Reunited

by Jodi Kae

  That’s one more mark against him. Anyone with the same name as my ex-boyfriend, John, who stranded me on a beach in Miami, I avoid also. Although, I just might thank him, if I ever see him again, for dumping me that fateful day. If it hadn’t been for that, I would have never met Alexander who is the reason I have Alex.

  “My name Ax.”

  He grins at them showing off his eight teeth. “He has trouble saying r’s and l’s.” I say no more letting them draw their own conclussions as to why someone would name their child after a cleaning chemical. “Thank you for being patient with him. All of our traveling has been hard on him.”

  The woman stares at me for a minute, probably noticing the black eye that doesn’t seem to fade.

  “Daddy hits.” Ax blurts out.

  “Oh honey, these nice people don’t need to be bothered. Just finish your soup so we can go to sleep.” Shit, shit, shit! Maybe they will pretend they didn’t hear him or think they misunderstood and not say anything.

  “Please excuse me, ladies.”

  The man named John kisses his wife’s head and wanders off. As soon as he is out of earshot, the beautiful woman leans over and whispers quietly,

  “I want you to know that you are very brave for getting out. No one should suffer any kind of abuse and I’m sorry that your son had to see it.”

  “Oh, I’m not brave. I ran like a coward. I couldn’t protect my son anymore, so I took what I could and ran. My ex-boyfriend is not Alex’s dad, but he has been in our life since Alex was nine months old. The older Alex gets, the more he resembles his father, and the angrier Jerry got. He would break Alex’s toys and then put him in time out for long periods of time because he would cry over the broken toy. A week ago, I tried to soothe Alex and get him out of time-out and that’s when Jerry hit me in front of Alex. He has hit me before but never in front of my son. I knew then that it was time to leave. I vaguely remember the first time he slapped me, but I excused it away. Every time after that he would cry and plead for me to forgive him, stupidly I would when he would promise never to do it again. He would blame it on the lack of physical contact and say if I would just have sex with him that it would calm him. I’m Olivia by the way. I’m so sorry to dump all that on you, but we have been traveling and I only have an almost two-year-old with limited vocabulary for company.”

  I don’t know what made me tell her my real name, but she just looked so trustworthy and sincere. I had only given my real name to Marge when I needed to pay by credit card because I didn’t have any cash. I just pray that Jerry can’t access any of my banking information.

  “Where is Alex’s dad? Can he help you?”

  “You could say that I’m a very bad judge of character and only know how to pick losers. I was very naïve and allowed an incredibly sexy man to wine and dine me, whisper sexy things in my ear and take my virginity. When I woke up in the morning, he was gone. It was love at first sight for me and I don’t regret anything because I have Alex. I didn’t even know his last name or where he was from, so finding him six weeks after the fact was next to impossible.”

  “Well, I definitely understand the power of a sexy man and I have to say I don’t regret anything either.”

  John walks back in and leans down to give her a kiss then pulls her up.

  “That’s good to know, Baby. We have an early morning ourselves so you two have a good night.”

  Jen leans down to give me a hug then speaks quietly in my ear.

  “Everything will work out, I promise. My life was turned upside down too, and I couldn’t be happier with the new path I’m on. Sometimes we just hit a few bumps in the road.”

  They leave and I rush Alex through his soup, so we aren’t down here too long. I know Jerry is looking for me because he went into George’s and threatened everyone in the bar. I called Liz yesterday and told her we were stopping for a while, but I didn’t want to say where in case Jerry had people listening in or watching their place. Liz said he looked crazy and now she is glad I ran. Hopefully, my little detour into Alabama will throw him off our trail if he has picked up on one. “Come on little guy; it’s time for bed.”

  At 9:00 a.m. someone softly knocks on my door. Looking through the peephole I see Jen from last night. She was so nice at dinner and it was great to have an adult to talk to, so I open the door.

  “Hey, can I come in?”

  Opening the door wider, she accepts the invitation just as Alex comes barreling toward her and plows into her legs.

  “Well hello, Big Guy. What are you up to this morning?”

  “Hiding fum Daddy.”

  ‘I’m sorry, I really shouldn’t mumble to myself when he’s around. I forget that he repeats everything I say and many things I don’t. The daddy hits comment stems from what he’s seen and I feel horrible that he witnessed it. I should have left sooner, but I had no place to go where Jerry wouldn’t follow.” Jen and I talk about everything adults vent about for an hour. She confesses that her real name is Serenity, Ren for short, and they are avoiding people too. Her husband’s name is Derek and now I like him much better. Another knock at the door has Ren moving to open it and find her husband on the other side.

  “Baby, can we talk out here in the hall?”

  Derek seems like such a dominant man, and when he glances my way, I can’t help but cast my eyes down. Everyone has always said my eyes are too expressive, and I don’t need him reading into my situation more than the black eye shows. Ren puts Alex down and he runs to me as she walks out and shuts the door. She is only gone for a few minutes before she knocks lightly then walks back in.

  “It’s okay. He’s not mad; he was just worried.”

  She tells me about Jerry being here, but that Marge steered him away. Also, that Derek has paid for me stay at the B&B for two weeks until I can figure out where we’re going.

  “He has left five thousand dollars with Marge to help you and Alex, and when we open The Safe House in Boston, we want you to come stay there and help us run it.”

  Tears are running down my face for many reasons. Jerry is too close for my comfort, but now we have to lie low. He is probably watching every road, in and out of town, just waiting to see if I really am here and will make my escape soon. What brought him to the B&B? I don’t park my car in plain sight; it’s actually in Marge’s garage. I don’t go out, so people don’t see us to identify us. What led him here? He must have accessed my bank account and saw the charge of the B&B.

  I also cry for new friendships and caring people. I am a stranger to them, but they have willingly stuck their necks out for me, even though they seem to be in a bind too.

  “I have savings and I can’t take your money. I am in this mess because I took Jerry’s offer of a helping hand. Not that your money is bad, it’s just too much.”

  “Consider it a loan then. When you come to Boston, you can work it off.”

  We cry some more and hug goodbye. I know I will see her again, hopefully under better circumstances. I still plan on heading to Florida, but Boston sounds like a nice place too.

  Chapter Ten

  Loss:

  *the fact or process of losing something or someone. *a person or thing that is badly missed when lost. *the feeling of grief after losing someone or something of value.

  ~Savage~

  Damn Derek for sending me on this piddly ass errand of babysitting. I have already searched this podunk town two other times and came up empty-handed. After a few thousand dollars in search costs, he is going to learn the same way I did. If this woman doesn’t want to be found, no amount of searching will make a difference. No amount of money you spend in trying to find someone you lost will get results. But, here I am again, back at this B&B, searching for Ren’s friend and her little boy. They didn’t even have a picture of her, just a description that seemed eerily familiar. After two and a half years of searching for Livvy, I think my mind has finally snapped and my imagination sees her everywhere, even in brief descriptions.

  Afte
r standing here for twenty minutes, Marge was finally able to clear me, with Derek’s permission, and allow me up to Olivia’s room. I’m surprised he even answered the phone. Tonight is the grand opening of The Safe House and a lot of big names are supposed to show up. I am missing out on the party of a lifetime, so if this friend of Ren’s gives me any lip, I’m walkin’ away and letting someone else handle it. I knock on her door and wait.

  ~Olivia~

  “Please, Jerry, I beg you, don’t hurt him. He’s just a little boy. I can call my friend and she will take him, so you don’t have to deal with him. Please just let me call her.” He keeps waving the gun between Alex and me, as if not sure which one of us he wants to shoot. I have never seen Jerry so crazy and tears stream down my face, I pray for his sanity to return. Please, God, just answer this one prayer for me; don’t let him hurt my baby. I need one more bit of good luck since my luck of staying hidden has run out. I knew it was just a matter of time and I should have left this town when I realized that I was being hunted, not only by Jerry, but another man as well. Marge had told me that there was a different man in town looking for me too. She said the locals have reported seeing a tall, dark-haired man two other times asking about me. I think Jerry may have hired someone else to help him look for us.

  “This damn little boy has ruined my life. I see the longing in your eyes for his father every time you look at him. No matter what I did, I could not get you to love me like you loved your one-night stand. I took you in, even saddled with a kid. What have I gotten? A girlfriend who pines for a man she doesn’t know and won’t even have sex with me. I have invested a year waiting for you to be ready.”

  “Jerry, I’m sorry. Let me call Ren so she can take Alex and I will go with you, wherever you want, do whatever you want. I know you don’t like Alex so please just let him go free.” Three quick knocks on the door have me whipping my head around, praying that it is not Marge.

  “Who the hell is knocking at the door, Olivia? Have you been seeing someone? Is that why you ran from me so that you could shack up with someone else?”

  Jerry is looking crazier by the minute and he has lowered his voice to a whisper. Someone is going to get hurt if I can’t calm him down.

  “No, Jerry, please it’s probably just Marge or maybe the guy you hired to help find us. Put the gun away. If it is Marge, you’re going to scare her to death. I’ll do anything you want, Jerry. Please, let’s just go away together, okay.”

  “What the hell are you talking about, Olivia? I didn’t hire anyone. I have been searching for you on my own for weeks. That stupid bitch threw me off of your trail for a little bit, but fate was on my side and brought me right to you. Open the door, Olivia, NOW!”

  Slowly moving to the door, I pray that Marge will see the look on my face and run. Who knows what Jerry is going to do? I stretch up on my tiptoes to look through the peephole and my lungs freeze; my heart stops beating and my vision blurs. This can’t be. “Alexander,” whispers from my lips but Jerry must have heard me.

  “Open the goddamn door, Olivia. I want to get a look at the man who ruined my life. Open the door and move to the side.”

  I am more afraid in this moment than I was the day I found out I was pregnant and wouldn’t be able to find the father with just his first name. Oh my God, how could fate bring this man to my door at this moment? Why is he here? He left the morning he took my virginity and never came back; no, hey thanks, I had a nice time; no, can I give you a ride somewhere. Maybe this is just a fluke. Maybe he is not here for me at all; he just has terrible luck at being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He probably doesn’t even remember what I look like; it was dark after all.

  “Olivia, if you don’t open the door I am going to shoot your son.”

  He will do it. Jerry is so crazed right now that he will have no reservations about killing a small child; Alexander’s child. I slowly pull open the door and my heart breaks for the second time in two and a half years.

  ~Savage~

  Stunned doesn’t even begin to describe what I feel at this moment. My eyes lock on hers as instant recognition stops my heart right before the bullet does. The pain that punches through my chest doesn’t compare to the loss I feel at just finding her, only to lose her again. I keep my eyes open as long as I can. I know my body is falling backward, but I refuse to blink and miss one second of seeing her face. Even screaming with tears running down her face, she is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen or touched. When I can only stare at the ceiling, her face appears in front of mine as if I just willed it there. I’m sure she is screaming my name over and over again, but I can no longer hear. “I loved you...the moment...I laid eyes on you,” I whisper as I expel my last breath.

  ~Olivia~

  “NO! No, no, no, Alexander, oh my God, no. Stay with me, please. Call 911!” I am screaming and crying causing my baby to start crying. I have to get my shit together. Jerry hates it when Alex cries and I need to protect my son from this crazy man. I stand up from crying over Alexander on the floor and move toward my baby. I need to calm him before Jerry does something even crazier than killing a man in cold blood. I have dreamed of running into Alexander for two and a half years. I would play scenarios in my head of what his reaction would be when he saw his son for the first time. Would he see him as I do, the spitting image of his father? Would he love him at first sight and regret leaving me before he even knew a baby was in his future?

  “Look what you made me do, you stupid bitch! We are leaving now, Olivia.” I just wasted a year on you and I sure as hell am not going to jail for you too.”

  Jerry grabs me by the waist and carries me, kicking and screaming, down the back stairs and out the back door. He throws me into his truck and I scramble to sit up and make my escape. I didn’t see his fist until it was too late. The impact throws my head into the side window. The pain that radiates from my head to my toes is the last thing I feel. Oh my God, my baby; is the last thing I think.

  The Safe House

  The Safe House grand opening is in full swing as Derek, Ren, Jax and Tori stand in a group greeting the rich and the famous as they come to be a part of the biggest charity event of the year. Derek breaks away from the group when his phone starts vibrating.

  “Hello, Derek Mason speaking.”

  “Derek, oh Derek, the most terrible thing has happened.” Marge, the owner of the B&B cries into the phone. “The guy you said I could let up to Olivia’s room− the one who was here to help her, was shot in the chest by Olivia’s crazy stalker ex-boyfriend. I don’t even know how the ex-boyfriend got up there. He must have come through the back. I called 911 when I heard Olivia screaming, but he took her and left little Alex behind. Life flight picked up your friends body and took him to Atlanta. I don’t think he made it Derek; I’m so sorry.”

  Rejoining his wife, Ren, and good friends, Jax and Tori, Derek hangs his head and pinches the bridge of his nose. “That was Marge from the bed and breakfast. Troy was shot in the chest and life flight took him to Atlanta. She doesn’t think he is going to make it.”

  “Oh no, Derek,” Ren gasps. “What are we going to do? How is Olivia? What happened? Where’s Alex?”

  “First, we are going to turn this party over to my charity committee and fly to Georgia. Jax, can you gather the team and have them go to the airport? Marge said that Jerry took Olivia and left her baby behind. We will fly into Hawkinsville first and pick up Alex and then head to Atlanta. I hope we make it in time. I need the team to start in Hawkinsville and follow any trail they can find. We need to get Olivia back for her son.”

  Jax speaks for the first time since hearing the news. He looks like he just lost his brother. “Ren, did Olivia ever tell you where she was from? Maybe where she lived with Jerry or even his last name? Any information you can remember will help us in our search to find her before Jerry does something worse to her.”

  Tears are streaming down Ren’s face. “I don’t know, Jax, Ican’tthinkrightnow. I’msoworrieda
boutTroyandOlivia.” She takes a deep breath to calm herself. “What will happen to Alex, he’s just a baby?”

  Tori stays silent remembering her own recent stay in the hospital. After spending eight days in one herself, she would be more than happy to never step foot in a hospital again.

  Jax repeats himself again hoping to get a clear answer before Ren’s emotions makes it impossible for anyone to understand what she is saying. “Ren you need to calm down and try to remember everything. Any information you have, even if it seems unimportant to you, could be a lead in helping us find her before it’s too late. Derek told me that this guy is very unstable, so we need to move fast. I’m calling in the FBI. My boss will pull out all stops to find a cop killer. I think Tori and I will fly straight to Atlanta to be with Sav. He has no family except for me, and I’m afraid that we might be too late.”

  Before Ren can answer Jax’s barrage of questions, Derek speaks up to get the ball rolling. “Jax, tell the team they can fly with us then, and we will meet you in Atlanta.”

  Atlanta General Hospital

  “Mr. and Mrs. Wilson. Hi, I’m Dr. Thompson. Thank you for having the FBI Director call in and give us medical history for Mr. Savage. It was essential in making sure he received the most accurate care. The surgery was a success, although touch and go for a while. We were able to repair the subclavian artery and vein that were damaged by the bullet. A couple of centimeters in any direction and the bullet would have either hit the aortic arch or common carotid artery, and possibly the apex of the left lung. From the distance they had to fly him in, he wouldn’t have survived if that would have been the case. He does have a fractured clavicle and that will keep his arm immobile for a few weeks, but he is stable, and as soon as he wakes up you may see him.”

  “What is the down time for his injuries? Knowing Sav, he will want to be up and on the move as soon as possible.” Jax warns the doctor.

  “At least a few weeks. He was in distress for a while and as we were closing up, he seemed to be fighting the anesthesia. He started mumbling something about save Livvy, over and over. I have a feeling that he will be in a hurry to heal and get back to someone. You can ask him about that when he comes to.”