“Don’t try anything,” he says with his hand on the back of my neck, the knife pointed at my side.
“I won’t,” I tell him as he urges me toward the barn door. I push it open and step through, finding the land around the house completely empty, with only my van setting in the drive. We walk across the field between the barn and the house, and he pushes me into the passenger side of the van. He climbs behind the wheel.
He steps on the brakes and pushes the start button. He chuckles when the engine comes to life. “I knew you’d keep a key in here.”
Since I left him, I’ve left one key in the van at all times. I wanted to be prepared to run if needed. I wouldn’t want to have to worry about trying to find my keys. As long as a key is in the vehicle, it will start and drive.
I cross my arms over my chest and sink against the door.
“How’d you find me?” I ask as he drives down the old dirt road.
“You messed up signing Bryce up for daycare. The moment they entered his information, I got a hit. Once I found the state and town you were in, it wasn’t hard to track you down. There’s only one motel. I figured that was the only place you could be.”
“What about the postcard? How’d you get it into my room?”
His face is growing more red by the second, the vein in his forehead becoming more prominent. “All I had to do was mail things to the motel, and they promised to make sure you’d get them.”
“And Judith and Lidia?” I finally ask, almost afraid of his anger.
“What about them?” His brows pull together and his mouth forms a tight line. He’s clearly getting tired of all my questions.
“Did—did you do something to them for helping me?”
“Don’t ask questions you’re not ready for, Autumn,” he says, refusing to tear his eyes away from the road.
“What did you do to them?” I ask, fear climbing up my throat.
“I started to notice the way Judith was watching my every move. I knew she’d warn you that I was coming. I had to make sure she kept her mouth shut. She’d been in bad health for a long time, so it wasn’t anything to make it look like an accident.”
Tears fill my eyes and fall over the rims. He looks over at me, and seeing my tears, a gleam forms in his eyes as a grin takes over. He likes seeing me hurt.
“I had talked with her daughter just a few days before. She told me that her mom was having some difficulty with her new medication. It was causing her to have dizzy spells. All I had to do was sneak into her house and give her a slight push. An old lady doesn’t have a chance against a flight of stairs.” He lets out a menacing chuckle that causes the pit in my stomach to open up and swallow me.
Sobs claw their way up my throat and out of my mouth. Guilt eats at me. I knew I shouldn’t have involved her. If he could easily murder an innocent old lady, there will be no stopping him from hurting me once he has what he wants. I have to get out of here. I have to protect Bryce. I have to protect this baby that’s growing inside of me. I have to get back to Clay. I want our family back. I won’t let Glenn take anything else from me.
Without much thought, I reach over and grab the wheel, jerking it toward the ditch on my right. We’re not going fast enough to cause much damage, but hopefully we’re going fast enough to blow a tire or get stuck—anything is better than bringing this mess to Bryce.
“Hey!” Glenn yells, fighting for the wheel, but it’s too late. The van veers to the right and straight into the ditch. The van is stopped suddenly, and I’m thrown forward into the dash. The airbags go off, pushing me back into my seat. Dust and smoke are filling the air around us. My vision blurs and my ears ring. I’m fighting to stay conscious as the darkness pulls at me. My head lulls to the side. Glenn’s head is resting against the cracked driver’s side window, a little blood trickling out over his closed eyes.
Now’s my chance. I have to get as far away as possible before he comes to. I use every bit of strength I have to open my door. With the awkward angle of the van in ditch, the door only opens slightly, but it’s enough for me to squeeze through. I fall into the ditch from being dizzy and light-headed, but I crawl out into the grassy field. I manage to get myself to my feet, but every few steps, I trip and fall. My lungs are working double-time, trying to get the oxygen I need. My heart is pounding in my chest as I push myself to go further, faster, to get away. The road isn’t an option. Glenn will see me plain as day when he wakes up. In the grassy field, at least I have some coverage.
I walk through the field until I come to a road on the other side. I hear Glenn yell my name from somewhere behind me, but I can’t see him due to the tall grass. I wrap my arms around myself, and a stabbing pain shoots up my side. I push myself forward, trying to cross a ditch to get to the road. If I’m on the road, I may be able to flag down a passing car. I step into the ditch, taking step after step. My foot gets caught and I fall, twisting my ankle. I cry out in pain but keep pushing, crawling my way out of the ditch. Pain is taking over my whole body, and my vision is becoming cloudier, more blurred. I can feel the asphalt under the palms of my hands, but I can’t push myself to my feet. Exhaustion consumes me, pain consumes me, along with fear, and panic, and stress. The world tilts on its axes and everything goes black.
Twenty-Four
Clay
I leave the daycare center and drive through town. I drive past the motel, but I don’t see any unusual cars there so I don’t stop. I figure with Drake and Colton out driving around looking for her along with the police, the best place for me is at home, where I can wait to see if anyone shows up. I need to stay in one place so the police can find me and so Drake and Colton can find me.
I start making my way back toward the house. I pick up my phone and call Drake along the way.
“Hey, you figure anything out?” he answers.
“Bryce is safe. I told the daycare what’s going on. They promised if she came in, they’d call the cops and not let her leave with him. They put the building on lockdown in case Glenn tries coming in to get him himself. I also drove by the motel but didn’t notice any unusual cars. I only saw the owner’s Chevy. Any luck on your end?”
“No. Colton and I have been driving up and down the back roads. Nothing yet.”
“What the fuck is that?” I mumble, mostly to myself. Up ahead, there’s something in the road. I’m too far away to make out what it is. I slow the truck as I draw closer.
“What? What is it?” Drake asks.
“I don’t know.” I’m only about ten feet away. “It’s a person laying in the road.” I get a few feet closer. “Fuck, Drake. I think it’s her. It’s Autumn!” I stomp the brakes and jerk the wheel to the side of the road.
“Where? Where are you?” he asks.
“Bishop Road.” I throw the truck into park and climb out, rushing over to her. She’s laying on her side, her long dark hair covering her face. I roll her to her back and brush her hair from her eyes. She has a small cut on her forehead, and her face and arms are red and bruised. What the fuck happened to her? Her eyes flutter open, and the corners of her mouth turn up slightly.
“Clay?” she whispers my name.
“Shhhh,” I say, picking her up against me. I carry her to the truck and place her in the seat. She groans when I set her upright.
I climb behind the wheel and turn down her street. It isn’t long before I see her van, run off in the ditch. I slow to a stop beside it. The passenger side door is open slightly. The driver’s side is empty, the window cracked. Both airbags are deployed.
“What the hell happened?” I ask myself, looking over the wreckage.
“I grabbed the wheel,” she says. I look over at her. Her head rests against the seat, her eyes closed.
“I’m taking you to get checked out.”
“He’s still out there.” Her voice is raw and strained.
“That’s okay. I’ll find him after I get you to a doctor.”
She tries to nod, but she lets out a groan of pain.
She falls asleep as I speed toward the doctor’s office.
I call Drake back as I’m in the waiting room.
“I found the van, but no sign of him,” Drake says. “The tow truck is pulling the van out now. How’s she doing?”
“I don’t know anything yet. She’s being checked out now.”
“Mr. Slade?” a nurse says as she steps out into the waiting room.
“Yes?” I answer, holding the phone at my side but not hanging up.
“The doctor thinks that Autumn will be fine. He stitched up the laceration on her head, and she’s responding and alert. She may have a broken rib, but there’s no way to tell without an X-ray, so he’s suggesting we have her sent to Minor’s Hospital in Lincoln to have her checked out further.”
“Okay, and the baby?”
She smiles. “The baby seems to be fine. We have a steady heartbeat. You can go back and see her if you’d like while I make the preparations for transport.”
“Okay, thank you.”
I lift the phone back to my ear. “You hear that?”
“Yeah, I did.” I can hear the smile he’s wearing from the tone of his voice.
“Mr. Slade?” a man asks from behind me.
I spin around to see a police officer. “Yes?”
“We have some questions if you don’t mind.”
“Okay,” I agree. “Drake, I gotta go.” I hang up the phone without another word.
I sit with the police officer and answer all the questions I can about Autumn, Bryce, and Glenn. When I run out of answers, we go back to her room and she answers what I couldn’t. The police officer gets permission to release Bryce from daycare to Celeste and Drake while she’s at the hospital. Instead of following Autumn to the hospital, I’m going in search of Glenn.
The police officer leaves to start his own search, but I stay with Autumn until the ambulance arrives. I lean down and kiss her head gently.
“I love you, and I’ll be there as soon as I can. I’m going to make sure that Bryce is okay before I take off. Just rest.”
She nods. “Thank you for taking care of him.”
“You’re both my family now,” I whisper, leaning in to press my lips to hers.
I watch as they load her into the back of the ambulance. Once they’re driving away, I head toward Drake’s. I pull into the drive twenty minutes later. He, Bryce, and Celeste are all in the barn, checking out the horse.
“Clay!” Bryce yells, running toward me.
I pick him up and hug him close.
“Where’s Mom?”
I pull back enough to study his face. “Mom is just fine. She just had to go to the doctor to get the baby checked out. We don’t have any good doctors here so she had to go to the town next to us, so she won’t be home until tomorrow. Are you okay with staying with Drake and Celeste?”
He looks a little nervous, biting down on his lip. “Why can’t I stay at the house with you?”
“Well, I’m going to go stay with your mom and keep her company. I bet Celeste will have all sorts of fun things for you to do.”
She nods and smiles. “I’m sure we can find something, like…are you hungry? We can have anything you want for dinner.”
His eyes stretch wide. “Even pizza?”
She laughs. “Even pizza.”
“Alright. Let’s go.” He nearly hops out of my arms, grabs her hand, and pulls her toward the house.
“See you tomorrow, buddy,” I call after him.
Drake turns to face me. “So, what’s the plan?”
“I’m going to find that son of a bitch before the cops do.”
“Let’s go.”
“You coming?” I ask, arching one eyebrow. I know Drake always has my back, but this is a little more serious than some childhood shenanigans. This is serious. This could lead to jail time.
“Hell yeah. You ain’t doin’ this alone. I’ll call Colton.” He’s already digging his phone from his pocket.
Drake and I load up in my truck, and we swing by and get Colton. The three of us stop at the diner for dinner and coffee to form a plan.
Tessa walks over to the table. “Clay, can we talk?”
“Not now, Tess,” I blow her off, not meaning to be rude, but I can’t do this right now. I’m too focused on finding Glenn, on teaching him a lesson, on paying him back for hurting what’s mine.
“I’m really sorry. I didn’t realize what I’d be causing when I gave him her address.” Her eyes are wide with alarm, and she’s shaking her head back and forth.
The three of us look up at her. Drake and Colton are clearly surprised. “What did you think would happen, Tessa? Thanks to you, the mother of my child is laying in a hospital bed right now. And all for what? So you and I could go back to fucking?” Anger drenches my every word. I may as well be spitting acid.
She flinches at my harsh words, but I don’t care. I told her I didn’t want to do this right now. My anger is so intense, it’s causing my blood to boil. Any minute it’s going to erupt.
Tears fill her eyes, and she quickly turns and runs off.
“Calm down,” Drake says, placing his hand on my back between my shoulder blades and rubbing.
I try to listen to his words. I try calming myself down, but there’s no use. The anger won’t let me until I do something with it. And I’m saving it all up for him. This isn’t something a drunken night with the boys will fix. The only thing that will rid me of this anger is having Glenn’s life resting in my hands. He didn’t show her any mercy, and I plan to do the same with him.
I shake my head in an attempt to clear it. “Okay, anyone got any ideas on where we can check for Glenn?” I ask, trying to distract myself.
“He has to be staying at the motel, right?” Colton asks.
“Tessa said he came in here last Saturday. He’s had to stay somewhere this whole time.”
“Alright, we’ll check the motel first,” Drake says. “Who knows, he may have been parking at the gas station or bar so we didn’t notice him at the motel.”
“I think I’m going to swing back by the house first,” I tell them.
“What do you need?” Drake asks.
“I just want to check things out, make sure he’s not there waiting for her to come home,” I lie. While I’m there, I’m grabbing my pistol from the locked cabinet in Autumn’s closet. She doesn’t even know about the gun. I know city people like her, and they don’t like the idea of having a gun in the house. But the first sign of trouble, they’re all ready to call a cop, a person with a gun. Well, I’m not a city boy. I’ve been raised with guns. I know how to load ‘em, shoot ‘em, clean ‘em, and respect ‘em. I hoped I’d never have to open that cabinet after I locked it, but with Glenn out there somewhere, I need to be able to protect myself and my family.
The three of us load up in the truck and make our way toward the farmhouse. I drive slow through the darkness, watching out the windshield and the driver’s side window for any trails or breaks in the trees—any place he could be hiding. He came for one thing, his family. And he didn’t succeed. There’s no way he’s tucking his tail between his legs and going back home empty-handed. We’re pulling up to the house when I see movement up ahead.
“Did you see that?” I ask the guys.
“What?” Colton asks, leaning forward and scanning the field in front of us.
“I saw something move,” Drake says, doing the same to get a better look. “Over by the barn.” He points.
I step on the brake pedal and shift into park. I shut off the truck and the three of us climb out.
“Should we check the house first?” Colton asks.
“And give him the chance to get away?” I reply, heading directly toward the barn. The hair on my neck starts to stand on end as I draw closer and closer. The night around us is deathly silent, not a cricket chirping, not a beetle buzzing. There’s no breeze and no stars, a perfect night for a summer storm. When I’m only a few steps away from the barn, the doors come flyin
g open and I’m tackled to the ground.
“Oh shit,” one of the guys say as they both come running over.
Everything is moving so fast that I can’t even be sure that the guy on top of me is Glenn, but either way, I don’t hold back. I fight against him, landing a solid hit to his jaw but taking one myself.
“Call the police,” Drake yells to Colton as he rushes over and throws Glenn off of me.
I jump to my feet and so does Glenn. Both of us are in this crouching position, just waiting for someone to make a move. I like the element of surprise, so I jump for him, wrapping my arms around his waist as I tackle him to the ground. With him beneath me this time, I drill him with punch after punch. Something happens and I completely lose myself. I see nothing but anger, hate, pain. I don’t even know what I’m doing. All I know is that he’s going to pay for what he’s done to them. I pull my fist back again and again, drilling him with hits to the jaw, eyes, and nose.
“Whoa, Clay! Stop, man,” Drake says, trying to pull me away, but I’m still gone. I can’t listen. His words, I hear them, but they don’t click. They make no sense. I keep swinging. Drake and Colton both grab an arm and lift me off of him. I fight to get back, but I can’t take the both of them.
“Stop, you’re going to kill him!” Colton says, but still, I’m fighting to get at him.
Finally, Drake steps in front of me, coming between me and Glenn. With him out of my line of sight, I feel myself begin to calm. “Listen to me,” he puts his hands on either side of my face, forcing me to look into his familiar eyes. “You’re no good to Autumn or the baby in jail, man. Calm down and let the police handle this.”
My ears are ringing. My heart is pounding. So much adrenaline is pumping through my veins that my whole body is shaking. When I calm and Drake steps away, I find Glenn laying out before me. At that moment, everything makes sense. The world freezes as I look at what I’ve done.
Both his eyes are swollen shut, bruising already. There’s blood pouring out of his nose, his mouth, and a cut on his head. His lips are busted, swollen, and bleeding. He doesn’t even look like the same person. I look down at my hands and see that they’re covered in blood. Blood has soaked through my white t-shirt, and there’s a rip going down the front. I don’t know if the blood is mine or his. I don’t remember my shirt being pulled to even rip.
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