Page 56 of Paddy

In the end, I chose Pretty.

***

The entire ride home Pretty had been a frantic mess. It’d been the only time since her tears became just for me, that I let her cry for something else. She had every reason to.

Coaching her through her fear until the police came to her home to get her statement, I remained as neutral as possible despite my hatred for cops. When you were on the other side of the law, the only copper you could trust was one in your pocket. You either had to have the right money, or the right skin color or background, and since I was Irish, I can admit I had never met a pig I actually liked.

But I had to remind myself they weren’t here for me, they were here forPrettyandherwell-being. The idea of helping any copper made me sick to my stomach, but I put my pride aside for the woman that I cared about.

Giving statements required a lot of repetition, as it seemed like she’d explained her side of events no less than three times. “It just has to be the stalker. It just has to be.”

Just as I had given my statement, Vernon was walking through the door, oblivious, but eager to be caught up to date with things.

“Sir, your wife just had an attempt on her life. We're told she currently has a stalker?”

Vernon confirmed it, and even provided further evidence that might aid in the investigation. “Mr. And Mrs. Washington, we're going to have to level with you. This assailant attempted to kill you in a public place. Knows where you live. Is there a safer place you can go until we conclude our investigation?”

“Leave my home?” Pretty questioned. “Where would I go?”

“A hotel, maybe?” Vernon suggested. “Anything out of town would be better.”

“If you’re looking for someplace for things to die down a bit, I've actually got just a place. A cabin in Vermont. Secluded. No one would know you're there. You'd truly be safe. That’s if you’re open to it,” I suggested.

“That sounds like a good idea,” one of the officers agreed. “Lay low until we have more details.”

“I’d only agree to that if I could take Elijah with me,” Pretty said with a hint of protectiveness in her tone.

“Pretty, Elijah can't miss school. We don’t know how long this is going to go on for,” Vernon disagreed.

“Vernon, for a time like this, he canabsolutelymiss school,” Pretty argued in return.

“Pretty, the stalker you've got is only after foryou. Not me, not Elijah. You always been asking me to show up for Elijah, and now the stakes have never been higher.” Funny how it took an attempt on your wife's life to be a present father.

“Vernon, I don't know?—”

“Pretty, I trust the cops know what they're doing. We'll wrap this up in a few days, but you'll never get any sleep or take care of yourself if you're worried about being shot all the time. Elijah is my son. You can trust me with his care.” Well, he was doing a poor job at convincing her.

“What are you going to tell Elijah?” Pretty asked, worry heavy in her eyes.

“That his mother went to New York for another show. I'll tell him, Mr. Sullivan needed the next couple of days off to be with family. He doesn't need to know more than that.”

“Paddy, what do you think?” Pretty questioned, surprising me that she wanted me to weigh in.

“I reckon I can protect you both. But your presence more than likely to brings more danger to your son than safety. Until this lad is caught, might be a better idea to leave him with Vernon, or let him keep staying with my family.”

Reluctantly, Pretty agreed, as the police insisted she get packed as quickly as possible. I always had a bag packed no matter where I stayed, but if the plan was to leave as soon as she was done, it was best to gather in a few extra things, just in case we couldn’t predict how long the stay would be.

Twenty-Five

Pretty

Still reeling over the assassination attempt, I’d never felt safer leaving the fucking city. Vermont was a four-hour drive with good traffic, but you could never predict anything with the lengths it took to get out of Boston. Nothing made feel better about knowing I’d get to spend some alone time with Paddy.

This man saved my life. Nearly took a bullet for me. I probably couldn’t be safer in another person’s hands. It didn’t take away the fear, but it was comforting that we’d be together.

“Hey, lady,” Paddy cooed, as reached in for my hand and brought it to his mouth. “I know the past few days have been a lot. Do you need to talk about it?”

“I just can't believe someone would try to kill me. This stalker thing has just gotten out of hand. If you hadn't been there, I would have died?—”

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