“Sure, but Mom, I’m not a baby anymore. I know Dad is going to kill the man that took me,” he says, as if it’s no big deal. Missy and I look at each other confused and wonder where that came from.
“Cade, your dad isn’t going to kill anyone,” Missy replies. I wasn't so sure about that.
Maddox
We're outside of the farmhouse where Lani is being held. What's going on is totally against the law. I should’ve contacted the local agencies. My dumb ass lets Evan and Brayden talk me into coming here. I’m surprised I don’t feel guilty about it. These people don't deserve to live. With no damn regard for their safety, Evan and Brayden bust out of the car. SHIT!
“Which way are we going in?” Brayden asks.
“Cade said they sit on the front porch. We'll go through the front.”
We're standing behind some trees about a hundred yards from the house. Evan and Brayden are discussing what they’re going to do and I'm trying to talk them out of it. I probably have a better chance of talking to the tree in front of me. All I can do is back them up and pray no one gets killed.
“I just want to go on record, saying this is the dumbest thing we’ve ever done,” I state. I’m nervous, but not scared. It’s just difficult not knowing a single thing about a place or it’s occupants before busting in.
As we get closer to the house, we see a couple sitting on the front porch. Before I know what’s going on, and before I can stop them, Evan and Brayden both raise their guns and fire, both hitting their targets.
“You didn’t miss.” Evan smacks Brayden on the back.
“Nope. Been practicing,” he laughs.
“Forever dart partners?” Evan asked.
“Oh my fucking God. You two just shot and killed people and you’re talking about darts?”
This is fucking bad.
“Alright, you two stay put. I’m going to get them,” Evan announces.
“Wait. You stay put, I’ll go get them," I counter.
“Maddox, remember when Kerrigan was attacked? You didn’t want to leave. You wanted to be there?” Shit. He’s right.
“Go. Please, be careful. Brayden, walk to the east side of the house. I’ll take this side.”
Brayden and I had been checking the surrounding area for ten minutes when I notice a truck pulled back into the trees. Shit. That’s Michael’s truck. Evan isn’t alone in that house. FUCK! As I'm motioning to Brayden, I hear gunshots. Both of us race to the house. Brayden stays downstairs while I run up, checking the rooms as I go.
I can hear Lani screaming and I know intuitively that Evan has been shot. My heart is racing, worrying about my brother. As I wait, I try to calm myself, taking a few deep breaths. Whoever's upstairs will be coming down. As much as I want to go up there, guns blazing, I know I can’t. I’d be a sitting duck for a bullet.
I look at the door with six deadbolt locks along with wooden boards crossing it in three parts. Lani and Cade had been definitely trapped. Time is passing slowly. I don’t know how long I've been waiting, but it feels like forever. Finally, the attic door creaks open. It takes only a second to realize it’s not Lani. He has his back towards me, so I’m able to sneak up behind him and put Michael in a chokehold. As I’m about to put cuffs on him, I think about how much pain he's caused and how much time he's stolen from the people I care about. In a deliberate move on my part, instead of placing him in handcuffs, I put the gun to his head and pull the trigger. With Michael on the ground, I race upstairs, praying there's nobody else. As I enter the attic, I see Lani crying and holding Evan’s head. I hear him groan in pain - he's alive. That’s all I care about right now.
“Evan. Where are you hit?” I ask. His shirt is covered with blood.
“Shoulder.” I rush over, trying to take off his shirt to examine the damage.
“Don’t.” Evan says, raising his good arm to stop me.
“What do you mean, don’t?”
“I’ll be fine.”
“I let your dumb asses talk me into doing this shit. I’m taking you to the fucking hospital and I'm stopping this bleeding now.” I rip open his shirt and what the fuck?
“Evan?”
“What?” He asks.
“Why are you covered in tattoos?” When I say covered, I mean covered. They’re everywhere.
“Are we talking tattoos or are you getting us out of here?” Shit. I yell for Brayden to come up.
“Where’s the baby, Lani? I want to see him,” Evan says.
“Her, Evan. I’m keeping her. I’m sorry, but I can’t give her up.” Lani starts crying as she goes to get a very limp baby. This baby desperately needs medical attention.
“Her?” Evan questions.
“Yes, Evan, her. I’m not giving her up, Evan. I’m not.”
“Did Jase know you were pregnant?” I ask.
“Jase isn’t her father, I am.” Evan grinds out. This is a total mind fuck. What the fuck is happening?
“Are you mad?” Lani asks hesitantly.
“No. I want to see her,” Evan says gently. Lani lays the baby on his chest and Evan looks worried. I’m scared for the baby. We need to go.
Brayden carries the baby down the stairs as I help Evan. When we're all loaded in the car, the arguments start on where to go. No one wants to go to the hospital since that leads to questions, but Harper needs medical care. This is such a mess. Not knowing what else to do, we head to Noah’s. We drop Brayden off to grab Kerrigan’s car. He's going home to check on Missy and Cade and then meet us at Noah’s. Lani claims she isn’t producing enough breast milk. She said it’s been over twenty-four hours since Harper ate.
“Lani, why didn’t tell me you were pregnant?” Evan asks her.
“I didn’t know until the night he took me. Kerrigan asked me if it were possible that day at the party. I didn’t think it was. Later that night, I had to know. I went to the store to get a pregnancy test.”
“Your fucking wife kept that shit from me. She better not come near me!” Now MY blood is boiling.
“Don’t fucking take this out on Kerrigan. Don’t speak to my wife. I don’t know why she kept it from you. I'll be the one to find out.” He better not say a damn word to Kerrigan or I’ll put a bullet in his other damn shoulder.
“She didn’t know, Evan. I wasn’t late. It was just a thought she had. I assured her I wasn’t.”
I look in the rearview mirror and see Evan patting Harper.
“Why wouldn’t you tell me? I would’ve gone with you.”
“Because I didn’t know. I was going to make an appointment for an abortion before I told you. I was scared you’d be mad, so I wanted to go to you with a plan.”
“You were going to kill my kid?”
“Well, I don’t view abortion as killing. We slept together one time. You don’t love me. I don’t love you. It was a mistake. I don’t expect anything from you. I promise you don’t have to be in her life. I can do this on my own. I’m so sorry, Evan.”
“Lani, you’re wrong. I do love you.”
“No, you don’t. And you don’t want Harper, either,” Lani says quietly, looking down at her baby. Evan is silent. It kills me when I look in the rearview mirror. Evan looks devastated.
Chapter 32
Maddox
When we pull up to Noah’s, I use the water from my water bottle to clean Evan up as much as I could before giving him a towel from my gym bag to cover the bullet wound. I remove my shirt and make Evan put it on. Lani is barefoot, holding a naked baby. It looks like we've been a war and I'm escorting refugees into my brother's home. I decide to call Noah and have him bring a blanket down. He tells us to pull into the parking garage and he'll meet us at the car. He has no idea what he’s about to walk into, but how the hell do you explain this shit over the phone? Noah takes one look at us and immediately goes into doctor mode. He carefully takes baby from Lani and rushes off to the elevator.
Once we get upstairs, he shouts for Molly. His urgent tone has her running out from the bedroo
m.
“Oh my God! What’s going on?”
“Molly, check on Evan,” Noah instructs, and she rushes to Evan’s side.
“Brace yourself, Molly,” I caution.
“For?”
“Wait for it,” I say as she opens Evan's shirt. Her face registers shock, but she immediately recovers and starts examining the bullet wound. Why don't the tattoos surprise her?
“Lani, when was the last time she ate?” Noah questions.
“Yesterday, but I don’t think I’ve been producing much milk.”
“Maddox, get the breast milk out of the fridge. Warm a bottle up for her.” I do as I’m told.
“Lani, would you mind? I want to see if she's strong enough to eat on her own,” Noah says.
“Not at all. Do it,” Lani consents, kneeling next to Noah. After the milk is warmed, I take the bottle to Noah. We all sigh with relief Harper starts to suck the milk.
“She’s eating. She’s eating, Evan,” Lani cries out happily, gently stroking Harper's face with her finger.
“I see. She’s tough like her mommy,” Evan smiles warmly. Noah hands Harper to Lani so he can help Molly tend to Evan.
“You look like a damn criminal,” Noah remarks taking in the sight of Evan's tattoos.
“Well, after tonight, that isn’t too far off the mark,” Evan jokes.
“Please, don’t tell me. I don’t want to know what you idiots have done.”
The elevator door opens and Brayden rushes in inquiring, “Everyone okay?“
“Looks like it, but I need to take the baby to the hospital for a thorough exam. I can't be sure without proper medical equipment,” Noah replies.
“That’ll lead to questions, Noah. And trust me, you do not want questions,” Brayden expresses.
“There's also the matter of a birth certificate - she needs to go. Plus, she could have serious issues going on that we don't know about,” Noah argues.
“Come on, Noah. You can sign off as the delivering doctor and I can sign as the assisting nurse,” Brayden insists.
Noah rolls his eyes, but I know he's going to do it.
“Fine," Noah relents. "Brayden, come with me. We'll take her in and say it’s one of the twins. Just don’t let anyone get close enough to her to see the size difference. You put her into the computer system and get her birth certificate. I’ll say she was delivered at home."
“Sounds like a plan,” Brayden confirms.
“Lani, do you want to add Jase as the father?” Noah inquires.
“No,” Lani replies quickly.
“Okay, but it's going to be a hassle if you change your mind and decide to add him later,” Noah points out.
“Put me down as the father,” Evan declares.
“Evan, I’m not doing that,” Noah dismisses.
“Why? I’m her father.”
“Evan, you don’t have to do that,” Lani states.
“Lani, please don’t take this from me. You might not want me, but I want you. And I want my daughter. God, Lani. When you were gone, I allowed myself to hope that after I got you back, you’d love me and stop fighting this thing between us. I now realize that’s not happening, but please. Don’t keep Harper from me. She’s all I've got!” Evan pleads, grabbing his head in anguish. He’s barely holding it together.
A glance at Noah tells me he shares my thoughts. They consist of 'What. The. Fuck.' Lani is looking down at Harper, not saying a word. She continues to stay silent and I worry for Evan. She can't deny him this. She's not that cruel. It feels like an eternity before she finally looks up at Evan and meets his eyes. She slowly nods her head and a few tears escape from her eyes. Evan's eyes close and he lets out a breath of relief.
“We'll take care of the birth certificate," Noah affirms, breaking the silence. "Lani, before I leave, I need to examine you as well. We can go to another room, if you’d like."
“Not. Fucking. Happening,” Evan asserts, glaring at Noah.
“Evan, it’s my job. She could have an infection or worse. She needs to be checked.”
“Not by you, she's not.”
“Evan, it’s fine. Really, it’s fine,” Lani reassures him.
“No. Molly, can you do it?” Evan asks.
“I could try, but I don’t exactly know what I’m looking for. Noah should be the one to do it. I’ll stay with her,” Molly tries to convince Evan. Frustrated, he finally assents with a nod of his head.
“Maddox and Brayden, leave the room,” Evan commands. He doesn’t need to tell us twice, we quickly walk out. Once they're done, Brayden and I return.
Before he and Brayden leave for the hospital with Harper, Noah says, “Molly can you stitch Evan up? Evan, I'm think the bullet went through, but you might have fragments inside. There's no way to know for sure unless you let me take you to the hospital.”
“Nope. Molly, stitch me up.” Yup. He's a dumbass.
Kerrigan
Maddox is on his way home. I’m so relieved that everything turned out okay. I’m scared though, because Jackson is still out there and I have no idea what that means for any of us. I'm not sure we'd all survive if he does something like this again. As excited as Missy was to see Cade, I know she's still frightened.
It was very emotional watching Missy with Cade as he relayed what happened during his captivity. Lani would talk to him all the time, comforting him and making up games with whatever they could find. His favorite was a rock game. It was simple, similar to a bowling game. They’d stack stuff and slide the rock into them to see how much they could knock over. I was happy that Lani tried to make such a traumatic time for him less scary. He said no one ever hit them and he was always with Lani. As a parent, I'm sure Missy was relieved to hear that.
The minute Maddox walks in, he heads straight to the shower. He doesn’t have a shirt on and is covered in Evan’s blood. I give him a few moments to get the blood off before I strip down and join him. He wraps his arms around me and we start to kiss.
“It’s all over babe,” Maddox sighs.
“No, Jackson is still out there. It’s not over.”
“Yeah, you’re right. At least, Cade and Lani are home now.”
“Maddox, I need you right now.” I implore. I do need him. He turns off the water and we get out of the shower to dry off.
“I need you too, Kerrigan.” He kisses me with urgency. When we finally pull apart, he grabs my hand and leads me into the bedroom. He lowers me to the bed and parts my legs with his knee. God, I’ve needed him. Missed him. He gets on top of me, covering me with his body. He pauses at my entrance, saying, “Yes, I need you too, babe.” Then, he gently enters me.
He moves slowly and deliberately. He's propped on one arm, holding himself up while he's stroking my hair with the fingers of his other hand. “You’re so beautiful, Kerrigan.”
“So are you, Maddox.” My husband has a beautiful soul. Tonight, he's taking his time, making sure it lasts. Each thrust is a sweet caress. I can feel every delicious inch of him. He leans in to kiss me and begins to increases the pace. It feels amazing! HE feels amazing deep inside me and it's overwhelming. He kisses me with such passion and desperation that it sends me over the edge. “Maddox, I'm cumming!” I feel him smile against my neck.
“Me too, babe,” he grunts with one final thrust in me. “I love you Kerrigan,” he whispers in my ear.
“I love you too.”
Chapter 33
Kerrigan
Life is moving along just the way I dreamed it would. Gavin starts kindergarten today. I can’t believe how big he’s gotten in the past two years. He's also very smart. He and Eli are best friends; it's been fun watching that relationship develop. Yes, Eli can be the annoying little brother who breaks Gavin’s toys, but Gavin is patient and tries to understand. He did have a little melt down when his favorite, Spider-Man, was returned with only one leg. Maddox tried to fix it, but unfortunately for Gavin, Spidey's crime fighting days were over.
“You ready?” Maddox asks. He
knows how upset I was at the thought of dropping Gavin off.
“Yes,” I laugh out.
“I’m ready, let’s go!” Gavin says excitedly.
Maddox gets out and opens my car door before getting Eli out of his car seat. I take Gavin's hand and he's practically pulling me inside. He's so ready for this. It's a good thing too, had he been upset, I’d have said 'let’s try again next year.'
“You can let go of my hand now, Mom,” Gavin says. I start tearing up. Maddox wraps his arms around me.
“You have to let go babe,” Maddox tells me. And I do. I let go and watch Gavin walk into his classroom.
“Bye, Vin,” Eli shouts.
“Bye, Eli, see you after school.” The teacher closes the door and we walk out. I can’t imagine this day being any easier when Eli goes to school.
It’s a lesson I’ve learned in life. Let go of the things you can’t change.
Maddox
Kerrigan and I have been married a little over three years. We moved into our home on our one-year anniversary. Brady is a miracle worker. The home is just what we wanted. It’s not large or fancy, but it is everything we need. The love that fills it is what matters.
I was right about Aaron. He got what was coming to him in prison - he's someone's bitch. It seems that he couldn't follow the rules inside the prison either and managed to get himself another ten years for assaulting a corrections officer. I'm sure he'll never leave there because he can't control his temper.
Some time ago, Kerrigan told me she felt completely rebuilt. I love that phrase, because it's exactly how I feel. We've both survived shit lives and are now here helping to rebuild each other. And because of that, we stand taller and stronger.
Rebuilding Stone (The Stone Brother Series Book 2) Page 23