She watched, frozen, as the part of her life she was sure she’d left behind stepped into view. Allen wore a patch over his right eye and a cast on his arm, and his expression turned to one of fury when he saw her.
Falling back a step, she shook her head slightly in denial. She had that panicky, hard-to-breathe feeling in her chest, her head felt faint. Sensing her distress, Shane stepped up behind Cameron protectively as she whispered, “You’re alive.”
Chapter Seventeen
For the longest time, she just stood there, staring like an idiot. She couldn’t believe what was happening, and she didn’t know which was worse—that Allen had survived, or that Anne had been hiding him this entire time. Her disbelieving gaze met Shane’s. With this one look, she saw the realization dawn on his face. He knew this was the man who’d caused her so much pain.
Allen took a step toward her, his one good eye filled with anger as he said to Anne, “You need to get that bitch out of my house.”
Shane stepped up, taking Cameron’s side. His voice was calm and cool, with a hint of danger as he said, “I wouldn’t, if I were you.”
Ignoring both of them, Cameron turned an enraged glare on her aunt. “How could you?” she asked, her eyes full of betrayal. “You promised me you would stay away from him. That’s the whole reason he came after me that night. And now, what? You just don’t care?”
Still holding Brady in her arms, Anne gazed back at Cameron with a face full of fear. “What was I supposed to do, Cameron?” her voice was shaky and flustered. “You left him for dead. Someone had to take care of him.”
“But who took care of me?” she demanded, her voice cracking under the weight of all these raging emotions. “Who ever took care of me?”
“Not everything is about you.”
“You’re never going to leave him, are you?” Tears clouded her voice and her vision. “It doesn’t matter what he does.”
“Cameron,” Shane said in a low voice, “We should get out of here.”
“Not without my son.” Fed up with giving Anne chances, she made a desperate grab for her child, but Anne backed away, clinging to him tight.
“No, Cameron,” Anne said frantically, hurrying to the other side of the room. “I’ll do whatever you want. Just don’t take Brady.”
“You don’t deserve him!” Cameron ran after Anne, her arms outstretched. “Give him back to me, now!”
The yelling woke Brady and he started to whimper sleepily. Anne tried to soothe him, but that only made Cameron angrier. Once again, she tried to reach for the boy but Anne wouldn’t give him up.
In the chaos and yelling, no one noticed when Allen edged over to a drawer and pulled it open.
Shane was the first to see, and shouted, “Cameron, lookout!”
But it was too late; he drew out a gun and aimed it at the three of them.
Cameron and Anne screamed, perfectly in sync. On instinct, Cameron threw herself in front of Brady, even though it meant standing in front of Anne, as well. “Don’t shoot,” she cried, panic filling every inch of her body with tension and fear. “Please.”
His voice was loud, demanding as he said, “I am so sick and tired of your drama.” As he came closer, all Cameron could see was the gun in his hand. Would that shiny black pistol mean the end for her? “Always causing problems. Always!”
Anne dropped Brady to his feet and instructed him to run. He was still sleepy, but when his eyes saw the gun, he looked wide awake. He made a wild scramble for the door.
In slow motion, Cameron saw Shane step up as the screen door closed behind Brady. Hands surrendered in the air, he spoke in his gentle, calming voice. “No one needs to get hurt, Allen.”
“Who the hell are you?” he demanded waving the gun at him. Pointing it back at Cameron he added, “Flavor of the month?”
“For God’s sake, put the gun away,” Anne cried, still cowering behind Cameron even though Brady was safely outside now.
“This bitch has caused nothing but trouble.” His finger twitched on the trigger. “She left me to die. She took one of my eyes! Now she wants to take your boy, too? No way in hell!”
“You took much more than that from me,” she said, her voice low and full of buried contempt.
As he stepped toward her, leveling the gun in her direction, she felt her entire body leap with fear and she wished she’d kept her mouth shut. Cameron looked from Allen to the door, trying to determine if she could make it outside before the gun fired. Her heart raced in terror, pumping adrenaline through her body. One thing was certain. She wasn’t letting him kill her; she needed to survive him.
“Allen, stop it,” Anne screamed, her voice mangled by hysterical tears. “Stop this right now!”
“This isn’t the way,” Shane said, trying to break through. “You don’t want to do this.”
“Oh, yes. Yes, I do,” he said with a vicious laugh. “This is exactly what I want.”
Outside, she heard the sound of a siren coming closer, and soon she saw flashing blue lights through the windows. Locking gazes with Shane, she saw him give a slight, barely noticeable nod. On his cue, she dashed for the door. He grabbed her, throwing his body in front of hers as a loud blast rang out from the gun. She felt Shane give her a boosting shove toward the door and she stumbled forward, landing against the glass.
With her fingers on the handle, ready to push open the screen door, she glanced over her shoulder to make sure Shane was with her. But he wasn’t. He was on his knees, a few feet away, his face contorted in pain.
It all happened so fast. The screen door swung open behind her and Sam yanked her outside, then barged in, followed closely by Chad. Gun drawn, Sam shouted, “Drop your weapon!”
What were they doing here? she wondered as Sam rushed in to save the day. He really did look like a hero, in his Victory Hollow P.D. uniform and the way he held his gun steady and sure.
Chad tried to keep Cameron out, but she ducked under his arm and went to Shane’s side instead. Blood stained his shirt, but she couldn’t tell where it was all coming from.
At the threat of being shot, Allen quickly set the gun on a nearby table and raised his arms in the air. Sam moved forward, pulling out his handcuffs. He slapped one around the arm that wasn’t broken and twisted it behind his back.
Cameron watched as Sam hauled Allen out of the house, reading him a list of rights. It was a sight she’d never expected to witness, and she hadn’t anticipated the feeling of immense freedom it would give her.
She turned her attention back to Shane as Chad knelt beside them. “Are you okay?” she asked.
“It’s just a shoulder hit,” he said, though his teeth were still clenched in pain. “I’ll be fine.”
Chad pulled his shirt over his head and pressed it against Shane’s wounded shoulder. Looking around the living room, Cameron saw that Anne had dropped to her knees, crying. Cameron stood as she realized Brady was nowhere in sight. The last time she’d seen him, he’d fled out the door. “Where’s Brady?” she asked as the adrenaline faded. Where was he and why was she just now thinking to check on him?
Running over to the screen door, she shoved it open and stepped out onto the porch. Her steps slowed as she looked out into the yard, lit by swirling lights from Sam’s car. Standing off to the side, away from the commotion, Brady was safe and sound in Julian’s arms.
As she stood there, staring at the two of them, she realized she’d never seen Julian look as…human as he did while he was comforting Brady. It was enough to completely stump her after the night she’d had. Allen was violent and unpredictable—as usual. Shane watched her back—like he always did. But Julian, showing genuine compassion to another human being, it wasn’t something she’d expected to see.
Sam stepped up on the porch. Seeing him, she realized he would have questions for her. Why did she run to Baltimore on a whim? What was the truth behind the so-called murder she was supposedly guilty of committing? She honestly didn’t know what she’d say to him as she
turned to face him.
But he didn’t say anything at first, it was like he couldn’t. He just stood there, his mouth partly open, trying to form words. Under the porch light, she could see his brown eyes glint with unshed tears as he stared at her, speechless. The heaviness in the air between them told her he knew her secret. All of them.
Looking over her shoulder, she studied Julian once again. Still holding Brady against his shoulder, he met her gaze from across the yard and gave her a slight, solemn nod. She turned back to Sam, knowing she should say something, but no words would come to either of them. Her façade unraveled and she couldn’t stop it. First her hands started to shake, and then it spread to her arms. Her breathing quickened as tears seared her eyes, begging to be released.
Finally, he stepped up and pulled her against his chest. His biceps tightened around her shoulders in a python grip, safe and secure. At first she just stood there, trying to stop shaking, but then her body caved and she fell into him. He held her as she started to cry, as tears streamed down her cheeks like rain, washing her past clean.
A woman approached them. She was wearing a dark colored pantsuit and had her hair pulled up in a bun. One look and Cameron knew the woman wasn’t on her side.
“Are you Cameron Baker?” the woman asked.
“Yes,” she replied, her voice unsteady with dread.
“My name’s Meredith,” she said. “I’m from social services. We need to talk.”
***
Meredith led Cameron and Julian over to the side of the house, away from the police officers and ambulances. She faced both of them, resting a clipboard on the hood of a squad car so she could take notes. “You two are the parents of that little boy, aren’t you?” she asked.
“Yes,” they said, their voices synced.
“Cameron, how long have you been living in Georgia?”
“Um…a few weeks,” she said.
“A month and a half,” Julian said.
She wrote something and looked back up at Cameron again. “And did you have any contact with your child during that time?”
Inside, Cameron could tell that this line of questioning wasn’t going anywhere good. “No,” she said reluctantly. “I thought—”
“And it was your idea to leave him in this home while you moved away?”
For that, she felt an inch tall. Lower than that, even. She nodded shamefully.
Meredith turned her focus to Julian. “I see you filed for custody just a little while ago. Have you ever had custody of Brady before?”
“No. She gave him to these people…” he gave a dismissive motion toward the house. “Shortly after he was born. I was never given the chance to be his father.”
“But you’ve both been in his life since,” she said, to clarify. “As family friends?”
“Yes,” he said with a nod.
“Mr. Stone,” she said, looking at him. “I’m going to allow you to take Brady into your care until the custody hearing.”
“What?” she exclaimed. “No—”
“Thank you, Meredith.” Julian grabbed her hand in a grateful shake. “I’m glad we see eye-to-eye.”
She felt like she couldn’t catch her breath. If she could somehow explain to her what happened tonight, maybe she could take Brady home with her. “Wait a second…”
“You can make your case at the hearing Miss Baker.” She picked up her clipboard and tucked it against her side. “But for now, my decision stands.”
A few hours later, Cameron and Chad sat silently next to each other in the waiting room of the hospital while they waited for the doctors to patch up Shane’s shoulder. Upstairs, Anne was being evaluated by a psychiatrist. She was so shaken up that all she could do was rock back and forth and cry, so the paramedics had brought her in, too. They’d told Cameron that Anne was in shock, but she suspected a nervous breakdown. After all, a person could only hide so much before it took a toll on them, physically and emotionally. That was one lesson she’d learned well.
Sam was still working with the police to explain Cameron’s assault on Allen. Julian had taken Brady home hours ago, and she suspected she wouldn’t see either of them again until the custody hearing.
That left Cameron and Chad to sit and wait. She felt drained and numb, but somehow freed—even in spite of everything. Her brothers knew the truth now, and while it was awkward and uncomfortable, not having to hide was a tremendous and unexpected relief. She was slouched in her seat, scrolling through the pictures on her digital camera. The photos went backwards from the time they were taken, so she saw the ones of Brady first. He’d looked so happy. What would she tell him about Anne and this current medical condition she’d succumbed to? What if he had questions about why he needed to live with Julian now? How would she explain all of this to someone so young?
“I should’ve known,” Chad said finally, his voice quiet and low. “I should’ve been able to see it.”
He startled her. He’d been so quiet the whole time. Glancing over at him, she saw the guilt on his face. “I made sure you wouldn’t.”
“Don’t,” he said, shaking his head. “Don’t try to make me feel better. I was a complete asshole to you, Cameron. And you didn’t deserve it.”
“It’s okay,” she whispered, trying to avoid talking about it.
“Nothing about this is okay.”
To that, she wasn’t sure how to respond. Turning her attention back to the camera, she scrolled through a few more pictures and came to the one of her and Shane. They were leaned in close on his couch, each wearing a smile. It seemed so strange that it was only taken yesterday, and today everything was so different.
Something on the corner of the screen caught her eye. The display told her there was still one picture she hadn’t seen, but she specifically remembered that the first picture she’d taken was of her and Shane together. Then she remembered the camera had been unboxed when she got it, and she hit the next button.
The pictures changed, revealing a picture of Shane’s living room floor. And on the floor, spelled out with dozens of blue and red playing cards were the words “Let me be UR rain.”
She ran her fingertips across the screen, looking down at the letters. She wondered how long it’d taken him to spell that out, and how many decks of cards he’d used. She started chuckling softly, first because it took her so long to see and then because it was the sweetest, most tender message she’d ever received. Couldn’t he see that he had already been the rain that cleaned up her life? Without him, she probably would’ve given up on her family and her life in Victory Hollow before it ever really started. And without him to catch the bullet meant for her, she might have even ended up dead.
A doctor walked up to them. “Mr. Harper is in recovery now,” he said. “We managed to get the bullet out.”
Cameron and Chad stood to face the doctor. “Is he okay?” she asked.
“The bullet fractured his shoulder,” he replied. “He’ll be in pain for awhile, but with physical therapy, he should make a complete recovery. We’re keeping him overnight for observation, but one of you can go back and see him, if you want.”
They both stepped up at the same time, bumping shoulders, and then looked at each other. Giving her a small, understanding nod, Chad motioned for her to go instead.
She followed the doctor to a hospital room. “That’s it,” he said, pointing to a door as he walked the opposite direction.
Cameron lingered outside the door, afraid to go inside. What if he looked really hurt? What if she took one glance at him and burst into tears? He’d saved her life, she realized as she stepped into the room. Or at the very least, kept her from getting shot.
He was propped up in the bed, his closed eyes tilted toward the ceiling. Wearing a light blue hospital gown and covered with a starched white sheet, he looked completely different than the energetic, happy-go-lucky guy she’d come to care very deeply for. His left arm was in a sling, but other than that, he seemed fine.
Except he was ly
ing in a hospital bed, recovering from a gunshot wound, all because he’d tried to protect her.
His head turned toward her and his eyes opened. Seeing her, his lips parted in a sleepy smile. “Hey.”
“Hey.” She stepped up to edge of the bed. “How do you feel?”
Putting his weight on his right arm, he tried to push himself up to a sitting position. “Out of it,” he admitted, his voice groggy. “One of the nurses gave me morphine after the surgery, even though I told them not to.”
Knowing how important his sobriety was to him, Cameron’s mouth dropped open in concern. “Can they do that?”
He started chuckling softly, shaking his head. “I don’t know, but I’ll be fine. It’s just that stupid hazy feeling in my head is driving me crazy.” Reaching out, he took her hand and pulled her to sit on the edge of the bed. “Talk to me. Keep me focused. Are you okay?”
“Me? I’m fine,” she said, lacing her fingers through his. “You made sure of that.”
He smiled at her again.
Even though he was wounded and recovering, she felt herself longing to confide in him like she always did. The confession swelled in her chest, begging to be let out. “I talked to a social worker earlier,” she began, her voice cracking. “And apparently they’ve decided…that Brady is better off with Julian until we go to court over custody.”
His eyes widened in surprise and he tried to sit up. “Wait a second…what?”
“I don’t blame them.” She wiped her cheeks as a few tears slipped out of her eyes. “I just left Brady there…I convinced myself he was safe, but you were there tonight. That was bad. I mean…bad. I’ve got to be the worst mother in the world, right?”
Shaking his head, he reached out. Using his thumb to wipe a tear, he looked into her eyes. “No. Of course not. You’re still really young to be dealing with all of this.”
Another Life: Another Life Series #1 Page 23
