Closing Time (18 page)

She w
as on me again, gripping my hair.

I was going to lose. I couldn’t use my dominant arm and the pain was blinding me. But I couldn’t give up. That wasn’t an option.

I grabbed a random book, one that Sean used in college, and then hit her in the skull with it.

Her eyes spun in confusion as the vertigo hit her. She stumbled slightly, trying to regain her balance. I didn’t give her a chance to recover. I slammed the book on her head again, making her fall to the ground. Still scared, I hit her again.

She was out.

I stood over her, looking at her with fear in my eyes. Blood and sweat covered my body and I couldn’t catch my breath. I was too scared she would get up again, or even worse, she was faking it. I moved back slightly, keeping my eyes on her, and then grabbed the gun off the ground. With a shaky hand, I came back to her then pointed it at her head.

Shoot her
. I had every right to do it. She made my life miserable since my dad left. She hurt my brother, gave him more trips to the hospital than a war veteran. So many nights of my childhood were spent with me crying in Ryan’s arms. She was a monster. Evil was tainted everywhere. All she did was make me suffer. She didn’t deserve to live. Why do so many innocents die but she continues on? It’s not fair.

My hand shook as I kept it pointed at her.

Come on. Just do it.

Hot tears fell down my face. Skye will never be safe until I kill her.

Do it.

With a scream, I stepped back and leaned against the wall, the gun still pointed at her. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t take someone’s life. I just…couldn’t. I was weak.

I tried to catch my breath as my arm hung limply from my side. The blood dripped from my chin. I felt pain everywhere except in my stomach. I did everything I could to protect Skye. I think she was okay.

“Scarlet!”

I heard Mike yelling for me. “I’m here! Help!” I didn’t need help, but I didn’t know what else to say.

He barged into the room, a pistol in his hand. He swept
across the room, spotting me, and then pointing the gun at my mom, who lay in a heap on the floor. He came over to her, still keeping his gun on her. He leaned down and felt the pulse in her neck. Then he looked at me.

I still held the gun and I sobbed.

Mike looked at me timidly. “Scarlet, put down the gun.”

I didn’t realize I was still pointing
it at her. My hand shook before I finally put it on the ground.

“Good.” He came to me then looked at me. I knew the damage must be really bad because he looked panicked. “The cops are on the way. I need to get you to a hospital.”

“No! She can’t get away!”

“Scarlet, we need to go now.”

“No!” I still sobbed to myself.

Mike grabbed
two of Sean’s ties then tied each arm to the legs of his massive desk. “She’s not going anywhere. Now let’s go.”

“I can’t move, Mike…”

“It’s okay. I got you.” He stayed calm while he bundled me in his arms and lifted me. I couldn’t even wrap my arms around his neck because one was completely useless.

“You’re going to be okay, Scarlet. I got you.”

I cried into his chest and felt him put me in the passenger seat. He ran around the car then jumped in, starting the engine and taking off. He broke the speed limit and hauled ass while he drove me to the hospital. My mind moved in and out of consciousness.

Why couldn’t I stay awake?

“Scarlet, keep your eyes open,” Mike barked at me.

“I can’t
…” It was too hard. I was so tired…

“Don’t you dare close your eyes!” he screamed at me. “Talk to me, Scarlet.”

“I…Sean.”

“He’s coming.”

I breathed hard, feeling all the pain move inside me. It was unbearable, excrutiating.

Mike slammed on his breaks and we stopped in front of the emergency room. “We’re here. It’s going to be
alright. I’m getting you right now.”

“Okay…”

Mike lifted me again then ran inside the hospital. I saw a whirlwind of faces and heard a cacophony of noises. “She’s been shot. I need a doctor.”

I’ve been shot…?

The next thing I knew, my clothes were ripped away and I was in a bed. Nurses and doctors hovered over me, hooking me up to tubes and IV’s.

“She’s pregnant,” Mike said. “Is the baby okay?”

“Skye…” I felt more tears fall down my face. “No…please tell me she’s okay. I can’t lose her.”

Mike came into my sight. “I’m here, Scarlet. Everything is going to be okay. I’ll be here the whole time.”

“Is she going to be okay?” My voice was desperate.

Mike didn’t respond. “Sean’s almost here.”

I needed my husband but I needed to know if my baby was okay more. “I’ll never forgive myself…”

Mike grabbed my hand. “They are going to put you under, Scar. But I’ll be here the whole time. I’ll only leave when Sean gets here.”

“Okay…”
Why were they putting me under?

And then everything went black.

14

Sean

Fuck!

God fucking damn it!

My foot never left the gas the whole drive. I ran stop signs and red lights, not letting anything get in my way. A cop flashed on his lights and started to chase me.

I didn’t have time for this right now.

I hauled ass in my Fer
rari until he bit the dust. He would call for back up eventually and they would all be looking for my plates, but I’d be long gone by then.

I had to get to my wife.

This couldn’t be happening.

Why was this happening?

Was she okay?

She better be okay. I’ll fucking kill myself if she’s not.

I called Mike when I was twenty minutes away. “Is she okay? What do you know? What’s going on? Is Skye okay?”

Normally, Mike would snap at me for talking too fast but he didn’t do that now. “They took her to surgery. That’s all I know.”

I panicked.
Surgery? That wasn’t good. Why the fuck is this happening to me?
“Is she going to be okay? Can you tell me that?”

“No…but she was talking the whole drive. She stayed conscious.” I heard the tears in his voice.

My brother was crying. That wasn’t good.

“What about her mom? What happened to her?”

“I don’t know…I tied her up for the cops. I’m sure they are there by now.”

My phone rang because I had another line. I’m sure it was the cops but I didn’t have time for that. “Is she dead?”

“No…she was alive.”

“What? Why the fuck didn’t you kill her?”

“Scarlet had a gun pointed at her but she didn’t pull the trigger…so I couldn’t.”

I cursed into the phone. “You should have blown her brains to bits!”

“I know…it’s too late now.”

“I will make that woman’s life miserable. Every single day she’ll wish she were dead.” I breathed through the anger and gripped the steering wheel.

“That makes two of us…”

I stayed on the phone with him but couldn’t think of anything to say. Everything was in slow motion. I couldn’t lose my wife. Please don’t let that happen to me. My wife and my baby…

I started to cry. I couldn’t help it. It wasn’t the time or the place, but I couldn’t stop the flood of tears. I stayed on the phone with my brother, thinking about how much pain Scarlet was in. I could lose her.

“I’m sorry…” Mike
’s voice was choked with emotion.

I didn’t know what to say. I just stayed on the phone with him, waiting for the miles to end. When I was a mile from the hospital I hung up then raced down the roads, making cars pull over to get out of my way.

I parked in handicapped spot, not giving a damn, then sprinted into the emergency room. After I found out which room was hers, I ran until I saw Mike outside her door, looking like a ghost.

As soon as I reached him, I hugged him tight, feeling weak in his arms. I cried into him and he he
ld me. It was weak but I didn’t care. I never hit rock bottom like this. But here I was.

“I called everyone and told them what’s going on,” Mike explained. “Ryan, Flynn and Cortland are on the way, my parents are handling the situation at the house, and Cassandra is coming.”

“Thanks.” I pulled away then wiped my tears. “Any news…?”

“No.”

I gripped my skull. “What happened?”

“When I got there, Scarlet was leaning against the wall. Her shoulder is broken and
so is her wrist. She was shot in the arm. Her stomach looked okay, but she was wearing a shirt…she has a nasty cut on her head so she’s lost a lot of blood.”

I fell to the ground and leaned against the wall. “Please
be a nightmare…please be a nightmare.”

Mike sat beside me, silently comforting me.

“She’s everything to me…I can’t lose her.”

“I know.” Mike swallowed the lump in his throat. “I love her too. But she’ll pull through this. If there’s anything I know about Scarlet, she’s a fighter. She won’t give up.”

“I know…”

He rested his hand on my shoulder. “She’ll be okay, Sean.”

“I hope so…if she doesn’t make it…I’ll—”

“It won’t come to that.”

Without Scarlet, there was nothing for me to live for. I’d put a gun to my head and pull the trigger. I couldn’t lose my wife and my baby…I’d rather die.

“Le
t’s get some coffee while we wait. The doctor said it will be a while.”

“I’m not leaving,” I barked. “I’m staying right here.”

“Okay,” he said gently. “Can I get you something?”

“No.” More tears fell down my face. “Do you believe in prayer?”

“Honestly, no.”

“Neither do I.”

He stared at me for a long time. “Do you want to pray? I’ll do it with you.”

“I’m desperate.” I grabbed his hand, and together, I prayed that my wife and daughter would be okay.

Mike kept his hand in mine until I pulled away. Silently, he sat beside me. Nurses and doctors passed us, oblivious to us. Hours went by without any news or information. When Ryan, Cortland, and Flynn arrived, I knew I’d been waiting for five hours.

Ryan was a mess. He was just as upset as I was. He openly cried, collapsing beside me. “I’m so sorry…I should have told you.”

Being wrong or right wouldn’t change what happened.

Ryan rested his face
in his hands, unable to hold onto his emotions. “This can’t be happening…”

Cortland’s eyes welled up with tears. They were red and shiny with moisture. “Any news?” he whispered.

“No.” My voice croaked.

We all sat in the chairs while everyone else arrived. Monnique ran to Cortland and held him close. Janice consoled Ryan, crying alongside him, and Hazel came to Flynn’s side, rubbing his back.

Cassandra came with Trinity in her arms. Mike didn’t get up to greet her. He stayed beside me, never leaving my side. Cassandra hovered in the corner, wiping her tears away every few minutes.

Hours later, my parents arrived. They were both upset. My dad didn’t cry, but he was on the verge of collapsing. My mother wept and sobbed. When my dad reached me, he pulled me into his arms and held me.

I cried like I used to when I was a little boy. “I failed her…I didn’t protect her like I promised.”

“Shh.” He rubbed my back. “It wasn’t your fault, Sean.”

“Yes, it was.” I choked on my own words.

He continued to hold me. “
They’ll be okay, Sean. Have faith.”

“I can’t live without her…”

“I know. I know.”

My father didn’t pull away from me. I needed him just like I did when I was young. But even he couldn’t make the pain go away, not this time.

When another three hours passed, I realized I’d been there for twelve hours. “Everyone can leave and get some sleep. I’ll let you know if anything comes up.”                            “We’re not going anywhere,” Ryan said immediately.

“Yeah,” Cortland said, his eyes red.

We all stayed in the room, waiting for news.

Finally, hours later, the doctor walked in.

I jumped so fast that I tripped and Mike caught me. I got back to my feet and stood in front of him, waiting to hear the news.

Please tell me she’s okay. Please.

“Yeah?” I tried not to cry but my eyes were welling up.

“Are you Mrs. Preston’s husband?”

“Yes,” I said quickly. “Is she okay?”

“The surgery was successful. An artery was damaged from the shot, but we were able to repair it. She lost a lot of blood so we had to give her a transfusion. Her shoulder has been repaired but it wil
l take physical therapy to correct it and make those muscles strong again.”

Am I hearing this right?
“So…she’ll be okay? My wife, she’s going to be fine?”

“Yes. She’ll live.”

I burst into tears again. “Thank you. God, thank you.” I wiped my tears away and steadied my emotion. “Skye, is she okay? My baby girl?”

“There was no damage to her stomach. It’s pretty clear your wife did whatever she could to take the damage to every other part of her body in replacement.”

“Thank you.” I released the air from my lungs. “Thank you so much.”

“Of course.”

‘When can I see her?”

“She’ll be returned shortly, but she’s been sedated. She’ll probably be out for another twelve hours.”

“Okay. Thank you.” I said that a million times but I kept saying it. “Thank you.”

“Of course, Mr. Preston. Your wife is a fighter.”

“I know…”

He left and shut the door.

I fell into a chair and sobbed again, just because. She was going to be okay and so was my baby. Everything was alright. We were still a family. I didn’t have to live without her. She’d survive and come home with me. The hardest part was over. I could do this. I could get through this.