Page 96 of Sawyer
“You can’t leave!”I say in a high-pitched voice before I sit up with all my might and heave the bat into the side of Steve's knee.
He screams, cursing as he falls, and I roll away before trying to stand again.He jumps up, limping slightly, pure venom in his eyes.I’ve never fought back.This is a new side of me he hasn’t seen.We stand, facing each other, both seething for different reasons.
A light in the house comes on, taking my attention, and I run, trying to bolt past him to get inside, wanting to protect my babies.But then I feel his hand wrap around my ankle, and he pulls me back, my body falling face-first to the ground before he drags me back to him.
Groaning, I kick him with my other leg, trying to hurt his already injured knee, and he lets me go momentarily.Breathless, I jump up and dash.I’m halfway to the house when someone grabs me from behind.
“Not so fast,” his father hisses in my ear, his breath stinking of old liquor.
“Let me go!”I scream, wriggling in his tight hold.He’s bigger and much stronger than me, but I then remember the small pocketknife I slipped into my bra strap, and I lift my hand, just able to reach it.Pulling it out, I flick it open in one motion and slice it across his arms.
He screams, releasing me immediately, just as I see lights, a lot of lights, reds and blues, coming up the driveway.
“Fucking bitch!”Steve yells, and instead of running away, he runs toward me.He never liked losing, and I’m not a quitter either, but I still run toward my kids, my hair flying, blood dripping down my face and getting into my eyes.The harsh pull of my hair brings me back to him with a pained gasp.
“Steve!We need to go!”his father yells at him, and I wriggle free.
“Not yet!”He’s not finished with me, and I take a few steps away from him as cars pull up and shouting starts.
There’s pure evil as he looks at me.“If I go, you’re coming with me.”
I take in a deep breath and brace for impact as he runs straight into me, his chest hitting mine, but I still have my blade in my hand, and it goes directly into his gut.
44
Sawyer
Ijump out of the car and run straight to her.Police car after police car follow me, because I drove right through their roadblock, interrupting what I’m sure was their carefully laid-out plans of catching these assholes.Yet seeing Annabelle right now, I know if I didn’t come back, they wouldn’t have rescued her.It’s too dark; they weren’t in the right positions, and trying to look at what’s happening hundreds of yards away was never going to work.
“Annabelle!”I scream, still in my suit pants and shirt, my work shoes slipping on the gravel, no weapon on me.This is probably the stupidest thing I’ve ever done.But I don’t stop.I can’t.I see one man on the ground, and she’s standing there, looking like she’s in shock, so she doesn’t see the other man.Stanley, the same man I hit at the bar the other week, creeps up behind her with a block of wood in his hand.
“Annabelle!”This time, she looks up, almost in a daze.I almost falter.She has blood running down her face.She’s beaten, battered, and I push myself to run faster.Somewhere in the distance, I hear yelling, the sheriff and his team now surrounding the place, guns raised.But I can hear next to nothing, my eyes solely focused on her.
“Drop!”I tell her, imploring her to understand me as I see the shock on her face at seeing me here.But my words register, and she falls to the ground, almost in defeat, not having the strength to stand much longer.
As I finally reach her, I put myself between her and the timber as it comes down hard to hit her on the head in what would no doubt be the final blow to end her.As I fall, I land on her, covering her body with my own before I hear a gunshot.I squeeze her body underneath mine, protecting every inch of her.
Looking back the way I came, I see the sheriff standing, his gun in hand, having shot his weapon.Police cars skid in behind him.Stanley screams from above us, dropping the timber in his hand, which hits my head, grazing my cheek.But I don’t even feel it before I grab Annabelle fully in my arms, picking her up bridal style, and running back behind the police line.Uniformed men run toward us, securing the scene, one I have yet to really take in because my eyes are still only on one thing.Her.
“No… the boys… Sawyer, the boys are inside…” she shouts at me.Panic-filled eyes gut me completely.
“I’ll get them,” I tell her, putting her in the safe arms of the paramedics who are already on the scene, coming to her immediately.I look back up toward the house, seeing a light on, the door ajar, and I don’t hesitate to run back to the scene of the crime.I wipe the liquid from my face, the graze on my head bleeding and running down my cheek, but I care little for it as I watch the police surround the two guys who are here, both looking a little beaten up.Stanley with a slash to his arm and a gunshot wound in his shoulder, the other one limping slightly and holding his gut that’s currently bleeding.He looks at me like he’s the devil himself as I run inside the house to get the boys, proud of my woman for inflicting so much pain on him.
Opening the door, I stall immediately because Kevin is standing there, Noah behind him, and he has a baseball bat in his hand.
“Kev?”I swallow, catching my breath.
“You came back?”he asks me as he lowers the bat.
“I did.I came as quickly as I could.Don’t worry, the police are here.We caught the bad guys.”
“You caught ’em?”he asks again, almost like he doesn't believe me.
“I did.Your mom’s fine.She’s outside with the paramedics and really wants to see you,” I tell him as the bat hits the floor, and he looks at me, tears filling his eyes.
“Are you going to leave us again?”he asks, and I take another deep breath as my heart thuds.
“I’m never leaving you again.I want to stay with you forever, if you’ll have me?”I ask, hoping with everything inside me that these boys want me here just as much.
