Page 75 of Single Mom's Firemen

It finally hits her in the right spot. The doubt I saw earlier swells even darker in her eyes. Shadows stretch across her face, accentuating her wrinkles as she frowns and tries to process a good answer to this situation. There is only one good answer, though, and she knows it.

“You can go down with your son, or you can at least try to save yourself from the shitstorm that is about to come crashing into every single member of the Nash family,” I add.

“Mark my words,” Chase cuts in, his voice as cold as death itself. “If anything happens to Halle or the kids, I’m gonna find you, your son, your brothers and your cousins and your nephews, and by the time I’m done with y’all, there won’t be a single Nash standing.”

“Is there a deal on the table?” Harriet asks.

“Right now the only deal is that you tell us where Halle and the kids are and I don’t fucking kill you,” Chase hits back.

She thinks about it for another second or two, and I am genuinely tempted to pull the trigger simply because of how hesitant she is being. Psychopathy clearly runs in the family.

“He probably has her,” Harriet finally concedes. “He knew I was going to see her, to show her the photos and play that card. I’d hoped it would keep him from doing anything else though, since everything he’s done up to this point has been nothing short of reckless and stupid.”

“Murder. What Colby has been doing is called murder,” I reply.

“Where is he?” Chase hisses. “Your clock’s ticking.”

Harriet lets a heavy sigh roll from her chest. “There are a few possible places he could be. I’ll give you a list. I can’t do more than that since I haven’t been able to reach him over the past couple of hours, either. If he’s got her, he doesn’t need me anymore.”

“You will also tell us how many people he has working for him and anything else that might come in handy,” I say. “In the meantime, if anything happens to Halle and the children, it’ll be on you.”

She already knows this. She acknowledges it. Not verbally but it’s written all over her face as she gets a pen and paper and starts jotting down every piece of information required. I watch her like a hawk while the bodyguards look down in what I can only assume is a form of defeat. They can’t touch us anymore and they know it. I just hope we find Halle in time.

31

Halle

My body aches all over and there’s a persistent burning sensation in my side.

Colby is trying to talk to the children and growing increasingly frustrated when they won’t calm down. A woman I don’t recognize is trying to reason with him.

“You’re scaring them,” she says.

“Get them out of here, then,” Colby replies. “There’s a bedroom upstairs, just stay there.”

“Baby, they wanna be with their Mama.”

“I said take them upstairs!” he snarls.

I remember that thundering tone all too well. I was under its control for so long. I hear the sound of receding footsteps.

“I wanna be with Mama!” Luna cries out.

“Mama! Mama!” Sammy yells, his sweet voice trembling with emotion.

“It’s ok babies, it’s all going to be ok,” I tell them.

“Mama’s gonna be with you soon,” Colby says. “Just go with Miranda, you’re gonna be okay, I promise.”

He’s lying. He still lies through his teeth. What else did I expect? It’s his nature. Deceitful. Miserable. Manipulating. Always working hard to look like the smartest person in the room yet always failing. Silence falls in the absence of my children, but I cling to the hope that whoever Miranda is, she’ll be kind and keep them safe. As safe as they can be in these wretched circumstances.

“All you had to do was come home, you stupid bitch,” Colby mutters.

He looks like hell. He hasn’t slept in days, judging by the dark rings around his eyes. He’s likely been living on coffee and cocaine, day in and day out, because I know this man better than he knows himself. He’s probably drinking a lot too. Uppers and downers. Whatever he can get his hands on to soothe his nervous system but he’s still a mess. He will always be a mess.

“What are you doing, Colby?” I manage, trying to sit up though unable to. “Your goon fucking tasered me.”

The baby. Oh, God, what if he hurt my baby?

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