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We are otherwise quiet when Allie and Jadon’s conversation dies down, and while Tom isn’t even upset about his forced leave, he’s worried Allie doesn’t want to see him. “I don’t think Allie hates you, Tom. She’s going to get over it.”
He shrugs. “Just feel like a fraud right now. I was worried about her repeating the same mistakes as her mother when she didn’t give up your name. Then you show up, and I couldn’t decide if you were like Mark or not. It didn’t help that you were sleeping with Kat.”
It’s no surprise to me. Nobody had bad intentions this time. When I came around, Tom was protecting Allie and Jadon, while Allie was doing the same.
We hear Allie make it home just as Tom turns down another street. The second Tom and I hear Allie shut off her car, my heart settles, but only for a minute. The rustling of her phone in her dress pocket mixes with Jadon’s questions and Allie’s anxious tone.
“How about a snack, Mommy?”
“Just—let’s get inside, okay?”
“So they made it home,” Tom says. “Ted’s place is about fifteen minutes away.”
“Good.” Ted is going to be one sorry fucker when he sees me.
My thumb hovers over the red button on my phone. They’re home, so I don’t need to listen anymore. Just before I tap the screen, that voice stops me. It’s muffled, but fuck if I didn’t know who it was.
Tom and I both freeze when Ted clearly tells Allie she’s not leaving. We share a look before Tom spins the wheel. The rush forces my good shoulder to slam into the door. His tires screech and he drives over someone’s grass in an abrupt scramble to turn around to get to Allie and Jadon.
“Shit! I’m gonna kill him.”
Tom points to my phone. “Record that, Lucas. This is what you want.” He tosses me his phone, and I start a voice recording. It’s going to be shit, but it’s better than nothing at all.
I text Joel to meet at my house while Tom runs red lights and nearly hits three cars in our urgency.
Ted and Vivian’s voices, though muffled, send me into a panicked fury. If we don’t get there soon enough, my heart is going to beat out of my rib cage. Also, they could do anything to Allie and Jadon while I’m not there.
Vivian’s threatening voice throws all rational thought out the window. It’s her calm voice where she is a little stranger than normal. I’ve seen it before when her house maids don’t polish the floors according to the direction of the sunlight or something. They quiver in fear when she comes around, and she’s using that same tone.
“Tom, you need to hurry.”
Ted is going to die. Also Vivian. What the fuck is she even doing at my house?
“You, me, and your mom are going on a trip,” Ted says. He pours out and serves up bullshit to Jadon about me wanting them to leave together. Something about being a family.
Fuck this guy.
Fuck Ted. Fuck him. Fuck him into next year.
Ted and Allie exchange words, and the prick mentions something about making another baby. He claims he’s taking what’s his—evidently, that’s Allie.
“He’s a dead man.” He can’t even stand up to me in person and fight for her. He waits to corner her when no one else is around, knowing Allie won’t stand up to him.
“Lucas,” Tom takes a hard right around a corner. “I know that you’re angry. Hell, I’m angry too, and worried about my daughter and grandson, but you need to keep your head on straight. Do what’s best for them and not based on what you’re feeling. Mark, Vivian, and Ted will get what’s coming to them, even if it takes time. Just focus on getting Allie and Jadon out of there, okay?”
“Mhm.” Red. Everything has turned red.
“He covered up that accident, the medical treatment, and god only knows what else, and he will certainly cover this up if he needs to. You don’t have the resources or attorneys like Mark does. They are always ready to fight his legal battles. We need to show self-defense, Lucas, and if they’re kidnapping them in broad daylight like this, you know he’s covered his tracks. Just get her without earning yourself an attempted murder charge, and we will take Allie to the police with this recording.”
We’ll see.
Tom and I jump when we hear a pop go off on the speaker.
That sounded like a gun. Now it’s violent. That changes things.
Then, Vivian’s calm voice. “I said get in the car.” There’s a loud thump, and Allie screams. “Next time, I’ll aim for the little brat.”
We’re around the corner, and Tom’s foot is to the floor while his engine roars. With my house in sight, Tom slams on the brakes just before we hit Allie’s car in the driveway.
