by J. L. Drake
“I thought we were finally past this part.” She sobbed and clung on to my shirt like she might lose me. My poor girl shook, and her tears flowed as I tried everything in my power to convince her I would keep her safe and make sure that sick bastard stayed far away from her.
I turned off the stove and walked her into the bedroom, where after forty-five minutes more of tearful conversation, she passed out from pure exhaustion.
I tucked the covers up to her chin and used the edge of the sheet to dry the few remaining tears on her cheek. I quietly closed the door, and once I was out in the living room, I made a call.
“Hey, Carter.” Nix turned down the music in his car. “What’s going on?”
“I heard from Officer Ivan today, and it looks like Ken bailed out Myles.”
“What?” I heard his engine idle down.
“I’ll explain everything later, but right now I think it’s time we have everyone in the know and on high alert. Could you get your parents, brother, and Grady up to speed while I fill in her friends and her work?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“All right,” I rubbed my aching head, “here’s what I know.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Arizona
“Baby turtle hid under the covers as the rain beat against his window and the wind whirled around, casting scary shadows on his wall. Mommy Turtle came in to make sure he was okay. He held his arms out, and she went to him. Baby Turtle could tell Mommy Turtle was tired, so he moved over and let her lay her head on his pillow. She wrapped her arms around him and held him close. She told him it was okay to be scared as long as he knew he was safe because she would never let anything happen to him and that her love would always protect him. Baby Turtle closed his eyes and wiggled closer, holding her hand, giving it three squeezes. It was their way of saying ‘I love you.’ She returned the squeeze, and he slipped off to a happy sleep.”
I closed the story and watched as Walker studied the back of the book like he always did. It was a picture of half a tree where the Turtles had their home. Various levels showed different sections of their house. The mommy was in a rocking chair knitting a blanket, daddy was reading a book by the fire, and Baby Turtle was playing with a small toy on the rug.
“Can you read it again?” He flipped the book over and opened it to the first page while I glanced at the time on the wall.
“I’m sorry, buddy, but your grandpa will be here soon. Maybe next time?” I knew better than to say an exact date. Giving false hope was not smart.
“I don’t want to go. I want to stay here with you.” He tucked his feet up and became a tiny ball on my lap. I didn’t want him to go either. I wanted to take him home with me so I could read stories to him every night.
“That makes me feel really good inside, Walker. I love spending time with you, too.” He looked up at me, and I could see my comment made him feel something by the way he gave me a smile. “But, buddy, your grandma and grandpa love you very much and would be really sad if you didn’t go home with them.”
“I want to live with you and Carter.” His eyes welled up, and I felt mine doing the same. “I would be a good boy. I promise.”
“You’re a wonderful boy, Walker, but you’re not mine to have. But you know I’m always happy to see you when you come to visit us at the center.”
His mouth pouted and his eyes squinted in a total little boy scowl. I had to smile.
“Walker,” Jessi called, “your grandpa is here.”
He slowly unfolded from my lap and grabbed the stuffed puppy Carter had given him.
“Why don’t you take this?” I tucked the Turtle book in his backpack and handed it to him. He tossed himself at my legs, and I picked him up and started to walk toward the door.
“I’ll see you soon, Walker.” I pried him from my body and set him on his feet. “You know you’re always right here.” I patted my heart, and he gave me a small nod.
“Thanks, Arizona.” Walker’s grandpa looked a lot worse than the last time I saw him. He gave me a weak smile. “Jessi can fill you in.”
I glanced at Jessi, who threw me a cautionary look and slowly shook her head.
Oh, no…
“Anytime, okay?” I reiterated that I was here for them no matter what.
“Thanks.” He took Walker’s hand and disappeared outside.
I followed Jessi into the kitchen away from the other kids. She poured me a glass of water and did the same for herself, then she swallowed back two Advil with a gulp.
The TV was once again reporting how the son of Ken Young was due in court in a few weeks. I swore every time I flipped on the news, that story came up. I was sick of it, but I knew the fascination people had with the rich and famous.
“So?” I sighed, turning off the TV.
“His wife passed away this morning. Poor man, he’s barely had time to process it himself, let alone have to tell Walker, and after all that poor kid’s been through.”
I wanted to cry for him, but mostly I wanted to cry for Walker. He was only six and had seen more tragedy in his young life than most people had in a lifetime, and now, just as he was finally settled at his grandparents’, he had to lose his grandmother too. “Well, we’ll just have to make sure he knows we are here, and the doors are always open.”
“Yeah.” She sank into the chair with a huff. “How are you holding up?”
“I don’t know,” I answered truthfully. “Better than I was when I got the news that he was out on bail. I think I’ve cried every drop of tension out of me.”
“That’s good, I guess.”
“It is.” I was determined to try to focus on the positive rather than dwell on the possibility that something could happen. The fear that Myles might be around every corner threatened to swallow me up, and I simply couldn’t let him do that to me again.
“But…” she started but stopped herself.
“It’s okay, say it.”
“Do you really think he would come at you, given the microscope he’s under?”
I let out a light chuckle because I was done trying to understand my ex-husband. Carter did suggest I stay with Phoenix or Damien, but my poor brothers didn’t need to deal with this any more than they already had. He also suggested spending some time with Grady in California, but given how much time I’d already had off work, I couldn’t swing it. I loved my job at the ad agency, and I wouldn’t risk losing it over him. The reality was Myles had run my life for far too long. It needed to end, and I wouldn’t let him have the satisfaction of running me out of town either.
“One would think not, but at this point, Myles has nothing to lose…then again, maybe I should be more concerned that Aubrey will come after me for destroying her friggin’ boots.”
Jessi smirked, and I saw her pride in me for keeping myself together.
“Man, I would have loved to see her face.”
“Best Christmas gift I ever got,” I muttered sarcastically. “They, ah…” I cleared my throat. “They did ask me to testify.”
“Oh? And?”
“And they said it would really help if I did, so I will.”
“You’re so brave.”
“I just need this to be over.”
“I know,” she squeezed my hand, “and we’re so close.”
We both sat in silence, mulling over the fact that my ex had once again sent a blow to my life. I followed the laughter that flowed from the other room and tried to remember that I beat the odds and got out of my abusive relationship. I was no longer his victim. I won.
“Okay,” Jessi jumped to her feet to grab her phone, “we need some fun. I’m sick of thinking of that asshole. So,” she tapped away on the small screen, “we are going ice skating tomorrow night.”
“Have you seen me on skates?” I shuddered at the memory of the last time I thought it would be fun
to balance on a pair of metal blades and tried to glide on top of unforgiving frozen water.
“Yes, and it made me laugh very hard, and I would like to relive that for pure enjoyment’s sake.”
“Oh, well, in that case…” I swatted her arm as she ignored me and bought us tickets to the outdoor rink Central Park just opened this year.
“Four tickets.”
“Four?” I questioned as I washed out my glass.
“Yes. Carter, you, me, and one of Carter’s friends.”
There it was…Jessi was creating her own matchmaking.
“Fine.” I hated to say no to the one friend I had who always had stuck by me, no matter how many times I had refused to listen to her and leave Myles. She was a true friend.
“It’s a date!” She handed me my phone so I could get back to work.
That night, I lay in bed staring at the ceiling and tried to control my thoughts. I went through each of my family members and tried to visualize what they were doing at that moment. Once my mom got wind of what had happened, she begged me to come and visit. As tempting as it was, I knew I needed to continue living my life and not let him win.
“Ahhh.” I covered my face with my pillow, beyond frustrated that he was always in my thoughts. I couldn’t lie there anymore, so I grabbed my blanket and carefully crawled out of the bed. Carter stirred but didn’t wake. I set up camp on the couch and flipped on the TV to whatever the hell was on at three a.m.
Jasper hopped up and decided I was worthy of his company. Really, he was just interested in my big goose down comforter. We flicked through the channels and settled on re-watching Sweet Magnolias.
By the third show, I heard the door open, and Carter came out rubbing a hand through his hair. He was shirtless in low, hip-hugging sweats.
“Hey,” he yawed, “are you all right?”
“Just couldn’t sleep.”
He nodded and stretched his chest, pushing his elbows back as he spotted the little demon burrowed into the blanket on my stomach.
“He’s bi-polar.”
“Oh, yeah.” I smirked, enjoying my view.
“Any room on the couch for me?”
“Of course.” I went to move my legs when he came over and scooped us both straight up and slipped in behind us, cradling us in his lap. I lay my head back against his chest. “Oh, yes, this is much better.”
He kissed my head and declined the remote when I offered it. “What show is this?”
“Sweet Magnolias.”
“What’s it about?”
I hid my smile, pleased he was interested in my chick flick. I spent the next twenty minutes filling him in, and by the end of the next episode, I found my eyes growing heavy, and to my utter delight, I fell asleep wrapped in Carter.
The next evening, I stared death in the eye and glared at my best friend as she paid for what she called “a good time.” All I saw was a broken wrist and a possible leg fracture. She held up the skates with a knowing grin and pushed me down on the bench.
“Come on, it’s going to be fun.” She tossed them at my feet and started to remove her boots. With a heavy sigh, I did the same and followed her to the edge of the rink.
“I’m going to die, Jessi.” I had a death grip on her arm while she sped forward across the devil glass that was also known as ice. “Yup, this is it. Right here.”
“Oh, my God, girl! Breathe. Focus on something else.”
“Like falling on my butt and doing some embarrassing slide across the ice as I try to dodge the shiny blades of death, only to crash and burn against the side of the hot chocolate canteen? Yup, I got that focus locked in.” I gasped for air.
“Jesus, girl.” She started to laugh hard, and my fear became even more acute. “Stop talking, or I’m going to pee.”
“I’m glad my fear of serious injury or death entertains you.”
“It really does.”
She finally stopped at the bleachers, and I got down on all fours and crawled to the safety of the snow.
“Land!” I cried with delight.
“While you reconnect with yourself, I’m going to the bathroom. Don’t move.” I gave her a thumbs up with the absolute promise I certainly had no plan to go anywhere. I reached down and fiddled with the laces to remove the death traps and replaced them with my warm, comfy boots. I plopped down on the snow and sucked in a happy sigh. My feet could breathe again.
I lay back and studied the stars that sprinkled the night sky. Wisps of clouds floated by as I wondered what was taking Carter and Cook so long. They went to get us something to eat about thirty minutes ago. I knew the lines would be long, but they were taking forever.
“Arizona?” His voice cut right through any armor I had left. I shot up and wobbled on my sore feet.
“What are you doing here, Ken?”
He tucked his hands into his wool coat pockets and gave a knowing nod with his lips pressed tightly together like he knew being here was a bad idea. His gray scarf was tucked neatly into his lapel, and his perfectly creased dress pants were paired with a set of very expensive loafers.
“I feel I need to explain.”
“Explain what?” I felt my fight return. “That your reputation is more important than the truth?” The way his hand came up and rubbed his lip was his tell that I had hit the nail on the head.
“I’ve worked very hard to build Young, Incorporated from the ground up. It’s no secret I don’t agree with my son’s choices, but when they directly affect my business, I will do what’s best for the company.”
“Clearly.” I looked him directly in the eye.
“I don’t expect you to understand, Arizona. What Myles did is inexcusable, but I can assure you—”
“Assure me of what, Ken?” I let my arms fall heavily to my sides. “That he won’t try to hurt me again because you are watching him?” I let out a dark laugh that seemed to come from deep down inside me. “For ten years, your son hit me, verbally abused me, cheated on me, the list goes on and on. Maybe you knew and maybe you didn’t, but either way, he still did it.”
“I didn’t know.” His jaw was tense and rigid, but his eyes told me this was new information to him.
“Well, now you do.” I let out the breath I was holding. “Did you know he pushed me down and ran, and hoped I’d burn in that fire?”
“I did not know that. I’m sorry. I promise, he won’t come near you again.”
“I want to believe you, Ken.” I really did.
We stood a few feet apart, both mulling over the same man who had driven us apart as a family. Only I was now happy, and he was left with a screwed-up son and a company that could potentially collapse.
“I see you’re testifying.”
“I am.” I stood a little straighter, ready for a fight, but instead he just looked away like he was processing what to say next.
“Can I ask you something?” he finally said. “What did Chester tell you that day when he came to see you?”
“I don’t know why Chester came to me that day. I don’t know what he wanted to warn me about.” I saw his shoulders tense, and it proved to me that he was struggling with the same thing I was, and a part of me felt bad that he was in the dark too. The other part of me was pissed he would even ask me after what he did. The truth was Ken Young was never meant to be a father.
“You have absolutely no clue why—” He stopped when he caught my death glare. “Okay.” He shook his head as he backed off. “I will keep my promise.”
“Time will tell.”
“I should go.”
“That would be wise.”
I wondered how he even knew I was here tonight. Obviously, he had someone keeping an eye on my whereabouts, and that ticked me off royally once I thought about it. I knew he wanted to ask more questions, but he seemed to know better than to cross that line with me t
onight.
Once he was out of sight, I sat back down and felt my backbone dissolve into the night air.
Two and a half weeks to go.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Carter
My heel tapped rapidly against the floor, no doubt leaving a mark on both my sole and the tiling. The clock above me ticked loudly, and every moment that passed, the persistent tick became louder.
My neck was sore, my head pounded, and I was finished. The fact that Ken Young had the nerve to find and approach Arizona at the rink a few days ago nearly brought me to the boiling point. I got money equaled power, but there was a line, and he crossed it.
Finally, at half past the hour, the door to the police department conference room swung open, and Ivan came through holding up a thick file.
“Sorry, man, but I needed to cross all the Ts and dot the Is before I could bring the thing to you, and even still, I’m crossing some lines.”
“Well, you’re not the only one,” I muttered.
“But I do have news.” His eyes brightened, and so did my hope.
“Which is?”
“First, what Ken Young did was messed up, but we are not going after him right now.”
“What?” I knew we didn’t have much to go on, but still.
Ivan held up his hand and with the other flipped open the file and tossed me a photo.
“A heating unit?” I’d seen enough fires to know that heating units, if not installed properly, could be deadly.
“The very heating unit at the nightclub fire that killed Walker’s mother and her co-worker Shelly.”
“Ivan, I studied the installation of that unit. Nothing raised a red flag.”
“No, it wouldn’t. Everything was up to code. Well, sort of.” He dropped another photo on top of the one I was looking at. “Thanks to your girlfriend, who pulled a Sherlock Holmes on her ex, we were able to connect some dots. We started to poke around Young, Incorporated.” He moved to sit on the other side of the table as he spoke. “Ken Young runs a tight ship, and not many would give us much, but when we stopped for coffee across the street, we were approached by a fellow named Peppers. He is the head security guard and apparently had worked there for the past twenty years. I guess he and Arizona were always close.”