Restless Ink

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  He shook his head as he got into his car and made his way to Molly’s house. Everything was happening all at once, and it didn’t give him any time to think or process. He tried to keep his speed down, but all he wanted to do was get to the house and find his dog. He should have picked Captain up before this, never should have left him with Molly—apartment guidelines or no. He’d never forgive himself if something happened to his golden because of his poor choices and that fucking woman.

  Yeah, that damn woman.

  He was already blaming her for a lot of mistakes and her downright cruel actions when it came to Thea, and he was just so pissed off that she’d been so careless.

  Who the fuck leaves the door open in the middle of fucking December?

  He growled to himself, his thoughts turning over and over again in his head as he made his way to her house. It wasn’t that far since he was on her side of town, and as soon as he pulled in behind her car, he jumped out of his vehicle and raced to the door.

  The door that was once again open with Molly standing inside, her eyes wide and her hands clasped in front of her chest.

  “You came. I knew you’d come when I called. You always come. For me. You always do.”

  He looked at her and knew something was off. And not just with her current state of mind about Captain. Damn it, he should have seen the warning signs long before this.

  “Where have you looked for him? Have you called the neighbors? When’s the last time you saw him?”

  Molly blinked at him, and her cheek twitched. “How’s Thea? Did she…get hurt?” There was something in her voice that he couldn’t quite place.

  He froze. “I didn’t tell you about the bakery.”

  She tilted her head, unblinking. Seriously, it was fucking creepy. “I heard it on the news. The Montgomerys are everywhere it seems. Too bad about the explosion.”

  He let out a breath, trying to remain calm. “Where’s Captain, Molly? What have you done with him?”

  “Me? I’ve done nothing to our dog. He’s gone. I don’t know where.”

  “My dog. He’s mine, Molly. He was never yours. And I never should have left him here. That was a mistake I won’t be making again.” There were a thousand different things he needed to say to his ex, another thousand different puzzle pieces he needed to put together if that tingling sensation in his mind were any indication. However, he didn’t have time for any of that, not when Captain could actually be hurt or lost.

  He turned his back on Molly as he went inside toward the backyard where he could start his search. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her eyes narrow, but he ignored it. But as he kept moving, he knew he’d made a mistake.

  Shocking pain slammed into his head, and he went down to his knees. He blinked, his gaze going fuzzy, and his mouth filling with a metallic taste. He couldn’t quite understand what had happened. As he fell to his back, twisting at the last second to break his fall, he looked up to see Molly holding a large wrench, the same one he’d used to help fix Molly’s sink the other day when he’d come back to the house after seeing Thea.

  “Damn it, Dimitri. Why can’t you understand?” She blinked finally, and he felt himself fading. “You’re mine. You chose me. You’re. Mine.”

  He could only thank God that Thea hadn’t come with him. Because if she had, who knew what Molly might have done.

  They’d been wrong. Molly wasn’t merely having issues.

  She’d lost it completely.

  And he had no idea what he could do about it.

  Then there was only darkness…and the sound of a dog whining from the other room.

  Chapter 25

  “You should be in bed.”

  Shep’s sharp comment from the driver’s seat didn’t worry Thea. After all, he’d said it about fourteen times since she’d gotten dressed at the hospital, quickly signed a few papers once the doctor let her go, and jumped into his car. She’d practically pulled him out of the hospital, leaving the others behind. She was worried about Carter and knew that her family could take care of Roxie until Thea got back, but she needed to make sure Dimitri was okay.

  Not that she thought he was hurt or anything, but she was leaning more toward the idea that Molly had cornered him into a conversation or situation he didn’t want to be in. She had to hope that they were just overthinking everything that her friend had done in the past. Maybe they were seeing things that weren’t there, and everything would be fine.

  Only now, Thea couldn’t get every snide remark, every put-down out of her head. How had she let that go on for so long?

  “What are you thinking about so hard over there?” Shep asked as they made another turn.

  “The fact that I was so blind to how Molly treated me. It’s a cliché, you know? The ex-wife and the former friend. I just…I just can’t believe how things got so out of hand and that I didn’t see it.”

  “I don’t think that’s the case.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I remember when you met her. I wasn’t living here at the time, but I was here for a full month visiting the folks and doing some work at the local shop. Remember?”

  “I do.” She nodded, her body aching from the fall but still bouncing on the seat as she waited to get to Molly’s and see if Dimitri was there.

  “She was nice. I mean, I didn’t know her all that well and only met her a couple of times, but she’s always been part of a different circle than us. We’re heavily blue collar, and that’s fine with me. You know? She wasn’t blue collar. She married someone who was, though, and I guess that surprised me.”

  “I introduced them.” She sighed. “I try not to think about that because everything changed when I did. I knew them both before they got married, and while I didn’t know they’d click like they must have if Dimitri married her, I thought they’d make it work.”

  “And it didn’t. That’s not on you. Hell, it’s probably not on Dimitri’s or Molly’s shoulders either. Sometimes, marriages don’t work, and even though Molly’s always been a bit self-centered in my opinion, I thought the divorce was pretty amicable. No fighting from what you told me, no yelling or even complaining when it came to the divorce proceedings.”

  “You’re right. I don’t know everything that happened during that time, but from what Dimitri’s told me, they just…didn’t work. And the divorce went quick. And though he still had Captain at her place, they didn’t do anything together after everything happened. But it wasn’t like they hated each other.”

  She paused.

  “I think…I think something’s wrong with Molly.”

  “What do you mean?” Shep asked, taking another turn.

  “I don’t know. She’s made small comments about my job or wardrobe over the years, but I don’t think she ever meant it as meanly as I believe she’s doing now. It’s like when she tried to convince herself that Dimitri and I could be good together and even tried to push us together, something snapped.”

  Shep cursed under his breath. “That might be the case. But it’s not like we can figure it out on our own. There’s no proof that she had anything to do with the flour or the explosion. But she did lie to you a few times in what seemed to be a way for her to sound better than you or at least more connected to Dimitri. It could be she changed her mind about being okay with your relationship.”

  Thea picked at her bandages, her pain meds starting to wear off. She’d have to be careful, but she couldn’t wait to see if Dimitri called her back or not.

  “I know.” She let out a breath. “If we discount everything else, the idea she was so happy about our relationship was too good to be true. I so desperately wanted to believe it, though, I ignored my instincts. She had a right to be hurt.”

  “But she didn’t have the right to hurt you. Or Dimitri. Just be careful, okay?” Shep parked behind Dimitri’s car, and Thea’s heart raced. He was here…but he wasn’t answering his phone, and she didn’t like that.

  “Let me go in by myself,” she blurted,
undoing her seatbelt.

  “Uh, I don’t think so.”

  “You can wait right by the car, but I don’t want to go in there and bully her. Just in case I’m wrong about everything and she’s lashing out verbally because she’s hurt. Bringing you in there could only make things worse.”

  Shep cursed again. “Fine. I’ll be leaning against the car in the cold, ready to run in there if something happens. And, fuck, I’ll keep an eye out for Captain because, for all we know, Dimitri and Molly are out without reception trying to find that dog. Storm’s coming in, and I don’t want him to get hurt either.”

  She leaned over and kissed her brother’s cheek, wincing when she pulled at her stitches. He caught the movement and glared, but she hopped out of the car as quickly as she could. Everything was going to be okay. She was just overreacting because of the explosion and Carter and now Captain being gone. It was all just too much, and as soon as she saw Dimitri, everything would be okay.

  And if she kept telling herself that, she’d totally start believing it.

  Thea made her way to the front door and knocked, but the door opened without her even trying, as if it hadn’t been latched properly. Her heart lifted to her throat, and she turned to look at Shep. He must have seen something on her face because her brother was at her side in an instant.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “The door’s open.”

  “Shit.”

  “Maybe they left it open when they went looking for Captain. That’s what Molly said happened in the first place. How Captain escaped.” Only, it felt wrong. It all felt wrong.

  “Should we call the cops?” Shep asked, already pulling out his phone.

  “We’re overreacting.” Thea took a deep breath and opened the door fully. “Molly? Dimitri?”

  They hadn’t been overreacting.

  Molly sat on top of the dining room table, a wrench in her fist, and her hands over her ears as she rocked back and forth.

  “Mine. He was mine. Mine. He was mine.”

  “Dimitri…” Thea hadn’t realized she’d whispered his name until Molly looked up sharply and narrowed her eyes.

  “You. He was supposed to be mine. He chose me. Now, he’s dead, and it’s all your fault. You should have seen that you two weren’t meant for each other. You should have seen. If you had, he’d have come back to me, and nothing would have been ruined. He wouldn’t be hurt.” She scratched at her chest with her free hand, the other still holding the wrench. “I wouldn’t be hurt.”

  “Jesus Christ.” Shep took a step forward, putting his body between Molly and Thea, but Thea was having none of that, not after everything she’d been through.

  “Molly. What’s going on?” she asked, moving around her brother, who glared down at her. Tough shit. “Where’s Dimitri?”

  “Does it matter? It never matters. You’re the one who did this. It’s always been you. The pretty one. The one who looks beautiful without any work. You can eat all you want and not gain a pound. You have parents and siblings, and friends who would die for you. You had everything except Dimitri. And then he didn’t want me anymore, and I didn’t think I needed him. Then you walked in and took him. You took him from me, and now it’s all ruined.”

  There was so much packed into that statement that Thea couldn’t keep up. All those digs and slights had been for a reason, but not the ones Thea had thought they were for.

  “Molly. Where’s Dimitri?”

  “It’s all your fault.”

  Thea barely ducked out of the way of the wrench in time.

  Shep was already on the phone with the police when Molly launched herself at Thea, but Thea was done. So fucking done with this woman and all the guilt she’d carried for what seemed to be something far deeper than anything she could have dreamed.

  Shep cursed into the phone and reached out to pull Thea out of the way, but she already had her free hand pulled back and punched into Molly’s nose before he could stop her.

  Molly hit the floor, her head slamming back, and an enraged scream echoing in the air. Then Molly rolled and tried to kick out, but Thea was already on the other woman, pinning her down. Her hand hurt—of course she’d have to use her burned one—and she was pretty sure she’d popped a stitch, but she was done.

  “Stop it. What is the matter with you? Stop it, Molly.”

  Tears spilled down her cheeks, and she tried to remember the happiness the other woman had brought into her life, only there wasn’t as much there as there should have been. Everything was dark and different, and she had no idea what she was doing anymore.

  Shep pushed her to the side and pinned Molly down, though she knew he was being gentle. The other woman thrashed, but her eyes looked unseeing, as if she were screaming at something not there. Thea knew that something had gone terribly wrong with the woman who had once been her friend. She didn’t know what had happened, but she knew anything they might have had was lost forever, and she could only hope that Molly would be able to find the peace she so desperately craved.

  “Find Dimitri,” Shep barked. “I’ve got her. Cops are on the way.”

  She stood up quickly on shaky legs, her hands damp and tears still streaming down her face. She staggered around the dining room, searching as if she’d be able to find him from where she was though she knew she wasn’t truly seeing anything.

  Then she saw his foot.

  She let out a scream she knew would haunt her dreams and ran to the kitchen where Dimitri lay face-down on the ground, the back of his head wet. He was so still, she was afraid she was too late.

  “Dimitri,” she whispered. “Dimitri.”

  He groaned, and it was possibly the best sound she’d heard in her life.

  The love of her life turned onto his back and blinked up at her, squinting. “Thea?”

  She brushed her fingers over his lips. “Shh, baby. Don’t speak. People are on their way to help you. I love you so much.”

  “I…Molly?”

  “Shep has her. Don’t move. Be still, just in case you’re hurt worse.”

  “My head hurts like a bitch, but I’m okay.” He reached out and cupped her face. “I love you, Thea.”

  “I love you, too.”

  And even as the sound of sirens hit her ears, there was a loud commotion, the sound of wood breaking, and then a large ball of golden fur was on them, licking at her face and then at Dimitri’s. She pushed Captain out of the way, his whining making her cry even harder.

  “It’s okay, baby boy. Don’t move your daddy. Let’s keep him safe.”

  Captain stood guard over them both, and Dimitri met her gaze, the love and hurt in his eyes evident.

  He was safe.

  Captain was safe.

  And Molly would get help.

  And soon, Thea would sleep because she was afraid if she stayed up much longer, something else would happen, and she wouldn’t be strong enough for it.

  But for now, she was.

  Chapter 26

  Dimitri once again found himself at the hospital, only he was the one in the bed this time and Thea was the one by his side. His head hurt, and he needed more stitches than Thea, but he was going to be okay. Concussion protocol wasn’t going to be easy, but he’d take care of himself and work his way through it.

  He still couldn’t quite believe everything that had happened, though. So much anger, so much confusion and distrust.

  That hadn’t been the woman he married. Nor had it been the woman he no longer loved. Something had happened inside Molly to change that, and he didn’t have pity or anger toward her, just sadness that it had happened at all. There was nothing he could do to change it, but he also had to learn to deal with what happened.

  Molly had a longer road of recovery in front of her than either he or Thea. Only Carter might have her beat, but even then, he didn’t know when—or if—Molly would find peace. Carter was going to heal, was going to be okay.

  None of them knew about Molly.

  “Today has been a sh
it day,” Shep said from his side. “And now I’m going home to my wife and baby girl. After the yelling and screaming from the folks and the doctors for taking Thea to you, I think I’m done for the day.” The other man stood up and gave him a nod. “Take care of my baby sister, Dimitri. I don’t want to see another bruise on her.”

  Thea let out a growl by his side, but Dimitri kept his eyes on Shep. “I will, though I can’t make promises.”

  “I’d say I hate you both, but today’s been too long for me to mean it.” Thea stood up and hugged her brother while Dimitri lay there, waiting to see when he’d be discharged. “Love you. Thank you for taking me. I don’t know what I would have done if…”

  She didn’t finish the sentence, and even Dimitri had to cough to clear his throat.

  “We found him. Captain is doing great and hanging with Dimitri’s brothers and sister at your place. We’re all going to be fine. Okay?” Shep hugged her again, then walked out, leaving Thea and Dimitri alone in the hospital room.

  Devin, Caleb, and Amelia had already been to the room. They hovered, growled, and wanted vengeance, but had taken one look at Thea and just held her close, making sure she knew she was one of them now. She’d given them her keys and said to make themselves at home so they didn’t need to get hotel rooms and so they could take care of Captain. Somehow, it had all worked out, and Dimitri knew there would be time for more questions and answers later.

  “Today has been a long day.”

  Dimitri looked at her, snorting. “You can say that again. There’s a storm raging outside, and I’m kind of glad for it, or all the Montgomerys and Carrs would be in this room or in Carter’s trying to will everyone to heal up. You should be at home, too, you know. You need sleep.”

  She shrugged and got into the bed with him. They were probably going to get into trouble with the nurses, but he didn’t care, not when he had her warm weight next to him.