The rugged gasp came just before his hand left my throat and his weight toppled off of me. I wasn’t sure what I’d done, but it was enough that I could roll over and crawl to my hands and knees, coughing and trying to get more oxygen.
“Stay the fuck down!” Branson’s voice was there suddenly, and I wondered if I’d passed out. “Sonnie? You okay? Talk to me.”
I fell over to my side and looked up at Branson. He was standing over Jake, a gun pointed at Jake’s head. His eyes moved over me quickly before moving back to the piece of shit I’d married.
“Talk to me, Sonnie. Let me know you’re okay.”
I choked out a few words, but the croaking sound I was making could hardly be considered my voice. I held my throat as pain ripped through it and coughed even more. I lay out on my back and stared up at the night sky, thankful that Branson had decided to join us.
“Stupid fucking bitch! This isn’t over. Don’t think I’m done with you. I’m never going to be done with you!” Jake screamed at me, his voice box unfortunately still working perfectly fine.
Branson had had enough, though, it seemed. He reared back with the gun and connected it to the back of Jake’s head with a sickening thud. As Jake fell over, unconscious, Branson sighed. “There. That’s better.”
I had to agree. I gave him a thumbs up signal and let my arm flop back to the ground. I was done. The adrenaline was gone and all I could do was shake. I didn’t know what was next. I wanted to go home and pretend like nothing had happened. I wanted my old life back. Not the one with Jake. Just the one I’d momentarily had, before Jake lost his ever-loving mind and after we’d split up.
“You sure you’re okay down there?”
I wanted to laugh. I wasn’t sure I’d ever be okay again.
The night just grew longer and longer. The police showed up and had more questions than I could try to answer. They weren’t happy with Jake being unconscious, but they couldn’t really argue when I was sitting there looking like I did.
They made comments about Mercer and tried to rile Branson up, even while tending to me. They’d heard that the local DA and the judge had talked with the two detectives, McHale and Rance, and decided to issue a search warrant for Mercer’s property. They really believed that Mercer was guilty of murdering the woman they’d found.
An ambulance showed up and checked me out, but once I was told that everything I had would heal over time, I turned down a ride to the hospital. I was going home. Not even home to my house, but home to my mom’s house. I’d decided somewhere along the way that I needed to be with her and that she needed to take care of me. I needed June Cleaver.
Branson didn’t want me to go, but I was the client and I did what I wanted, mainly because Jake was going to jail and there was no more threat against me. Unless my boyfriend from kindergarten wanted to make an appearance.
Before anyone else could show up, and with a promise to the police to make an official statement later, I got in a patrol car and a nice officer, whose name I immediately forgot, drove me to my house where I got in my car and drove the half hour to my parents’ place.
My mom answered the door in her nightdress and silk robe with her hair in curlers and a baseball bat in her hands. My dad was behind her with his own bat. I was thankful to not see another gun. I was also thankful for the way they took me into their arms and held me as I cried. I wasn’t a kid anymore, but it felt good to pretend for a while.
They didn’t make me talk and I didn’t think I could, even if I’d wanted to. They held me and then put me to sleep in my childhood bedroom, complete with pink satin curtains. I slept under a pink bedspread, between a stuffed bear and an embroidered pillow that spelled out my name.
In the morning, my throat felt like hell, my face hurt, my body ached, I smelled like grass and sweat, and I was done crying. I took a shower and then dressed in clothes that were way too small for my older and more mature body. Then I headed downstairs and was fed a full breakfast before being asked one single question.
Instead of the oppressing silence from Branson’s the night before, it was a familiar silence. The familiar silence that could only come from people who’d done the same thing together for more mornings than any of them could actually count.
Just when I thought about breaking my silence and explaining what’d happened, my mom dropped a bomb on me.
“Honey, we all clearly have a lot to talk about today, but your father and I have an appointment that we can’t miss at noon. We’re… we’re getting divorced.”
I stood up and shook my head. My voice was still broken as I talked, but it was so silent in the room that I could clearly be heard. “I can’t today. I’m going to Kellie’s.”
I grabbed my keys and drove straight to Kellie’s in the city. I knew she wasn’t in, but her doorman had a key and would let me in without a problem. Once I was in her apartment and wrapped in one of her fur blankets on her couch, overlooking the city through the large windows in her living room, I called her.
“Your mom just called me and told me that you’re beat up and that they’re getting a divorce. What the fuck is going on? I leave for a little while and the whole damn world falls apart. I’m getting on a plane right now to head home to you. Stay there, okay? Don’t you dare leave before I see you.”
And just like that, my best friend was coming to my rescue. I fell asleep on her couch and didn’t wake up again until she was gently shaking my shoulder.
“Babe? Oh, my God. Your mom wasn’t exaggerating this time. What happened?”
I took one look at her concerned face and started sobbing. Everything started bubbling out, all of it. My voice was rough, my body ached, and I had to repeat it all a few times for Kellie to get it, but when I finally finished, she was as horrified as I was upset.
“The whole world fell apart. God, Sonnie. I’m sorry. That’s so much.” She held on to me tighter and kissed the side of my head. “I have a list of names of people that I’m going to visit later to kick their asses. It starts with Jake, goes to Cooper, and ends with your parents. What are they thinking?”
I blew my nose into the bottom of my T-shirt and shrugged. “Mom doesn’t believe in divorce.”
“I’ll talk to her. Maybe they’re going through some sort of midlife crisis. I’ll tell them to buy a convertible and get their shit together. Don’t worry about them, Sonnie.”
“And everything else? How do you fix it?”
She forced a smile and rubbed my arm. “I tell you that you’re not going to have to worry about army tactics anymore. We’re going to eat ice cream and listen to shitty music and forget about everyone else for a while. Okay?”
“I don’t want to go back home, Kellie. I don’t want to know what else happens. I just want to stay here and hide from everything.”
“Well, it only seems fair that you don’t have to go out until your face starts looking more normal.”
I gave her a look, but it didn’t hold any heat. I was thankful for her. I was thankful that she’d run to my side as fast as she could. I needed her attitude and the cleanup crew she possessed.
“First order of business, we get you out of those hideous clothes and into a shower. You smell terrible.”
I rested my head on her shoulder and sighed. “I love you.”
She wrapped her arm around me and her voice was suspiciously watery when she spoke. “I love you, too. I don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to you.”
Chapter 24
Cooper
At some point during the night, the world had exploded and I’d missed it. I’d spent more time with my head hanging over the toilet than I cared to remember and the rest of my time sitting with my back against Macey’s bed, listening to her breathing as she slept. My phone had been in my pocket the whole time, but I hadn’t felt it vibrate.
That was the only excuse I had for why I’d missed the world, my world, exploding. When I noticed the missed calls and texts on my phone the next morning, my heart sank
into my boots. Jake had made his move.
I’d nearly run Lilah over trying to get out the front door.
“Where are you going? Macey needs you.”
“I have to go.”
“Cooper, I’m sick. I can’t watch her. You need to.”
I stopped walking and turned to face Lilah, the anger and stress mixing with the exhaustion I was feeling starting to turn into a ball of shit that she was about to get hit with. “Be a fucking parent for once, Lilah. I can’t come running every single time you feel like going out to have your nails done. I have a job. I have a life. I love her and want to be there for her whenever I can, but sometimes you’re going to have to be her mother. I have to go.”
“You—”
I shoved open the door and shook my head. “Fuck off, Lilah. I have to go.”
The morning sun hurt. I cringed against it and stopped to vomit a few times before getting to my truck. I sped to Black Dog Security and then got out and threw up again.
Black Dog, the namesake of the business, was sitting next to the front door of the office, looking at me with his eyebrows raised, judging. I could feel it. I deserved it.
I walked inside and looked around. Everyone was sitting there, looking grim. Everyone but Sonnie.
“Where is she?”
Lauren stood up and scowled at me. “She’s not here.”
Mercer stood up and left the room, his eyebrows furrowed in the way that they did when he was lost in thought. Tucker shrugged and stood up, following him.
“Where the fuck is she?”
Branson looked up at me and shook his head. “She went AWOL. She went to her parents last night, but when I checked there this morning, she was gone. They think she’s with Kellie, the best friend.”
“Tell me what happened.”
Branson explained in a hurry, sensing my mood and the fact that I was about to vomit again. As he spoke, my blood ran cold. She’d had to fight for her life without me there to help her, without anyone there to help her for most of it.
Vince handed me a trashcan and waited until I was done throwing up before he talked. “Things are a mess here, too, man. The detectives got some kind of fucked-up search warrant and tore Mercer’s place apart. Between that and making sure the locals don’t let Jake out, we have our hands full. Sonnie’s safe now.”
My head spun and I had to sit down to keep from falling down. “We fucked up. She got hurt.”
“Yeah, she did. She’s tough, though. I saw Jake last night. She didn’t go easy on him. It looks like he got into a fight with a fucking tiger.” Vince shook his head. “She went outside to him. I don’t understand it, but she did. Branson woke up on hearing her scream from outside. There was no sign of a break-in or anything. The locals are waiting for her to come down and make a statement, but so far no sign of her.”
I stood up and swayed. “Where does Kellie live?”
“In the city. Lauren’s getting the address. Figured you wouldn’t stop until you found her.” He nodded towards the bucket. “How’s Macey?”
My stomach rolled, but there was nothing in it to get rid of. “She’s better. Just a stomach virus.”
Vince moved away from me quickly and glared. “Not fucking cool, Cooper. I don’t want whatever that is.”
I shrugged and waited for Lauren to give me the address. I was going to find Sonnie. I had to make sure she was okay.
Lauren handed me a soda and a slip of paper while staring down at me with a frown on her face. “You hurt her yesterday. I know that Macey comes first, but stop letting Lilah pull your cords. I like Sonnie. She’s nice. If you aren’t going to draw a line with your ex, leave Sonnie alone. She deserves to know that the man she wants wants her, too.”
I wasn’t sure if she was talking about Sonnie or herself. It didn’t matter, though. She was right. I knew I’d hurt Sonnie last night by leaving her. I’d done even more damage by not being there when she really needed me. I had to make clear to her that I wanted her. Things would always come up with Macey, but I wanted Sonnie and that’s what mattered.
“I’m off for a couple of days. Make sure everyone knows that.”
“Are you going to be with Sonnie?”
“If she wants me.”
Lauren patted me on the back and nodded. “She does.”
I went back to my truck and headed towards the city. I had a lot of making up to do, I was sure, but I just needed to see if Sonnie was okay first. The rest could wait.
Getting past Kellie’s doorman when I looked and smelled like hell wasn’t the easiest thing, but I threatened him with bodily harm and he finally caved. I only stopped to throw up once on the way up to Kellie’s floor, though unfortunately it was in a potted plant.
My stomach twisted as I knocked on the door and it had nothing to do with needing to throw up. I was nervous about seeing Sonnie. I desperately wanted to make sure she was okay, but I was weak. I was terrified that I’d pushed her too far. I’d been an ass. I hadn’t been strong enough in clarifying what I wanted from her.
When the door opened and Kellie looked out at me, it was with a slightly steely-eyed glint. “You. What are you doing here?”
“I need Sonnie.” Even as I spoke the words I knew I meant, I had to lean against the doorframe and breathe through my nose to keep from throwing up again.
“Maybe you don’t deserve Sonnie.” Kellie leaned closer. “Where were you last night?”
“Is the food here, Kellie?”
I heard Sonnie’s voice a second before I saw her and everything went blank. My brain fizzled to a stop and my chest felt like it was cracking open. I moved closer to her, horrified by what I was seeing.
Her face was swollen and bruised. She looked like she’d been target practice for a boxer. Her throat bore handprint bruises and her voice had been gravelly and rough. She’d taken a beating.
My knees went weak and I grabbed for the wall beside me to hold myself up, but it was Kellie who ended up slipping her arm around my waist and forcing me to stay up.
“What happened to you, Cooper?” Sonnie rushed to my side and helped Kellie move me to the couch, where I promptly threw up again.
Sonnie sat down on the couch next to me and touched my forehead. I just reached up and took her hand, desperate to touch her. She was okay. She was beat up, but she was next to me and she was breathing.
“Stomach virus. I’m sorry. I should’ve stayed. I shouldn’t have left you.”
She sighed and lifted one of her shoulders, like she didn’t care. The tank top she was wearing had rolled up and her soft middle was exposed. When she noticed, she pushed the top down and fiddled with the bottom hem. “You have priorities.”
I took a deep breath and waited for the urge to vomit to pass before speaking. “Macey is my priority. She’s my daughter and I have to be a good dad. She deserves that. Lilah is a mess, but I can still be Macey’s rock.”
Sonnie nodded and looked out the windows in front of us. The sun reflected in her pretty eyes, but there was more than her share of sadness there.
“She isn’t my only priority, though. I’m sorry I left last night. Lilah could’ve handled Macey throwing up. You needed me.”
Something in her eyes flashed and she stood up. She moved stiffly and I knew there were more bruises under the top that I hadn’t seen. “I didn’t need you after all. I handled it. Then Branson helped. If you came just to be a bodyguard, Cooper, I don’t need one. The job’s over.”
Kellie casually walked by with a pint of ice cream and a spoon sticking out of her mouth. She pulled it out and shook it at me. “I should kick your teeth in for hurting my best friend.”
“I’ve got it, Kellie.” Sonnie crossed her arms under her chest, putting on an impressive display that I would’ve liked to have been able to appreciate more. “You were right to leave. Your daughter is number one. And I saw the way you touched Lilah when you were leaving last night. Maybe there’s something still there. Maybe you want to save your family. I don’t
know, but I’m done with the messy stuff. This with Jake has been enough to last me eight lifetimes. I don’t want to be in the middle of something ever again. I just want something simple.”
“I’ve got simple.”
“No; you’ve got an ex-wife who wants to poke my eyes out and who would probably light her house on fire to get your attention.”
I struggled to my feet and stared down at Sonnie. I felt like death warmed over, but I wanted her. She wasn’t going to push me away. “Fuck all of that. I don’t want anyone but you. Do you hear me? From the first moment I saw you, I wanted you. You are sexy and sweet and you aren’t getting rid of me. I have to go throw up again, but we’re not finished here.”
Kellie, still standing there, watching, pointed me to a bathroom and stepped out of the way as I rushed past.
I stayed over the toilet for a few minutes and then sat on the side of the bathtub and groaned. “Sonnie?”
“I’m right here.” She spoke from the doorway, a washcloth in her hands. “This doesn’t mean anything. I just hate to see anyone so sick.”
“I want you. I meant what I said in that bathroom. I like you, Sonnie. I want to be with you.”
“Just what every girl wants to hear: you meant what you said to me in the bathroom.”
I growled and reached across to grab her arm. Pulling her closer, I took the rag and washed my face with it. “What do you want? Do you want me to take you to dinner at a fancy place with roses and shit like that?”
Her mouth quirked up at one side. “No, thanks.”
“Do you want me to take you somewhere else? A bar? A movie? What? Just tell me what you want me to do and I’ll do it.”
“I need a ride to the police station eventually to give a statement about how my soon-to-be ex-husband tried to kill me.”
“Done.” I held on to her hips and looked up at her. “I’m sorry, Sonnie. I should’ve been there.”
She shrugged one shoulder again and bit her lip. “I should probably be alone for a while. What just happened… I probably need time to get over it. Isn’t that what people say? And my parents are getting divorced. I’m pretty sure if I had a dog, it would’ve died this week.”
Black Dog Security- Complete 5-Part Series Page 15