out of anything. It just takes time to cash in the goods. We have to be careful. And the reason we didn’t include you in on the other night was because we thought you were busy with your girlfriend. We didn’t want to cause you any more hassles.”
For a moment, it looked like Rick wanted to believe what was coming out of Sebastian’s mouth, but after the words filtered through his brain, it was clear he wasn’t buying the bullshit line he was being fed.
He pulled a gun from behind his back and pointed it straight at Sebastian’s head. “The money. Now.”
Terrified, Sebastian put his hands up in front of him and backed away toward me. “Whoa, whoa! Rick! Dude, I don’t have it. I can get it for you, but I don’t have it right now. Just give me a couple days.”
His begging had no effect on Rick, who continued to point the gun at his head. “Now. The whole amount or the last thing you steal is a look at me shooting you.”
Sebastian looked over at me and silently asked for help, so I calmly asked, “How much does he owe you, Rick? Maybe I have it so we can settle all this right now.”
He stared at me in confusion like he hadn’t noticed I was in the room until that very moment. “Two grand.”
I knew I didn’t have that kind of money on me, but maybe the five hundred or so I had in my wallet would pacify him enough to make him put the gun away. Hoping it would, I reached into my back pocket to get my money and then in a flash the gun went off.
Chapter Ten
Abbi
N o matter how fast I drove, I felt like I wasn’t going to reach the hospital in time. Over and over, the words the man said echoed in my head.
“Mrs. Jackson, there’s been an accident. Your husband is en route to Lakeland General. He’s been shot.”
My heart raced as my brain fixed on the last word the officer had said. Shot . Kane had been shot.
I hadn’t waited for him to tell me anything else. Nothing he could say would make me feel any better, so I hung up and quickly put Liam into the car as I called the one person I knew could help no matter what. I didn’t know what else to do. I had to get to Kane before it was too late.
Tears rolled down my face as I tore up the road. What if I didn’t get to him in time? The last words I’d said to him that morning were so meaningless. Have a good day. It’s what I said to him every morning when he left the house for work. Worthless words I’d gotten so used to mindlessly repeating, like asking someone how they are when you don’t really care.
I didn’t want those to be the last words I ever said to the man who’d given me nearly seven of the happiest years of my life. I needed to tell him how much I loved him. I needed him to know that no matter what, I loved him more every day. That just the thought of him gone from my life made my chest ache from emptiness.
That I didn’t know how I’d go on without him.
My phone rang, and I answered it, barely able to speak through my sobs. Alexandria’s sweet voice said, “Abbi, I’ll be at the hospital in just a few minutes. I’ll take care of Liam and get Annalea from school so I can take them back to my house. I called Stefan and Cassian, and they’re on their way too. Honey, I want you to stay positive, okay? Kane is strong and he’s not going to give up on you and those two babies.”
As tears blurred my eyes, I turned right into the hospital parking lot. “What if he’s not strong enough, Alexandria? I don’t know what I’m going to do if he…”
I couldn’t finish that sentence.
“He is. Of all my sons, he’s the strongest. He’s had to be.”
The memory of all Kane had gone through growing up and how much he’d suffered made me even sadder. After all that, to be taken now that he’d found real happiness as a father was unfair. I couldn’t bear to think of it.
“I’m here now,” I said as I jammed the car into park and jumped out to get Liam from his car seat.
“I’ll be there in a few minutes, honey.
For a moment, it looked like Rick wanted to believe what was coming out of Sebastian’s mouth, but after the words filtered through his brain, it was clear he wasn’t buying the bullshit line he was being fed.
He pulled a gun from behind his back and pointed it straight at Sebastian’s head. “The money. Now.”
Terrified, Sebastian put his hands up in front of him and backed away toward me. “Whoa, whoa! Rick! Dude, I don’t have it. I can get it for you, but I don’t have it right now. Just give me a couple days.”
His begging had no effect on Rick, who continued to point the gun at his head. “Now. The whole amount or the last thing you steal is a look at me shooting you.”
Sebastian looked over at me and silently asked for help, so I calmly asked, “How much does he owe you, Rick? Maybe I have it so we can settle all this right now.”
He stared at me in confusion like he hadn’t noticed I was in the room until that very moment. “Two grand.”
I knew I didn’t have that kind of money on me, but maybe the five hundred or so I had in my wallet would pacify him enough to make him put the gun away. Hoping it would, I reached into my back pocket to get my money and then in a flash the gun went off.
Chapter Ten
Abbi
N o matter how fast I drove, I felt like I wasn’t going to reach the hospital in time. Over and over, the words the man said echoed in my head.
“Mrs. Jackson, there’s been an accident. Your husband is en route to Lakeland General. He’s been shot.”
My heart raced as my brain fixed on the last word the officer had said. Shot . Kane had been shot.
I hadn’t waited for him to tell me anything else. Nothing he could say would make me feel any better, so I hung up and quickly put Liam into the car as I called the one person I knew could help no matter what. I didn’t know what else to do. I had to get to Kane before it was too late.
Tears rolled down my face as I tore up the road. What if I didn’t get to him in time? The last words I’d said to him that morning were so meaningless. Have a good day. It’s what I said to him every morning when he left the house for work. Worthless words I’d gotten so used to mindlessly repeating, like asking someone how they are when you don’t really care.
I didn’t want those to be the last words I ever said to the man who’d given me nearly seven of the happiest years of my life. I needed to tell him how much I loved him. I needed him to know that no matter what, I loved him more every day. That just the thought of him gone from my life made my chest ache from emptiness.
That I didn’t know how I’d go on without him.
My phone rang, and I answered it, barely able to speak through my sobs. Alexandria’s sweet voice said, “Abbi, I’ll be at the hospital in just a few minutes. I’ll take care of Liam and get Annalea from school so I can take them back to my house. I called Stefan and Cassian, and they’re on their way too. Honey, I want you to stay positive, okay? Kane is strong and he’s not going to give up on you and those two babies.”
As tears blurred my eyes, I turned right into the hospital parking lot. “What if he’s not strong enough, Alexandria? I don’t know what I’m going to do if he…”
I couldn’t finish that sentence.
“He is. Of all my sons, he’s the strongest. He’s had to be.”
The memory of all Kane had gone through growing up and how much he’d suffered made me even sadder. After all that, to be taken now that he’d found real happiness as a father was unfair. I couldn’t bear to think of it.
“I’m here now,” I said as I jammed the car into park and jumped out to get Liam from his car seat.
“I’ll be there in a few minutes, honey.
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