Page 183 of Trailer Trash

Jagger winces. “The phone calls freaked me out. He kept saying your name. I hoped he wouldn’t run if I brought you. Then we could catch him and get him help. Harlow, I am sorry, but we love him too.”

My hands drop to my side, unable to argue that even though I was misled.

“I think we could have caught him without her,” Clark grumbles.

Jagger shakes his head in disbelief. “Dad, Killian almost sliced his damn throat. If it wasn’t for Harlow distracting him, he would’ve done it.”

Christine gasps, then stares at her handcuffed son across the yard. “Jesus Christ. His face. What have I done?”

It breaks my heart. She blames herself.

Even with his hands restrained behind him and his mouth torn open, he tries to fight, back away, and escape. I rush over, afraid the officers will taser him again.

“Killy, look at me.” I grab his shirt, tugging on it to get his attention. “It’s me. It’s Harlow. I’m alive.”

My hands slip under the shirt, and I grip his sides. “See? Feel me?”

His muscles relax. I lean into him, pressing my cheek to his body and wrapping my arms tightly around him.

“Ma’am, we need you to step back,” an officer says.

“I’m calming him,” I hiss, and squeeze him tighter.

Clark appears at our side. I side glance at him, keeping my cheek firmly pressed against Killian. We stare at each other. At that very moment, a blood droplet lands on my cheek. It must’ve fallen from Killian’s cut. I don’t wipe it away. I let Clark see it. I let him see what Killian means to me. I let him see that his son had to be tased until my arms wrapped around him.

He swallows hard, and his brow wrinkles as he takes in the grim but devoted visual.

“Let her,” he concedes, soft but certain.

Maybe now he truly understands how much Killian needs me. That I am good for him. I have to believe that myself.

And Killian stays calm for me.

I hold him, listening to his heartbeat against my ear. It takes awhile for the medics to arrive, but it’s still too soon.

“Step aside,” the officer orders, finally prying me off of him. As they lead him away, I try to follow. A cop holds me back, and Christine takes my place.

“We’ll take it from here,” she says to me.

“I want to go with him!” I beg.

“With all due respect, Harlow, it’s time I get Killian the help I didn’t get Asher. Please step aside and let me take care of my family.”

I stand frozen, unsure what to argue back. All I manage is: “He’s my family too.”

To my surprise, she grabs my hand and squeezes. “Thank you. I don’t know if we would have gotten him out of the house alive without you. I’ll be forever grateful. Give us time.”

Then she turns on her heel, following the medics.

Killian looks over his shoulder, glaring back at me with rage in his eyes. He garbles nonsense. Nobody could understand what he said.

Except me.

“You left me.”

“I did not!” I shout back.

I clutch my aching chest as they lead him away.