“I’m back,” she said.
“What’s going on? I’m coming to get you.”
“No, don’t do that. I’m almost to my car. I just have the flu or something. I’m going home. I think I need to lie down. Will you be able to take these things to the warehouse for Carl? He needs them by tonight for the new set.”
“Sure. Ron and I are going to head to the diner to grab some lunch. I’ll come by after that. Want me to bring you something? Wait, didn’t you have the flu last week?”
“Yes, I can’t seem to shake it. It’ll be okay. I just need to sleep. I’ll see you in a bit. Oh crap!”
“What? Are you okay?” The panic always seemed to be riding just at the back of his mind.
“I got to go. Crap, I need a trash can. Talk to you later. Love you.”
The call ended before he could tell her the same.
Shit
. The poor woman had been sick for over a week. He’d made her pancakes the last four mornings, and no sooner had she’d eaten them, they’d come back up. He needed to talk to Eric. Maybe she had an ulcer from all the worrying she’d been doing since they’d met with the police.
“Well?” Ron asked as they walked out of the warehouse into the warm afternoon sunshine.
“She’s sick again. Do you think Eric could take a look at her? I’m really worried she’s got an ulcer or something. She can’t keep anything down.”
“Sure, I’ll give him a call after we eat.”
“Great. Thanks.”
By the time they got to the diner, only two seats were still open. They claimed the seats and grabbed two menus. The red-haired waitress sauntered over to where they were sitting. “Why do you two even grab the menus? Wait, I’ll be a good waitress for ya.” She cleared her throat for effect. “What can I get ya?”
Ron beamed his bright smile. “How about your ass bent over this counter, sexy?”
The older woman grinned and tapped him on the head with the pencil she had perched between her fingers. “You’re such a tease, Ronnie. When you’re ready to give up on those cocksuckers, give me a jingle. Now, pretty boy,” she said and turned her sharp tongue on Sean. “You want double bacon with cheese, double fries, and an extra-thick vanilla shake. Sound about right?”
Sean wished his smile was as nice as Ron’s but gave Rosie a grin just the same. “Sounds great.”
“I’m worried about her, you know?” Sean said as Rosie walked away to help another customer. “She hasn’t felt good for like a week, and she just hasn’t been herself. I know she’s scared to death that asshole is going to jump out of some corner. She’s trying to move on. I just wish I knew how to help her more. I want her to feel safe.”
“Hey,” Ron said and nudged Sean’s shoulder, “she’s going to be all right. She’s a tough bird.”
Sean knew how tough his baby was but still wanted to protect her and hold her and keep her safe. “I think I’ll call her again.”
“Hey, she’s on her way home. Let her rest. Besides, don’t you two see enough of each other living in your place?”
Sean smiled. It was great having Abigail living at his place. It took a lot of smooth talking on his part, but when she’d finally said yes to moving in, he’d been relieved. First thing he did was buy a queen-size bed and sheets. They’d taken a chunk out of his savings, but he’d do anything to make her comfortable. He’d even painted the bedroom a calming blue and the living room beige. It was a start.
“It’s a bit tight,” he said and sipped on the milkshake Rosie slid in front of him.
“Are you guys going to find a house?” Ron asked. “I know you don’t want her to move back into her apartment.”
The thought of a house, something permanent, made his chest tighten. Would she want that with
him?
No one had ever wanted anything permanent with him. Not his mother, not the foster parents, hell, not even the Department of Corrections. “I don’t know. We haven’t really talked about it. We’ve been so focused on helping the police find her ex and getting the company back in order, we haven’t had time to plan anything. What about you and Eric? How come you two don’t live together?”
Ron winked at Rosie when she put the plate in front of him. She winked back and took his glass to fill it with more soda. “It’s complicated. He wants me to move in, but I don’t want him to take care of me. He makes a lot of money, and what do I have to offer? I can fuck like an Olympic gymnast. I’m the best top any man could ever dream of. I guess I’ve got those going for me.”
Sean laughed and stuffed another french fry in his mouth. “You do have a nice ass, big boy.”
Ron grinned. “I do, don’t I? So there are three things to offer. Maybe I should reconsider moving in, then.”
Sean knew how Ron felt. Abigail moving in was an adjustment. She wanted to buy everything, the groceries, the cable, and Penelope’s treats. He drew the line there. That damn mutt had become his fight partner on Saturday nights when they’d watch the Pay-Per-View matches.
He
was the one to buy her treats. Abigail finally gave in and stopped leaving money on the kitchen counter. After receiving his first paycheck as the financial advisor for Fantasy Emporium, he coughed, laughed, and almost passed out. The amount was more money than he’d ever dreamed of. He even went to the bank and opened a new account, invested in a few stocks, and started a savings plan.
“How’s school going?” Ron asked.
“Good. I started an online class. I’m able to do a lot from home, thank God. I need to be home at night with Abby, and this schedule works out great. She’s decided to take Penelope to this woman who has a male Corgi. I guess the mutt’s going on a date. If she gets knocked up, we’re definitely going to have to look for a bigger place.”
Ron shook his head and laughed. “You two are going to be grandparents. Priceless!”
“Yeah, priceless.” Sean frowned. Now, he’d have to worry about his mutt carrying pups and surviving the birth process. He had enough to worry about with Abigail staying safe.
“Hey, man. Don’t look so scared. Everything will be all right. Can Eric and I have a puppy? We were looking into getting a dog anyway. A puppy would be great.”
“Sure. We better get going. I’ll grab the tab.” Sean took the tickets and started toward the cash register.
* * * *
Abigail twisted on the couch, curling her legs up so Penelope could stretch out on the end. She held the round pill container in her hand. Yeah, she’d messed up big-time. With all the stress, she’d missed two days last month. “What are we going to do, girl? He’s finally starting to calm down and now this. How am I going to tell him?” The dog just blinked at her. “You’re no help.”
Matter of fact, nothing was going to help her now. On the way home, she’d bought a pregnancy test that now sat, blue lines and all, on the bathroom sink. Sean was taking classes and had a new job. Between constantly worrying about her and trying to juggle everything and still work with the kids at the center, it was too much. Maybe she’d wait another month to tell him. Besides, there wasn’t a guarantee she’d be able to carry the baby. The doctors had said her uterus had been injured in the attack, not to mention the cesarean section the doctor had to perform. Too much scar tissue and trauma.
Abigail curled up tighter around her stomach and rubbed her belly. She couldn’t be more than four weeks or so. It had only been a couple of days since noticing she’d missed her period, and what she’d thought was the flu turned out to be morning sickness. There was no way she could deny it.
She huffed and rolled onto her back. “We’re going to mess up all his plans. Maybe we should just go.” After closing her eyes, she recalled their conversation about if this should happen. She’d promised they’d handle the situation together. “I can’t do that to him. He deserves to know his child. God, what are we going to do?”
“Lady Marmalade” rang on her cell phone. She rolled over and grabbed the phone, almost knocking over Sean’s new Lego model. He’d been working on the thing for over a week. He’d kill her if she broke it into a bazillion pieces. “Hello?”
“Ms. Swanson?”
“Yes?”
“I’m Officer Gibson from the Savannah Police Department. I have some news for you regarding your case.”
Abigail sat up, staving off the new wave of nausea to hit her stomach. “Yes?”
“Justin Parker’s vehicle has been spotted just outside Waynesboro. He appeared to be heading north. By the time the clerk got a hold of the local law enforcement, the car was gone. We wanted to let you know about the most recent update. Are you still staying at 234 Magnolia Street?”
Abigail’s throat felt so constricted she couldn’t speak. She nodded. Realizing the officer couldn’t see her, she cleared her throat. “Um, yes. I’m still staying here.” She hugged her arm over her belly.
“We’ll keep in touch. If you see Mr. Parker, don’t approach him. Call us. But at this point, it appears he’s headed home. Last known address we have for him is in New York City.”
“O-Okay.”
Abigail set the phone back on the coffee table. A wash of relief drifted over her as she leaned over to pet Penelope. “He’s finally leaving. Maybe now we can move on, girl.” She got up from the couch and padded into the tiny kitchen. “Let’s make something special for tonight,” she said to Penelope, who sat patiently waiting for a treat. Abigail opened the cookie jar on the small counter and tossed the little bone onto the floor. The dog scrambled to snatch up the biscuit. “Spaghetti and meatballs. Sean will like that.”
She opened the refrigerator. As she grabbed a package of meat, her thoughts drifted to her belly. She closed the door and rubbed a small circle over her abdomen. Knowing the little life inside her body was growing made her smile. For a moment, she remembered how Caroline liked to kick around in the evening and how her hiccups made Abigail’s stomach feel like a million butterflies were taking off inside her.
She set the meat on the counter and started searching through the cabinets for a bowl. Only a few cabinets lined the wall, but she still wasn’t familiar with the small space. Sean did most of the cooking. He’d learned a few new recipes to add to his delicious macaroni-and-cheese-and-pancake menu. His love of cooking was one of many things she was learning about the man she loved. He was tidy and never missed a day at the gym. He and Ron had become quite the sparring partners, and he’d even gotten Ron to volunteer with him at the boys’ center.
Abigail was impressed by how well he managed his time. She’d taken a few pointers and was now able to schedule her days so that they weren’t quite so hectic. In turn, her anxiety about work was calming down. And now, with the news that Justin was on his way out of her life, maybe she could breathe again and find peace in the rest of her life.
She tossed the meat into the bowl and began searching for spices. After dumping an eclectic array of dried herbs into the bowl, she started mashing the concoction with a wooden spoon. Penelope stood at her feet and whimpered.
“He’s gotten you way too spoiled,” she said and took a moment to grab another biscuit out of the cookie jar. The dog shoved her nose in the air and caught the biscuit that Abigail tossed down to her. “Good catch! He taught you that, didn’t he?” Penelope, seemingly satisfied now, walked back into the living room to enjoy her treat.
What sounded like a door handle rattling made her look up. She could see the front door from where she was standing in the kitchen. She waited. Nothing. She went back to mashing the spoon into the bowl. When everything was mixed, she set the spoon on the counter and wiped her hands on a small towel.
Her phone rang, making her jump. She started to walk to the coffee table when something crashed against the front door. Penelope barked. Abigail ran to the coat closet where Sean kept the baseball bat he’d brought from her apartment. As she passed the door, another bang rang out, the wooden door bowed inward at the center, and flew open.
Abigail screamed.
Justin reached out to wrap his tight grip around her throat. She felt the breath fly from her lungs and a burning start to rise as she struggled to catch a breath. She clawed at his hands, trying to free herself from his clutches, but he was too strong. He squeezed tighter, and the world went black.
* * * *
“What the fuck?”
Sean listened to Abigail’s recorded voice asking him to leave a message. He knew she planned on going home. Why wasn’t she answering her phone? He pressed the green button to call her again. One…two…three rings went by. He pressed his foot on the accelerator.
He pulled up against the curb behind Abigail’s new car. He’d insisted she buy the car to throw Justin off. As he ran up to the front porch, he scanned the yards on either side of the house. Mrs. Connelly was sitting on her porch swing, but other than that, no one was out. He took the stairs two at a time. The door was closed but had obviously been pummeled. The splintered center had been hit hard. He turned the knob, and it wobbled. He took a breath. He needed to think. Had the fucker taken Abigail somewhere, or were they still inside? He had to be careful with his next move. He heard a sound coming from behind the door. A whimper. It was the mutt.
Crouching down, he silently slid the door open an inch, just to peer inside. He needed to see inside the apartment and make a game plan real fucking fast. Penelope was lying on her side on the living room floor. He tapped the floor to get her attention. When she looked over at him, she didn’t come running. Sean’s heartbeat went into overdrive. He scanned the living room and the kitchen. No one was there. He took a deep breath and listened. A man’s voice came from somewhere deeper in the apartment.
The bedroom
. The door gave a faint creak as he opened it just enough to slip inside the apartment. He crawled over to the couch where Penelope was lying on the floor. She whimpered again when he gently scanned her little body. There was blood oozing from a spot on her paw. When he laid his hand on her hip, she growled. He left her to crawl to the other side of the room, beside the closed bedroom door.
“You fucking bitch! Did you actually think you could call the cops and this would all go away? Where’s your boyfriend, huh? Why isn’t your hero here to save you now? Because he knows you’re a whore! I saw the pregnancy test sitting over there.
He
doesn’t want some slut carrying his kid either!”