Page 45 of No Pucks Given
His head bobbed up and down as he said, “Yup. Nat’s going to meet us there with clothes and some disguises.”
I should have known Carter talked with his sister, and they had things worked out. It was a relief that there was a plan in place. It was almost a shame we were going to meet her with disguises. I just wanted to be anonymous.
Then I had the worst idea. If the paparazzi followed our car from the police station, although it didn’t seem like there was anyone following too close to us, they would try to make it sound so much worse than just getting something to eat. So I had to ask, “Should I text her for dinner too? That way we don’t have to worry about the paps trying to make it sound like we don’t care about Russell’s misdeeds?”
“Not a bad idea. I vote for gyros or sushi. It’s the protein that we really need.”
The idea of a gyro just didn’t do it for me. They got cold too quickly, and the textures became all weird when they were cold. Besides, they were so heavy. The only thing I thought I might be able to get down was some sushi. Thankfully, Stephanie liked sushi too.
I texted Natalie.
Any chance you could also come bearing sushi?. Your brother wants to make sure we eat.
Of course. Typical order?
For me, yes. Need me to ask your brother?
Nope. See you soon.
In the penthouse of the Douglas, I sat down in my brown wig and oversized sunglasses. I finally could breathe and relax a little bit. The moment I took off the stupid sunglasses, it seemed like everything hit me all at once.
Russell had tried to take Stephanie away again, but this time without my permission. It’s not like I wouldn’t let him see Stephanie. I made sure she went to every single date when he had custody and would even let him spend time with her when he wanted to see her. It wasn’t like I kept her from him. But he always seemed so damn jealous of my daughter.
Was he that jealous of my feelings for her?
Why was it he could date people, but the moment I started to date someone, he pulled this shit?
He confessed to hiring someone to paint my house with those heinous messages on a bimonthly basis. And that he got his girlfriend to leave the bomb at my place.
For what? Because I was dating a new man?
I just sobbed since it was too much to compute. I never imagined a man could hate me enough to do so much psychological damage to me and his own daughter. And for what? Love?
Russell couldn’t give anyone true love. He was a cheating piece of shit before all this happened. Now I didn’t know what I wanted to do.
If it wouldn't be so cruel to Stephanie, I would terminate Russell’s parental rights. Instead, we would deal with what happened next with the court system. If there came a point where she didn’t want to communicate or deal with him, I would support that.
The crazy thing was that the only thing all of Russell’s antics did was drive me closer to Carter and make me really appreciate the nature of true love. He never pulled stunts like that. No, he just gave me his unwavering attention. He gave me a safe space when my home was under attack.
Even right now, Carter’s embrace was everything I needed. He didn’t care that I had to get my emotions out. He wasn’t afraid of my tears.
As my weeping subsided, he kissed my forehead and whispered, “We’re nearly done with this nightmare of a year.”
He was right. The police had him, and now the justice system would do what they willed. It sounded like they wanted to move quickly enough. But given the money Russell had, he could hire a legal dream team to keep him out of jail.
“I hope you’re right," I muttered.
He pulled me close and whispered into my ear, “I’ll keep you safe.”
“I know.” It was quiet but true. It wasn’t my safety that had me worried. It was something else. Something I couldn’t quite vocalize. But I had to at least try, for Carter’s sake. “You’vealways kept me safe in your own way. I love that you’ve done it by being strong and a leader without having to raise a fist.”
Level of Terror Increased for Siobhan Leary while Russell Richardson is Arrested
By: Suzie Q
November 10th
Russell Richardson was arrested earlier today while at a private airport. According to reports, he’s been charged with attempted kidnapping, stalking, and several other mischief charges. He’s been allowed to check into a mental health facility while he waits for trial.
