Page 93 of Claiming Ours
“Why not?” I demanded.
“Because.” He blew out a breath and checked his watch. “It will kill her, and I won’t let anything hurt her like I know this will. I’ll tell you, but please, save her from this. You can’t tell her.”
My brows rose. “I’m listening.”
30
MEMPHIS
The cigarette shook between my fingers as I inhaled a long drag, hoping it would calm my racing heart and tremors. Blinking at the sun hiding behind low gray clouds, I tried to think of anything other than the look of utter confusion on Baylee’s face when I left her on Liam’s bed. It had only been half a day, but it felt similar to withdrawal symptoms being away from her, knowing she was upset.
I didn’t feel this way when Liam and I were in Caper, but that was a totally different situation. One, he was with me, two, she wasn’t upset with me for leaving unexpectedly, and three, I wasn’t planning a murder. Well, hopefully it wouldn’t come to that, but I would do it as a last resort if it meant protecting my girl.
I checked my phone, ignoring the messages unread from Baylee, knowing they would rip me in two and make me run back to her before I took care of what I needed to here in Anchorage. Tapping on the thread with Mom, I read through her texts again, double-checking that I hadn’t misread anythingin my utter debilitating panic, even though I’d read and reread them a hundred times on the boat ride here.
Mom: I need you to call me now!
Mom: Memphis Tennessee Thomas, you call me right now!
My grip tightened around my phone, knowing if Mom wasn’t so fucking exclamation point happy, I would’ve called her immediately when those two texts came through last night. But no, I thought she just wanted to talk since we hadn’t in days while I was busy in Caper. I pushed off responding because at the time, my focus was on feeding Baylee, and then Liam went and did his little show.
I blew out a breath and closed my eyes, pushing that erotic moment to the back of my mind, needing to focus on the issue at hand. Relaxing my fingers to keep from snapping the phone in two, I scrolled to the messages I’d flipped out about earlier.
Mom: Memphis, this is serious. You and Baylee are in danger.
Movement out of the corner of my eye drew my attention from the screen to someone leaving the hotel. I carefully watched and frowned at the three businessmen disappearing into a rideshare. Fuck, not who I was waiting for. Disappointment and worry filled my gut, wondering if maybe I was too late.
Shaking my head, I took another hit and tossed the spent butt onto the ground, grinding it into the sidewalk with the toe of my boot.
Mom: Well, not danger danger, but danger.
That text, despite the confusion and fear racing through my veins, had my lips quirking upward. Mom was just so Mom sometimes.
Mom: Jerry, Dean’s dad, came by the house to tell me that Bethany heard about you going to Alaska to find Baylee.
Mom: I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize she’d react this way or I wouldn’t have told my Bible study group about you finally getting your chance with Baylee.
Mom: You know Bethany has been… unwell since Dean’s death. Grief twists people up sometimes.
Mom: And boy is she twisted up about you and Baylee.
Mom: Jerry even found a burner phone. All the calls were to Baylee’s number. He found texts too, horrible texts that she sent to that sweet girl.
Mom: She told Jerry that Baylee didn’t deserve to be happy because she killed her son.
Mom: So she’s on her way to Alaska.
Mom: You have to intervene before she can get to Baylee. The things she’s saying are… it will kill Baylee. She has such a kind heart. Hearing the hate and lies Bethany will infect her with will destroy that sweet girl.
Mom: She took a flight to Seattle yesterday afternoon and will land in Anchorage sometime tomorrow.
Mom: Call me. I’ll tell you what I know. Jerry is helping. He knows Bethany needs help and doesn’t want her to hurt Baylee emotionally or physically. And his concern about both are valid in his mind. He doesn’t know what she’ll do if she actually gets to Baylee.
I called Mom while I waited for the boat Liam arranged to take me to Anchorage. Every word she repeated that Bethany had said to others in town or vented to her husband made me both sick to my stomach and raging mad. How dare she think she could pull Baylee into the twisted, toxic mess she’d fallen into after Dean’s death.
Yes, she lost her only son, but that was not Baylee’s fault. How she came to that conclusion in her warped thoughts was not for the sane mind to comprehend.
Based on the credit card charge Jerry noticed on their online statement, Bethany had checked into the hotel I was currently staking out. I’d wait for her to emerge and then…
