Page 76 of Deprived No More

“What are you talking about?” I seethe.

“If you go over there, something bad is going to happen. Your rage will destroy us. There’s more riding on this now than all those years ago. If you end up in jail for assault or dead, who’s going to be here for me and the kids? Is that what you want? Play vigilante and then leave us here all alone when they throw the book at you?”

Dragging my hands through my hair, I try to calm down enough to let her words sink in. She’s right. Nothing would make me happier than to tear this fucker limb from limb. But I know how the legal system works. I can’t do that to my family. The risk of being charged with something because I couldn’t manage my fury.

“Kat, I feel like I’m going to explode.”

“I know. But you figured this out,” she pleads. “You. You protected me. Please, call the police and let them do their job.”

Standing mere feet from the door, I want to ignore her. Pummel this asshole’s face for what he’s done. How long has he been ogling her and having these sick delusions they were going to ride off into the sunset together? Did he know she’d been stalked before? Had we ever shared that with them?

“Nick, please,” Kat wails.

Turning to her, I can now see more clearly through my wrath. She’s sobbing.Priorities, man.I pull her into my tight embrace and try to comfort her. “I’ve got you, kitten. I won’t go. I’m sorry. I… I… I just want to kill him.”

She continues to bawl into my shirt, clutching it with both hands. It’s obvious I’m not helping this situation. I need to control my temper. My frenzy is causing me to lash out with threats like I’ve developed Tourette’s.

“Kat, I need to call the police. I’m not going to go over there. I can’t promise I won’t yell a thing or two if I see him, but I won’t go over there,” I say as I stroke her hair. I can’t do anything until I have her settled. “Come, sit down.”

Taking a seat in my usual leather recliner, I pull her down into my lap and place kisses along her temple. “It’s okay. I’m going to do the right thing. You were right.”

“I’m just hoping you’re right, and it’s going to be all over. Why are you so certain it’s Jonas?”

“He has a habit of smoking late in the evening. I’ve seen him do it for a while. Whenever he goes inside, the broken screen porch door slams shut. That’s the noise at the end of the recording that covers up whatever he’s saying.”

“Oh my gosh. I can’t believe you figured that out.” She swipes at her tears as a sniffle escapes her.

“I think the universe owed us a break, that’s all,” I reassure her. “I want to call the police now, Kat. Is that okay?”

She nods and stands, moving over to the couch as I pull up Colton’s number. I really don’t want to call 911 and have sirens blaring through our neighborhood, alerting everyone in the vicinity of our problem.

“Nick? What if he’s not home when they get here? I feel terrible for Susanna and the girls.”

My eyes connect with hers. It never crossed my mind that there could be other casualties besides my wife. Kat’s right. This would be devastating for the girls to witness.

As Colton comes on the line, I place him on speaker phone so Kat can hear and share everything that’s happened since we last spoke. He says he’ll try to do what he can to protect the girls, but unfortunately, if Jonas is guilty, they’ll find out eventually. He assures me he’ll try to send unmarked police cars to our home and determine Jonas’s whereabouts before knocking on their door.

“Thanks for coming quickly,” I say.

“I’m sending someone from a local jurisdiction until we can get there. I’ll pass along everything we know.

As I hang up the phone, I return my attention to Kat. “You okay?”

“I don’t know. I’m not sure how to feel right now other than relieved you’re here with me, and the kids are at school.”

“Oh, babe. I’m sorry. I feel terrible I upset you. And after all of these years, I feel even worse for being angry with you for not telling me about when Mark was harassing you. You were only trying to protect me, and it almost cost us…”

My eyes flick about our home, landing on family pictures, toys, and books scattered at the end of the couch. A pair of Mason’s tennis shoes sit tucked under a stool while a stray sock sits on the credenza near the laundry room. Fuck. If I’d gone after Mark back then, none of this would be here right now. It could’ve cost us everything. She was right. I could’ve ended up dead or in jail. I didn’t have a wife and kids to consider years ago to keep me from doing something I’d regret.

“I love you,” I blurt.

The first smile I’ve seen since she returned from dropping off the kids appears on her sweet face. “I know. I feel it every day, Nick.”

“We’re going to be okay,” I tell her.

She nods, curling her legs underneath her.

Unable to stand the distance between us, I stand and sit beside her. As I hold her close, she sniffles into my shirt.

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