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“I suppose if I think about it long enough, I can come up with someone,” While I was talking, Bailey walked out. “Damn it, Bailey, I told you to stay inside.”
“Is he dead?” she asked.
“No,” I replied, “he’s unconscious.”
She moved so quickly I didn’t have time to catch her. She attacked him in an instant, and I didn’t have time to stop her. She was kicking him when he grabbed her leg and pulled, and I was on him in a heartbeat. My hand tightened around his throat, applying pressure, and Bailey backed away.
“You can stop now. Stop now,” Bailey said, touching my arm.
I kept my grip until he lost consciousness, and then Spartan took out some zip-ties from his pocket and tied his wrist. Then, we heard the police sirens approaching.
I walked with Bailey to my truck. I was planning to take her to the hospital when she sat in the middle of her driveway and burst into tears. I picked her up and held her in my arms while she cried. There we were, sitting on the tailgate, when the police arrived.
“I couldn’t even let you kill him. My sister’s killer and I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t kill him, and I promised Jackie I would be the one to kill him the first chance I got. I’ve let my sister down because I couldn’t kill that monster.”
“Do you really think Jackie would want you to kill someone? From what you’ve told me about your sister, she wouldn’t want you taking a life. He will go to prison for a long time, and trust me, they will make sure he’s the one locked up this time.”
I gently took her arm. “I’m taking you to the hospital so they can remove that bullet,” we made our way to the cab, and a police officer approached us.
“I need to ask you a few questions,” the officer said.
“This is what I know,” Bailey said, before he could ask a question. “That monster over there killed my sister ten years ago. The court thought he was locked up, but his brother switched places with him. His brother was killed in prison just before he was due to be released. This monster came here to kill me. He has been stalking me for three years, and the police would do nothing when I reported it.”
“That is all I have to say. Now, I need to get to the hospital to get this bullet removed from my shoulder where the monster shot me. Excuse me if I don’t seem thrilled that you’ve finally arrived at my house. I’ve never had much faith in the police; they always treated me like I was making things up.” She rolled her window up, and we left.
Many of the hospital staff were Bailey’s family, and worked as nurses at the hospital. They came in and out until she was taken into surgery. Steel walked into the waiting room, visibly furious. “You can go now. I’ll take care of Bailey from here on out.”
I was ready to punch Steel in the face if he said anything else to annoy me. “I’m not leaving. Bailey is my fiancée. I will look after her until she’s capable of taking care of herself.”
Steel stood in front of me. “We both know Bailey isn’t your fiancée; you will leave unless you want a fight. You let her get shot.”
I stepped closer. “Do you fucking think I knew that guy was hiding in the woods? I wish it were me who was shot, but it wasn’t. If you take Bailey to your house, I’ll come along.
He finally relented. “Okay, I’ll let her stay with you this time because I know the guy is dead. He attacked the police, and they shot and killed him.”
My eyebrows shot up. “How did he attack them? Spartan had zip ties on him.”
Steel walked over and sat down. “I didn’t ask questions. I was just relieved that they got rid of him.”
“I agree,” I said, “Thank God it’s over. Now Bailey can return to a normal life.”
Of course, Steel couldn’t keep his big trap shut. “Speaking of which, I don’t want you to play with Bailey’s emotions. She’s vulnerable, and I won’t tolerate her getting hurt.”
“I’m not missing with her heart,” I assured him. “Bailey knows I will never fall in love. I’ll remind her when she feels better.”
Spartan gave me a knowing look. “You have no reason to stay at Bailey’s now. If she wants you to leave, I want you to return home.
“If she wants me to leave, I will,” I said, walking out of the waiting room. I hoped Bailey didn’t ask me to go. I wasn’t ready to leave her yet. But maybe it would be for the best if we end this now. I’ll leave the decision up to her.
12
Bailey
I sat with Jaz as our aunts shared stories about my dad when he was growing up. They had brought along some family albums for me to look at. Among the pictures was one of my parents when they first got married. It made me wonder how a couple that once seemed so loving could have gone so wrong. Only now did I notice I had the same blue eyes as my mom; I never noticed that before.
We spent the morning cooking, and now the food was simmering on the stove. I cherished these moments with my family; they made me feel like I’d been here with them forever. I could listen to their conversations forever. They had that distinctive twang like Cole, who kept walking inside, scanning the room until he spotted me, and then he would walk back out. I have asked myself if I was opening myself up for heartache, but I wasn’t ready for him to leave just yet.
One of the twins crawled over to me, and I picked him up, receiving a big, wet kiss. I still plan to have a baby; I just haven’t decided when. Now that Donnie Turner was no longer a threat, I no longer had to worry about someone wanting to kill me.
