by London Casey
“What are you doing?” I asked. “I didn’t mean for this…”
“Shut up, Noah.”
“He has Ashlynn and Jude. Kill me, Benito. But you have to save them. They’re my family.”
“Shut the fuck up,” Benito growled.
He jammed the gun harder at my head, sending a pulse of crippling pain down my spine. I shut my mouth. I entered survival mode, again. I looked around the building, wondering what I could do next. I knew I could try and take Benito down. Throw my foot back at him or something. Break his kneecap and then…
“Ellis, come on,” Benito said. “Stand up like a man. Come on, son.”
Ellis looked at Benito. He smiled big, blood dripping from his top lip into his mouth. “Son?”
“Stand up,” Benito said. “I was testing you. You know, loyalty. We obviously know that Noah is a piece of shit, right?”
“Yeah,” Ellis said.
“That Irish in him. It gets the best of him.”
“But I’m Irish, Benito,” Ellis said. “My mother…”
“Your mother wasn’t a whore. She was a beautiful woman. You have nothing to worry about. That’s our secret, son.”
My jaw was locked shut. I had no idea what the hell was actually going on.
Ellis stood back up.
He motioned for the gun I knocked out of his hand and Ellis whistled. “No. I’ve got this one. I’m going to shoot Noah. For you. Okay?”
“You’ll do that for me?” Ellis asked.
“Of course. How dare Noah have relations with the mother of your child.”
“Yeah,” Ellis said. He looked at me. “You’re sick.”
“Fuck you,” I said.
“On your knees!” Benito yelled.
I dropped down. I looked up at Ellis.
“Put your hands at your sides,” Benito said.
I listened. I balled my fists up tight. I was going to have to make a move. Even if it cost me my life. At least I could go saying I tried to fight. I tried to save my family. I tried to fucking protect them.
“Ready?” Ellis asked me. “You’re going to die, Noah. For everything you did.”
“Benito,” I said. “We go back. We go way back.”
“Shut up, Noah,” Benito said. “It’s time.”
I felt the gun press the back of my skull.
There was silence. A freaking dead silence.
I waited for the bullet to take me. Each second that ticked by, I readied myself for death. I readied myself to try something, anything. I inched down a little and put my fists to the floor. I was going to thrust forward and kick my legs back.
I started to lean…
PING!
That’s all I heard.
At the exact same moment I saw a stream of chunky blood fly from the right side of Ellis’s head. He stepped in the same direction and collapsed into a heap on the floor.
I turned my head. “What the…”
Benito put the gun to my forehead. “I’m not done with you yet, Noah.”
49.
(Ashlynn)
I tugged at the door handle. I was locked in the room. I hadn’t heard anything since the gunshot. How long had it been? A minute? Ten minutes? Maybe Ellis had just done himself in. Then someone would find me, right?
The panic started to set in.
Poor Jude needed a diaper change. He started to squirm and whine in my arms. He was obviously uncomfortable from having a heavy diaper.
“It’s okay,” I said. “Someone will be here soon.”
Do you really believe that?
I bounced Jude in my arms and stared at the door.
After a quiet few seconds I heard footsteps approaching.
Click, click, click, click…
Fancy shoes on concrete. Almost like the sound of tap shoes.
I hugged Jude tight to my chest. No matter what happened, I would protect Jude. He came first. His life was more precious than anyone else’s in the world.
The door handle jiggled up and down. The door started to shake.
“She’s in here?” a voice said.
“I guess… it’s locked… right?”
My mouth moved. I wanted to say I was inside the room. I wanted to scream for help. But what if it was people working with Ellis? What if they were looking for me to do something bad?
“Ashlynn?” a voice asked. “Are you in there?”
I bit my lip.
I shook my head.
I wasn’t going to fall for it again.
“Shoot the door,” another voice said.
“Ashlynn!” I heard a yell.
Noah…
“Noah!” I yelled back.
“Ashlynn! It’s me. It’s Noah. Back up. We’re going to shoot the door.”
I turned and put my hand to Jude’s ear.
A gun went off - BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Then it was quiet.
I looked back and saw the greatest sight of my life.
Noah running toward me…
~
He lifted me and Jude off the ground. He spun around, hugging us.
“Noah, I’m so sorry…”
“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “You’re alive. You’re safe.” Noah looked at me. “Ellis is dead.”
“You shot him?” I asked Noah.
“No,” he said. He grabbed my hand and turned. We were facing Benito and Dante. “Dante was running sniper for Benito. I had no clue he was out there.”
“Ellis has been a pain in my ass,” Benito said. “We all have our own secrets in life. That was one of mine. He crossed the line this time and now he’s paid the ultimate price.”
“So that’s it?” I asked. “I mean, he’s gone…”
“No,” Noah whispered. “It’s not yet…”
Dante took out a gun and swallowed hard. “I’m so sorry, Ashlynn. I need the baby.”
“What?” I asked. I looked at Noah. “What…”
“We have to do this,” Noah said. “Trust me.”
“I need that baby,” Benito said. “I’m done waiting.”
“What did you do?” I asked Noah.
“I tried to set up Benito. To save you and Jude. But…”
“He knew,” I said. I looked at Benito. “You knew. Oh, shit. I had nothing to do with this.”
“Please,” Dante said. “Don’t make this harder than it is.”
“Just take the fucking baby,” Benito ordered. “Right now.”
Noah put a hand to my back. “I swear, sweetheart, it’s only…”
“Fuck you,” I said to him. I stepped forward and didn’t give Jude away. “You can pry him out of my hands.”
And that’s exactly what Dante did. He grabbed Jude and wrestled him free of my grip. I started to shake and tear up.
“His diaper is full,” I said. “Please don’t hurt him. He never did anything.”
“Just bring me Craig,” Benito said. “When I have Craig, you get your baby back.”
I turned and Noah threw his arms around me. I couldn’t refuse his hug. He was keeping me from collapsing.
“This isn’t right,” Noah said. “Benito… this isn’t right.”
“You tried to kill me,” Benito said.
“I would have never let anything happen to you,” Noah said. “I just needed to get here to make sure Ashlynn and Jude were.”
“And they are,” Benito said. “You have Ashlynn. I have Jude. I can assure you nothing will happen to the baby in my care. No go finish the fucking job I sent you on. My patience is worn the fuck out.”
Benito left the room. He whistled and Dante looked at me. “I’ll do everything I can.”
Dante then turned and left the room.
I grabbed Noah’s shirt and started to shake him. “What did you do!”
“Sweetheart, easy,” Noah said. “I trust Dante.”
“They took my baby!”
“Our baby,” he said. “Our baby. And we’re going to finish this. We know where the cabin is. Right?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Sure. Right.”
“Okay. Dante is going to get Jude a fresh diaper. And by the time he figures out how to actually put a diaper on a baby, we’ll be at that cabin with your father. Then I call Benito and it’s done for good.”
I just stared in disbelief.
My world was shattering all around me and here I was, with Noah.
The worst part?
I fucking trusted him with my life.
50.
(Noah)
I saw the sign that Ashlynn’s mother had talked about. The woman had loved her husband so much, she couldn’t just give him up. In her heart, no matter what happened to Craig, she would convince herself she never turned her back on him.
I turned onto a dirt road and crept forward. I glanced at Ashlynn from the corner of my eye. She was still distraught, rightfully so. Her son had been taken from her. Even if it was some kind of idle threat from Benito, it was still serious. Jude wasn’t with us.
“It hurts me too,” I said. “I just hide it better.”
“So that makes you a better person?” she snapped.
“Not at all. Look, I didn’t know what else to do.”
“So you went against a man who took our son.”
Our son. She finally recognized my role in Jude’s life.
“Shit,” I whispered. “I was going to keep Benito alive. All I wanted to do was get to you and Jude. That’s all I cared about. I would have never let Ellis hurt Benito. Or you. Or my son. Christ, sweetheart, I’m just a fighter, okay? It’s what I have inside me. I see a problem and I solve it through fighting. It’s all I know. I didn’t know Benito already had a plan for himself. He didn’t tell me about it.”
“He’s pissed at you,” Ashlynn said.
“That’s okay. He’ll get over it. This has been an entire mess. I should have never been inside. Benito should have never taken a financial hit because of it. He moved Dante up into his crew and Dante chased money on the street. I got out and they wanted me to find Craig. But Ellis got involved somehow… I met you… Jude…”
“I’m really sorry about your friend,” she whispered. “That’s why I answered the door.”
“Because of Bo?” I asked.
“Ellis said he was Detective Williams. He had something to show me about the case. That it would help catch the killer. I fought my judgement but I wanted to help you.”
She didn’t mean to lay the guilt on me, but I accepted it. I understood it.
I slowly reached for her hand and took it. Our fingers interlocked and I pulled to the side of the dirt road. I turned and faced Ashlynn.
“Look at me. I’ve been wild since as long as I can remember. I never wanted a woman. I never wanted a baby. I never wanted a family. You changed that. Jude changed that. I can never make up the time I lost while I was inside and you were doing everything you did for my family. But I don’t know what kind of man I would have been. I’m being as honest as I can be right now. Inside, everything slows, but it somehow speeds up. Time lingers but everything around you is happening so fast. Bo talked about his kids. He has two boys. One is his, one isn’t. He loved them the same. He took jobs inside jail to protect and care for his family on the outside. He trusted so much he couldn’t control, it pissed me off. Then I started to get it. I realized what it all meant. Fighting… it’s not worth a damn unless there’s something to fight for. You’re worth fighting for, Ashlynn. Jude is worth fighting for.”
Ashlynn touched my face. Tears filled her eyes. “He’s had such a rough life, Noah. He may never understand the full extent of it, but I do. I’ll always know that I destroyed the first pregnancy test in the bathroom of that gas station. It wasn’t romantic. It wasn’t exciting. It wasn’t me finding out I was pregnant and then trying to surprise you. Christ, Noah, you were in jail. Think about all this stuff we have to tell him.”
I gritted my teeth. “Yeah, you’re right. And when we sit down to tell him all this, we’re going to be together, Ashlynn. You and me. And him. A family. He’ll understand that life isn’t always about goddamn rainbows after the rain storm. Sometimes there’s floods. Sometimes there’s really bad storms. Sometimes you just have to stand there and take it, knowing that it’ll all pass. He’s got my blood and your heart. The kid is tough as nails already. You have nothing to worry about.”
“What if he hates me?”
“Jude will never hate you.”
“I know that,” I said. “Because he’s going to see the way I love you. The way I cherish you, hold you, protect you, and make you laugh. He’ll look at you and know you’re the entire goddamn world. I promise you that.”
More tears slid down Ashlynn’s cheeks. There was nothing else I could say to her. Words were kind and soothing, but it was up to my actions to show the truth.
I kissed her hand and pulled her close and had to taste her lips. She was better than whiskey and sweeter than an addiction I could imagine finding. I had to break the kiss because I wanted to throw her in the back of the car and make a hot mess.
“Now,” I whispered, “let’s go finish this job together. Let’s get our son back. Then we can lock the door to your apartment and forget the world for as long as you want. And when we run out of money, I’ll go make more. You never have to worry about that.”
“Noah, there’s something I have to…”
“Save it for now,” I whispered. “We have to finish this. Are you sure you’re okay with it?”
“Yes,” she said. “I want to see his face so I can spit in it.”
I nodded and grinned.
My angel was turning into an outlaw… and I loved it.
51.
(Ashlynn)
We approached the small cabin. There was a car parked along the side of the cabin. The second Noah saw the car, he put a hand out.
“You should hang back,” he said. “In case things get bad.”
“Let them get bad,” I said. “I don’t care.”
I was honestly done with it all. In my mind, I pictured two scenarios happening. The hopeful mother inside me knew that Jude was fine. He was with Benito and Dante. Of all the people in the world, they were at least powerful and willing to kill for what they believed in. The terrified mother inside me saw the worst happening with my baby. Maybe someone would attack Benito. Maybe a stray bullet…
“Get ready,” Noah said, breaking up my thoughts.
He took out a gun and stood at the door.
He knocked. “Craig! Open up!”
There was no response.
“Dad, it’s me,” I yelled. “It’s Ashlynn. I have to talk to you. Please open up.”
There was still no response.
I grabbed the doorknob and turned it.
“It’s open,” I whispered.
Noah kicked the door and took the lead.
We charged into and I instantly froze.
The place was trashed.
There were notebooks, receipts, cash everywhere. It looked like a windstorm had gone through the cabin.
“What the hell…” Noah said.
The coffee table was on its side. There was a coffee mug broken, a brown stain on the carpet. There were empty whiskey bottles scattered around, along with random clothes, blankets, and other garments of clothing.
I crouched down and grabbed a piece of paper off the floor. It had a bunch of names and numbers. It looked like statistics. Probably some sport.
Noah called for my father a few times, but there was no response.
The money on the floor was just ones and fives.
I noticed something next to the couch and grabbed it. It was a stack of hundreds.
Maybe if there was some… there would be more…
I flipped the first hundred dollar bill and then felt my heart sink. The rest of the money was fake money. Paper money you could buy in a toy store for kids to play with.
“He really was a scumbag,” I said.
“Hey, sweetheart, look at this,” Noah said.
The kitchen was no better. There were strings hung from wall to wall with notes clothes pinned. It was all numbers. Stats. Debts. Bets. Everything for an addicted gambler to feast upon.
“This notebook is what he took from your mother,” Noah said.
Sure enough it was a detailed notebook of their conversations and how much she gave him. Then there was a section where she must have given him her banking information to use in case she couldn’t talk.
“She opened the floodgates,” I whispered.
“I’m sorry.”
My mother was going to leave me with nothing.
“What’s this though?” Noah asked. “About a jewel? Necklace?”
I shut the notebook. “Nothing. Let’s keep looking.”
Noah took a few steps and then paused. “Ah, fuck.”
“What now?” I asked.
“Look…”
I looked at the back door. There were muddy footprints.
“Two sets,” Noah said.
“Someone else was here,” I said.
I felt my heart sink again. Why?
The second set of footprints were those from very fancy shoes.
~
“Benito did something,” I said. “He set us up, Noah.”
“Just wait a second,” Noah said. “Wait.”
“What else could it be?”
Noah looked at me. “Ellis.”
He opened the back door and stormed outside. I stood at the door and watched him look around. He went to the car and opened the door. As he climbed inside to look around, I turned and walked through the kitchen again. There had to be more clues. Other than my father taking all of my dying mother’s money.
I could only hope that my father hadn’t gotten a hold of the biggest secret of all.
I paused in the doorway from the kitchen and gasped.
The cabin was trashed. The cabin was empty. Ellis was dead. Benito had my son.
It started to come together and weigh on me.
When those men came into the apartment, they weren’t ever going to hurt me. They weren’t looking for cash. There was no cash in the apartment. Who the hell would bring six figures of cash and just leave it in an apartment?
They were looking…
I spun around and looked at the kitchen table.
