Page 281 of Mangled Memory
By the time I make it through the throngs ofpeople to my wife, I find her standing off to the side in a conversation with her brother. Sliding my arm around her waist, I lean to press my lips under her ear.
“Gross.” Cian looks away with his grumbling, but his smile belies his words.
“Hush.” Ayla swats at her brother, not even close to making contact. “You know he makes me happy.”
“That I do, sis.” He turns to me and extends a hand. “Good seeing you, Christian. Thanks for the invite, I think I’m going to head ou—” The word dies on his lips as his eyes catch on a woman sliding into a corner booth. “Excuse me.” He doesn’t wait for a reply and moves with purpose toward the other side of the room.
Ayla offers in a loud whisper, “Don’t do anythinggross.”
Her brother doesn’t respond.
“You ready, Princess?”
“So ready.” She pushes up to kiss the underside of my jaw. “So ready.”
Me too, baby. Me too.
We’ve nearly made it home when I lift our joined hands and bring them to my lips, kissing her knuckles. It may seem old-fashioned, but something about the classic, gentlemanly gesture reminds me of the manners with which my wife deserves to be treated day-in and day-out.
“Honey, do you think we’re safe at home?” Her fingers squeeze mine as if worried that we’re walking into an ambush.
“I can’t image there’s any place we’re safer, honestly. Why?”
“We can’t rule out that whoever attempted to kill me also attempted to kill you.”
I reflexively reach for my shoulder to rub the faded puckered scar left there.
“Or should we consider that it wasn’t an attempt on you at all,but on me? And with you at the hospital, they came back for me since were you out of the way.” Her voice is quiet and somber.
I pull over to the curb on a side street in our neighborhood. She’s never let up on the story of the masked men the night I was shot. “I always assumed they were targeting me. If I—” The words nearly choke me. I refuse to finish the thought.If I brought this down on her.
“We’re safe. I know it. Though I’m going to ask you not to be outside alone until we can get to the bottom of this. I know we’re walled, but the hot tub, the deck, all of that is too open for my comfort right now.” She opens her mouth, but I squeeze her hand in warning. “Please don’t argue.”
Her eyes flare. “I was going to agree. But it goes both ways. You have to be smart when you’re around town.” She mimics my voice as she adds, “Please don’t argue. We should probably get some blankets for the safe room, and something besides powdered milk. Also, maybe a fully-charged kindle and?—”
My laughter has her slicing her eyes to mine.
“What?” That one word snaps from her lips.
“Princess, I don’t plan on making a habit of being in there, but if you need some luxuries, far be it from me to withhold them.”
Before we can make it to our driveway, both of our phones vibrate in unison. The sigh that leaves me is met with a gasp from my wife, whose face glows by the light of her phone.
“It’s a group text from Liam. Mom is in the hospital at Anschutz.”
“Do you want to change or go like this?”
“Change. But fast.”
She’s out the car and through the back door before I can get the garage door down. I do that now, reflexively, all the while watching my surroundings. Two attempts… Correction—at least two attempts and being a sitting duck waiting for number three is causing a spiral. I’ve stopped leaving the house without a pistol. Not that it would’ve helped the night I was shot.
And was that bullet meant for me? Or was it meant for my wife?
Ayla
Where is he? We need to go.
Christian enters the closet, thumbs flying over his phone. I don’t even know where mine is. Probably still in the car, if I had to guess.
