by Naomi Niles
I kept my eyes trained on him, however desperate they were to glance down to check that the operator was still on the line. Now that Dad had mentioned the hotel name, the police could arrive at any moment, and that was exactly what I needed.
But not just yet. I needed to get him to confess first. I didn’t want him to only get charged with threats–a man like Brad Fronton could get off that easily.
I needed everyone to know everything that he’d done, and from his own mouth, too. If he confessed to me now, he would never get off the charges. There would be absolutely no way around it, and that was the only way I could ensure that he was locked up for a large portion of his life–which was all that he deserved.
“They aren’t here,” I confessed to him, shrugging my shoulders casually. “But the fact that you’re here proves just how serious you are about your threats.”
“Of course, I’m serious!” he yelled. “Do you think I just say things for the sake of it? Do you have any idea who you’re dealing with here?”
“You know I do,” I said, trying not to smile. My dad would be easy to manipulate; he wanted to be a big shot, so all I had to do was belittle him. He would be boasting in about two seconds flat. “I’ve been researching you. You’re a small-time criminal who steals the odd quid here and there. Fucking pathetic, if you ask me.”
“Small time?” Perfect, he was walking right into my trap. “Small time? I’ve swindled millions of dollars from companies and rich people alike.”
“Yeah, right,” I sneered. “If that were true, then you wouldn’t live in such a shithole, and you’d be married to a supermodel, not Lyla.”
“Shithole? That’s a fucking mansion, boy! And, I needed to marry Lyla to get the information that I needed. She wanted someone so desperately, she was easy to manipulate.”
I had to swallow down my anger at the way he spoke about Lyla, who was way too good for him. I needed to get a rise out of him, not the other way around.
“And, I took down ICT Enterprises pretty much single-handedly. Well, I had my minions do the dirty work, of course, but how is that for fucking small time? And, do you remember Old Man Crabs?” I did vaguely; he was the crazy old guy who lived near us when I was a kid. “He used to be a billionaire, but I stole money from him bit by bit–my first and best scam to date. Never got caught for that one because everyone just assumed that he was mental.”
“Right, sure,” I said disbelievingly. “Then how have you never been caught? If your bullshit stories are all true, then how has no one ever found out what you’ve been up to? It makes it very difficult to believe anything you’re saying.”
“Because I don’t get my hands dirty,” he snapped, going red in the face as he grew increasingly pissed off with me. “And, I pay my staff well enough not to rat me out.” The more he spoke, the more frantically he waved his arms around until I started to become afraid that he was going to hit me. “Do you think I’m some sort of idiot?”
I was so tempted to glance down at my phone, to give the game away, and to announce that yes, I did actually think that he was pretty stupid, but I didn’t get the chance to because in that moment, the police burst through the doors, finalizing the last part of my plan.
“Police; freeze!”
As I threw my hands above my head, I grinned brightly to myself, whereas my dad finally looked defeated for the very first time in his entire life. As the officer read him his rights, I smirked at him, and he looked back like he had no idea what to do. The master had finally been outwitted–and with the simplest of plans, too. With the operator listening in to our conversation–a phone call that would undoubtedly have been recorded–they had a confession from him at last.
He would be locked away for a very long time and wouldn’t be bothering us again.
I hadn't wanted to tell Danica until it was over, in case it all went wrong. I hadn't wanted her to think that I was a fool for trying to take him down with such a basic plan, but in the end, it was the simplicity of it that had finally crushed my dad.
Now I could call her and tell her everything. As he got led away, in handcuffs, and taken to the back of the police car, I felt a weight being lifted. Everything was over, and finally our lives could all begin again.
“Danica?” I said into the phone as she picked up. “It’s over.” I smiled happily to myself as I spoke. “My dad is gone. He’s being locked up. He won’t be bothering us again.”
“Are you sure?” she gasped in surprise, unable to quite believe it. “Are you okay? Was it all…”
“I’m fine. I just… I can’t wait to see you again.” The adrenaline was still coursing through my veins, and I wanted Danica and Lyla to share in the celebrations. “I’ll be over to get you very soon and we can be together once more.” That statement was very loaded, but I knew that we were going to have to confess to Lyla before we could actually be together, but with all that had transpired, I didn’t think she would mind. “I love you. I love you so much.”
“I love you, too,” she replied. “Always and forever. And now we have the freedom to finally let that happen.”
Epilogue
Danica (Six Months Later)
I was exhausted, absolutely worn out, but at the same time, I was on top of the world, happier than I’d ever been before. Everything had finally come together in the best possible way, and I still couldn’t believe how my life had turned out. It was like a dream come true—only better.
“Are you okay, Danica?” Rhett asked me, with true love shining in his eyes.
I nodded, as he gripped onto my hands tightly, trying to stop the emotion from spilling down my face. Then I forced myself into a sitting position because I couldn’t lie down in the hospital bed any longer; it felt like I’d been in the same damn position forever.
“Here we are!” A friendly looking nurse burst into the room holding my bundle of joy–the love of my life. My baby boy, Ashley Fronton, had been born only a short time ago at a weight of just over seven pounds, and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on him again.
As he was placed into my arms, I felt that intense rush of love wash over me once more. There was nothing like it in the world, no sensation quite so strong, and I couldn’t believe that I was finally getting to experience it more fully. My heart filled with more love than I even knew I had inside of me. It was pure, unconditional, and powerful. Even more powerful that the emotions that ran through me for my baby’s father.
“Can I hold him?” Rhett asked, snatching away my chance to be with my son again. I didn’t mind, though; he was already showing himself to be a devoted father, and I couldn’t wait for the rest of our lives together. We brought out the absolute best in one another now that things were solid between us, and I just knew that we were going to be amazing parents. We’d become this solid unit, a team, and I knew that was going to help us when we faced even the toughest of times in the future.
Nothing could ever be as bad as what we went through with Brad. Luckily, with him behind bars, we were slowly starting to forget that he ever even existed.
“He really is beautiful.” My mom scooted closer to Rhett, looking about as happy as I felt. “I can’t believe that he’s finally here!”
She was in a good place now, slowly moving on from Brad. As Auntie Cat had predicted, she was able to organize a divorce earlier than normal because of Brad’s behavior, so that was currently being sorted–leaving her with a small sum to get her life started again. Of course, most of Brad’s money was obtained illegally and was being paid back and swallowed up in legal fees, but she did get some.
Not that she really needed it; she was doing just fine on her own. Her career was going from strength to strength. On top of that, she had been dating someone new. And this time, she was taking things much slower, really getting to know this guy before she fell for him. I was very proud of her for that and glad that she was finding happiness. If anyone deserved it, it was her!
Another unexpected turn of events was her newfound frie
ndship with Marcie–Rhett’s mom. They’d gotten together shortly after everything had happened, and despite their weird connection, they found themselves having a lot in common. They still hung out now, which was great for everyone involved. It meant that Ashley would get to spend a lot of time with both of his grandmothers.
The weird thing was we felt more like a family now than ever before. When we’d actually had a family link, it was odd and never quite felt right. This, right now, it felt perfect.
“Marcie will be here soon,” Mom clarified. “But I’ve already sent her a photograph of the little man so she doesn’t feel like she’s missing out on anything.”
“Thanks, Lyla,” Rhett smiled gratefully at her. “I just haven’t quite gotten around to it yet.”
“No, don’t be silly,” she reprimanded him. “You have enough on your plate now.”
As they bickered playfully, I glanced down at the shiny, princess cut diamond that was sitting on my ring finger, and I couldn’t help but grin brightly to myself. When Rhett had asked me to marry him only a few weeks before, I’d jumped at the opportunity. Of course I wanted to be his wife; did he even need to ask?
His proposal was amazing, though–well planned out, and seriously romantic. As he knelt down in front of me on the roof top of the fanciest restaurant in town, I felt my heart flutter wildly, and my world fell together.
We would get married soon–not that we were in any particular rush–but our main priority for the time being would be Ashley. Keeping him warm, safe, and loved would be easy, but would also take up a huge amount of our time. We wanted to give him everything that Brad had never given Rhett, and even though we didn’t have anything like the sort of money that man had, what we could offer was so much better.
Luckily, to make things a little easier on everyone, Rhett and I had a home of our own now. Of course, that meant I had to move out of my dorm room with Chloe, but that was actually okay. She was still my friend and I hung out with her and the other girls a lot–our social groups had managed to merge, which made everything so much easier for everyone.
Some of the girls would even come and visit me in the hospital soon enough to get a glimpse of Ashley. Much as they were all shocked to learn that I was going to become a mother, they were very happy, too, and incredibly supportive. It didn’t escape my notice how lucky I was–I thought that I’d always be grateful for that.
Rhett and I had managed to renegotiate our courses so that we could both do them part time for a little bit longer, meaning that we could split the childcare evenly, with the help from our moms, too. It was going to be a tiring life, but it would mean that we could still achieve our dreams with only a little financial help from our family around us.
As for Brad, he would be behind bars for a very long time, not bothering anyone. The trial was looming, but we still weren’t sure if we were going to be required to give evidence in court or not. At the moment, Brad was still being pig-headed and pleading not guilty, despite the overwhelming evidence against him, but that could change nearer the time.
We weren’t worried though, none of us. The police had uncovered enough–including violent charges–that by the time he was released, he would be a very old man.
Everything in my life had all come together in the best possible way. If I thought I was happy before, I was completely wrong. As I finally held Ashley in my arms again, and I stared into his eyes, I knew that this was happiness, this was my life complete. He brought me the intense kind of joy that I’d never even expected to have in my entire life.
As I scanned my eyes around the room, looking at Rhett and my mom, knowing that Marcie, James, and his girlfriend–who were slowly becoming firm friends of mine, too–and my gang of girls were on the way, I could not believe how well things had turned out.
This was it, the life I never even knew that I wanted, the life that I now had.
It was perfect.
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PHYSICAL
By Erin Wes
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2016 Erin Wes
CHAPTER ONE
KYLE
The headache was always the same. It would just hit me out of nowhere. Today I was sitting at my desk trying to finish up some paperwork before my sister showed up to take me to the doctor. She was insisting on going with me like I’m twelve. I didn’t want to go and I didn’t want her to go with me…until once again the crushing pain descended down on me. It pulsed like a slow heartbeat and each time the veins dilated and the blood rushed through, it brought with it a new wave of pain, each one worse than the last. I couldn’t sit still… I had to get up and pace from one end of the room to the other and back again. It was so intense that I honestly looked at the big glass window behind me and for just a second, I thought about shoving my head through it. I know that doesn’t make any sense, but nothing does when the pain is this bad.
As I paced up and down, my vision got blurry as my eyes began to burn and pour water out of them. I was at least grateful that I was at work when it happened and not out driving to a job. It hit me once on the I-635 on my way out to a jobsite. There was nowhere to stop until I got off the freeway and the whole time, I was clutching the wheel with one hand and wiping the water out of my eyes with the other. It was one of those situations where you just know: this is it, I’m fucking dying right here on the 635. I just knew that I was going to die. It had been just my luck that my sister was joining me on the jobsite that day. I work for her husband, Michael. He and I are both architects, and he owns his own business in Dallas. Sarah is a stay-at-home mom most of the time, but when we’re short-handed and one of us needs an assistant, she fills in. I was forty-five minutes late that day and she called and texted me four times before I got there. The last time, I finally answered, and when she asked me where I was…I literally had no clue. I’d gotten off the freeway and pulled onto some side street in a residential area and paced up and down the street. Luckily, no one called the cops. I told Sarah about the headache while I was still recovering and in a vulnerable state – that’s why I have the doctor’s appointment today.
When I’m smack dab in the middle of the pain, going to the doctor sounds like a fine idea. But once it’s gone and my thoughts clear, I change my mind. Sarah knows me too well. She grew up looking after my stubborn Native American dad and me. She actually called the doctor and handed me the phone. Then, she stood there and listened. When she heard them try to give me an appointment for next week, she said, “He can’t wait that long!” So rather than deal with my sister, who can be quite pushy, they got me in this afternoon. Right now, this fucking pain is so bad that it can’t be soon enough.
“Hey, Kyle!” The sound of my brother-in-law Michael’s booming voice ripped through me like a knife to the skull.
“Shh! Too loud,” I whispered, holding my head in my hands.
“What the hell is wrong with you? You look like hell. Are you crying?”
“My head!”
“Okay…”
“It hurts.”
“Damn, man! Sit down. You’re pale as a ghost. You look like you’re gonna pass out.”
“Can’t…can’t sit still.”
“Fuck! I’m calling Sarah-”
“No!” I pushed it out through my gritted teeth. “Don’t call her. I have a – an – I’m going to the circus…fuck, I mean the doctor.”
“Yeah, you’re going to the circus alright – in an ambulance.” He pulled out his phone and I stared at him. I wanted to tell him no again, but I couldn’t remember about what. What is his name? Fuck! Why can’t I think?
/> “Yes, my name is Michael Penner. I need an ambulance sent to 546 Amon Carter Blvd. It’s the Penner/Styles building and we’re on the third floor…I’m not sure. He said his head hurts, but he’s white as a ghost and he’s saying crazy things…no, he’s not mentally ill. No! He doesn’t have a weapon. He’s not threatening anyone. Shit! He’s sick, isn’t that what ambulances are for? Okay…thank you.”
I could hear everything he was saying, but the words were like bouncing around inside my skull. They wouldn’t settle down long enough for me to grab hold and make sense of them. I kept moving though. Somehow, that made me feel better. My sister’s husband is back on the phone. Why the fuck can’t I remember his name? What the hell is wrong with me? “Sarah, something is really wrong with Kyle….Yes, it’s a headache again, but this one is different…He’s pacing all over the place…He won’t sit down…He’s not making sense, Sarah. I’m not putting him on the phone. I called an ambulance.”
I felt myself falling, but I forgot that I was supposed to put my hands out. The last thing I saw was the desk right before my already aching head slammed into it.
*******
My eyes felt heavy, like they were taped shut. I had this panicked feeling in my chest like I was going to be late for something and I needed to wake up. I pulled at them and I tried to lift my arms so I could rub the sleep out of them. My arms wouldn’t move, I felt like I was tied down. The panic in my chest got worse and I suddenly felt like I couldn’t breathe. An alarm was going off. I thought it was mine, until I heard Sarah’s voice.
“Nurse! His oxygen sats are falling again!” She’s yelling…my fucking head hurts. Why is she yelling? She’s calling for a nurse. Did I go to the doctor? “Nurse!”
“Calm down, Sarah, she’s coming.” My dad…Shit…if Dad’s here, it’s a lot worse than a doctor’s appointment. Fuck! Another sharp pain raced through my skull.
“He could suffocate by the time they drag their lazy asses in here!” That’s my sister – always looking out for me. I waited for the pain to pass and tried my eyes again. The screeching alarm had stopped, at least, and I felt like I got a good breath in. I felt the air hit my left eye as the lid fluttered up slightly…and then the right one. Everything was blurry, but they were open, kind of. I was looking out through watery slits. It was like I was underwater and staring up at everything. There were machines and tubes hanging up over my head. I tried to turn slightly, but that was a mistake. That brought back the pain and that fucking loud alarm again – and Sarah’s screeching.