Page 50 of At Last

“That’s not something a whore decides,” she fires back at me. “That’s for the lady of the house to decide. And you aren’t her.”

“Duke?” I repeat myself, questioning why he hasn’t spoken up in my defense. When he says nothing, only stands with his hands on his hips, I decide it’s time to stick up for myself. “I told you not to call me a whore. I’m a doctor. I worked hard for my degree, my practice. And thatneverincluded spreading my legs for money.”

“Doc,” he says sharply. “That’s Dawna’s mom. Show her some respect.”

“Show… showhersome respect? She called me a whore. More than once and in front of Jade… You know what, never mind.” Then I stomp to Jade’s room. “Come on sweetie, we’re leaving.”

She hardly has her sandals on before I’m grabbing my purse and heading out the back. Duke swears and calls after me, but I just found my place. And it’s sure not where I thought it was. I tug Jade by the hand over to the clubhouse, but make her wait outside by the wall because who knows what we might walk into?

“Jesse?” I call. “Is Jesse here?”

“Here, Doc.” He strolls out from the kitchen with a sandwich in his hand. “Whatcha need?”

“I need to go. Now.”

“What? Why?” he asks around a bite-full of food.

“Duke’s mother-in-law showed up and doesn’t like me being at her daughter’s house.”

“Fuck.”

“Duke took her side.”

“Fuuuk.” Jesse repeats low and slow, for effect. But he grabs his keys from his pocket and asks, “Where’s Jade?”

“Outside. I didn’t know if it was blowjob hour or not.”

He snickers around a mouthful of food. “Let’s go.”

Back out the front, I grab up my little girl in my arms, and we walk over to Jesse’s truck. Since he’d been put on Caitlin guard duty, he’d put a booster between us for when Jade came along. Though, the middle doesn’t have a shoulder harness, only a lap belt, so I sit in the middle and put Jade by the door.

My phone rings four different times in just the short while I’ve been collecting Jesse. They’ve all been Duke. Duke can kiss my ass. Or keep on kissing his mother-in-law’s.

“Where we headed?” Jesse asks.

“I don’t know. We haven’t eaten yet. Let’s take Jade to Fun Zone.”

“Caity, that’s forty-five minutes away.”

“Then just drop us at our house.”

He glares at me. Then, turning out of the compound onto the street running along the fence, he decides, “Okay. Let’s do Fun Zone.”

God, I love this kid. I lean my head on his shoulder. “You smell good,” I tell him. “Not interested in older women by chance?”

He laughs a hearty laugh. “Not as much as I want my patch.” But then he drops a sweet, almost older brother type kiss to my forehead.

Jesse only took his eye off the road for a brief second on an empty country road.

It happens so fast, like a scene from a movie. I’m suddenly aware of a black SUV. I’m suddenly aware when it comes out of nowhere to ram the tail end of Jesse’s pickup. Jesse swerves, but gains control. Then he speeds. The SUV speeds up behind us, ramming us again. I pull my phone from my pocket to call for help when we’re hit for a third time and I drop it.

I drop it.

Jade is screaming, “Mama!” and she’s crying so hard as Jesse fights to keep control. His truck is old and can’t outrun the SUV which rams us a final time. Jesse swerves a final time, hitting the shoulder and skidding on loose rock.

We skid right over the steep cliff edging the right side of the road, our side of the road coming down the mountains. The truck hits tree after tree until it all becomes a blur of green. Then we hit solid. With only my lap secured, my upper body is thrust forward, slamming my head into the dashboard.

That’s it.

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