by Tina Saxon
“Tell me about Wayne.”
Our conversation shifts into the part of our lives we don’t want to share. But the inquisitions aren’t out of bitterness, just genuine curiosity about each other.
The way her eyes light up, it’s obvious she still loves him. “He’s a good man who lost control of doing what was right because of love.” My lips quirk up in understanding. I get it. “Don’t be on his side. He lied to us for ten years.” Her voice hardens.
“I’m not.” I hold my hands up. “But I can see how love makes people do crazy things. Had he been upfront with you, would you have gone after Kase?”
“I’ve thought about it. Repeatedly.” She pinches her lips together, staring up to the ceiling, lost in thought before she looks at me and shakes her head. “No, I fell in love with Wayne. I wouldn’t know Kase from a stranger on the street. I was already confused, having to learn everything again. Wayne was the only thing concrete in my life. I wouldn’t have risked that.”
“So, do you—”
The front door slams open, hitting the wall, making us both jump off the couches. Panic catches in my throat as the intruder’s eyes pin mine. I’m frozen in time. Ten years ago. His eyes, still the bland brown with a few more wrinkles surrounding them and a little more sunken in. When he slams the door shut, I shake out of my stupor.
I glance at the door, hoping Clyde is right behind him. When Ray slams the door shut, I fear the worst. Clyde isn’t coming for a reason.
“Honey, I’m home,” he grates, taking a couple of steps into the room. His voice is worse than a million spiders crawling on me. I swallow, standing a little taller with my feet wide, readying myself for a fight. “It’s been a long time, sweet pea.” Shivers run down my back at the nickname he’d call out when he’d rape me.
Don’t let him get to you. This is what he wants.
Steadying my breathing, I never break our stare. The sound of shattered glass has both of us turning toward Everly. She holds the stem of the broken wine glass in the air.
“Don’t take another step,” she hisses.
He does a double take, looking between me and her. Then his cackle echoes through the room. “Well, fuck me, double the trouble, double the fun. If I would’ve known there were two of you, I would’ve made it a ménage à trois.” My stomach heaves and I have to take a few short breaths so I don’t throw up. “If we didn’t have to leave sweet pea…” He looks at me and winks and my body shudders in disgust. There is no way I’m leaving with him. “We could’ve had fun.” He pulls out a gun and waves it at me. “Let’s go.” This isn’t happening. Not again.
The floor shakes beneath me and I fight to stay standing when Reed walks out of the bedroom. “What’s going on?” Ray jerks back in surprise, but regains his control quickly.
“Reed, run!” I scream, rushing forward.
It’s too late. Ray grabs him and holds the gun to his temple. I freeze in place with my hands up.
“No! Don’t hurt him. Take me instead. Let him go,” Everly pleads.
“Both of you, shut up.”
“Mom,” Reed whimpers.
“It’s okay, Reed. Shh, it’s okay.” She tries to calm him, but tears run down his face.
Ray keeps looking down at Reed and then each of us.
“How old are you, kid?”
“T-t-ten.”
Ray’s eyes widen in surprise before they land on us. I have a moment of clarity and I can’t get the words out fast enough. “He’s not yours,” I spit out. “You made sure I couldn’t have kids.”
“Of course, you’d say that. Holy shit, am I a dad?” His icy glare pins both of us. “You didn’t tell me I was a dad.”
Everly cries, “No! He’s mine.”
“I didn’t tell you because he’s not mine,” I plead.
“I don’t believe you. Either of you. Shut up and let me think!” He squeezes his hold around Reed and Everly cries harder. “I don’t know which one of you is even Ellie.” He keeps glancing at his watch, which makes me think he’s in a hurry. Help must be on the way. I just need to keep him here a little longer.
Stepping forward, I admit, “I am. I’m the one you want. Take me, he’s not yours. He’s my sister’s son.” I point to Everly.
He narrows his eyes. “And what, your twin gave birth the exact same time you would’ve had my son?”
He takes a step toward the door and says, “Come on son, we have a lot to catch up on.” I scream for him to stop as he drags him toward the door and Everly screams, lunging in his direction. He raises the gun and I know with every fiber in me he’ll pull the trigger. He‘s a psychopath. I jump, shoving her out of the way when the sound of a gun goes off.
I hit the ground and my head dizzies.
Screams ring in my ears.
My vision blurs from the pain.
Chapter Forty-Three
Kase
“Are they moving them already?” I ask, looking down at the app, watching the dot move away from the safe house. Why is Reed moving?
“I haven’t heard.”
Max makes a phone call while I stare at my phone. Hudson peers over my shoulder and watches with me. Spikes of unease work up my spine. Something doesn’t feel right.
“They haven’t moved them, and they can’t get a hold of Agent Clyde.” Max taps on his earpiece, turning it on. He explains the situation and instructs Stone to head to the house and we’ll follow Reed’s position. Stone, Wayne, and Cody are in the SUV ahead of us. We split off, heading west.
“Kase,” I glance up at Max and he’s staring at my jostling foot. I grit my teeth and make my foot stop moving. My racing pulse zipping through me, has my body temperature burning up. “We’ll find them.”
All my senses are on hyper-alert as I listen for an update from the guys when they get to the house and keep my eyes on my phone, afraid I’ll miss something. Squeezing my eyes shut so the burning sensation of not blinking will go away, I take a few deep breaths to calm myself. I won’t be any help if I’m not able to take control of my emotions.
“Girls are here,” Stone’s voice comes into our earpiece. “Ray has Reed.” His voice trails off. Or maybe the shock is deafening. Panic laced with confusion runs through me. Why does Ray have Reed? Does he know we’re after him and he took him to barter for freedom?
I yank the earpiece out of my ear to stop the ringing in them, but it doesn’t stop.
He can’t have Reed.
He’s mine.
When I look up, I notice we’re stopped on the side of the road. “What the hell, Max, we don’t have time for this,” I growl at Max.
“Get out of the car.”
My eyebrows shoot up as Max gets out. We’re on the shoulder of the highway, Max walks around the front of the car over to my door. When he opens it, he waits for me to get out. I glance back at Hudson and he shrugs. Jumping out, I stare at Max, standing there with his arms crossed.
“What are we doing Max? I need to find my son.” I fist my hands, nails digging into my palms.
“Throw rocks, scream, go run around the damn car. Do something to release some of that anger because I need you focused when the time comes. And the fucking time is coming. But I need to trust that mistakes aren’t made because you can’t focus.”
I growl up to the clouded sky and then glare at Max. “Pick me up down the street.”
I take off in a sprint down the highway. Cars zip by me and their speed spurs me to go faster. After two, six-minute, miles, I slow my pace, my legs burn from the intense run. I ignore the couple of honks when I strip my sweat-soaked shirt off me, wiping the sweat from my forehead. My heart is pumping, but my mind is clear.
Max rolls up beside me with the window rolled down. “Let’s go find your son.”
The dot stopped moving fifteen minutes ago. Ray’s taken him to a desolate house in the woods. Branches crunch under our feet in the silent air as we walk through the thick trees.
“It’s fifty feet straight ahead,” I whisper, p
ointing in front of me. Max and Hudson nod. When we have the house in sight, we spread out, surrounding the house.
I search around my spot for something to rest my rifle on. A large rock will work. After setting up and making sure it’s a stable platform, I focus my scope. The smell of pine wafts through the air and I’m surprised I can smell it in the stillness of the air. I’m thankful for the cooler air although the desert air is what I’m used to in these situations.
A tiny drone fitted with a thermal camera flies over the house and Max reports back they are alone in the house. He says Reed is in the living room, Ray in the kitchen. Looking through my scope, I can see Reed through the front window, but I don’t have the kitchen in my line of sight.
Thank god he’s alive.
We stay rooted in our spot, waiting for him to come out of the house or into my line of sight for a couple of hours. Hudson’s stationed at the back of the house, listening. Right now, Ray doesn’t know we’re here, so we have the advantage. As soon as the FBI gets wind of where we are, they’ll surround this place like bees to honey. And people do stupid things when they panic and feel trapped.
“Come outside,” I whisper to myself, my finger itching to pull the trigger.
As the light fades over the trees, the shadow from the old wooden house creeps across the overgrown yard. “Ray’s on the phone,” whispers Hudson.
The front door opening catches my eye.
Reed darts out.
My heart slams against my chest.
He keeps running away from the house, but I keep my scope pointed at the door.
“Come back here you little shit,” Ray screams, chasing him.
I pull the trigger.
One shot to the head.
Ray’s body jerks, his lifeless body falls back against the broken stairs of the porch. Reed screams, running into the woods and I jump up and run after him.
“Reed,” I yell, following the sound of heavy breathing and cries. “It’s Kase. Stop running.”
“Kase?” He stops and I catch up to him. He flies into my arms.
He cries on my shoulder, his body shakes from fear. It kills me he had to experience this level of evil at such a young age. I carry him back to the opening where I meet Max and Hudson. Sirens blare in the background and I know this place will be a zoo in a couple of minutes.
“My mom,” he cries. “Sh-she… he shot her.”
What? I pull back, tilting my head wondering if I heard him correctly. Everly was shot?
I jerk up, meeting Max’s gaze. His eyes shut, and he shakes his head. I stand slowly, afraid my knees are about to give out, knowing he’s not telling me something.
“Max,” I growl.
“We need to go,” he replies and Reed cries harder, so I pull him into me. His head digs into my stomach. “Reed, your mom is okay. She wasn’t shot.”
As his world rights, mine crashes.
If it wasn’t one, it was the other.
“Ellie,” I choke out, finding it hard to function.
Max nods and my mind flashes to the unimaginable. Her lying on the floor, surrounded by blood. I stumble back, but Hudson catches me.
“Kase, she’s in surgery right now.” His words barely register.
Ellie can’t die. She can’t leave me.
“Kase,” Max snaps. “Listen to me. She’s still alive.” Those words are the electric shock needed to jumpstart my heart. I gasp for air, pulling in deep breaths. “But we need to leave. I’ve already talked to the FBI. They’re on their way and they’ll take care of this. Hudson will hang around and wait for them.”
Reed’s little hand slips into mine and I glance down.
“Let’s go,” he whispers. “She’ll be okay.”
I cling to the hope he’s right. We walk to the SUV and hop in the back. When he slips right beside me, I wrap my arms around him. Killing Ray, I thought the fight was over.
It happens it was just the beginning.
The shadow of fear covers me, filling my head with the worst cases. Everyone tries to reassure me, but I can’t hear anything in the heavy fog. I can’t look at Everly without the irrational part of my brain spewing anger. This isn’t her fault. I want to scream that no one is telling us anything. I want to take another run, but I can’t leave.
Needing something to do, I’ve gotten up at least ten times to get a cup of coffee, only to take a sip and throw it in the trash. It tastes like mud. Every. Time. But I can’t stop.
Max taps me on the shoulder and I peer over at him. He juts his chin and I follow the direction. I shove up from my seat as a doctor walks toward us. Running my hand across my rough jaw, I meet him halfway.
“Are you Ellie Keyes’ family?”
“Yes, I’m her husband.” I lie knowing they won’t give out information to non-family members.
“And I’m her sister,” Everly says, walking up beside me. She’s wearing scrubs, her clothes so soaked with Ellie’s blood, she had to change. The smear of blood she missed on her jaw makes me cringe, the ache in my chest intensifying. I squeeze my eyes shut and jerk away, so I can’t see it.
He grips his hands and notices me observing him, so he crosses his arms over his torso and settles. He blows out a heavy breath, bracing himself for the aftermath of bad news. “She was in shock by the time she got here caused by internal bleeding, the loss of blood was extensive. The bullet hit her small intestine, so we had to remove a piece. We stopped the bleeding and removed the bullet. The amount of blood she lost and infection is our main concern. Her body is still in shock. She’s in ICU and stable for the moment.”
I run my hand through my hair, gripping it. ‘For the moment’ replays in my head. I turn, all eyes on me, waiting for an update. My body breaks out in a cold sweat, my mouth dries like I swallowed sand.
“I’ll tell them,” Everly whispers as she turns to walk away. Her heavy steps echo in my head.
I spin back around, hoping the doctor didn’t leave. His sympathetic eyes meet mine. “Can I see her?”
He nods, flattening his lips. This has to be the worst part of his job. Once a person dies, they’re gone. You can’t apologize. But the emotions from telling the family has to weigh him down.
“We’ll let you know when we have her set up in her room.” He places a hand on my shoulder. “She’s a fighter, but she needs to keep fighting.”
She’s the strongest person I know, she’s a survivor and she’ll be again.
Ellie, fight for you.
For us.
Chapter Forty-Four
Everly
I knew what the doctor was going to say before he said it. I feel it in my bones. Death. It’s like our nervous system is bound by an invisible string. I’ve felt like this once before. The day of my accident. I thought I had the flu and was on my way to the doctor. Out of nowhere, I was gasping for air and then darkness. When I woke, everything was different. I was different.
It’s strange to feel someone else’s emotions and not know them. We’re bound by something so supernatural, it’s surreal. And now I’m going to lose her. Tears spill down my cheeks and I lean forward onto my arms. She found me and the only memory I’ll have is her saving me. Wayne leans over and slides his hand into mine, squeezing. “I’m sorry,” he mumbles into my back. I shift to his chest and he holds me while I let out the emotions I’ve been clinging to, hoping I was wrong.
Ellie is dying.
Last night was the longest night of my life. I was in labor for seventeen hours and it still didn’t compare to last night. Every time the emergency room doors opened, no matter how close to sleep I was, I would jump up, ready for news. But none came.
No news is good news, I kept telling myself before settling back in, waiting for the next false alarm. But here we are, eight in the morning, Max has brought everyone breakfast and we’re all anxiously awaiting an update.
When the doctor comes out telling us she made it through the night, I almost respond with, ‘I know’ but rather kept that to mysel
f. Wayne walks up to my table with my favorite drink from Starbucks in hand.
I smile, grateful he’s here. “Thanks.”
He bends over, kissing me on top of my head and returns the smile before walking away. I watch him pass the sliding glass doors, exiting to the outdoors, the tension in his shoulders weighs heavily on my heart. We haven’t talked. He has no idea what happened at Kase’s before we were whisked away to a hiding place. He’s in his own hell trying to keep it together but be supportive at the same time.
I glance at Cody and Reed, who’s sitting right next to him. “Hey, I’ll be…” I point outside and Cody nods. “Find me if there‘s any news.” Kase went back to sit with Ellie as soon as the doctor let him, so I’m not sure how long he’ll be.
The cool air hits my face. It won’t be long until winter is here. I shiver at the thought of the winters in this place. This sixty-degree weather is our normal winter. I tighten my jacket around my stomach and scan the area for Wayne. He’s sitting on a bench, staring up to the sunny blue sky. When I approach the bench, he rolls his head in my direction.
“Can I sit with you?”
He nods once. The wooden bench squeaks as I sit down. The uncomfortable silence between us is new. It’s the first time he’s not begging and I’m not fighting back. Is there anything left to argue about?
He thinks he’s lost me and I don’t feel like fighting.
Where does that leave us?
“Thank you for coming,” I murmur, breaking the silence.
He nods again, taking a deep breath. “I would do anything for you and Reed.”
I play with the buttons on my jacket. “I know.”
“Are you comin’ back to Texas?”
I snap my eyes to his. “Why wouldn’t I go back? That’s my home.”
He shrugs half-heartedly. “Kase is here. And so is your sister. What’s left in Texas?” The indifference in his voice knots my chest.
“Well… my mom is there.” Tears threaten to fall as they pool in my eyes. Is this the end of us? Our final chapter? My gaze darts around, fear ricochets in my head. But I didn’t want him last week. Am I only panicking because Kase doesn’t want me?
