Wrong Number, Right Guy

by Tara Wylde

  Bile rises in my throat, threatening to choke me. I hope it does. That would be more pleasant that what Abe has in mind for me.

  Boom, Boom, Boom.

  There’s no mistaking the loud crack of gunfire. The sound makes my heart race and has Abe jumping backwards.

  He stands beside the table, his head tipped to one side, listening. There are no more gun shots. Abe smiles and puffs out his chest, proud as the most arrogant peacock.

  For the first time since waking in this tiny, miserable room, hope warms my chest. I know where we are. The sound I’d heard most likely indicated that the soldiers inside the truck are now dead, their life force draining out of their bodies.

  But the sound, it was so close, probably just on the other side of the wall. I know where I am. It’s the exact same address that I directed that truck to. Jason and Daryl have its location, which means they have mine as well.

  They weren’t fast enough to save the soldiers, they might not be fast enough to save me, but at least they’ll know what happened to me, and that’s something. Kelsey won’t have to go through the rest of her life wondering if her mother is dead or alive.

  Boom, Boom.

  This time the gunfire sounds different, like it came from a different kind of gun. Something smaller maybe.

  The smile slides from Abe’s face as he continues to listen.

  More booming gunfire. This time it’s a mix of both the big and small sounding guns. Hope warms my chest, quickens my heartbeat. It sounds like the cavalry has arrived.

  I’m not the only one who thinks so.

  Large purple spots bloom across Abe’s face as he swings towards me. “What the hell did you do?” he bellows.

  “Nothing,” I cry out. I dig my heels into the concrete floor, scooting the metal chair back away from the computer table.

  “Bullshit,” Abe roars. He jerks the keyboard off my lap and stars hitting keys with his hotdog-shaped fingers, staring at the screen until he clicks on the tab that pulls up the window I used to send Jason text messages. He leans forward, his mouth moving, sounding out words, as he reads each line I wrote.

  I glance at the gun still laying on the table. It’s now or never.

  I leap out of the chair, darting behind Abe and stretching my non-cuffed hand towards the gun. My fingertips brush the handle when a blow knocks me sideways. The gun flies in the opposite direction and skitters across the floor before stopping against the far wall.

  “You bitch!” Abe swings blindly a second time. His arms catch me in the shoulder, knocking me into the chair. My legs tangle in the metal and I fall backwards, my free arm wind milling in a futile attempt to regain my balance.

  I barely hit the floor before Abe is on top of me. His knees straddle my hips and his hands close around my throat, squeezing tightly as his thumbs press into my trachea, sealing it closed.

  The fallen chair scrapes against the concrete, pulled by the handcuffs that still bind me to the arm as I lift both hands to claw at Abe’s hands, my nails biting into the backs of them, trying to force him to ease the pressure, but he doesn’t.

  My lungs buck and heave, screaming for that air that Abe’s hands deny access to.

  “You stupid bitch,” Abe screams down at me. “You’ve ruined everything. I had it all planned out. All you had to do was a few simple things and everything would have been perfect, but you just couldn’t do that, could you?”

  On the far side of the wall, the gunfire has stopped; some part of my brain that isn’t panicked by the lack of oxygen recognizes that fact. I think I hear shouting and for a split second I could swear I hear Jason’s voice screaming my name, demanding to know where I am.

  I open my mouth, wanting to replay, wanting him to find me, but I can’t. I simply don’t have enough air.

  I thrash my head from side to side, still clawing at Abe’s hands as the black spots in front of my eyes grow larger and darker, threatening to take me under. I’m dimly aware that even though I want to keep fighting, want to survive, my body isn’t responding properly. My movements are slower, clumsy.

  Something behind me crashes and the shouting I heard earlier seems louder even as I start losing my grip on consciousness.

  Abe stops yelling in my face, but his grip on my throat doesn’t loosen as he shouts in the direction of the crash.

  More shouting, then a big, thunderous boom.

  Above me, Abe’s body stiffens. His fingers grow even tighter around my throat before everything goes slack and he collapses on top of me, blood flowing from two wounds in his head, one in the middle of his forehead, the other a massive hole in the back of his skull.

  It’s a grotesque sight, but not nearly as grotesque as his blood streaming across my face, neck, and shoulder. If I wasn’t so desperate to fill my lungs with life-giving oxygen, I’d probably scream, but right now, I just can’t bring myself to care.

  “Ella!” Jason’s face appears above me. He drops to his knees, chanting my name as he shoves Abe’s bulk over. His hands sweep over me, trying to determine how much of the blood is mine and how much is Abe’s, searching for mortal wounds.

  I try to speak, to tell him I’m fine, that I’ll live, but I can’t force the words past my ravaged throat. It’s all I can do to inhale and exhale.

  Satisfied that I’m not full of bullet holes, Jason tugs me half onto his lap, bracing my pounding head against his shoulder as his arms close possessively around me. He strokes my hair and whispers meaningless words into my ear as we wait for the ambulance to arrive.

  Twelve Hours Later

  I’m sitting on the side of the bed in Jason’s guest room, wearing a pair of borrowed sweats and one of Jason’s robes. The small nightlight a few feet from the bed provides me with all the illumination I need to make out my daughter’s features as I stroke her hair. Mal sleeps on her other side, unaffected and unconcerned by the events that took place earlier in the day. He’s been fed, he has his kid, he’s been given a soft place to sleep. In his mind, everything is perfect.

  It’s difficult to wrap my mind around the idea that just a little while ago I thought I’d never see her again, that by now I’d be dead. Until I try to talk or look in a mirror, when I see the bruises marring my face and ringing my throat, when I hear the painful rasp of my voice. Then I remember how close I was to never enjoying another quiet moment like this one.

  I’ll never take them for granted again.

  A soft knock on the door draws my attention. Jason smiles in at me, his gaze meeting mine first before shifting to Kelsey. “Mind if I come in?”

  “No.” I wince at the harsh sound of my own voice. It sounds like I smoke twenty packs a day. The emergency room doctor assured me that there wasn’t any permanent damage and that after a few days, my trachea will heal and I’ll regain my familiar speaking voice. I refuse to believe it until it happens.

  “Please.” Jason holds up his hands, his palms turned towards me. “Don’t speak. Let your throat get better.”

  I chafe with frustration. I don’t want to be quiet. I want to talk, to tell him that I’m sorry for not telling him everything, for putting his life in danger…for waiting so long to tell him that I love him and even then waiting until I was convinced I was about to die.

  I’ve been horribly unkind to him. I don’t deserve a guy like him.

  He sits beside me on the bed and hooks an index finger under my chin, holding me in place so he can look deeply into my eyes, so deeply I wonder if he can see the essence of my soul.

  “Ella, I love you,” he says in a matter-of-fact tone of voice. “I’ve told you that before, but this time I want you to really understand it. I fell in love with you seven years ago and I’m still in love with you today.” He leans forward and kisses one side my mouth, careful to avoid the bruised and split sections of my lips. “Nothing you say, nothing you do matters. I will always love you.”

  Pleasure and happiness mix together in an intoxicating cocktail and spread through my veins. I half expected him
to yell at me for doing something as stupid as aligning myself with the mafia. I was certain he’d walk out of my life, this time forever, and that he’d take Kelsey with him.

  I didn’t even dare imagine that he’d come in here and confess his eternal love.

  I wind my arms around his neck and brace myself, prepared to brave the surge of pain that will come when I tell him that I love him even more, but he speaks before I have a chance.

  “I want you and Kelsey to be a part of my life. Forever.”

  I open my mouth, but he holds up a finger, silencing me. “We’re getting married. As soon as possible. Do you understand?”

  The question is barely out of his mouth before his gaze moves past me. I follow it. Behind us, Kelsey’s own eyes are open. She studies us with a thoughtful expression.

  “Are you getting married?” she asks, her voice heavy with sleep.

  “Yes,” Jason and I say in perfect unison. We share a look and a smile.

  “Will Jason be my dad?”

  “Yes,” we repeat.

  I hold my breath, waiting to see how she’ll handle this announcement. I’m really not sure how she’ll respond. Unlike other kids, who seem to long for a dad and hope that every male they encounter, no matter how unsuitable, will take them under their wings, Kelsey has never been that way. She’s always been content with just Adele and me.

  Kelsey chews on her bottom lip for a moment. “Perfect,” she says and rolls over onto her stomach and falls back asleep.

  Jason’s fingers brush against my arm and I shift to look at him. He grins and sidles closer.

  “I couldn’t have said it better,” he tells me before he covers my mouth in the sweetest kiss I’ve ever experienced.

  Epilogue

  Ella

  “Momma, you’re really pretty.” Kelsey’s eyes dance as she studies me.

  I grin at her. “Thanks, kiddo, though you don’t have to sound surprised.”

  She grins, showing off a brand-new tooth that’s just now starting to grow and fill in the gap left vacant by a baby tooth. My little girl is growing up.

  “I’m pretty too!” She squeals and spins in a circle, the skirt of the fuchsia sundress she spotted and insisted on wearing swirling out around her as she continues to spin, moving faster and faster. She starts to lose her balance and crashes into Adele, who is sitting on a rocking chair, watching us.

  Adele laughs and catches hold of Kelsey’s shoulder. “If you’re not careful, you’re going to run out of juice before the party even begins.”

  With Kelsey securely on her feet, Adele stands and walks a slow circle around me, taking in every aspect of my appearance, from my artfully tousled hair to my simple, white silk dress, to my bare feet.

  “Kelsey’s right.” Adele wraps her arms around me, hugging me tight. “You clean up nice.”

  “Thanks, Adele. You do too.” It’s a little disconcerting seeing Adele out of her standard uniform of faded jeans and baggy sweatshirts, and decked out in a smart beige suit, but it’s a good look on her.

  Even Mal looks spiffy. To his irritation, he spent yesterday afternoon at a fancy pet salon where his coat was washed, his nails were trimmed, and his teeth cleaned. Now, his freshly washed fur gleams in the decreasing sunlight.

  He’s wearing a black sequined cat harness. I’m still not sure how Adele and Kelsey managed to find it. A matching lead is hooked to the harness, with the other end looped around Kelsey’s wrist. He even stood still long enough for Kelsey to attach a pretty black bow tie to his collar.

  Smiling, I bend and offer him a quick scratch behind the ears before wrapping a hand around one of Kelsey’s. I look west, across the brightly sparkling sea, and at the sun that’s starting to paint the sky a soft shade of rose pink. “Looks like it’s about time.”

  The three of us carefully move down the hotel’s short flight of stairs and step onto the warm sand.

  Kelsey sings a soft song about the water and Adele shoots me a wise look. “Nervous?”

  I shake my head. “You know, I thought I would be. I expected that I’d be quaking in my—” I look down at my bare feet. “—in my freshly polished toenails, but I’m not. I think after everything that’s happened, there’s very little that can possibly scare me.”

  Adele nods. “Makes sense.”

  “The funny thing is, not only am I excited, but there’s also this incredible sense of peace, like everything’s about to be right in the world. Does that make any sense at all?”

  “Sure does. I also think that it’s proof you’re doing the right thing.”

  “I know I am.”

  We reach the same lifeguard station where things got started seven years ago. In its shadow, Jason, dressed in an elegant tux and with his feet as bare as mine, waits for me. His teeth gleam white in his darkly tanned skin. An answering grin spreads across my own face and my heart does a happy little dance in my chest.

  It takes all my restraint to keep walking and not race across the sand like Mal.

  Kelsey isn’t nearly so reserved. “Daddy,” she shrieks, the unexpectedness of her cry startles a pelican from its perch. She jerks her hand free of mine and charges towards him, kicking up sand as she runs as fast as her thin legs can manage.

  Despite the distance between us, I hear Jason’s laughter as he bends and scoops her up. Mal weaves lazy figure eights around Jason’s ankles. Even though I’m not yet in ear shot, I know the cat is purring. Since Jason helped rescue me from Abe, the cat has decided that Jason is the best guy in the world. I couldn’t agree more.

  Jason balances Kelsey on his right hip, whispers something in her ear, and they both look at me.

  They look so right together. So beautiful. Tears well up in my eyes.

  I want to take a picture of the moment. My hand actually moves behind me, reaching for the cell phone I usually carry in my back pocket before remembering that I’m wearing a pocketless dress and not jeans, and that my phone is tucked into my travel bag, which has already been moved onto the houseboat that Jason bought specifically for our honeymoon.

  Not that I know much about the boat. He’s handled everything, from the purchase to getting it prepped for our honeymoon voyage. He’s been as excited about it as a five-year-old boy is about the idea of a new bike or a puppy.

  I can’t wait to see it.

  Hopefully, the photographer is snapping the photo for me. It’s an image I want to cherish forever.

  I reach the area that’s been roped off with long strands of clear beads and nod at Daryl, who stands a few feet away from Jason. I’m glad he agreed to be the best man. Not only did he free me from Abe’s hold, but he’s also helping me work with the prosecutor and sort out how to deal with what went down in that Chicago warehouse without anyone feeling the need to press charges against me.

  Daryl has even whispered a few words into his boss’s ear about my hacking skills, so now the FBI is expressing an interest in me. And I’ve gotten a few interesting calls from a few other three-letter agencies as well.

  It’s hard to believe that just two and a half short weeks ago I was working in a call center and my entire life was owned by the local mafia. The memories are fading, losing their sharpness. Already, I have a hard time believing that it was really my life and not some highly vivid movie or dream.

  I shake my head and force all thoughts and memories of the past away.

  But I’m not going to think about how the endless stream of soul-sucking jobs, freelance opportunities, and constant fear are behind me forever. Today isn’t about those things.

  It’s about something infinitely more important. Love.

  Kelsey stares over Jason’s shoulder at Daryl for a moment before extending her arms toward him. In the past few weeks, she’s spent a great deal of time with both men while Adele and I have scrambled to put together this wedding. During that time, she’s accepted Jason as her father and I have no doubt she loves him dearly.

  But she’s become infatuated with Daryl. Just last n
ight she informed me, in a no-nonsense tone, that as soon as she is old enough, she is going to marry him. I can’t fault her taste. Daryl’s a fine man. I might even be tempted to make a play for him if I wasn’t head over heels in love with Jason.

  Jason tilts his head back and whispers something in Kelsey’s ear. She relaxes against his shoulder but keeps her eyes glued to Daryl.

  A few feet behind Daryl, Ember quietly watches the action unfold. I’m glad she came. She helped keep my little girl safe and for that I’ll always be grateful—besides, she seems like lots of fun, the type of person I’d like to call a friend, now that I’m no longer running scared and feel ready to let more people into my life.

  Besides, I’ve seen the way she and Daryl look at one another when they think the other doesn’t notice. There’s no doubt in my mind that they like one another but aren’t sure how to act on their feelings. Since our reception is being held in the same bar where Jason and I met, I’m hoping that the place will cast the same magic over them, and that after a couple of drinks they’ll finally get brave enough to explore the chemistry that’s practically pouring out of them.

  Jason keeps one arm around Kelsey, holding her tight against his torso and uses his free hand to take mine, twining our fingers together before placing a whisper-soft kiss on my lips.

  Someone clears their throat. “Excuse me. I believe I’m supposed to tell you when you’re allowed to do that.”

  Everyone laughs at the minister’s joke and we assume our positions. Jason and I standing face to face, love radiating from both our eyes, and flanked by Adele, who agreed to be my matron of honor even though she claimed to be too old for such nonsense, and Daryl. Kelsey stays on Jason’s hip. The ceremony is as important to her as it to me so it’s only reasonable that she be a part of it.

  While the sun sets behind us, we vow to love and honor one another and then Jason takes my mouth in a kiss that has my toes curling in cool sand while Kelsey claps her hands and laughs.