Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 69025 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 345(@200wpm)___ 276(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69025 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 345(@200wpm)___ 276(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
The convenience store was just ahead when a hand holding a rag covered her face. An arm wrapped around her waist, nearly squeezing the breath from her. She tried to scream, but the rag muffled her voice. With all her strength, she struggled against her assailant, kicking and clawing.
The awful smell of the rag overwhelmed her senses and she could feel herself blacking out. As she drifted into unconsciousness, a voice whispered, “I told you that you were mine.”
Mason’s head ached like a son of a bitch. When the car had flipped over, his head had slammed against the steering wheel before the airbags were deployed. When he had come to the doctors told him he had a mild concussion and a fractured collarbone.
Mason’s first concern, however, had been Ben. To his great relief, Ben was okay except for a few minor scratches on his face from the broken safety glass. His son was a bit shaken up, Mason was told, but nothing major to worry about. Ben had briefly visited his room to make sure he was okay.
The cops had just left after taking his statement. Where the hell were they when that psycho tampered with his brakes?
The doctors were running tests on him when Karen burst into his hospital room. She looked pissed. “You sorry motherfucker! You could have killed my son!” She was beyond enraged.
He winced, her loud voice aggravating his headache. “Could you please not yell? I hear you loud and clear. I’m sure the entire hospital hears you.”
“I’ll yell if I want to. What the hell were you thinking when you ran that stop sign? Did you think you were too good to stop or that you’re too important to obey the traffic laws?”
“Karen, calm down.”
“No, I will not calm down. You have been a complete and utter bastard, but I didn’t think that even you would endanger my son’s life. I want you to stay the hell away from him. You’ve hurt Ben for the last time.”
Mason sat up, ignoring the pain from his fractured collar. “Did it occur to you that maybe, just maybe, it was an accident?”
“I wouldn’t put anything past you. Well, now you’re going to pay. I’m going to sue your sorry ass for endangering my son, and I’m going to press charges against you with the police.”
“On what basis?” he asked incredulously.
“Child abuse. You wouldn’t have gotten into an accident if you drove like a responsible person. If you want to drive like a jackass, you shouldn’t have had Ben in the car with you! You can just die for all I care!”
“This has all been about you, hasn’t it? Otherwise, you wouldn’t be in here raging against me for some imaginary sin against him.”
“Imaginary! My son has just been in a major car accident thanks to you, and you have the nerve to tell me it’s imaginary?”
“I’m not saying that the accident was imaginary. I’m saying that it wasn’t intentional. You’ve been waiting for me to mess up, haven’t you? You wanted something to happen so you can justify your irrational anger.”
“Oh, isn’t it just like a man to call a woman irrational when he knows she’s right. Let me tell you something, I will never let you see Ben again. I’m sure that given your track record as a deadbeat dad and all-around jerk that no court would disagree.”
“And if I fight you?”
“No court will grant you any type of visitation after this. I hate you and it’s time for you to suffer for what you have put me and Ben through.”
Mason lay against his pillow. His head hurt so badly that he could barely think straight. “Okay. You’ve said your piece. Now you can leave.”
Mason realized that no amount of arguing or pleading his case would make her see reason. If it took going to the courts to get visitation rights to see Ben, then that was what he would do. He opened one eye to see her still standing over him. She looked surprised.
“What? You don’t have anything else to say? You don’t care about not seeing Ben again?”
“I care very much about seeing my son again, and for whatever it’s worth, it was an accident.” He leaned his head back against the pillow and closed his eyes again.
“Just what I thought. You were looking for an out, weren’t you? This is exactly what you wanted me to say, wasn’t it? Now you can walk away neatly and cleanly and put the blame on me. I won’t let you do that!”
Mason sighed. Why wouldn’t she just go away? He turned his head to look at her. “You can’t have it both ways. You either want me in his life or you don’t. You’re making this more complicated than it has to be.”
“Don’t talk to me like I’m some errant child. I’m going to make sure Ben knows just what kind of bastard you are.”