by J. E. Parker
My mind blanked as I let my body take over.
Without thinking about what I was doing or the danger that I was placing myself in, I met Chastity halfway across the room and slammed my body into hers. Chastity was tall, probably close to six feet, but I had a good sixty pounds on her. She didn’t stand a chance of staying upright when I hit her with the force of an NFL linebacker.
On impact, the knife Chastity held sliced into my forearm, but quite frankly, I didn’t give a shit.
When her body hit the ground a second later, the knife slipped from her grip.
It slid across the floor, completely out of her reach. That’s when she jerked her head up and looked at me. Fear filled her eyes making me smile like a lunatic.
I am not a victim.
My children are not victims.
Without stopping to think about what I was doing, I followed her to the ground and wrapped my hand around her slender throat. Her acrylic nails dug into my wrist, tearing my skin, but I didn’t care.
Right then the only thing I gave a damn about was neutralizing the bitch who’d threatened my children.
Once upon a time I’d been weak enough to allow a monster to harm not only me, but one of my babies. I wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.
I didn’t care if I had to kill Chastity with my bare hands. She would not cause more damage to my family than she already had.
Squeezing as tight as I could, I watched as her face reddened. “I won’t let you hurt him.” My voice remained surprisingly calm as angry tears welled in my eyes. “I won’t ever let anyone hurt them. Not ever again!”
Behind me, the apartment door opened.
Then, “Clara!”
Relief washed through me at the sound of Brantley’s voice.
Still, I didn’t let go of Chastity’s throat.
She’ll never stop, I told myself. They never do.
Before I could finish what I’d started, a pair of strong arms slipped beneath mine, and suddenly I was lifted into the air. My hands were torn from Chastity’s throat and I screamed in outrage. “No!” Fighting to get back to her, I tried to tear myself from Brantley’s hold but he was too strong.
“Goddamnit, bella dama,” Brantley cursed, sounding panicked. “Stop!”
That wasn’t an option.
I wouldn’t stop.
Not until Chastity was dead and the threat to my family eradicated.
Brantley’s hold on me tightened as I fought harder. “Baby, stop,” he demanded. “Please!”
Tears streamed down my face.
Just like with Colin, I’d failed.
Chastity wasn’t gone, she wasn’t dead, and I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she’d be back, because the monsters always came back. And when they came back, they hurt the people I cared about.
Images of Maddie covered in blood flashed before my eyes.
“Brantley, let me go,” I cried, clawing at his hands much like Chastity had done mine. “I have to stop her.” At that point, I was hysterical, bordering on insane. “I can’t let someone else I love be hurt. Not again”—I shook my head—“never again.”
“It’s over, Firecracker,” Brantley said, still holding me tight and rocking me from side to side. “Look at her, baby.”
Through the tears clouding my vision, I did as he said.
My entire body stilled at the sight before me.
Anthony kneeled beside Chastity, a pair of handcuffs in his hand. I hadn’t seen him nor Keith—who stood behind him—come in.
“She’s going to prison, Clara,” Brantley whispered against my ear as Keith walked over to us and knelt beside me. With a gentle touch, he inspected my cut arm. “That cut on your arm means she’s about to get nailed with an assault and battery with intent to cause bodily harm charge. That combined with breaking and entering and she’s going away for a long time, baby.” He continued to rock me from side to side. “Now take a breath for me, beautiful girl.”
Doing as he said, I took a breath.
“Good girl. Now take another one.”
Again, I did as he said.
When the fog surrounding me receded, one question popped into my head.
That question? “Brantley,” I cried, ignoring the pain working its way up my arm now that the adrenaline was beginning to fade. “Where are my kids?”
“Outside in the breezeway,” he replied quickly. “Grandmama came with Keith and Anthony to help you pack. They were with me when we heard screaming from outside.”
“It’s just a superficial wound, B. Barely a graze,” Keith said to Brantley as he continued to inspect my arm. “Doesn’t need much. Just clean it with some peroxide and slap a big ol’ Bandaid on it. She’ll be fine.”
“Let me go,” I demanded, not giving a damn about the cut on my arm.
Listening, Brantley released me.
Free, I wrenched my arm from Keith’s hold, jumped to my feet and ran outside.
Clara
I held my breath as I stepped into the breezeway.
Knowing the kids would be frightened by what they’d seen, and quite possibly of me, I slowed my steps and approached them carefully. Upon reaching them, I dropped to my knees, and despite the urge to reach out and touch them, I placed my hands on my thighs.
I couldn’t stop the tears that fell from my eyes.
I wasn’t sure what I would do if they were scared of me.
Just the thought gutted me.
Swallowing, I looked up, and met Grandmama’s gaze.
Like me, tears fell from her eyes, creating wet track marks down her cheeks. After running her shaking hands through all three kiddos hair, one after the other, she reached over their heads with one hand and cupped my cheek. “I knew it,” she whispered, her voice so quiet I hardly heard her. “I knew when the time came that you’d fight. And fight you did.” Her chin wobbled, making my chest tighten. “I am so daggum proud of you.”
“I messed up,” I whispered, voicing my biggest fear. “I showed them what I never wanted them to see again”—my eyes flitted to Bella—“and now I’m responsible for fresh scars.”
Grandmama shook her head. “You did what you were supposed to. What any good mother would do. You protected your children.” A smile stretched across her face. “This time, Clara Rose, you didn’t let the monster win.”
My heart pounded all over again.
“Mama,” Liam said, pulling my attention from Grandmama to him. “I’m proud of you too.” His eyes watered; his lower lip quivered. “She was gonna hurt Dec. Just like Colin hurt me.” His words hurt worse than a knife to the heart. My baby had been hurt because I wasn’t strong enough to leave, to protect him. “But you stopped her.” I nearly lost it when the first tear fell from Liam’s eyes. “You kept your promise”—he paused—“you kept us safe.”
Without warning, Liam threw himself into me, wrapping his arms around my neck.
Unable to hold it back, a sob worked its way up my throat. “I love you so much, Liam.” Another sob. “So dang much.”
Liam’s arms squeezed me tighter. “I love you too.”
I don’t know how much time passed—a minute maybe—before he released me and took a step back. Wiping the tears from his eyes with the bottom of his shirt, he smiled at me. “I wish Aunt Shelby were here.”
I chuckled at that.
“Your daggum right,” Grandmama said. “She’s gonna be proud as all get out when I tell her. You may just be swimming in chicken wings and tacos from here on out, Miss Fancy Pants.”
I should’ve laughed at that but I didn’t.
My attention shifted as I focused on a silent Declan and Bella. Unlike his older brother, Declan wasn’t crying. Instead, he wore an unreadable expression on his face that made my anxiety increase three-fold. “Declan, baby, I’m so—” I started.
“I don’t like that woman,” he huffed, interrupting me. “She makes Bella cry.” His voice was stern, his tone serious. “I don’t like it when Bella cries.”
“I know baby,” I replied, running a single finger down the side of his face. “I don’t like it when my little princess cries either.”
Beside Declan, Bella’s tear-filled gaze dipped to the floor.
“I don’t want to see her no more,” Declan stated, throwing his arms up in the air. “She’s a witch and I don’t like witches.” Huffing out a breath, he continued. “I don’t like when people are mean to my sister. It’s not nice and—”
Bella giggled through the tears and Declan snapped his mouth shut. “What?” he asked, confused. “What’s funny?”
“You said Bella was your sister, doofus,” Liam said, rolling his eyes. “That’s why she’s giggling.”
Declan’s confusion only grew. “Well she is, ain’t she?”
“Do you want her to be?” Grandmama asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.
Again, Declan threw his arms up in the air. “I thought she already was!”
Bella chose that moment to lock eyes with me. Her tears had slowed but they still fell, breaking my heart. Gently taking her hands in mine, I whispered, “I love you, Princess. More than you’ll ever know.” She remained silent so I kept talking. “I’m so sorry if I scared you, baby. I didn’t want to do that. I didn’t want to hurt your…” My voice trailed off. I had no idea what to call Chastity. Right or wrong, I couldn’t bring myself to refer to her as Bella’s mother. That was a title that she didn’t deserve. “… I was trying to keep you safe.”
Bella’s chin wobbled. “I’m scared,” she whispered, crushing my soul.
Knowing I’d scared her broke something inside me.
I became everything I swore to never be…
“Baby, I didn’t mean to scare you. I only—”
“I not s-scared of you,” she interrupted, stuttering. “She d-did… She tried to h-hurt D-Dec”—her tears fell faster—“I don’t want her to hurt h-him.”
I squeezed her hands gently. “She won’t, Princess,” I said. “I promise.”
Bella nodded. “Okay,” she said, her chin wobbling. “I wanna go h-home.”
“We’re going home,” Brantley said from behind me, startling me. “Now.”
I dropped Bella’s hands, stood, and turned to face him. “Brantley—”
The expression plastered on his face caused me to snap my mouth shut.
He looked pissed.
And I mean pissed.
“Don’t say a word, Clara,” he said through gritted teeth. “We’ll talk about it when we get home.”
Instantly deflating, my shoulders slumped forward, and fear set in.
He’s going to take Bella from me…
“Daddy,” Bella fussed, her voice bordering on whiney. “Don’t be mean to C-Clara. She’s gonna c-cry again.” She hiccuped. “I don’t want her to c-cry.” Sinking my teeth into my bottom lip, I closed my eyes. “My belly h-hurts when she c-cries,” she continued. “Cause I l-love her.”
My eyes popped open.
My breath hitched in my chest.
Spinning around, I dropped to my knees in front of her. “You love me?”
Bella jerked her head down once. “Yes.”
Cupping her cheeks, I smiled through the tears. “You’re not scared of me?”
“No. Only h-her.”
“She will never hurt you, sweet girl, I promise.”
“I know,” Bella replied, taking a shaky breath. “Cause I have you.” Rendered speechless, I remained silent. It didn’t matter though because Bella kept talking. “Clara…”
Her eyes flitted to Brantley before coming back to me.
“Yeah, sweet girl?”
“Are you g-gonna be my m-mommy now?”
Heart nearly bursting, I mirrored Declan’s words to the little girl who’d become the daughter of my heart. “I thought I already was.”
Without saying a word, Bella slammed herself into me.
In return, I wrapped my arms around her, holding her tight as she pressed her face against my chest and cried. Hard. Burying my face in her soft curls, I rubbed my hand up and down her back. “I love you, Bella Boo,” I told her. “Always, Princess.”
I meant every word.
Brantley
It was almost midnight.
My house was silent, the air thick.
Clara was in the shower and down the hall, the kids were asleep in Liam’s room, safely tucked in the queen-sized bed I’d bought him days before. After what happened at Clara’s apartment they hadn’t wanted to leave each other’s sides. I didn’t blame them. The comfort they found in one another was similar to what I’d experienced with Evan when we were kids.
More proof that they are meant to be together…
Sitting on the edge of my bed, I bounced my knee up and down as I waited for Clara to get done. Close to losing my damn mind, I was ready to walk in there and either pull her out or join her. She’d spent the last thirty minutes in there hiding from me.
I didn’t like it.
Not one bit.
My girl was terrified of what my reaction to what happened earlier would be, but I could do little to comfort her. Barely able to keep my temper in check, I was teetering on the edge of losing my shit. For the past eight hours, I’d been walking a fine line; one which I wasn’t sure I’d be able to adhere too much longer.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Clara with her hands wrapped around Chastity’s throat, her eyes filled with determination, while the kids cowered against the wall near the door.
Well, one hadn’t cowered nor cried.
Liam…
Busy shielding Declan and Bella from what was happening, he didn’t have time to be scared. Instead, he stood in front of them, blocking Chastity and Clara’s fight from their view. It was because of him that the younger two didn’t see Clara fly into an instinctual rage which led to her almost choking my ex-wife to death with her bare hands.
They knew they were fighting, but hadn’t actually seen it.
In my head that made a hell of a difference.
I only hoped that I could make Clara understand that too. The guilt for what she’d done and how she’d done it was eating her alive.
I’d known that from the moment I saw her kneeling on the breezeway in front of the kids, shame and disgust written across her face. At the time, I wanted nothing more than to scoop her up into my arms and just hold her, but I couldn’t do that. Moretti was seconds away from hauling Chastity out of Clara’s apartment in a pair of handcuffs.
That was something the kids didn’t need to witness.
Just thinking about what Chastity had done made my entire body shake with fury. If Moretti and Keith hadn’t run into the apartment at the same time as me, I would have killed her my damn self. I would never raise my hand to a woman, but Chastity went after Declan with a knife and that changed things. There isn’t a thing I wouldn’t do to protect all three kids—including the two who I had every intention of making mine legally—from harm. If a grown adult was evil enough to cause them harm, then all bets were off.
And that was the bottom goddamn line.
The water in the shower cut off, making me sit up straight. Gut churning, I stared at the half-opened bathroom door. Holding my breath, I waited for my girl to appear.
I didn’t have to wait long.
Wearing nothing but a white towel wrapped around her, Clara emerged.
Her face was red, her cheeks puffy, her eyes bloodshot.
A blind man could’ve seen that she spent the entire shower crying.
I doubted she even washed herself.
Before I could say a single word, she wrapped her arms around her belly and dropped her gaze to the floor. Her shoulders shook as the first of her sobs escaped. “I’m sorry,” she said, her voice lined with so much anguish it made my chest ache. “I know you’re pissed at me and I don’t blame you, but Brantley, I couldn’t—”
“I’m not pissed at you,” I interrupted, standing. “Not in the least.”
A tear fell from her face before land
ing on the carpeted floor beneath her feet. “How?”
“How what?”
She looked up but still avoided my gaze. It made me twitchy; unsettled.
“How can you not be mad at me? Look at what I did.” Her eyes met mine. “I became the very thing I swore to never be”—she paused—“and I did it right in front of the kids.”
“What do you think you became?” I asked, already knowing her answer would differ from mine.
“A monster,” she said as her entire body shook. “I became him.”
That was the moment my waning control snapped.
Moving across the room, I didn’t ask for her permission before scooping her up into my arms. Turning back around, I carried her to the bed where I deposited her on the center of the mattress. Lying on my side next to her, I wrapped an arm around her belly and pulled her into me. Then, I cupped her jaw in my hand and turned her head so that her face was directly in front of mine.
Our noses nearly touched.
Mere inches separated our lips.
“You are not, nor will you ever be a fucking monster,” I stated firmly. “You didn’t hurt an innocent and you sure as hell didn’t do it for your own sick and twisted pleasure.” Hearing her compare herself to that fuckwad Colin made my insides twist. “What you did is what any decent mother in your situation would have done. You protected our children from an unstable adult who was hell bent on hurting someone.”
“I choked her,” she replied, her eyes filled with sadness. “In front of the kids.”
I shook my head. “Declan and Bella didn’t see a thing.”
Her brows furrowed in confusion. “How?”
“Liam stepped in front of them, shielded their bodies with his own. When Anthony and I burst through the apartment door, both had their hands covering their eyes. Grandmama was right behind us and she grabbed all three kids and pulled them out into the hall.” A humorless chuckle spilled from my lips. “But first, when she first saw what was happening, she went for her purse. I’m assuming she was ready to pull out her gun and pop a cap or two in Chastity’s bony ass.”