Page 50 of Shattered
The thundering in my chest became almost unbearable when I pushed at the door and found telltale signs of a struggle in the living room. Broken frames and vases were scattered on the floor beneath my feet. Her little coffee table tipped to its side.
I could hardly breathe as I rushed through the house, just to find room after room empty. This could not be happening! Defeated, I slumped against the wall and slid down until my ass hit the cold surface of the tiles. I pulled my legs up and dropped my head to my knees. "Where the hell are you, Sugar?"
And then it hit me: The bastard had found her. I hadn't been gone that long, an hour tops, so they didn't have that big of a head start. Pushing to my feet, I felt the air return to my lungs as a plan formed in my head.
I was on such a mission that I almost plowed straight over Mrs. Jensen from across the street. Gripping her slender shoulders, I apologized, "I didn't see you there, Mrs. Jensen."
Her elderly hands came up to pat mine. "Oh, that's alright. I was wanting to tell you that I saw Harper leave with a blonde man. She didn't look too pleased to go either."
Fear gripped my heart and squeezed. "Did you see which way they went?"
"No, dear. I'm sorry."
After I sidestepped the little old lady, I sprinted for my truck. I didn't care what Eli believed to be true, he was going to help whether he wanted to or not.
All the way to the Sheriff's office I prayed that I wasn't too late. I'd just found my family I couldn't lose them now.
"Where are you going?" I huffed out while trying to catch my breath, apparently, Drew's punches still had the power to leave me winded.
"Weare going to get our son and then-"
"He's not yours!" I didn't even care that he could hear the desperation in my voice; this man had no business near my boy. Flynn was better off with Logan.
Next to me, Drew let out that cruel laugh that always managed to terrify me. "Really Sarah? Looking at that child is like looking into a mirror."
My stomach started to churn and I closed my eyes, hoping and praying that this was nothing but a bad dream and that I'd wake any second with Logan's arms still securely wrapped around me.
"I have to give it to you," Drew sneered, reminding me that this was not a dream at all. "You're good at hiding. If it wasn't for Sheriff Jackson, I wouldn't have found you."
Damn you, Eli Jackson, you just couldn't keep your nose out of my business.
"He wasn't too keen on a fugitive dating his little brother," Drew continued. "Speaking of which, your standards have clearly dropped. That's the kind of man you bring into my son's life?"
For the first time since I'd met him, I glared at Drew. "Logan is more of a man than you could ever hope to be. And ifmyson grew into even half of the man he is, I would be one proud mother."
The sports car came to a screeching halt and almost instantly Drew's hand came up. But just before he could deliver the slap, he seemed to realize where we were. Gritting his teeth, he eased the vehicle into gear and it began to steadily roll forward.
Reaching down, I tried the handle again, hoping that by some miracle the door would be unlocked now.
It wasn't.
"I'm going to enjoy putting you back in your place, my dear Sarah."
"I'm not yours anymore, Drew."
The corners of his mouth lifted into a malicious smile. "Don't worry; soon you'll know exactly who you belong to."
Just as I opened my mouth, we pulled up in front of Flynn's school. An uneasy feeling settled over me.How the hell did he know where Flynn went to school? How long has he been watching us?
"Months." Clearly, I had voiced my questions. My gaze flicked back to Drew, who was watching me with so much hate burning behind his eyes. Hate, I had no doubt, he'd take out on my boy just to get to me.
"Drew, please-" I begged. "-please, you have me. Leave Flynn here, he's happy."
He snorted and shook his head, "Oh no, Sarah. I'm not leaving this dreadful town without you andmyson." He threw a cell phone in my lap. "Call them and tell them to bring the boy to the car."
When I frowned, he said, "I'm not stupid. If I let you go in there, you'll just try and run and I need to save my energy, I have big plans for you later."
Yeah, I bet those plans included beating me within an inch of my life. I made the call and decided then and there that Drew wasn't going to win this fight. I couldn't run forever, it was time I stood still and fought back.
