AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I could hardly believe that this was my reality. After all the hard. The abuse, the fear, the uncertainty after leaving, living in a car with my kids, dealing with sleazy supers and bad neighbors, having to scrape for money just to feed and keep a roof over my kids.
All that stress had all but melted away.
So when the call came, I just… I wasn’t thinking as clearly as I normally would have.
I’d just sent Layna a text asking if she wanted to babysit for just an hour for me, so I could run an errand, and she’d been quick to jump on it.
I figured I would run the errand, then maybe go to the range for a refresher. It had been a long time. And I didn’t want to get rusty.
Seth was at the club, but would be at the range this afternoon, so I would get to see him too.
Though the main goal was to focus and practice.
Even if I had a lot more protection with Seth around.
Again, I just… fuck, I wasn’t thinking.
I was floating.
I was wrapped up in this new life I had.
Forgetting how easily my old one could creep up on me.
I had no idea.
As I parked in the lot of my old apartment building. As I walked toward the office where Carl said he was going to be with my security deposit that I was getting back that had ‘slipped his mind’ until then.
Maybe I should have just let the money go.
But there was always that little voice in the back of my mind whispering that I might need it, that it was good to have more stashed away. Just in case.
When I got to the door, it was slightly ajar, and I actually stopped before opening it. My hand went to my belly where there was a weird wobbling sensation.
Because Carl was still a creep.
And the idea of being alone with him in this part of the building where no one else would be around made me clammy.
I had my gun in my bag.
Not to actually shoot him, of course, but just to scare him if things got weird.
Feeling better about that, I made my way into the office.
“Carl?” I called.
The office was about what I expected of a man like him. It was dusty and musty with old paperwork, folders, cleaning supplies, and tools scattered all about.
The lights all seemed to be off or out as well, just slices of light coming through the blinds.
“Carl is out for the day,” a voice said from behind me.
Just like that, my blood ran cold.
My heart was jackhammering against my rib cage.
I whirled even as the office door shut with a click I felt down to my bones.
“It’s amazing what you can make a person do for a thousand dollars,” Simon said as he stood in front of the only easy escape. “Make a call. Leave for the day without any questions…”
“What do you want, Simon?” I asked, trying to make my voice firm even if it felt like the world had fallen away under my feet.
“What’s mine.”
“They’re not yours,” I said, and this time, I didn’t have to fake it. There was venom dripping from each word.
They weren’t his.
I carried them. I fed, rocked, bathed, and loved them.
He did nothing but get annoyed by them.
“That boy is,” he said.
And, technically, Isaac was the only one of the kids with his name. Since it was the only delivery he’d been there for. One perk to him not marrying me was that I didn’t have to worry about divorce. And I’d been the only one to sign the girls’ birth certificates. But Issac? Isaac still had Simon’s last name.
“You’re not getting him.”
“And who’s gonna stop me? You?” he asked. “You won’t be drugging me to run away this time.”
I was done with this.
I needed to get away.
As soon as possible.
I had the strap off my shoulder and my hand about to slip inside when Simon’s back hand caught me across the cheek hard enough to send me flying
The content of my purse flew across the room, scattering around the floor as I collided with a storage cabinet against the wall, knocking the wind out of me, sending a shooting pain up my side.
A hand moved out, grabbing my hair at the ends and yanking hard enough to see stars.
“You think you can leave me?” he snarled, breath hot in my ear, as he yanked back harder.
I needed to get away.
I needed to find the gun.
My eyes were watering from the pain, making it impossible for me to look for it.
“You’re going to bring me to my son.”
“No, I’m not,” I said, even if placating him might have been the right move at the moment.
“Let’s see if we can change your mind,” he snarled.
He tossed me forward, my body colliding with the wall before I could throw my arms up to brace myself.
