by K. C. Crowne
Madison scrunched up her face in confusion, then looked at me as if waiting for confirmation. Everyone was looking at me.
“Madison, I meant to tell you, but—”
A nurse popped into the room, a cheerful smile on her face as she interrupted. “How’s the new mother doing?”
“Jack’s the father?” Madison asked, a hurt look on her face. “Cass, why didn’t you tell me?”
“I can’t talk about this right now,” I muttered, motioning to the nurse.
“Oh, you’re fine,” the nurse commented brightly. “I was just checking to see if you needed anything.”
“No, thank you.”
Before she left, my dad turned to the woman and said, “Maybe you could call Jack Wiley and tell him to get his ass down here. His son needs him.”
“Dad!” I cried. “Please, stop it.”
Jack had told me not to let anyone in town know that Owen was his son, and my father was blabbing it to anyone who would listen.
“What? Are you suddenly ashamed of your choice in men? It’s too late now, darling.” His voice was loud enough that I feared the whole ward could hear him.
The nurse stopped in the doorway, turning to look at me.
“Excuse me, but my brother isn’t a low-life or a deadbeat,” Madison said, her voice cracking. “And let me call him. I guarantee the second he knows, he’ll be here.”
“Madison, please don’t—”
My dad laughed. “Jack Wiley isn’t gonna do shit. He’s not gonna take care of that baby.” He scoffed loudly. “No, the responsibility is going to fall on me.”
Madison moved across the room, and even though I could tell she was trying to remain calm, it was hard for her. Her brother was all she had growing up because their parents had been addicts. Her defensiveness was justified, but I wasn’t in the mood for a fight. And I didn’t want even more people to hear that Jack was the father of my son.
“Stop it! All of you, please just stop it.” Tears fell from my eyes. I was so fucking angry that my dad was making this all about him. “I gave birth just a few hours ago. I can’t even hold or feed my son because he’s in the NICU attached to tubes to breathe and eat, and you’re treating me like this, Dad? Get the hell out.”
That was all I needed to say. The nurse took my father’s arm. He pulled it away, his face growing redder by the second. The nurse spoke softly to him, “Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to leave. If you don’t comply, I will call security. I won’t let you upset my patient.”
I thought my father might try to argue. It wouldn’t have surprised me. He liked to argue. When he lost his temper, he would say things he would later regret.
He hesitated in the doorway, but the nurse shot him a look that was no longer cheerful or kind, and he complied. My mother looked torn between staying or going but ultimately stayed in the room.
As soon as he was gone, the tension in the room dissipated.
“Your father, he…well, he doesn’t mean what he says,” my mom attempted.
“It doesn’t matter,” Madison spat, speaking before I could. “Cassie doesn’t deserve to be treated that way.”
“Thank you,” I said, reaching for her hand. I thought she might be mad at me for not telling her sooner, and perhaps she was. Madison turned her attention to me, and her face softened. “I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I was scared after everything that happened.”
“When did you get pregnant?” she asked.
“When I came down to help him after you asked me to.”
“Is that why you left so fast? Without even seeing me?”
“No, I mean, yes, kind of. I didn’t know I was pregnant at the time, obviously, but after he went to jail, I left town in a hurry because I was hurt and scared.” I looked at her pleadingly. “
I didn’t know what to think, Madison. He was arrested for murder.”
“A murder he didn’t commit,” she added quickly.
“Yes, I know that now, but I didn’t know that back then,” I reminded her. “He didn’t tell me anything. And once he was cleared, I tried to call him, but he never called me back, and I just thought maybe it was for the best if I didn’t tell anyone.” I sucked in a breath. “And now, well, now he’s telling me that no one can know because it’s too dangerous, and I’m worried everyone in the hospital knows now thanks to my dad and—”
I was speaking a mile a minute, but Madison finally quieted me down, putting her hand on my arm. “Shhh, Cassie. It’s gonna be okay. I forgive you.”
“Thank you,” I murmured.
“So Jack knows?”
I nodded sniffling. Hannah handed me a tissue, and I blew my nose.
“Then he needs to get his ass over here.”
“No, Madison,” I insisted. “Like I said, he told me no one can know.”
I thought she might ask me why, but she didn’t. She gave me a knowing look and squeezed my hand tightly. “It’s gonna be okay, Cassie. My brother will figure this out. He’s gonna protect you and Owen, and he’s gonna make an amazing father.”
“I know he will,” I said.
“Jack’ll take care of it. I know my brother. He won’t let anything happen to either of you,” she promised. “And you have us too, you know. Teddy and I are here for you. Hannah too.”
“And me,” Isabelle chimed in.
My mom walked to the other side of the bed and took my other hand. “You know you’ll always have me, sweetie. And your dad will come around. Just give him some time.”
I wiped my eyes, wanting to believe them. I wanted to believe it would all be okay.
Jack
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and at first, I thought it might be Hank. But it wasn’t my burner. Madison’s face popped up on the screen, her big blue eyes and bright smile a stark contrast to the dark alley I was hanging around in.
I had a few minutes before the meetup. I considered not answering, but I remembered what had happened, what she’d been through because of me, and I feared something could be wrong.
“Hey, sis,” I answered. “Now isn’t exactly a good time.”
I was still alone at the moment. No sign of the guy I was supposed to meet. All I knew was that his name was Richard and he’d be in a black SUV.
“Well, it’s important, Jack.” Madison’s voice was tinged with annoyance. “Cassie had the baby. Your baby.”
She enunciated “your” as if to let me know she wasn’t pleased with my little secret. I cringed, but not from the scolding. I trusted Madison and knew she would keep a secret if she needed to, but the fact that she found out meant others probably had too.
But that feeling passed once her words sank in.
I lowered my voice. “How is she? How’s the baby?”
“Cassie’s doing fine, though she could probably use some support from the father,” she said dryly. “She had a boy. His name is Owen. He’s a month premature, and there’s some problems with his lungs, plus he’s jaundiced, but he should be fine. He just needs to stay in the NICU for a bit.”
I wasn’t sure what I felt. So many emotions poured through my body at once. I never knew I could feel that way. I was terrified, scared that my son might be struggling to survive at that very moment. I was heartbroken that I couldn’t go to them and pissed off at the powers that be that made it impossible.
“Jack? You still there?”
“Yeah, sorry. Just processing everything, that’s all,” I told her. “I wish I could be there. I really do.”
“Why can’t you?”
“I’m dealing with some shit right now, Madison.”
“And is it more important than your son?”
“No, but it’s for him, Mads. I can’t explain right now, it really is a bad time, but no one can know about this, alright? Not a soul.”
“It’s too late for that, I’m afraid,” she said. “Cassie’s dad might have told the entire hospital.”
I flinched as if she’d punched me. First, her mom announced it in the diner, and then
her dad had run his big mouth at the hospital. The way word spread around Liberty, the whole town probably knew I’d knocked Cassie up. It was likely big news. The perfect straight-A, future lawyer pregnant by a fuckup like me. An ex-con. Oh, people were probably eating that shit up.
I glanced around again to make sure I was still alone before speaking. “We need to deny it. Just keep denying it, tell people it’s not true. It’s bullshit,” I said. “Even if they simply think I’m a deadbeat who doesn’t care about his son, that beats the alternative.”
“What is the alternative, Jack?”
I couldn’t bring myself to say the words out loud. “Trust me, Mads. That’s all I can say for now.”
Madison sighed, and I wasn’t sure she would drop it. “Fine. As soon as Owen’s released from the hospital, we can try to set something up. Sneak you over to my house or something.”
“I’d love that.” I wasn’t the type to cry, but I felt a burning in my eyes. “I’d really appreciate it, Mads.”
The sound of a car tire hitting the gravel at the end of the alley pulled my attention back to my present location. A black SUV rolled toward me.
“Listen, I have to go, sis. Love you.”
I hung up the phone before Madison could argue with me. I slipped it into my jacket pocket and walked over to the SUV just as the man stepped out. He was maybe forty-five years old with dark hair that was thinning on top. His eyes were concealed by sunglasses, and the rest of his face was hidden behind a thick, black beard that almost looked fake.
Hank had told me he should be alone, and even though the windows were tinted on the vehicle, I didn’t see anyone else moving around inside. So far, so good.
Richard handed me a suitcase. “Where’s the goods?”
“One second,” I said, lifting my jacket to showcase the gun sitting in its holster. “Boss says I need to count it first.”
“It’s all there,” Richard said, running a hand over the beard.
“Rules are rules. I have to count it before you leave,” I reiterated. I set the briefcase on the hood of the vehicle without turning my back on Richard. I popped it open and stared at more money than I’d ever seen in my entire life. All big bills, making it easy to count quickly.
This’s only $500k,” I said, looking at him. “Where’s the extra $40k, Richard?”
“It’s all there,” he insisted.
“Are you saying I can’t fucking count?”
“No, I’m saying that the deal was $500, not $540. You must be mistaken.”
The man started fumbling with something in his jacket, but I reached for my gun and pointed it directly at him. He stopped moving his hands, but one was in his jacket pocket.
“Bullshit. I know what I was told. We know the boss doesn’t fuck around. Either give me the rest, or one of us is dead. It sure as shit won’t be me.”
“I just have to show you the message I got from the boss. Can I pull out my phone?”
“Slowly,” I ordered.
He pulled his hand out from his pocket, phone in hand. He held it up, screen facing me. He was too far away for me to see what was on it, but I sure as shit wasn’t moving any closer.
“Slide it across the hood of the car toward me. Slowly.”
He placed the phone down and slid it across, but it came up short and fell off the side, slamming into the ground at my feet. Richard watched me with a blank stare.
I knelt, the gun trained on him, and picked up the phone. The screen was cracked. I took my eyes off Richard for a second to see the message.
“FUCK YOU” in big, bold letters.
That one second was all it took. Richard lunged forward, a knife in his other hand. We rolled to the ground, and my gun slipped from my grip. I grabbed Richard’s arm, holding it away from me as the knife came within inches of my face.
I kicked upward, kneeing him in the groin. The knife slipped from his fingers just as I heard footsteps crunching on the gravel next to us. Richard was yanked off me in a matter of seconds and thrown toward the brick wall of a nearby building.
The man standing before me was one of the men I’d seen watching me. I got to my feet, picking up the gun and the knife.
“I don’t need a fucking babysitter,” I growled.
“You’re welcome,” the man said.
I walked past him to Richard, grabbing him by his shirt and lifting him off the ground. “Give me the rest of the money. Now.”
Richard dug through his jacket pockets and produced an envelope. I dropped him to the ground and quickly counted the money. All $40,000 of it.
“Get the fuck out of here,” I said, tossing the bag of merchandise at him. I had no idea what was in the bag; that wasn’t my job. It could have been drugs or guns. I didn’t fucking know. It felt too light to be worth $540,000, but what did I know about these sorts of things. I was merely a handler.
I grabbed the suitcase just as Richard dashed to the SUV and drove off. I’d almost forgotten about the other man until I headed to my truck.
“You’re not even going to ask me who I am, Jack?”
“Nope,” I said, flipping him the bird as I climbed into my truck. “Because I already know.”
“We need to talk,” he said.
“I only take orders from the boss. If you have something to tell me, go through him. Otherwise, leave me the fuck alone and stop following me.”
I put the key in the ignition and peeled out of there. I only had a few minutes to make the next drop off before alarm bells would sound higher up in the organization.
Say what you want about Hank Gillespie, but he ran a pretty tight ship.
And no one ever fucking betrayed him.
I sped down the road, out of town, and found myself on yet another back road. Middle of nowhere Utah was sure full of little hiding places.
A black BMW was waiting for me, as expected.
Why these assholes all have to drive black cars, I’ll never know, I thought to myself as I pulled up beside him.
“All there?” the man asked me as I handed over the suitcase, the envelope tucked inside.
“All there, but go ahead and count it. I know the procedure.”
The man popped open the suitcase, and I waited as he counted the bills, just like I had earlier.
“Good job, Jack. Boss will be pleased.”
“If he’s so pleased with me, can you tell him to call off his dogs?”
“What do you mean?”
“The babysitters. The men he sent out to watch my every move. It’s getting fucking old.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Sure, whatever,” I muttered.
With a parting glance, the man drove away into the night. I drove in the opposite direction, exhausted and eager to be home, thankful for another successful run.
One step closer to the end, I told myself as I drove home.
My mind drifted away from the night’s activities and to Cassie. Across town, she was likely sleeping in a hospital after having given birth to our son. She was alone. Probably scared, likely feeling a range of emotions I couldn’t even comprehend.
I promise you, I will get us out of this, I thought to myself. I’ll take care of you and Owen, and everything will be just fine.
I just needed a bit more time.
Cassie
“When do you think he can go home?” I asked the same question almost every single day. And every day, I got the same answer: once his breathing improves. Each day, Owen grew stronger and stronger. It was only a matter of time before he could go home with me.
“I think maybe in another week, tops.”
It had already been a week since my son was born. I’d been home alone. Though not really home since I was staying with Madison and spent every waking minute at the hospital. I hadn’t talked to my father and continued to ignore his calls. They had stopped after a few days. I wasn’t in the best headspace to deal with his passive aggressiveness or his non-apologies.
Madison held my hand through all of it, and I was grateful to have my best friend by my side. She kept in touch with Jack, but I hadn’t talked to him. He said most people would expect him to keep in touch with his sister, but it might look weird if he was talking to me. I understood, but it didn’t make the distance any easier.
I was back at Madison and Teddy’s house, curled up in their spare room, my heart hurting when my phone rang. It was an unknown number. Considering that I’d get calls from doctors and the hospital from strange numbers, I answered it on the first ring, worrying something might be wrong with my baby.
“Cassie?”
Shocked, I said, “Jack? I thought we couldn’t talk.”
“I bought a burner phone for now,” he said. “I didn’t realize the baby would be in the hospital this long. I’m sorry for not calling sooner.”
“It’s fine,” I murmured softly, cradling the phone in my hand.
“How’s Owen?” he asked.
“He’s doing better. The doctor thinks he can come home next week. He’s putting on weight, but he’s still having some trouble breathing.”
“I’m so sorry I can’t be there for you and Owen, Cass,” he said, and I could hear the pain in his voice. “Soon, though, I promise.”
“What’s the plan?” He was quiet on the other end of the line. “Jack? I need to know there’s a plan, something in place so you can see your son, and right now, I’m not feeling confident.”
“Cassie, do you trust me?”
I had to think about that for a second. I’d known Jack for years, most of my life, in fact. But I never really knew him. Still, I knew his sister and saw the type of man he was for those he loved, and I found it in my heart to answer, “Yes.”
“Then trust that I’m doing everything in my power to fix this.”
“And that’s all you’re going to tell me, huh?” I rolled over in the bed, bringing my knees to my chest, so I was now in a fetal position. “Don’t you think I deserve more than that? Don’t you trust me?”
“I do trust you, Cassie. But I need to protect you, and the less you know…”
“The better,” I finished for him, rolling my eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard that before.”