowing a date in advance, even a rough one, helps give us time to get his PTO approved. Let me know if things change.”
“I will.”
“Thanks, Marie.”
“Anytime. Talk to you soon, enjoy your day.”
“You too.” He hung up without another word. “Tuesday, two weeks out. Nine in the morning.”
“The chief is going to have my head over this shit. I’m really losing out on my paid time here. I’m lucky they’re being so generous about it when we’re already down two dispatchers.” Aaron grunted.
“You should count your lucky stars they’re not firing your ass with the allegations being brought up in court now. None of this was talked about during the divorce because you guys just signed the papers but Grace will do everything in her power to win sole custody. This will get ugly. She will hang your ass out to dry.” And I don’t blame her. “So if I were you, I’d keep my head down and my mouth shut for once. I keep suggesting that and you just seem dead set on not listening.” Mark snapped back.
“You’re saying an awful lot of what you’d do if you were me…” Aaron retorted.
“Yeah, because I’m your lawyer. You’re paying me a hefty sum to tell you exactly what to do so shut up and listen to someone else for once in your life. Especially if you want your kid back so bad.”
Aaron responded with a silent snarl, body going rigid. But Mark was a large man, an equal to Aaron. Just like that son of a bitch that had shown up at his house and pressed a gun to his fucking head and forced him into signing the divorce papers. Yeah, that was the kind of guy Grace had around their kid. This Gabe guy was no better than Aaron. Aaron scoffed to himself. “I’m going to assume we’re done here then?”
