Derrick waited for Ted to leave the bar later that night and he jumped him. Diana told her daughters that Derrick killed Ted Duncan and was on the run. He was a wanted man and all surrounding police departments were looking for him.
“Oh my gosh, I knew something like this was going to happen, Lori. I just knew it. What are we going to do?” Maggie asked her younger sister Lori, who always seemed to stay in control despite her younger age.
“We’ll be even more cautious than usual, Maggie. He doesn’t know where we are unless someone leaked the information to him. I told Mom not to let Uncle Jack know. He has a big mouth and drinks too much,” stated Lori as she tapped her fingers on the kitchen table.
“Should we call the police? Tell them where we are and that he’s probably coming after us?” Maggie asked.
“What, are you kidding me? They can’t protect us from him. Besides we took off with you carrying his child. With the people his family knows we’ll wind up in prison and he’ll wind up with Ben and everyone feeling sorry for him. They’ll blame his actions on us.”
“You think that could happen, Lori?”
“It wouldn’t surprise me at all. We need to keep hidden and keep Ben safe. He’s our top priority, sis. He’s our son. Yours and mine,” stated Lori, and Maggie knew it was true. Her sister Lori loved Ben as if he were her own. The bond between them was strong and there was no way she would ever let anything happen to him.
“Okay so let’s make some changes with our schedules. I’ll wait outside the school every day to make sure I don’t see Derrick.”
“That’s a good idea, Maggie. He may try to kidnap Ben. He’s not thinking with a straight head. He’s on the run from the police and he’s already killed a man.”
“Oh my God, Lori, what are we going to do?” Maggie asked as she began to cry. Instantly her sister was at her side pulling her into a hug.
It was funny how different their personalities were. Maggie was average, about five foot six with short blonde hair and blue eyes. She was preppy looking, wore hardly any makeup, and showed her emotions. She practically wore them on her shirtsleeve. Lori always knew what her big sister was feeling and what she was going to do. She was predictable.
Lori on the other hand had long golden-blonde hair that fell halfway down her back and had beautiful dark, jade-green eyes. Green eyes that hid all her emotions, dreams and desires. She held her wants and needs in life deep within and always put her sister and Ben first.
Lori was unpredictable, petite at five foot three, but filled with strength, self-confidence, and self-assurance. She was forced to grow up fast and take responsibility for herself, Maggie, and Ben. Maggie would have never been able to do any of this on her own. She knew that and continuously thanked Lori for it.
“We’ll get through this, Maggie, and Ben will be fine,” Lori told her sister and they planned their schedules.
* * * *
A week had passed and there was no sign of trouble as Lori prepared to leave for work one early Saturday evening around 4:00 p.m. She planned on calling Maggie every two hours until 10:00 p.m. Then Maggie would call Lori until she left the restaurant at 2:00 a.m. It was a routine they would stick by until Derrick was caught.
Lori got busy waiting on tables and missed calling Maggie by fifteen minutes. She ran to the phone the second she got a chance and gave a huge sigh of relief at her sister’s voice. Maggie said everything was fine and Lori went back to work. It was a busy night and Lori hustled to get as many tables as possible and receive the best tips. Her family relied on it and it was a great form of income for them.
In the midst of clattering glasses, cleaning off tables, loud laughter, and excitement, Lori finished up her last table of the evening. She was exhausted and glad she didn’t have the late shift tonight.
“Hey, Lori, why don’t you come have a drink with us before you go home?” the bartender Jack asked and Lori declined as usual even though there were some rather good-looking men at the bar. If she were a normal single twenty-one-year-old woman, she would be dating right now, having a good time, and perhaps tossing responsibility to the wind here and there. But that wasn’t her life. She had responsibilities and she needed to get home to them right now. Every minute that Maggie and Ben were out of sight caused her worry and anxiety.
“No thanks, Jack, I can’t tonight. I’ve got plans early tomorrow morning,” she lied to him and Jack smiled a disappointed smile as well as the others at the bar.
She did kind of have plans tomorrow, the same plans Monday through Sunday. Her 6:00 a.m. four-mile jog was her scheduled appointment. It was what kept her in shape along with the one hundred crunches she did first.
Lori headed home in the beat-up light blue Ford Tempo Maggie and her picked up in New Jersey at a local gas station. It was reliable and didn’t draw too much attention to them unless it stalled at a green traffic light. She pulled into the driveway and noticed the kitchen light was on. She figured Maggie was waiting up for her again and was unable to sleep.
Lori was surprised to find the side kitchen door unlocked as she pulled the key back out of the doorknob and entered.
“Someone keeps calling the house, Lori,” Maggie told her sister as Lori entered the house.
“Is that why you have the door unlocked?” Lori asked, sounding a little annoyed that her sister didn’t lock it.
“I just unlocked it as you pulled in, Lori. I’m scared. I think it was Derrick.” Lori felt her sister’s fear immediately. She was a believer that your gut never lied.
“Let’s lock everything up and you go upstairs to sit with Ben. I’ll turn off the light and keep a lookout for a while. If you hear anything strange, we’ll call the police, okay?” Lori said. Maggie agreed as she headed upstairs. Lori turned off the kitchen lights and headed around the house, rechecking the locks on the windows and doors. Suddenly she heard her sister scream and Lori ran toward the stairs. She could hear a man’s voice, muffled behind a closed door.
Lori slowly climbed the staircase then stopped and went back down the stairs. She heard Derrick hit Maggie and Maggie screamed again. Lori grabbed the phone in the living room and dialed the police. The dispatcher asked what was going on and Lori quickly explained who Derrick was and what he was doing. She hung up the phone as she heard Ben crying and screaming, “Stop!”
Just as Lori approached the final step she could see Derrick by the opened bedroom door. Ben was on the green rug crying and Maggie’s lips were bleeding and her eyes were swollen. Derrick was going to kill them both.
“Where’s that little bitch sister of yours? I’m going to kill her, too. The two of you are going to die together and I’m going to take my son with me!” he yelled as he kicked Maggie in the stomach. Lori gasped as she watched her sister fall to the floor.
He changed his voice to a softer tone as he spoke to Ben.
“Don’t be scared, son, I’m your daddy. I’ve come to get you. We’re going to go live together,” he told Ben, who was hysterically crying as he held on to his mother. Derrick was irate at this as he forced Ben to release his grip on his mom. Ben was screaming. Maggie was barely conscious as she tried to hold on to Ben. Once again, Derrick kicked Maggie repeatedly then pulled out a gun. As soon as Lori saw the gun she made her move but Derrick felt the movement behind him as he turned around and shot once just missing Lori. She lunged at Derrick, tackling him to the bedroom floor, screaming at the top of her lungs.
“Run, Ben! Run!”
* * * *
Little Ben ran for the door and down the stairs as he ran across the living room he could see the colored blue and red lights shining outside. The police were there, heard the gun shot and were cautiously entering the house. Ben yelled.
“My daddy is gonna kill my mommy and Aunt Lori. He hit me and Mommy’s bleeding. Help us!” he yelled and the police officer grabbed Ben bringing him to safety outside. The local police and state police were arriving on the scene. They had the house surrounded. They were aware that a f
ugitive was inside the house and a possible hostage situation was underway.
* * * *
Lori was wrestling with Derrick who was now hitting her with his fist and the gun. She was relentless, unwilling to give up fighting for her sister’s life and Ben’s. Derrick would not win. He wouldn’t get Ben.
Lori’s hand was over the gun and Derrick had it pointing straight at Maggie.
Lori gathered all her might and head butted Derrick causing him to release his grip on Lori and fall to the other side away from Maggie. Lori was telling her sister to get up and run just as multiple police officers were ascending the stairs.
“Stop. Police. Put down your weapon!” the officer yelled, but Derrick didn’t budge as Lori fought him for power of the weapon. Her wrist was twisting the wrong way and the pain excruciating as she held the gun unsure of its direction.
“It’s over, Derrick, you’ve lost. Give up!”
He screamed in anger like some crazed lunatic. The gun fell to the side of her as Derrick grabbed Lori’s throat with both hands, choking the breath, the life out of her. The police were still yelling stop. They didn’t see him release the gun, and Lori was losing strength as she reached for the gun, grabbing it, pointing at Derrick’s side and firing. He released her throat and sat up on top of her as the police stormed the room. Derrick kept fighting, hitting officer after officer as they responded with mace, which just enraged him even more. One officer pulled Lori out of the way and as he pulled her toward him she dropped the gun onto the floor.
She was in the hallway and could hear the officers yelling, “No! Stop right there!” Then there was a gunshot followed by two more.
The police emerged unharmed, calling for an ambulance, as Derrick lay on the bedroom floor already dead. He had lunged for the gun and turned it on the officers, who responded by shooting him.
The officer helped Lori down the stairs and outside the house where Maggie and Ben held one another waiting for Lori to appear.
As Lori emerged from the doorway, she ran toward her sister and Ben. They were crying, holding one another, relieved that they were all alive.
Chapter 1
Charlie sat on the back porch with his feet up on the wood, drinking a beer. It was a quiet, peaceful night, but he couldn’t sleep. He felt restless and even his jaw hurt. Instantly he thought of his mother Terry’s words from last week.
“It takes more muscles in your face to frown than it does to smile. Don’t you remember how to smile, son?”
What a loaded question that was. He wanted to respond to her. I forgot, Mom. There’s nothing in my life, in my memories, to make me smile.
As the sour thoughts went through his mind, he took a slug of beer, thinking it tasted just as badly.
He felt restless, tired, pissed off, grumpy, and downright ornery. He knew it. He could tell, by the way people avoided him constantly, that he showed it, and he really didn’t give a shit. He was fine with being alone but that wasn’t a possibility with his two brothers Dante and Trevor living with him. They built this house from the foundation up. At least his brothers Andrew and Matt were on their own, married or getting married. That was never going to happen for him.
He heard the floors inside the house creek. He had great hearing. Being in the service, working in Special Forces, he could sense an enemy, or even a friend approaching from quite a distance. The back door opened.
“Can’t sleep?” Dante asked as he walked outside, shook a little from the chilly evening air, then sat down.
Charlie reached down to the small refrigerator, pulled out a cold beer, and passed it to his brother.
“Thanks.” Dante took a slug then stared out toward the darkness. “It sure is dark out there at night.”
“Hm.” Charlie hardly responded. He wasn’t one for chitchatting about bullshit. If someone had to tell him something, then he wanted them to just spit it out.
“Did you take anything to help you?” Dante asked.
“Don’t work,” Charlie replied.
“I’ve been using some over-the-counter stuff, you know, to take off the edge. I might not fall completely asleep, but at least my body is at rest. I wonder when we’ll finally get past these sleepless nights and move on in peace.”
“Beats the crap out of me.”
Dante was quiet a minute and then turned toward the same sound Charlie just heard. Their brother Trevor must be coming from his room, too. Sure enough Trevor arrived and Charlie glanced at Dante. They shared a nonverbal understanding that they detected Trevor’s approach early.
Charlie’s brothers were also part of Special Forces. They did shit they could never talk about or would want to. The nightmares they had were enough to last a lifetime. However, Trevor and Dante seemed able to ease back into civilian life better than Charlie. That pissed him off, too. Then again, there wasn’t much that didn’t piss Charlie off.
“What are you two doing out here this late?” Trevor asked. He had to duck under the doorway to come outside. He was six feet three just like Dante. Charlie was an inch taller than both of them.
This time Dante reached into the refrigerator and pulled out a beer. He passed it to Trevor who shrugged his shoulders before taking a sip.
“Couldn’t sleep either?” Dante asked.
“Nope.” Trevor sat down on the swinging bench and stared out into the darkness.
He appeared on alert a moment. Charlie understood how he felt. It had taken the last three years to get used to the fact that he was safe here. The enemy wasn’t lurking in the darkness of the woods surrounding their home or their neighbors’ homes. The shimmering glow in the distance was fireflies, not the reflection of moonlight off the scope of a sniper rifle.
He sighed in annoyance.
“I’m glad we’re out here together. I’ve been meaning to discuss something with you guys. Something we’ve talked about before,” Trevor stated.
Charlie sighed again. Trevor wanted to be in a relationship so badly, but his nightmares and PTSS plagued him as well as Dante and Charlie. They visited their friends, Gunner, Garret, and Wes last week and saw how happy they were. A lot of their military buddies were finding happiness in ménage relationships and Dante and Trevor were pushing to give it a try.
“I think we should really start looking,” Trevor stated.
“I think if we’re going to meet someone to share, then it will happen. I can’t see trying something as intense as this with just some random woman, Trevor. You heard what Garret and the guys said. It hit them all at once. They knew immediately that Gia was meant for them. They were each attracted to her and she was to them,” Dante said.
“What do you think, Charlie?” Trevor asked.
Charlie stared out at the darkness. If he could take a picture of what he felt was inside his heart and his soul, this would be it. Pure black, darkness.
“I told you before, Trevor, and I’ll tell you again. I’m not interested. I wouldn’t do my part and it wouldn’t be fair to the unsuspecting woman. You two have love to give. I don’t.” Charlie stood up, tossed his empty beer bottle into the recycling bin, then walked inside.
* * * *
“Aunt Lori, what’s Grandma like? Is she really old?” Ben asked as Lori drove the car and Maggie looked at the map.
Lori began to laugh. “No, she’s not old. Actually she’s rather young to be a grandma. She’s a great cook and baker and I’m sure she has lots and lots of plans for you. She told your mom and I that she has a surprise waiting for you when we arrive.”
“What kind of surprise?” Ben asked excitedly as he held a red Power Ranger figure in his hand. It was one of his favorite toys to play with besides dinosaurs.
“If I tell you it won’t be a surprise. Besides your mom and I have no idea either.”
“That’s right, Ben, we don’t know what the surprise could be,” added Maggie as she turned to smile at Ben.
“How long until we get there?” he asked impatiently.
“Not too long, maybe
thirty minutes or so.” Maggie told Lori which turn to take next.
Ben continued to play with his toys as Maggie and Lori spoke.
“How’s your wrist?” Maggie asked.
“It’s a little sore and itchy actually. I can’t wait until I can get this cast off. Eight weeks seems forever,” Lori said as she held the steering wheel with her good hand.
Maggie noticed Lori hadn’t been the same since the night Derrick broke into their home. She kind of closed up and wasn’t so willing to give her opinion. Maggie thought that perhaps Lori felt guilty for shooting Derrick. Even though it was the police officers who fired the two fatal shots, Derrick’s family placed the responsibility solely on Lori. They could care less that their son was a murderer, a batterer, a fugitive, and a drunk. Derrick’s father John even tried to get custody of Ben but he didn’t have a chance once he and his wife were charged with aiding and abetting a fugitive. They were finally free of Derrick Lawson and his family. Now Lori, Maggie, and Ben were headed to Texas, to live on a large private piece of property next to an enormous ranch. No more running scared and their new lives could begin.
“You can probably find a job teaching, Lori, and maybe I could find an office job somewhere in town. Mom said there are plenty of businesses around and a need for good school teachers,” Maggie told her sister as Lori made another turn.
“This looks like the street up ahead. There’s no sign though,” Lori added.
“Mom did say a long dirt road and that you could see the horse ranch,” stated Maggie as Lori continued to drive a little too fast up the road. She came to the top of the hill and suddenly had to slam on the breaks. A man on a large brown-and-white stallion came out of nowhere along with two other men on brown horses.
The American Soldier Collection 4: Their Blue-Collar Girl (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 2