The Best of Me: a Hope Valley novel

by Prince, Jessica

  He started to gurgle, clawing at my arm in an attempt to loosen my grip, but I didn’t budge. “You don’t tell me where that picture was taken, I’m not taking you to jail. I’m leaving you right fucking here. And you think what you’ve experienced so far is bad?” I pointed to Xander. “That guy right there’s a former Army Ranger.” I swung my arm to the other guy in the room, Hunter McCann. “And he’s a former Navy Seal. There are six more men outside this room, all of them ex-special forces, all of them more than capable of being very creative, and all of them just itchin’ for me to give them the okay.”

  That one good eye went wide again, and there was no missing the fear in it as he thrashed and choked beneath my hold.

  “Y-you can’t do that!”

  I bared my teeth and hissed, “Watch me. There isn’t a goddamn soul in this building who’ll step in to save you, and every one of them will have my back. You have five seconds to start talking. You don’t, I’m stepping out of this room and letting them have you.”

  The moment I released him and took a step back, he sank to the floor, sucking in huge, gargled breaths.

  “One,” I counted. “Where’s he holding them?”

  “Hold on!” he panted. “I just need—”

  “Two.”

  “I was gonna get the money!” he shrieked. “I’d never leave my kids like that!”

  “My kids,” I corrected. “And that’s three.”

  “Man, fuck! If he finds out I ratted, he’ll kill me!”

  “You don’t start talkin’, I’ll kill you,” Xander snarled in a voice that would’ve made most men piss themselves. And Christian Fanning was no exception. “And I can hide a body so it’ll never be found.”

  Chris began to sputter, his un-swollen eye bouncing from Xander to me. “You-you’re a cop! You can’t let him say shit—”

  “Four.”

  “All right!” His hands came up in surrender. “All right! Fuck, I’ll tell you where they are.”

  * * *

  Hayes and I rounded the back of the house with three uniformed officers and three of Linc’s men behind us. Leo and Micah were covering the front with just as much firepower at their backs.

  We’d come in quiet, no lights or sirens, and there were cops and cars lining the streets on all sides, blocking any means of escape.

  I lifted my fist as soon as we reached the back door of the ramshackle shotgun shack. “Ready to breach,” I heard Leo whisper through my earpiece. “On my count.”

  I lifted a finger to signal the count as Leo’s voice echoed through my ears.

  On three, I reared back and kicked the door open. Everything that came after happened in the blink of an eye. We swarmed inside from both points of entry, catching the fucker off guard. The room erupted into organized chaos with shouts of “Police!” and “Get your hands up!” coming from all directions.

  It only took a handful of seconds for the guy to register what was going on, and the second he did, he began to lift the gun in his hand toward Hayes.

  “Gun!”

  “We got a gun!”

  “Drop it!”

  “Put the gun on the ground!”

  Time seemed to slow in that moment. The shouting voices became muffled, and all I saw was him, the man from the sketch. Before he had a chance to take aim, I pulled the trigger, shooting him point-blank in the head.

  He hit the ground with a lifeless thump a moment later, and the sound of Blythe’s scream from the other room cut through the haze. I quickly shoved my gun back into its holster and rushed through the house.

  I found them tied up on a bed in one of the bedrooms. The moment they saw me, they both began thrashing and screaming, struggling against their bindings as they tried desperately to get to me.

  “Shh. Shh, it’s okay,” I soothed, working to undo the ropes around their hands and feet. “It’s okay. I’m here. I got you. I’m here.”

  I couldn’t focus on anyone or anything but them. I squeezed them as tightly as I could, and the moment they were free, Blythe and Tristan’s arms wrapped around my middle, burrowing so close it was as if they were trying to absorb into me.

  My throat swelled up, and I had to squeeze my eyes against the tears threatening to fall as I held onto them with all my might.

  “I got you,” I continued whispering. “I got you. I’m here. I’m right here.”

  It seemed like an eternity passed, but it was probably just a handful of seconds when Blythe pulled her face from where it was hidden in my chest. She looked up at me with eyes so much like her mother’s that they stole my breath. “I-I knew you’d c-come,” she hiccupped through her tears. “I knew it. I just knew it. You said you’d never let anything hurt us, so I knew you’d come.”

  For the past hour and a half, I’d barely been able to breathe, and it wasn’t until that very moment that I took my first full breath. “Sorry it took me so long, baby girl.”

  She dropped her head against me once more. “Did you get him?”

  I placed a kiss against the top of her head. “I got him, sweetheart. He’ll never be able to hurt you again.”

  I held them for a while longer before Tristan spoke. “Uh, Trick?”

  “Yeah, bud?”

  “I, um... I kinda have to go to the bathroom. Like really bad.”

  There was no stopping the laugh that burst from my chest. Even in the direst of circumstances, the kid just couldn’t help but to be funny.

  “All right, kiddo. Let’s get you guys outta here, huh? Your mom’s gonna want to see you.”

  * * *

  Nona

  I couldn’t remember a time in my life when I’d ever been so exhausted, but sleep was out of the question. Every time I closed my eyes, the image of my kids shouting for me as they came rushing into the bullpen at the station slammed to the front of my mind.

  I wasn’t sure I’d ever run so fast in my whole life, and when I reached them, I went down on my knees, pulling them into my arms and promising to never, ever let them go.

  With them safe and sound, just like Trick had promised, I quickly lost hold of that strong I’d promised him and began to sob uncontrollably.

  I cried so hard and so long, I feared I’d never be able to stop. But just like always, Trick was there to make everything better.

  After what felt like a lifetime, we were finally able to leave the station, and Trick loaded us all up and took us back home. When we pulled onto our street, it was lined with so many cars, I worried he wouldn’t be able to get his truck through. The moment we pulled into my driveway, my front door burst open, and what seemed like half the town came rushing out to greet us: Eden and Lincoln. Tempie and Hayes. Gypsy, Rory, Sally and Ralph. All the guys from Alpha Omega were there as well, even Roxanne, Blair, and Ms. McClintock.

  At the outpouring of love from my town, I immediately crumpled into a blubbering mess once more, and Trick had to carry me from the truck. It didn’t take me nearly as long to get a hold of myself that time around, and once I had my bearings, I was able to at least pretend to be a somewhat decent hostess and greet everyone who came to show their support.

  Ralph and Sally had brought a veritable feast with them, providing plenty of food to go around. I spent the whole evening in a daze, unable to fully process everything going on around me, but thanks to my girls, I didn’t have to. They took care of everything, from drinks to paper plates to plastic cutlery. And when things finally began to wind down and people started filtering out, they immediately jumped on cleaning duty.

  A knock came on the front door, and Trick moved from my side for the first time since we got home to answer it. The moment he pulled it open, Hannah and Shawn came barreling in, shooting right past their dad in order to get to Blythe and Tristan. My heart swelled at the sight of that. My feet started moving in their direction, but when I turned back to look at Trick, I pulled to an abrupt stop and my lungs seized. Emma stepped into my foyer, her nervous gaze skidding around until it landed on me. And what she did next sho
cked the holy hell out of me.

  A tentative smile pulled at her lips, and she raised one hand in a shy wave.

  My feet came unglued, and I started moving again, this time to where Trick and Emma were standing. The moment I reached his side, Trick claimed me with an arm around my waist.

  I didn’t miss the way her eyes drifted to his hold on me, but to her credit, she quickly lifted them away. “Um, hi,” she offered. “I’m sorry if we’re intruding. I tried explaining to Hannah and Shawn that they needed to give you guys some time, but they wouldn’t hear of it. They needed to see for themselves that everyone was all right.”

  My lips tugged into a friendly grin. “You’re not intruding at all. Actually, I really appreciate you bringing them by. Tris and Blythe could use the distraction.”

  She looked toward her kids, and her face softened in a way I’d never seen before. “Well good, I’m glad they can provide that.” She turned back to me, and her expression grew very serious as she whispered, “I’m so very sorry for what you went through today. I can’t imagine… I just… I’m very, very sorry.”

  Trick’s arm spasmed, squeezing so hard I thought I heard my bones scrape together.

  “Thank you.”

  She looked around hesitantly, taking in the people who were still milling about. “If you’ll, um… tell the kids that whenever they’re ready, I’ll be outside in the car.”

  I wasn’t sure what it was that came over me in that moment, but when she turned to go, I found myself reaching out and grabbing her hand.

  “Stay,” I invited, the word coming out spontaneously.

  “Oh, no. I don’t want to be in the way—”

  I gave her hand a squeeze. “No, really. We have all this food, and the kids are hanging out. There’s no need for you to sit in your car. You’re more than welcome here.”

  She paused for a beat, but then the hesitance washed away, and she graced me with the first sincere smile she’d ever directed at me.

  “Well, okay then. I haven’t had dinner yet, and I’m a little hungry.”

  “Then let’s get you a plate.” I moved from Trick’s hold and guided Emma into the dining room where everything was set up. While in there, I introduced her to all my friends, communicating silently with them that this was all good. And with that knowledge, they were just as awesome with her as I knew they’d be.

  That had been hours ago. With everyone gone now, and the house shut down for the night, I was feeling restless.

  I stood at the big picture window in my living room, staring out at the dark, silent street, watching for any and all dangers lurking in the shadows that could possibly come to hurt my kids.

  I was so engrossed in my task that I didn’t hear Trick come up behind me, and I let out a startled yelp when his arms circled my waist.

  “Sorry, beautiful. Didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “It’s okay,” I said on an exhale as my heart rate regulated. “I’m just feeling a little jumpy.”

  “Figured you would be. Probably gonna take a while for that feeling to wear off.”

  My chest rose on a deep inhale, and as I let it out, I turned from the window to snuggle into his embrace. “Probably. But I think I’ll be okay as long as you’re around,” I told him, speaking the god’s honest truth. We stood in silence for a while before I quietly requested, “Tell me what happens now.”

  “The hospital gave him the all-clear so Chris is been processed as we speak, and he’ll be held until his arraignment.”

  “The hospital?” I asked, looking up at Trick in bewilderment. “Why was he at the hospital?”

  He didn’t answer right away, but I caught his eyes flashing like lightning just before he spoke. “Linc’s guys got to him first. Lets just say they’ve got some... creative ways of making a man talk.”

  “No,” I said on a gasp. “They’re not gonna get in trouble, are they?”

  Trick shook his head, and I felt myself relax. “Doctor’s report states is clear as day. Christian Fanning fell down a flight of stairs trying to evade police while on the run from the man holding his children hostage. Linc and his guys are in the clear.”

  I blew out a heavy sigh. “Well thank god for that.”

  But, baby, you need to prepare the kids, because that man isn’t getting out any time soon.”

  I couldn’t find it in me to feel bad about that. “Define any time soon.”

  “Odds are, they’ll both be out of college.” Then he proceeded to lay it all on me. The bad guy who’d kidnapped my children—and ended up dead because of it—had brought Chris into an operation I wanted to know as little about as humanly possible. Chris would deal for Bad Guy, take his cut, and then the rest would go to the big boss, whoever that was. Again, I didn’t want to know.

  Anyway, it turned out that Chris was even stupider than I could’ve imagined and, during a bender, had run his mouth to a buddy of his about all the cash he was making selling meth to bored, spoiled kids. That so-called buddy proved to be just as big a scumbag as my ex and proceeded to rob Chris blind when he eventually fell into a drunken stupor. He stole half the cash and drugs, leaving Chris to scramble for a way to pay Bad Guy for the missing product, hence his asking me for money and eventually—yes, he confessed to it—breaking into my salon in order to rob Peter to pay Paul.

  Trick hadn’t been exaggerating when he said Chris was going away for a long time, and there was a part of me that settled into the knowledge that he would never be able to cause my kids harm ever again.

  “Wow,” I breathed once Trick finished recounting all the ugly, twisted, gory details. “That’s just… wow.”

  “Yeah, that about sums it up.”

  I lifted my cheek from his chest and looked into those deep gray depths. “What do you think I should tell Blythe and Tris?”

  He gave that some thought before answering, “As much of the truth as you think they can handle.” I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth and bit down. Reading the hesitation on my face, he placed his palm on the side of my neck and brushed his thumb along my jaw. “This isn’t something you can keep from them, beautiful. With everything that went down today, they’re gonna find out one way or another. It’ll be better if they hear it from you.”

  “It’ll break their hearts.”

  “It will,” he agreed. “For a while. But they have you, and now they have me, and between the two of us, I think we’ll be able to guide them through.”

  I was at risk of bursting into tears again, so I face-planted in his chest and mumbled, “God, I love you.”

  “Good,” he said against the crown of my head. “’Cause I love you too. Now, beautiful, you think you’ll be able to sleep?”

  I exhaled heavily and lifted my head. “I’ll give it another shot. But even if I can’t, at least I’ll be in your arms, so no matter what, I’ll be fine.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Nona

  Five days had passed since Tristan and Blythe had been taken. My babies were bouncing back better than I expected, but there was still the occasional bad moment. Blythe was suffering from nightmares that woke her up every night for the past four nights, and she couldn’t be calmed down until Trick came in to talk to her.

  It killed that I couldn’t soothe my baby girl in those moments, but I was so thankful that I had an incredible man in my life who could offer her that comfort.

  I’d wanted to keep them with me at all times, but Trick had been right in insisting that we guide them back to their normal lives, so as hard as it was for me to let them go, they’d returned to school two days earlier. And that had been the right call. Both my kids were social butterflies, so being around their friends helped. Hell, Tristan was beside himself. Word of the kidnapping had spread like wildfire, and my kids were the talk of the town, taking their popularity stratospheric, and my boy was eating it up. According to him, his friends thought he was the coolest for coming out of the situation as well as he had.

  Trick and I had sat them d
own and given them the truth about that day, and while they put on a brave face for me, I’d reached out to a therapist and scheduled their first appointment anyway. I knew something like this was bound to lay dormant, and I wanted to give my babies every tool they needed to deal with the pain of what they’d suffered through.

  I wasn’t so prideful as to think I’d be unscathed by the events that had taken place, so I planned to seek professional help as well, but there was something I needed to do first if I had any hopes of moving past the nightmare we’d all lived through.

  “You sure you’re up to this?” Trick asked.

  “I’d rather be back at the salon,” I answered on a mumble. “But this is something I have to do. I can’t move on until this is done.”

  A second later, the door across from us opened, and a shackled Chris was led into the cold, gray room by a prison guard. He kept his gaze pinned on me as he was sat in the chair across the metal table from us, refusing to acknowledge Trick’s presence.

  I remained silent for a minute, giving myself time to look him over. His entire face was covered in bruises, some deep shades of purple, others faded to yellow and green as they healed. His nose had a splint on it from a bad break that I knew he’d gotten from Trick , and a nasty gash on his eyebrow had been stitched up. There’d been a time in my life where I loved this man. He never deserved it, and he took advantage of that love, but there was no changing the fact that I’d give it to him anyway. Now, as I sat there staring across a table at him, all I felt was hatred.