Page 89 of A Second Chance At Forever

I waited a few seconds to make sure he was on the line. “Ashley, are you the one that was behind the fire? Behind the hit and run and the break-in’s?”

Her blue eyes became dark as her chest rose and fell quickly. She knew she had messed up. She looked around to make sure nobody was watching before coming to stand directly in front of me.

“I’m the one that’s been behind everything, but good luck proving it.” She smiled sweetly.

I shook my head, “Why?”

She let out a bitter laugh. “Why do you think?” she rose her arms to her side and let them fall. “I wanted you away from him. He should be mine, but every time you come to town, he’s chasing after you. I thought that if you knew that Chris was in town, you would run.”

I rubbed my temples trying to understand. “Okay, but why do all of this? I get the break-in’s but why burn Mason’s shop? Why did you drive into Nicole?”

I understood why she wanted to hurt me, but why everyone else?

She let out a puff of air and turned to walk back to her car. With one foot in and her hand on the door, she stopped and looked at me. “You really are dense, aren’t you? Don’t you get it? I gave Nicole the pictures so she would leave Mason. When she didn’t and came up with that bullshit story, I had to make sure the truth came out somehow. I hit her knowing she would be taken to the hospital where everyone would find out the truth. Not to mention I knew you would think it was Chris. I thought that would make you leave, but being the dumbass you are, you stuck around,” something flashed in her eyes, anger.

She slammed the door shut and walked back over to me. “I set the shop on fire, because I needed you gone. I thought that you actually loved Mason and would leave to keep him safe, but you don’t love him. You don’t care if anyone else gets hurt. All you care about is yourself and as soon as everything end’s, you will hurt him again to go back to your perfect life.” Her nostrils flared with anger as her eyes burned into me.

I let out a laugh, “You really are crazy, you know that?”

Just then Mason walked out of the house. “Ashley, the police are on their way. I heard everything you said.” He came to a stop at my side and wrapped his arm around my lower back.

Ashley’s eyes bounced from me to Mason and back. “I can’t believe you would do this. I did all of this for us.” She returned her eyes back to Mason.

“You need help, Ashley. You have to see that all the things you’ve done are wrong. You broke into my house and Lennox’s apartment, you drove into Nicole, that could have killed her. Not to mention you burned down my shop and almost killed me.”

She let out a long breath, “I did all of those things for you!” She yelled, before back-stepping to her car.

“There is nowhere to go, the police are on their way.” Mason moved closer.

Ashley jumped into her car and twisted the key. Mason lunged for the car and tried opening the door, but it was locked. He pounded on her window pleading with her to stop. She looked out the window and I saw her red face with tears streaming down her cheeks.

She threw the car in drive and kicked up dust and rocks as she drove quickly from the driveway.

Mason ran toward the car, pulling the keys from his pockets.

“Where are you going?” I chased after him.

“I have to get her. She’s going to hurt someone or herself driving like that.”

I jumped into the passenger side. “I’m going with you.”

“Lennox, no. Please, just stay here. I don’t want you mixed up in all of this.”

I looked into his ice-blue eyes that shined even in the darkness of the car. “If you go, I go.”

Mason shook his head, he knew he couldn’t leave me behind. “Fine. We have to hurry and catch up to her.”

Mason turned right out of the driveway and hit the gas, causing the car to lurch forward.

“How are you going to get her to stop?” I held onto the dash so hard my fingertips were turning white from the pressure.

“I don’t know, but I think I see her.”

I turned my eyes back to the road to see the glow of her taillights ahead of us in the distance.

“Was she drinking at the party?” She was swerving all over the road.

“Yeah, I don’t know how long she had been there, but I could tell she wasn’t sober.”

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