Page 16 of Ghost's Revenge
"You don't know that. You don't know David. He doesn't give up, he—"
"Look at me, Debbie."
I do, and what I see in Derek's face stops my spiraling panic in its tracks. Not the wild thing from a moment ago, but not the gentle man from yesterday either. Something in between. Something absolutely certain.
"He won't be coming back," Derek repeats. "I promise you that."
"Debbie?" Sarah's voice comes from the doorway behind me. "Are you alright? Should I call 911?"
I turn to find her standing in the entrance, her face pale but determined. Behind her, I can see the other women clustered in the hallway, their faces reflecting every emotion I'm feeling. Fear, relief, amazement, and something that might be hope.
"I..." I start to answer, then realize I don't know what to say.
Am I alright? My ex-husband just tried to attack a man with a knife because he couldn't handle being told no. My ex is now unconscious on the porch, probably with a concussion and definitely with a broken nose.
But I'm not hurt. Tyler slept through the whole thing. And David is finally, truly afraid of something other than losing control.
"I'm okay," I say, and realize I mean it. "But we should probably call the police."
Derek makes a sound that might be agreement or might be amusement.
"Already on their way. I texted my president while your ex was making his speech about ownership and rights."
Of course he did. Of course Derek was thinking three steps ahead while I was just trying to survive the moment.
"What do we tell them?" Sarah asks.
"The truth." Derek finally steps back from David, who immediately curls into a fetal position and starts making small,pained sounds. "He came here to threaten his ex-wife and child. When asked to leave, he attacked me with a knife. I defended myself."
It's exactly what happened, but somehow when Derek says it, it sounds so simple. So cut and dried. Like there was never any question about how this would end.
"The knife," I say suddenly, remembering the metal flash in David's hand.
Derek nods toward where it's lying near the porch railing. "Evidence. Nobody touches it until the cops get here."
In the distance, I can hear sirens approaching. Fast and getting faster.
"Mom?" Tyler's voice comes from upstairs, sleepy and confused. "Mom, what's all that noise?"
My heart stops.
"I'll go," Maria says quickly, appearing at Sarah's shoulder. "I'll keep him upstairs until this is over."
"Thank you," I whisper, then louder: "Tell him I'll be up in a few minutes. Tell him everything's okay."
"Is it?" she asks, looking between me and Derek and David's still form on the porch. "Is everything okay?"
I follow her gaze, taking in the scene like I'm seeing it for the first time. My ex-husband, who terrorized me for over a year, reduced to a groaning mass of bruises and blood. Derek standing over him like an avenging angel, completely calm despite having just beaten a man unconscious with his bare hands. The knife on the porch that could have ended everything differently if Derek hadn't been exactly where he needed to be.
"Yeah," I say, surprised by how steady my voice sounds. "I think it is."
The police cars pull up just as David starts trying to sit up, his face a mask of blood and swelling. Two officers get out, a middle-aged man and a younger woman who nods respectfully at Derek.
"Morning, Ghost," the female officer says. "Got the message. This the domestic situation?"
"That's him," Derek confirms, gesturing to David. "David Wilson. Came here to threaten his ex-wife and son, attacked me with a knife when I asked him to leave."
"Where's the weapon?"
