Page 77 of Singing For His Kiss

“Let her go, Logan.” The voice sounded like Steve, the cop.

David’s black gaze looked beyond her. “Put that gun down, coppa.”

Elizabeth shivered at that quiet tone. He was always quiet before he hit. David shook her so badly, her head jerked back and forwards. “I always thought you were stupid, but now I know how stupid you are. You dumb bitch. The only thing you did was give me all your money. You didn’t know half of what I did. If you hadn’t found out my banking details, I would have pissed you off months ago.” He shook her so hard, she saw stars that time.

“They know everything, David. You can’t get out of it now,” she stammered.

“Take your hands off her!” Through the fog, she registered James.

David chuckled. “Gladly.” The back of his hand on her cheek sent her staggering. She seemed to hang in mid-air for a second before slamming to the ground, so stunned her vision blurred, head exploding with white-hot pain.

There was a pink blur in front of her. Madeline! She crawled to the little girl. Soft warm arms wound about her neck, and a trembling body rushed into her arms. Madeline burrowed her face into her neck, clinging to her.

“Drop the gun, Logan!”

Through her watering vision, she saw David aiming a gun at the men grouped around the door. James looked down at her. Raw pain erupted from his eyes and bore into her. She felt the agony of it and let it pierce her.

“Get outta my way!” David said.

“You’re outnumbered. Lower the gun, Logan, before someone gets hurt,” Steve yelled. His attention never wavered from David.

David’s mouth twisted in a sneer. “If I’m going down, I’m not going alone.”

To her horror, David aimed the gun at her. She pulled Madeline hard against her, turning her back to David, protecting Madeline as best she could. There was shouting, a cacophony of voices. An explosion. Confusion. Madeline jerked in her arms. She screamed.

He’d shot Madeline! God, oh God, oh God! No!

There was scuffling behind her. She ignored it. She lay the little girl down, trembling hands running over Madeline’s limbs, feeling and looking for blood. She looked over her body. Nothing! She shook her head, her vision strangely blurring. The bullet must have gone wide. Thank God. Madeline was unhurt.

Elizabeth gathered Madeline in her arms, turning towards the yelling and scuffling. David’s face was pushed into the dirt floor. Steve wrenched his arms behind his back while he held him in place with a knee in the middle of his back. He snapped the cuffs in place, holding his arms at what must be a painful angle. Elizabeth didn’t have it in her to care.

“You’re scum, Logan.” Steve snarled and hailed David to his feet, not caring as David roared in pain.

David look down at her. To her surprise, he smiled, showing neat white teeth. There was something in that grin that didn’t make sense. She stared as Steve shoved David through the door and throng of police.

“Madeline!”

James skidded onto his knees next to her. “Daddy!”

“She’s not hurt. David didn’t shoot her,” Elizabeth said.

Madeline flew into his arms. He closed his eyes as he hugged his daughter. He soothed her hair down, cradling her in her arms. He kissed her head, lashes wet, beneath his eyes damp. “It’s okay, sweetheart. It’s over,” he told her again and again, and he sat there with his arms around his daughter. If only those arms would accept her back into their embrace.

But that was like wishing for all the stars in heaven to fall in her lap.

“I’m so sorry, James. I didn’t want to hurt you. All I wanted to do was protect you and Madeline. Please believe me.”

“Elizabeth.” His voice was strained, brittle.

“Don’t say anything. Nothing’s going to make this right. It’s okay. You don’t want to see me ever again. I understand that. Before I go…I just want you to know I did everything I could think of to keep you and Madeline safe. I just wanted…to see how it was. You know? How it felt to be loved. I just…I just couldn’t help it. Just for a few days.”

She let the tears fall from her eyes, unhindered down her cheeks. She hoped they’d wash the agony away, but all it did was wash though her, crushing and twisting until wretchedness seeped out of her bones, her muscle, her skin. She was washed out. Tired. She guessed the adrenaline was leaving her system. She leaned back, using the potting mix bags as support.

“I just want you to know anything that happened between you and me… it was real. He wanted me to… you know. To get your bank details… that way, but I didn’t make love to you because of that. You had me under a spell, James. You and Madeline. I guess…now…I’m Cinderella. I have to get back to reality.”

But as she looked into his eyes, past the hurt and anger and anguish, she knew one week wasn't going to be enough. It never was going to be. She’d given her heart to James. Once a heart was given, it couldn’t be taken back. It was a once in a lifetime event. Things had gone too far for even a given heart to repair. She didn’t expect forgiveness and knew it wouldn’t come.

“Thank you, James…for everything.”

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