Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 64379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
He’s a disease, and he’s been allowed to spread far too freely.
Right then, I silently vow that if the police and the justice system don’t take care of this monster for good this time, I will. If he takes Natalie away from us, I’ll take his life. I don’t care if I spend the rest of my life in prison for it. It will be worth it to know he finally paid the price for the misery he’s caused, and that Crissy is safe to grow up without his darkness looming over her future.
“It’s going to be okay,” I whisper, hugging her so tight I can feel her tiny heart racing against my chest. “It’s going to be okay.”
I pray I’m not lying to her, pray the words are a premonition of what’s to come.
And then the junior officer fires a single shot, Natalie cries out, and every thought leaves my head but one—Please.
Please don’t let her be shot.
Please let her be okay.
Please, please, please.
“Get them downstairs and call for an ambulance,” the older officer shouts as he moves into the apartment with his gun drawn.
The younger officer hesitates a beat, then steps aside. A moment later, Natalie races out the door. She turns, spotting Crissy and me in the hall and her face crumbles with a relief I feel to the marrow of my bones as I rush toward her.
We meet in the middle of the hall in a tangle of clutching, hugging arms and relieved sobs.
“Thank God,” I whisper as I squeeze her close with one arm, while still holding Crissy tight with the other. “Thank God, thank God.”
“Thank you for bringing the police,” Natalie says, her eyes shining as she pulls back to cup Crissy’s face, swiping the tears from her cheeks. “Are you okay, baby? Are you hurt?”
“No, Mommy,” she whispers. “But I don’t want to see that man again. He’s a bad man.”
“You won’t have to, baby. And yes, he is a bad man. I’m so sorry you had to go through that. I tried to keep him away from you, but I…” Her breath stutters out on a sob. “I failed, and I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry, sweetheart.”
“It’s not your fault,” I tell her firmly. “It’s his fault. He’s the monster. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Yeah,” Crissy agrees. “He’s worse than a T. rex. I don’t want him to be my daddy.” She tightens her grip on my neck. “I want Cam to be my daddy.”
Her words liquify every organ in my body and send tears springing into my eyes. I’m so overwhelmed—and touched—I can’t pull in a breath, let alone think of the right thing to say to tell her how much I’d love that without rushing things with Nat.
But thankfully Natalie finds the perfect words for both of us. “I’ll work on that for you, honey.” She says, kissing Crissy’s cheek before pulling back with a shaky smile. Her blue eyes find mine and another wave of love washes over me, leaving me shattered in the best way. “But I’ll have to convince him to marry me first.”
“Tomorrow too soon?” I ask, my voice rough with emotion.
Tears fill her eyes as she whispers, “I love you so much.”
“I love you so much. And Crissy. And us. As a family.”
Crissy rests her head on my shoulder with a sigh. “That’s better.”
“It is,” I agree, taking Natalie’s hand as I become aware of the younger officer standing awkwardly behind us, clearly ready for us to move but not wanting to interrupt the moment. “Can we head home?” I ask him.
He motions toward the elevator. “Let’s go downstairs and talk. I’ll get a preliminary statement from Ms. Barbu and some contact information, and we’ll get you out of here as fast as we can. But we should go now. The paramedics will be headed up any second, and we don’t want to be in the way.”
Downstairs the policeman—Smithy, he tells Crissy to call him—records Natalie’s statement while I keep Crissy entertained in the manager’s office with a game of rock, paper, scissors. Thankfully, we’re still in the office when the stretcher with a handcuffed Phillip strapped to it rolls by on the way to the ambulance parked outside.
Crissy’s too short to see out the office window into the hall, but I see just fine. I see Phillip’s bloody shoulder and the murderous rage on his face as he catches my eye for a beat on his way past. I return his glare, silently promising this is the last time he’ll hurt either of the people I love. If he doesn’t stay away from them, he’s going to be sorry.
But hopefully this will be the third strike that puts him away for good. He’s proven, again and again, that he has no intention of changing his ways or leaving Natalie alone. Any judge who hears the details of this latest kidnapping attempt and doesn’t send him away for life has a screw loose.