Page 70 of Higher Notes

Sikes closed and locked the door and took a position near the front window just out of sight. “Jason, keep an eye on the cameras with me, please.”

Mom curled up on the floor with the sleeping twins cuddled to her sides. I was glad they fell asleep. They’d had enough these last twenty-four hours to scare them for a lifetime.

“There!” I shouted and pointed to the phone screen. “The house across the street. The trees behind it. There he is!” There was no way the guards didn’t know where he was. What were they waiting for? A written fucking invitation? “Why isn’t anyone stopping him?”

“Look to his right, Jason.”

Fuck.

Mom popped up.

“What is the shiny,” she cut herself off. “He’s got a knife to my baby’s throat!”

On top of that, Gabe’s hands were tied, and his mouth was gagged.

“Dana, I’m begging you. Please stay inside. Do not rush him and risk him hurting Gabe.” Sikes zoomed in on the camera. “Look at Paul. He’s strung out. He’s mumbling nonsense.” These cameras Fizzbo installed were fantastic. The audio and visuals were top notch. We zoomed in and saw the most intricate details and heard Paul’s voice very clearly.

Details so intricate we saw the tears running down Gabe’s face.

“He’s crying. My baby is crying.” And now so was our mother.

Slowly, Paul walked toward the house mumbling about seeing ‘the man’ and how the man was gonna get his when he was rich and took all our money. “I’m not afraid of you!” Paul shouted. His head whipped from side to side as though he had no control over it.

The man was filthy. His arms raw and his facial features had sunk in. He weighed next to nothing and the rags he wore were falling off him. This was not the same man my mother once dated. Not that he was great then but now, he was nothing more than an empty shell.

Guards were everywhere, no longer hidden. They along with the police officers had their guns drawn.

“They’ve got this, Dana, have faith.”

“I’ll have faith when my baby is safely wrapped in my arms again.”

I wanted nothing more than to run out there and get my brother away from him but acting on impulse rather than allowing those trained for these kinds of incidents would only further risk my brother’s life. And that wasn’t a risk I was willing to take.

“Come out, come out wherever you are, bitch!” Paul mumbled, wide-eyed and fidgety. “You and that rich boy of yours are gonna pay for cutting me out. I want my piece of that pie. You owe me.”

When our house came into view Gabe tried to pull away from him.

“Stop fidgeting! I’ll cut you, boy, don’t test me.”

“Let the boy go, Paul.” Fizzbo’s voice came through loud and clear even though he wasn’t visible.

“Is that you, God?” Paul stared up at the sky. “That bitch owes me. I raised that boy of hers that wasn’t mine.” Raised who? He didn’t so much as hand me a cup of water. “Now this one,” he squeezed Gabe tight. “This one’s mine and I might just keep him for myself.”

Fuck. That. Shit.

“Dana, Jason, I promise you there is no way he’s leaving with Gabe. Please, keep the little ones from watching this.”

Sure enough, both faces were glued to the window.

“Hey, do you guys want some ice cream?” Their sad faces stared up at me. “Why don’t you color a picture for Gabe while you eat ice cream so when he comes inside you have a gift for him.”

“Okay, Jase.”

Sikes mouthed thank you as I walked away with them. There was no way Mom was moving from where she was, nor would I expect her to. Sikes stood and wrapped his arm around her. As soon as he did that she full on lost it.

“I don’t like it when Mommy’s sad.” Nicole had such a kind heart.

“Me either, baby girl. But she’ll be fine as soon as Gabe comes inside.”

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