Page 57 of Just Another Chance

ADDIE

It’s almost over.

Tanner’s words reverberate in my head, and I cling to them as the three of us make our way across the dim parking lot. Trash blows in front of me, and the stench of garbage fills the humid air. I can’t believe Owen is here somewhere in this filthy place. I’m going to get my baby back and kill Randy.

He deserves worse than death for what he’s done.

As Sawyer guides us to a side door, I watch how he easily takes lead, sweeping the area for anything suspicious, and it’s clear he has military training. Lots of it, too. I also can’t miss the gun tucked in the back of his waistband. Pulse thundering in my ears, I hope to God we don’t need to resort to that. I don’t expect Randy to have any kind of weapon, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. Nothing can happen to Owen. I will never forgive myself.

Sawyer motions for us to stay put, drops down in front of the door and starts working on the lock with a small picking tool. Tanner reaches down and grabs my hand, squeezing it hard. I look up and he gives me a nod, trying to appear more confident that I actually feel.

The moment the door creaks open, Sawyer steps into the darkness and Tanner and I follow on silent feet. My nerves ratchet up a notch as we walk down the long hallway, checking rooms as we pass. It’s still early and cloudy right now so not a lot of light is getting inside the building.

It’s also quiet and doubt slices through me.What if they’re not here?The thought hits me hard and I try to ignore it and stay positive.

Sawyer abruptly stops, lifts his hand and cocks his head, listening. I do the same and somewhere in the distance, I think upstairs, I hear soft babbling.It’s Owen!Hope pounds through me like stormy ocean waves crashing onto the shore.

He’s here. My baby is here and now we’re going to get him back.

We walk to the end of the hallway and sure enough, there’s a dirty staircase that leads up into the gloom. Even though I want to run up the steps two at a time and scream Owen’s name, I force myself to calm down, take a deep breath and move slowly and quietly.

At the top of the staircase, there’s another long hallway and I see a light on in the third room on the left. Sawyer leads us to the doorway, his boots utterly noiseless, and we step inside what looks like an old office. Randy lays on an old, ratty couch, half asleep, and Owen gurgles to himself in a nearby playpen.

The moment he hears us, Randy bolts upright, eyes wide, completely shocked. I race over to Owen, lean down and scoop him up into my arms.Thank God, I think, and press a kiss to his baby soft head. He laughs like it’s all just been a big, fun adventure. Holding him tightly, I spin around and see Tanner hauling Randy up off the couch.

Uh-oh.My fierce avenging angel is about to get his hands dirty and dish out some serious, ass-kicking revenge. Cuddling Owen against me, I watch Tanner slam a fist into Randy’s jaw. And because he isn’t that bright, Randy decides to fight back.

Big mistake.

I glance over at Sawyer, wondering if he’s going to step in, but he merely leans against the wall, crosses his muscular forearms, and watches. He looks proud of his brother and maybe he knows this is Tanner’s fight. But I’m sure he’ll step in if Tanner needs him.

But from what I can see, Tanner is holding his own just fine and dishing out some solid hits.

Randy, on the other hand, has no skills and his fist keeps going wide, completely missing as Tanner easily sidesteps his blows. Tanner throws a few more punches and Randy doubles over with an oomph.

“Okay, okay,” Randy grumbles. “Enough!”

“Okay?” Tanner echoes in disbelief. “No, it’s not, you son of a bitch. None of this is fucking okay!”

BAM! Another punch to Randy’s jaw and his head spins. I have zero sympathy in me for the man who stole my baby and I hope Tanner beats the crap out of him.

After another minute of getting his ass kicked, Randy drops down on the couch and moans. “Enough, okay? I’m sorry,” he whines.

“You’re sorry?” I echo and take a step forward. “Sorry for what exactly? Because you have made my life miserable since the moment you married my mother and moved in.”

Randy has the audacity to roll his eyes.

“The only thing you’re sorry about is that you got caught,” I snarl. He isn’t even repentant and that makes me even more upset. The very least he could do is say he’s sorry or that he regrets what he did. But no. Not Randy. “How could you? He’s just a baby!” Fury bubbles up and I look down at the man who has been nothing but a terrible human being since the day he came into my life. “I hope you enjoy prison because that’s exactly where you’re headed.”

All of a sudden, Randy pops up and makes a run for it. But he completely underestimates the poisonous viper coiled silently in the corner, watching everything with hooded brown eyes. Sawyer doesn’t even bother with the gun he has tucked in his cargo pants. He simply reaches an arm out and Randy’s throat slams against his forearm thick with corded muscles.

With a thud, Randy drops to the filthy floor in an unceremonious heap. Gagging and holding his windpipe, he struggles to catch his breath.

“Nice try, asshole,” Sawyer murmurs, completely at ease. Like he deals with this kind of thing every day. He looks over at Tanner. “Hey, Muhammad Ali, how’re your knuckles?”

I glance down at Tanner’s raw, red knuckles and I know they must hurt. “Oh, Tanner,” I whisper. “Are you okay?”

“I’ll be fine,” he says stoically and releases a breath. “Just as soon as we call the police, and they cart this asshole away.”

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