Page 94 of Hearts of Fairlake

I hated leaving Chase, but no one was around to help us. Plus, moving him would be an ordeal requiring getting through the crowd. I looked down at him, raising a brow to ask a question I didn't want to say with the kids within earshot and still ignorant of Chase's condition.

"Fine for the moment," he said, giving me a smile that was probably meant to reassure me. It didn't, but at least he was still capable of trying something like that.

"I’d love to know what happened," Bri said with a sigh. "Everything was fine, and then?—"

"Big boom," Chase muttered into the grass.

"Is he trying to be funny?" Bri asked, sounding more confused than upset.

"Mostly just trying to stay conscious," Chase muttered, then flashed me a reassuring smile when I gave him a dirty look. He might have been willing to make jokes, but I didn't find much about this situation funny. Maybe if we all got through this in one piece, I’d find something to joke about.

A cry went up from the crowd, and I spun around as Iheard shouting coming from the park's direction. I cocked my head. “Is that...Bennett?"

"Shit, I've never heard him yell like that," Chase said, and I nudged him with my foot when he tried to get up to see what was going on.

"What's he saying?" Annie asked as people began to back up, creating a gap between them and the park.

"I saidstop!" Bennett roared in a voice I would never have dreamed possible coming from him, of all people. "Isabelle, stop!"

"Who?" Bri asked in confusion.

"There is...no way," Annie said, forgetting all about the kids and Chase as she stood up with eyes wide. "Ayla said she was out, but there is no way in hell she’d be back here."

"Wait? That psycho bitch from before?" Chase asked.

"Chase, language!" Bri snapped and then blinked. "As in, Ian's ex? Ayla's mother?"

"You'd be amazed what people will do when they're no longer thinking straight, and I don't think her and sanity have known each other for a very long time," I said. “Shit, they're coming."

Chase grunted. “Amber, no!"

My attention was pulled from where I could see people heading in our direction and down to the little girl who had decided that moment was the time to run into the crowd. Without thinking, I shoved Collin toward his mother and ran after her before she ended up directly in the path of the chase. The problem was that the crowd was too stunned by everything and enamored by the new shouting that they barely moved and didn't realize what I was doing. Amber, being so short, had little problem squeezing between people as she let out a laugh, clearly enjoying this new game.

"Move!" I finally snapped. Amber gained distance as the crowd continued to be locked into a stupor. I finally had toshove a man far harder than I wanted, but I could see Amber heading straight for the park. Either she’d decided she wanted to go back, or against all logic, she somehow managed to recognize Bennett's voice despite the anger and authority and was going for him.

I finally broke through the crowd as Amber sped toward the tree line. No longer fettered by the crowd, I lunged forward. My hand wrapped around her upper arm just as someone came bursting through the trees. It took me far too long to realize who I was looking at, but as rough as the years had been on her, I’d always been good with faces. Under all the stress and pain, it was the same woman I had helped Ethan hunt down so they could get Ayla back.

She had a fucking knife and was coming in our direction.

Amber let out a cry as I yanked her back before Isabelle got hold of her, stepping back and wondering what I could do. Bennett was still in hot pursuit, but it would still be seconds before he showed up, and seconds were exactly how long it would take for her to hurt someone. Her brow half gone, and her bangs singed, she had clearly been near the explosion, but she wasn't fazed by it, considering her death grip on the knife.

I heard another shout from behind me, and before I could do more than turn toward the noise, a streak of red shot past me and directly into Isabelle. The woman hadnotexpected it, and I watched in surprise as her grip on the knife loosened, sending the weapon clattering to the ground. Without thinking, I stepped forward to slap my foot on it and slide it back as Isabelle and?—

"Annie?" I let out in surprise as she perched herself over Isabelle, fist clenched.

"Remember me, bitch?" Annie grunted before delivering what could only be called the most brutal haymaker I had ever witnessed.

"Holy shit," I said, eyes going wide as I watched Annie proceed to lay down a beating I would have never expected from her.

"Owwwwww," Amber cried beside me, and I picked her up to shush her, knowing I’d probably hurt her arm and would need to get it looked at.

For all her craziness, Isabelle wasn't prepared for Annie's surprise attack and was flailing on the ground beneath her.

Then, Bennett and Ian came barreling through the trees, armed and red in the face. Both came to a screeching halt as they watched Isabelle shriek with pain and frustration as Annie grabbed her and began slamming her onto the concrete.

"Not so goddamn tough without that woman-beating asshole with you, are you?" Annie snarled, and I wondered just how long it had been stewing inside her.

"Annie, get off her so I can taze her," Bennett called, exasperated.

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