Page 48 of Every Sunset
I had my own strengths, but none of them were relevant in that situation. The best place for me was at home, caring for Anna and Max, and that was exactly where I wanted to be too.
ANNA
I was distracted at work at the store that afternoon. My son and the guys had tried to convince me not to go in, but I was feeling fine except for the throbbing of the bruises across my chest, and my aching shoulder. Even the thudding headache I’d had the night before was gone, and the only sign of what had happened the night before was the dressing on my forehead, under which sat the deep cut Maddox had closed with butterfly strips.
If I were honest, it was a relief to be in the peace of the store. Neil was out back checking inventory and the store was quiet. It wasa pleasant relief from Max, Logan, and Maddox fussing over me as they had all night and that morning too.
The issue was that all of that peace and quiet was giving me time to think, and that was a bad idea right then. I was so confused about everything. Literally everything. My son. The Easton brothers and their confusing flirting. The past I was so sure Max and I had left behind.
Could the accident the night before really have been intentional?
That was what Maddox had been worried about when I finally woke late that morning and went down to the kitchen. I knew something was going on the second I saw Maddox’s face as I opened the door and stepped in. He looked right at me and searched my face like he was looking for every secret I held inside.
Logan had been more relaxed, but I saw the tension in his face too, and by the time we had all sat with coffee in hand, I had been ready to burst if they didn’t tell me what was going on. That was when Maddox had finally opened his mouth. He’d been out to the place where my car hit that tree and looked around. He said he couldn’t be sure from what he could see, but he seemed pretty sure that the car that ran into me had done so on purpose, like they preplanned it. He explained that there were no skid marks in the road other than mine, which meant the driver who hit me hadn’t even tried to brake and stop us from colliding. I tried to point out that the driver was likely wasted, but Maddox told me if the driver was sober enough to speed away from the accident as fast as he or she did, they would have been sober enough to try and brake to stop the collision all together.
I had scoffed at his theories, telling him he was wrong – that there was no one who would have cause to run me off of the road like that, and that was true.
The life Max and I had left behind had been a pretty lonely one for me. I didn’t have any friends, let alone enemies. The only person who could, and maybe would have come after me, couldn’t possibly do that. Callum was not the one who had tried to end me last night. At least that was what I had told myself a hundred times since Maddox gave me his theory. I was just really damned grateful my son hadn’t heard any of the conversation. The last thing he needed to worry about was that psycho coming looking for either of us.
But if I was so sure, then why was it weighing so heavily on my mind? Was it possible? Would Callum even bother to come after me if by some miracle he was able? Surely I was just another one of his victims?
The sound of the bell over the door ringing loudly startled me from the fast approaching memories of that evil monster looming over me. I took a deep breath and turned to the door with a fake smile.
“Aftern…” My greeting died out when I found no one standing there. The door was closed again and the store was still empty.
Confused I walked around the counter and went to the window beside the door, peering past the display of mowers, which Neil had set up there, to look out onto the street.
It was quiet in town too, just an old couple exiting the diner, the husband clutching his wife’s hand and helping her down the small step and down to the side walk. I didn’t see anyone outside the store, and certainly no one close enough to be messing with the door. Deciding I was just exhausted and imagining things,I moved to step away, when suddenly a figure appeared right outside the window, so close I could see the color of his eyes – eyes I’d never forget, and never stop seeing in my nightmares.
My body jolted as a scream ripped from me and I dropped down so he couldn’t see me.
“Anna?!” Neil yelled, then he was there, running towards me. He looked as though he was going to reach for me, but he stopped himself just before he made contact. “What is it? What happened?” he asked instead.
I was already shaking so hard my teeth were chattering, and my eyes were blurry with tears as I curled into myself tightly. It was him. He was right there, outside the store, in the street. I felt the ghost of every injury he had inflicted on me, pain ricocheting through my body as my mind fought through the adrenaline surging into me. Then one clear thought came to mind. Max. I had to get to Max!
I shot to my feet so fast Neil stumbled backwards from where he had been crouched beside me.
“Anna? What’s wrong?” he asked, but I was already halfway out of the store and in the street. I looked around me frantically as I started to run. I had to get home to Max. I had to make sure he was safe!
I heard Neil yell my name loudly, then everything happened at once. A car was speeding towards me, and I realized too late I had run into the road without even looking. I thought I heard someone else yell my name, but it was too late. I closed my eyes, ready for the impact, but instead strong arms banded around my waist like iron and I knew I was in the air. There was a loud grunt as I hit something hard with a cry of my own.
I could hear people yelling around me, but I dare not open my eyes for a second as I tried to catch my breath, which had been knocked out of me by the impact of landing hard on top of something hard.
“Anna? Fuck! Are you hurt?” a deep voice asked. I quickly came back to reality, and realized I was laid out on top of someone, not something, and whoever they were, they were still holding me tight. Fear instantly filled me again and I opened my eyes, frantic now that I remembered why I had been running in the first place.
It was like my worst nightmares when I finally focused and saw blond hair. I started to fight instantly, sure Callum was the one holding me. I had no idea how it were possible, but he was back. He grabbed me and it was going to happen all over again.
“TATE!” The high pitched wail had me calming a little though, and I looked up for just a second to see Cat running from the diner towards us. She came right over and knelt on the floor as whoever held me sat up and moved me easily so I sat across his lap.
Finally, sense hit me and I looked up again and realized it was Tate who held me, not Callum. A car was parked in the middle of the road off to the side and I realized it was the car that had almost hit me. Tate must have leapt in and gotten me out of the road in the nick of time before I could be run down.
“I’m okay, Cat. I’m fine,” he assured his wife as he wrapped his hand around the back of her head and pulled her in for a quick kiss on her forehead.
“Tate?” I questioned as I looked between them.
“Oh my God!” Cat gasped. “Are you hurt, Anna?”
“No,” I shook my head as I took stock of my body. Nothing hurt past what I woke with that morning. Tate had taken most of the impact and kept his body wrapped around me. “I…I don’t think so. I’m okay.”
