Protecting Her

by Allie Everhart

  My tires screech as I round a corner. “We’ll work this out. I’ll pay you whatever you want. Just tell me where you are!”

  I listen, but there’s no sound. He hung up. Fuck!

  I speed down the street. I’m almost home. When I get there, I pop the trunk and quickly unlock the hidden compartment that contains my guns. I grab the loaded handgun, attach the silencer, then race into the house. It’s quiet and nothing looks out of place.

  “Rachel?” I call out. I run up the stairs, checking every room. They’re all empty. I check out the back window. She’s not there either. Shit!

  I get my phone out and call her, but hear ringing here in the bedroom. I follow the ringing and see her phone sitting on the dresser. Dammit! I hurry back down the stairs. Where would she go? If he saw her, she must be out in public. She never goes anywhere but the store and the park. The park. That’s gotta be it. The park she goes to is surrounded by trees and bushes, the perfect place for him to hide.

  My heart’s thundering in my chest as I run back out to the car and peel out of the driveway. The park is only a couple miles from the house. I get there and see Rachel sitting on a bench, holding Garret. There are some children behind her, kicking a ball around. Thank God they’re there or I’m sure that man would’ve shot her by now.

  I scan the perimeter of the park, looking for any movement in the bushes or trees. My eyes dart to the right when I see a flash of red. I look again and see another flash of red through the bushes. That’s him. I get out of the car, my gun hidden in my coat, and walk quickly down the sidewalk. Rachel and the other mothers are off in the distance. I parked by the tennis courts, which are several hundred feet from the playground.

  I take my gun out as I approach the area where I saw him, but now I can’t find him. I scan left and right, and when I look forward again, I see him. He’s right in front of me, wearing a red jacket, crouched down behind the bushes and facing the playground. There’s a rifle in his hand. If he shot it from here, he likely wouldn’t hit Rachel. He’s too far away, unless he has perfect aim. But he could easily hit one of the other mothers, who are standing closer to us.

  I lift up my gun, aiming it at the center of his back. I secure my other hand around the base of the gun, and without hesitation, I depress the trigger. The silencer hides the noise. He collapses forward. I shoot him again. And then once more.

  He’s dead. And I feel nothing. No remorse. Not even anger. Either I’m too shocked to feel anything, or my dark side has taken over and I’m someone else right now.

  My eyes are fixed on the now lifeless body lying on the ground. That man tried to kill Rachel. All because of a mix-up. Because Royce fucked up his assignment. But how did this man get my name? How did he know where I live?

  I go back to the car and press nine on my Dunamis phone and wait. Nine is the autodial for clean-ups. A man answers and I give him the address.

  Within minutes, people will be here to take the body and get rid of any evidence, including the man’s car. I don’t know who the clean-up people are, but they’re very good at their job. They almost never leave evidence behind. And in the rare cases when they do leave evidence behind, we get rid of it before the police can do anything with it.

  I take out my personal phone and call Royce. He’s on his way to New York so he’s probably in the back of a limo right now.

  “What the fuck did you do?” I ask him when he answers.

  He softly laughs. “I haven’t the slightest idea what you’re talking about.”

  “You gave him my name. You told him I was you.”

  “It’s for your own good. You were getting too complacent. Letting your guard down.”

  “Are you insane? If I’d arrived here a minute later, he would’ve killed her!”

  “Killed who? What are you talking about?”

  “He came after Rachel! He almost killed her and Garret.”

  “Oh.” He pauses. “I thought he’d come after you. Not her.”

  “You wanted him to kill me?”

  “No. Of course not. I wanted you to kill him, which I knew you would. You have the best aim out of anyone. Remember when we used to go to the shooting range and—”

  “Royce! Listen to me. Despite what you think, today was not a game or a test or an assessment of my shooting skills. This is real life, and my wife and child were almost killed.”

  “That was not my intention. I didn’t know he’d come after her. I told you, I thought he’d come after you.”

  “And we’re supposed to be friends?” I let out a harsh laugh.

  “It’s a thin line between friends and enemies.” His tone becomes darker and his voice deepens. “And as for the little incident today, it was a warning. You stay the fuck out of my business, or I promise you, I will get in yours. Keep your mouth shut about Sophia. And if you tell anyone about my bastard child, I will kill her mother. Do we have an agreement?”

  “Yes,” I say, gritting my teeth.

  “Good.”

  “I don’t know what’s going on with you, Royce, but you’ve changed, and we can no longer be friends. I need you to stay away from me and stay away from my family.”

  He chuckles. “Pearce, don’t be so overdramatic. You and I will always be friends, just like our fathers are friends. The Kensingtons and Sinclairs have been friends forever. That will never change.”

  “Goodbye, Royce.” I end the call, then get out of the car and go around to the trunk. I hide my gun back in its compartment. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a white work van driving by. It’s the clean-up crew, coming to take the body.

  I shut the trunk and walk past the tennis courts, across the grassy field to the bench where Rachel is sitting, holding Garret.

  “Pearce.” She smiles and gets up as I approach. “What are you doing here?”

  “I thought I’d take you and Garret out for an early lunch. I checked at home and you weren’t there, so I assumed you were here.” I smile as if nothing happened. I didn’t just shoot a man. That was someone else. The other Pearce. Now I’m back to being the real me. A husband. A father. The man with the normal life.

  “We’d love to have lunch with you.” She hands me the baby.

  I hold him tightly with one arm and pull Rachel against me with the other. He almost killed her. He could’ve killed Garret. He could’ve killed my whole family.

  “I love you,” I whisper to her.

  She smiles at me, completely unaware of what almost happened. “I love you too.”

  “Let’s go.” I walk her to her car and put Garret in his car seat and tell her to meet me at home. Then we go out for lunch and I take her back to the house.

  Before I return to work, I say to Rachel, “Don’t go to that park again.”

  “Why not? I love that park.”

  “The news reported that there have been several assaults there. It’s too dangerous. I don’t want you going there.”

  “I haven’t heard about any assaults. Our neighbors take their kids there. They wouldn’t do that if it were dangerous.”

  “Rachel, please. Just don’t go there. We have a large back yard. You don’t need to go to the park. If you’d like, I’ll put up a swing set for Garret or a sandbox. Whatever you want.”

  “Pearce, I think you’re overreacting. I only go there during the day when other moms are around.

  “I’m not arguing about this. You’re not going there until I know it’s safe.” I kiss her. “I’ll see you tonight. I love you.”

  When I’m back at work, I go straight to Jack’s office and tell him what happened.

  “I told you Royce was fucked in the head,” Jack says. “And this is the guy they pick for our future president.”

  “Do you think he’ll do it again?”

  He shakes his head. “No. As long as you keep his secrets, he’ll shut up. Just the fact that he did this to you shows that he fears you. He’s worried you’ll tell his secrets, so he tried to scare you into keeping quiet. And it sounds lik
e it worked.”

  “I have no desire to tell his secrets. Or to be friends with him. I’m going to stay away from him.” I see the image in my head of that man with the gun pointed at Rachel and I finally feel some emotion. Rage. Pure rage. At that man, and at Royce. “Jack, I hate to leave again, but I don’t think I can stay here after what happened. I can’t focus on work.”

  “I understand. Go ahead. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  I leave, but when I get home, I can’t relax. How could I? My family was within seconds of being killed.

  Just when I think my life is on the verge of being normal, it veers back to the hell that is my reality.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  8

  RACHEL

  This whole last week, Pearce has been tense and stressed. I think it’s because his father is coming to our house tonight. He’s probably worried that Holton will criticize the house and where we live, and then the two of them will start fighting.

  Last Sunday when we were at Holton and Eleanor’s house for dinner, Pearce was okay at first, but by the end of the night he seemed on edge. I’m assuming his father said something when I wasn’t around that upset him.

  Pearce has also been tense because he’s suddenly extremely worried about the crime in our town, which I don’t think even exists. I’ve asked the neighbors and nobody has heard news of any assaults or break-ins in the area. Pearce is always very protective of Garret and me, but this past week he’s been almost overprotective. He doesn’t want me even leaving the house unless he’s with me. He acted this way back when we were dating, but that’s only because I lived in a dangerous neighborhood. Now we live in a small town that is very safe, so he has no reason to worry.

  The phone rings as I’m frosting my cake. I made a carrot cake for dessert tonight. For dinner I’m making a roast, mashed potatoes, and glazed carrots. I’m sure Holton will hate it, but it’s impossible to please that man so I just made something Pearce and I like that wasn’t too much work.

  “Hello?”

  “Rachel, it’s Shelby. Are you busy?” She sounds out of breath.

  “Kind of. I’m getting ready for dinner. Pearce’s parents are coming over. Is something wrong?”

  “Yeah. I need a ride.”

  “Did your car break down?”

  “No. I um…I was out with this guy and we weren’t getting along so he stopped his car and left me on the sidewalk with no way to get home.”

  “Are you serious? That’s horrible.” I wipe my hands on a dish towel.

  “And now it’s getting dark and I don’t know what to do. There’s nothing around here but houses. I was lucky to find a gas station so I could call you.” Shelby doesn’t have a cell phone so she must be calling from a pay phone.

  “I’ll come get you. Where are you?”

  “Stamford. It’s a long drive for you. Are you sure you don’t mind?”

  “Of course not. Just give me the address.”

  I write it down as she tells me, then I hang up and call Pearce.

  “Rachel, are you okay?” He’s asked me this every time I’ve called him this week. I don’t know why he’s so worried about me.

  “Yes, I’m fine. Shelby just called and I have to go pick her up. If you get home before me, just leave the roast in the oven. I’ll finish making dinner when I get back.”

  “Why are you picking up Shelby?”

  “She was on a date and got in an argument with the guy and he left her on the side of the street. Can you believe that?”

  “Since when is she dating?”

  “I didn’t ask. I’ll ask when I see her.”

  “Where is she?”

  “In Stamford.”

  “Where in Stamford?”

  I tell Pearce the address.

  “Let me get her,” he says abruptly.

  “You’re at work. It’s only four. I have time to get her.”

  “Rachel, just let me do it. I can leave right now.”

  “Pearce, you’re acting strange again. What’s going on with you this week?”

  “Nothing. It’s just a long ways for you to drive and you’ll have to take Garret and pack up all his things.”

  “It’s not that far, and Garret and I could use a road trip. We’ve been cooped up in the house all week. I’ll be home soon. Love you! Bye.”

  It takes about forty minutes to get to the address Shelby gave me for the gas station. The way Pearce reacted when I told him the address, I thought it might be in a bad part of town, but instead it’s in a very exclusive area surrounded by gated mansions. The gas station is just outside the neighborhood, and right behind it I can see tall iron gates covered in greenery.

  The gas station looks brand new, and as I drive up, Shelby comes out. She’s really dressed up, in a black wool coat, black skirt, beige blouse, and black high heels. I’ve never seen her wear clothes like that. I didn’t even know she owned clothes that nice. Her date must’ve been planning to take her to a fancy restaurant.

  She gets in the front seat. “Thanks. I owe you one. I’ll babysit whenever you want.” She looks back at Garret and smiles. “He gets cuter every time I see him.”

  I pull out of the gas station and head to New Haven. “So what happened?” I glance over at her. Her coat is open and I notice two buttons missing from her blouse. “Oh my God, did he force himself on you?”

  She looks down at her blouse. “No. I just lost one on the way here and the other one must’ve already been missing.”

  She didn’t notice a button missing from her blouse? It’s right in front of her bra. You’d think she’d notice that before going on her date.

  “Did you just buy that coat? I’ve never seen you wear it before.”

  “It’s my mom’s. She let me borrow it for my date.”

  It looks like a very expensive coat. I didn’t think her mom had money for expensive clothes, but maybe she’s had it for a while.

  “Who was the guy you were with?” I ask. “Where did you meet him?”

  She directs her attention out the side window. “I met him at a bar last night. He seemed like a decent guy, so when he asked me out I said yes. But he turned out to be a jerk.”

  “Who did you go to the bar with?”

  She picks at the polish on her thumbnail. “I don’t want to talk about it. I just want to forget about the date and spend the rest of my night on the couch, eating junk food and watching TV.”

  “What’s Logan doing tonight?”

  She shrugs. “I don’t know. I haven’t talked to him in weeks.”

  “He hasn’t called you?”

  “He has, but I’m not answering his calls.” She gazes out the side window again.

  “Did you have a fight?”

  “No. In fact the last time I saw him, he made me dinner and gave me a necklace that he knew I really wanted.”

  “That sounds like a date,” I say kiddingly.

  But she’s not smiling. “It wasn’t a date,” she says softly. I notice her lip quivering.

  “Shelby, what’s wrong?”

  She faces forward and closes her eyes. I notice a tear going down her cheek. “I just miss him.”

  “Then go be with with him.”

  “I can’t.”

  “Why not? You love him, so why do you keep pushing him away?”

  She wipes her cheek. “It’s complicated.”

  “All relationships are complicated. Look at Pearce and me. We come from completely different worlds, and yet we made it work.”

  “It’s not the same.” She sniffles and takes a tissue from her purse.

  “I know it’s not the same. I’m just saying that you two can make this work.”

  “No,” she says bluntly. “We can’t. So just stop talking about it.”

  “Shelby, tell me—”

  “Rachel, I mean it.” There’s anger in her voice and her body is tense. “You don’t know the whole story, so just stay out of it.”

  I keep quiet for the rest of the drive. I d
on’t know why she won’t tell me her reason for not dating Logan. I know she still loves him, so why does she refuse to be with him?

  When we’re almost at her apartment, she says, “I’m sorry for yelling at you.”

  “I just wish you’d tell me what’s going on.”

  “Nothing’s going on. Just forget it.” She gets her keys from her purse.

  I park in front of her building. “Call me tomorrow, okay?”

  She nods, then waves toward the back seat. “Bye, Garret.”

  I check the rearview mirror and see him in his car seat, looking content. He loves riding in the car.

  We arrive back at the house just after six. Pearce is in the kitchen, going through the mail. I kiss him quick, then hand him Garret. “You watch him while I finish dinner.”

  “How was your day, Garret?” Pearce asks in a serious tone. “Did you get much work done?”

  I laugh. “If you count lying around and eating all day, work, then yes, he got a lot done.”

  “Good boy.” He kisses his cheek. “So what did Shelby say?”

  I take the carrots and potatoes out, which I already prepped. “She wouldn’t tell me much about the guy she was with, but I asked her about Logan and she started crying. She said she hasn’t talked to him in weeks.”

  “He stopped calling her?”

  “No. She just won’t answer the phone. But she said she wants to be with him, so I don’t get it. She said it’s complicated, whatever that means.” I open the oven door to check the roast. “You should talk to Logan. Have lunch with him next week.”

  “We already have a lunch scheduled for Monday, but I’m not asking him about Shelby. The two of them need to work this out themselves.”

  I check the clock. “I have to hurry. Can you go up and change Garret?”

  “Of course.” Pearce comes over and kisses me. “Thank you for making dinner. I’m sure my parents won’t appreciate it, but I do.”

  I kiss him back. “I just hope they like it.”

  The rest of the hour I race around, trying to get everything ready, including myself, and right at six fifty-nine, the doorbell rings.

  Pearce greets them at the door as I’m hurrying down the stairs.