Dalton watched with wide eyes as Drew popped the lock on the locker and then opened it, revealing a cache of guns that would make any redneck jealous. “Holy shit.”
“Yeah.” He smiled grimly at his friend. “Get what you want, but make sure it can be concealed. Then we’re headin’ out to Tyler’s. Dad and the boys are gonna try to meet us, but if we get there first, we need to figure out what we’re up against. I have a feelin’ this chick didn’t plan to do this on her own.”
He and Dalton armed themselves to the teeth, even putting on bulletproof vests, just in case. Whatever they would find, they would find, and he hoped like hell that they could make it in time.
*
“Are you done changing her yet?” Stephanie yelled towards Addie’s bedroom.
Mandy quickly put on a fresh diaper, trying to calm the child down. She didn’t necessarily like diapers any longer, and she could sense that something wasn’t right. It was causing her to squirm, and she began to whine, very close to pitching a fit. “We’ll be out in just a second.” She thought fast. “I had to change her clothes too.”
Putting a new pair of pants on Addie, she proceeded to turn the lamp on beside the window, hoping that it would beckon Drew to this room. As she left and shut the door, she prayed that this would work, that they would get out of the mess they had found themselves in. Hopefully Drew would be smart enough to know that since she’d been in there with Addie, it could be a way he and Dalton could come through.
“Set her down and sit with the other two over here on the couch.” Stephanie motioned with the gun, refusing to take her hand off of it.
“There’s no reason to keep them involved in this,” Meredith told the other woman. “I’m what you’re after.”
A smarmy smile covered Stephanie’s face as she gazed at Meredith’s round stomach. Her eyes were bright. “No, Addalynn is what I’m after; you’re just in my way.”
Meredith knew she had to keep her talking. If she could keep her talking, then maybe they all had a chance to make it out of this alive. It was obvious the woman was on something, the way she kept looking around and the nervous ticks she was exhibiting. How did they work that to their advantage? “We looked for relatives. We looked for almost a year, and no one came forward. Where were you?”
Stephanie laughed, but it didn’t reach her throat. “My sister wasn’t the only one with a problem. That’s why I need Addalynn—she has the family gene—addiction runs rampant in our family. She needs to be around people who can deal with that, people who can show her how to live in society when you aren’t perfect.”
The words didn’t make sense even to Mandy. To get Stephanie’s attention off Meredith, she spoke. “Then why shouldn’t she be around people who can? Neither Mer nor her husband are addicted to anything. Wouldn’t it make sense that she be completely out of that environment to begin with?”
“Shut up,” Stephanie yelled at her.
“Why? Because I’m making sense?” Mandy taunted her more.
“Because you know nothing about this situation.”
“But I do.” Mandy got up from the couch and went to get in Stephanie’s face. She’d pissed her off, coming into Tyler and Meredith’s home and threatening to wreck everything that the two of them had worked so hard for. There were not two other people in the world who deserved to be happy more than they did, and Mandy was old enough to know that she wouldn’t stand for it to happen now. “I know that Addie loves her family, she knows who her mom and dad are, and she knows the people that love her. They are good people who put family first. They sure as hell aren’t a crack whore like you.”
*
Outside the house, Dalton and Drew were trying to get inside, along with Tyler and Liam, who had turned around immediately and come home. They’d taken care of two guys who had set up shop at the beginning of the driveway, and now they were working to get into Addie’s bedroom.
“My daughter is going to get herself killed,” Liam worried as he jimmied the lock he’d placed on the window himself during Tyler’s remodel and loosened the frame so that he could break the seal.
“If this lady doesn’t kill her, I’m going to,” Dalton said, running an agitated hand through his hair. “For scaring the shit out of me.”
“When we get in here,” Tyler’s voice was quietly venomous. It had been a very long time since he’d let the darkness envelope him, but as soon as he’d heard the message from Drew, the darkness had done just that. “This bitch is mine, and when we get done, you’re giving me that free shot.” Tyler glanced at Liam. Meredith was never in danger, his ass.
‡
Chapter Thirty
“You need to shut your mouth,” Stephanie told Mandy, holding the gun tighter in her hand. “Or you’re going to find out what else I’m good at.”
Mandy knew she was playing with fire and honestly didn’t know how far she should try and play the game. From behind her, she heard Addie’s room door open and took the chance to look. Standing there like an oasis in the middle of the desert were her dad, Tyler, Drew, and Dalton, and they were all pointing guns at Stephanie.
“Get out of the way, Mandy,” Tyler commanded as he walked towards where they stood with his gun drawn.
Meredith watched her husband, worried. She hadn’t seen the look in his eyes in a long time. She hated that he had been pushed to this point, hated that either of them were in this situation. How many times in their lives would they have to defend themselves? How many times would they have to fight for one another?
“Get in the bedroom,” he ordered the women. “You don’t need to be out here for this. Grab Addie and go.”
Glancing back, Meredith saw that Stephanie still hadn’t dropped her weapon. “If you hurt him, I will end you,” she told her, venom in her own eyes. There was no way she was going to let something happen to their family now that they had finally found one another and they were getting everything they always wanted.
When the women were finally in the other room, Tyler smiled at Stephanie. “I eat bitches like you for breakfast. You think you’re gonna come in my house and hurt my family? You’ve got a whole hell of a lot more coming your way.”
“You talk a huge game with a gun in your hand,” she taunted him.
Tyler clicked on the safety and dropped the gun, a smile on his face. “I don’t need a gun to talk any kind of game for me. You put yours down, and we’ll go at it skin on skin. I’m not too good to hit a lady.”
“And I’m not too good to hit a redskin,” she taunted him right back.
He almost flinched. It had been a lifetime since he’d been called that particular name. At one time it wouldn’t have hurt, but now that he had been accepted so readily by the people around him, it did hurt. Shaking it off, he held his hands out to the side. “I’ll give you one free shot, and then I’m gonna kick your ass,” he told her, leaning forward so she could get a good, clean shot.
Stephanie took the opportunity and hit him for all she was worth, wincing when her hand cracked. Her heart sped up when she realized Tyler hadn’t even moved an inch.
With reflexes that hadn’t dulled one bit over the years, he swung back with one hand and let it fly. It felt good to feel her crack beneath his fist. He knew it shouldn’t, he’d never been one to hit a woman, but he’d also never been one to discriminate. Danger was danger, regardless if they were male or female. All he knew was that he’d come into his home and this woman was threatening it.
She did her best to keep up with him, drawing her knee up to kick him in the balls. When he sidestepped her, she tried to go for his feet but then realized he wore heavy black boots.
Tyler was sick of playing with her; he was bigger, strong, smarter, and just plain meaner. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he pulled back against her arms and held her in front of him, keeping her arms taut so she couldn’t break away. “I don’t right know what to fuckin’ do with you at this moment, but I can tell you this, I’d like to put a bullet through the bac
k of your head for coming and fucking with my family.”
Stephanie shivered at those words. “You’d do it with my niece in the other room?”
“No,” his voice was quiet. “I’d take you out back, away from my daughter, away from wife; I’d kneel you down on the ground and put you down execution style. Not even blink an eye at it.”
They all knew he was telling the truth. Tyler did not mess around when it came to Meredith or Addie.
“C’mon, man.” Liam grabbed hold of him as he walked over. “You don’t wanna do this to yourself right here, right now. Let us take care of her.”
“No.” Tyler shook his head. “She threatened my family. I can’t let her go.”
“Please,” they heard Meredith’s soft voice as she barely opened the door. “Don’t do this. Let them take care of it for you. You’ll never be able to look at Addie again and be her hero. This will eat at you, and you’ll never be able to run from it. Come to her with a clear conscience.”
The boys could tell that Meredith was getting through to him, and they didn’t want anything to happen when they made an exchange, so they went over and grabbed both of her arms, dragging her away from the big man. “You’re lucky,” he told her. “I’m not a forgiving man and I’m not an easy man, and you only got a small taste of that tonight. You don’t realize how fucking lucky you are.”
Turning around, he was ready to lay into his wife, even though he knew she spoke the truth, even though he knew she was trying to save him from himself. When he glanced at her, he could see pain in her eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“I think my water broke.” She opened the door fully, exposing Mandy and Charity, along with Addie.
“Her water for real broke,” Mandy affirmed, holding Addie in her arms. “We need to get her to the hospital.”
“It’s too early, Ty,” she cried softly to him as he came forward and swept her into his arms.
“Eight months, you’ll be fine, I promise,” he told her, wondering if he told her the truth. He’d heard of many babies who were born at seven, even six months, who were now fine. Their son would be healthy and he would be fine. He knew this with everything in him. Their son had to be fine, because he knew neither of them could live if he wasn’t.
“You go,” Liam told his friend. “I’ll get this done and meet you there, and I’ll get everybody else up there too. You won’t have to worry about this piece of shit again.”
There weren’t many people in this world that Tyler trusted, and Liam was at the very top of that list. If Liam was going to make sure they never saw Stephanie again, then he believed it with every piece of his soul. He just had to also believe that Meredith and their son were also going to be okay.
*
The waiting area was eerily calm when Liam finally made an appearance, Rooster at his side. Everyone waited as family did, but instead of jubilation, there was an undercurrent of worry.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, as he picked up Tatum from where she slept next to Denise and had a seat.
Denise had obviously been crying, and that made him nervous. “She’s struggling. He’s a big baby—I mean look at Tyler. They’ve known for a while that he measured big, but she’s been adamant against a C-section. She wants to have the experience. When Tyler came out a few minutes ago, he said that they were almost at a crucial point where the doctor would make a decision and that would be that.”
“She’d be fine with a C-section though, right?” he asked. He’d thought that by the time he and Rooster had finally made their way to the hospital, baby Blackfoot would have already made his appearance. It had taken hours for them to get hold of a man who owed them a favor. Rooster had called it in, and in the end, their hands were clean. Not only was Stephanie taken care of, but they were now clear with Jessica’s father. They had always known they could use him for something; they’d just never been sure what. He’d fulfilled that use tonight. They were keeping themselves as clean as possible, while they continued to be a force to be reckoned with, was always the main priority.
“Most women are, but she’s struggled for a while. If her body is weak, then there could be an issue,” B, told them as she sat next to Jagger, hands in her lap, legs crossed. She kicked one leg, obviously anxious about what was happening.
The doors to the waiting area burst open, and Tyler stood there, breathing heavily. “They’re taking her in for a C-section. Both she and the baby are in distress. Keep thinkin’ about us. I think it’s gonna be a long night.”
‡
Chapter Thirty-One
Three hours later, and Tyler felt like he could finally breathe again. Once they had her on the operating table and had taken their son, her vitals had crashed, and there had been a bleed that they couldn’t stop. It was decided quickly they would take every measure they needed in order to save her life. Tyler had agreed, signing the paperwork to give them permission, and had left as fast as his feet would carry him. The doctors needed to concentrate on her, and he needed to concentrate on their son.
Born early, he still weighed in at seven pounds even, long, and very strong. His lungs were well-developed, and initial tests had shown he was perfectly healthy. Tyler was beyond thankful.
It wasn’t until the doctor had come into the room where he was doing skin to skin with his son and told him Meredith was fine that he’d let the tears fall. For a few short moments, he’d allowed himself to think about what his life would be like without her. How would he take care of not only Addie but their new son? Caelin was a warrior, and they had known when searching for names he was already living up to the meaning, but Tyler hadn’t been sure he was that strong. If he had to live life without Meredith, he wasn’t sure he’d want to live it.
Mopping up his cheeks as the door opened again, Ashley came in with a bassinet to put Caelin in. “Meredith’s out of recovery, and she’s in her own room. We’d like to take you down to her. We’ll keep your son in the room with the two of you for as long as you want.”
“Are there still people in the waiting area for us?” he asked, having forgotten about all of that, including Addie. He was struck stupid for a few moments.
“No.” She shook her head, smiling softly. “I think they were as drained as you are. Jagger and B took Addie home, and Denise said to let her know if you need Meredith’s bag, she’ll bring it up tomorrow when she comes to visit.”
He was so damn grateful for the people in his life, he didn’t know what to say, what to do, but he knew he wouldn’t be completely okay until he saw Meredith, until he spoke with her and could see for himself that she was fine. “Take me to her?”
Ashley didn’t have to be asked twice, it was her pleasure.
*
Meredith was fighting to open her eyes as she heard the door to her room open and the sound of someone come in. She could tell by the smell that surrounded her it was Tyler. No one had the same scent that he did.
“Mer?” he questioned softly. “Can you hear me?”
“Yeah.” She licked her dry lips, trying to adjust herself on the bed, but she hurt. She hurt everywhere. “What happened? How’s the baby?”
“Caelin is perfect. Do you remember what happened in the delivery room?” he asked, not wanting her to be shocked when she finally came to.
“They couldn’t stop the bleeding. They had to do a hysterectomy,” she said, clearer now, but it was still so hard to open her eyes. That part had worried her, but in the end, she’d gotten what she wanted. None of it mattered anymore.
“Right, but you and he are doing great. He’s a wonderful size, and the doctor said that everything is as good as can be with you. Now we just have to get you both home and get you healed. We’ll be good to go.”
“Where’s Addie?” She worried about the little girl. She’d been through a lot this day.
“With Jagger and B. She’s being well taken care of…please open your eyes for me, baby. I need to know that you’re okay.”
It was his words that finally b
roke through the fuzziness, his pleading that made her want to brush the sleep away. “The light is really bright.” She shielded her face from the overhead light until he could turn it off.
“You opening your eyes is the best thing I’ve seen all day, besides this little guy right here.”
Meredith struggled to sit up as best she could when she heard a sound come from her son. Turning her head to side, she saw Tyler holding him, and immediately tears poured, especially when he reached over and handed her the bundle wrapped in a blanket.
“He’s perfect,” she whispered as she moved the blanket to count every toe and each finger.
“He is,” Tyler agreed. “Thank you, for everything you’ve given me.” He leaned over, kissing her on the cheek.
She grabbed his hand, not letting him get too far away. “No.” She shook her head, tears still pooling in her eyes. “It’s me who should be thanking you.”
Content. Loved. Happy. All words both of them would use to describe their lives now—a start contrast from where they started, but neither of them would change their paths for the world.
‡
Epilogue
Drew sighed deeply as he felt Charity’s arms come around his waist. They’d been driving along the back roads of Warren County for hours. In the distance, he could see the sun rising, and he knew he had to get her home soon. Her car was packed and her room was booked at Duke. The stripper’s daughter was going to make something of herself, and he knew he couldn’t stand in the way. He stopped the bike at the end of her driveway, in order to give them a little bit of privacy. They’d spent a few hours that night saying goodbye to one another, the rest of the hours had been spent saying goodbye to landmarks of the places that she called home. He still couldn’t put his finger on it, but he didn’t expect her back. Drew shut the bike off and leaned back against her, letting her squeeze him tightly.
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