Page 36 of Sparrow

My mother was in the house by the time I made it to the edge of the hallway. I could see her from across two rooms. She looked mad and she was carrying a gun.

"Don't you dare!" I said, yelling at her and pointing like my finger was its own gun.

I had no problems finding my voice this time, and I glared straight at her with wild eyes like I was suddenly a crazed lunatic. Maybe I was. All I knew was that I had enough of her controlling this situation. There was nothing she was going to say or do in that moment to stop me from going outside to seeOwen. I leaned on my crutch and pointed my finger straight at her.

"I'm going out here to talk to my friend, and you are not going to stop me. I don't wanna have to get the authorities involved about what you and Stanley have done to me."

"Unintentionally," she pleaded.

"Out of love," Stanley said, coming up behind her.

"I don't care what it's out of. I am going outside to talk to my friend, and neither of you are stopping me."

I continued to glare at them with a crazed expression. It was an intense face. I had never stared at another human being like that before, so I knew it took them off guard. I could tell they were both a little scared. I didn't break the intensity, though. I continued to peer at them with scorn and warning as I hobbled closer to the door on my crutches. Neither of them followed me. They watched in shock from across the room.

I opened the door, and I saw Owen standing in the front yard. He didn't know what door I was going to emerge from, so he was standing in the middle, watching the front of the house. I glanced back at my mother with a calm but impassive stare before letting the door close behind me.

Owen came up to me, and by the time I made it outside, he was only a few feet from the door. I came to the edge of the stoop, smiling at him. He smiled back, and I wanted to melt at the sight of it. He reached out, and I put a hand in his. His mouth, his smile, his teeth… he was the most beautiful man on the whole earth. His smile faded when his gaze fell on my foot.

"What happened?"

"I broke my ankle. I couldn't make it out to the—" I paused and looked over Owen's shoulder at Paul who was approaching us from a distance.

"Is everything okay?" he asked.

Owen nodded. "Thank you, Paul, it's fine now," he said.

Paul started backing away, going back to the truck.

I smiled at Owen again when he turned to me. I took an unsteady breath. I was about to ask him how the movie was going, but the whole moment was too intense for that.

"You're shaking," he said.

I was most definitely shaking. I could feel myself doing it, and I couldn’t stop. He came up the steps. I watched as he swiftly closed the space between us. He took my crutches and carefully balanced them against the post before taking me into his arms.

I was shaking like a wild baby bird that fell from its nest. I shivered in his arms, and there was nothing I could do to stop myself. Owen wrapped his arms tightly around me, protecting me and holding me tightly. Within a minute of him squeezing me, I was able to stop shivering. I took a deep breath, relaxing into his solid embrace.

"Thank you for coming here," I said.

He held me for a few more seconds before pulling back. "Can you leave with me?" he asked.

"When?"

"Now."

"And go where?"

"Away."

I stared up at the side of his face, whispering near his ear. "I would love to but I'm not very portable at this moment. I think it's going to be six to eight weeks."

"I'm talking about leaving in this truck with me right now and not coming back here."

I pulled back and stared at him. We were close to the front door, and he knew to be discreet, so he had spoken quietly when he said it.

"I mean it," he said, still whispering. "Just leave with me right now and don't come back."

I stared—unblinking at first, but then I blinked, almost flinching at the thought of how helpless I felt with my leg. If I left now, it would be with almost nothing to my name. I knew I had access to a little over a thousand dollars in cash. I could have taken jewelry and left with it, but I wouldn't do that. Twelve hundred was my own money that I had managed to tuck away. I had already thought of running away, and I knew just where to find the cash.

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