Total pages in book: 56
Estimated words: 52538 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 263(@200wpm)___ 210(@250wpm)___ 175(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 52538 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 263(@200wpm)___ 210(@250wpm)___ 175(@300wpm)
I play out every minute we spent together. Recounting those freckles and all the times she called me Daddy. All the times she made me laugh. I’m losing myself in this new version of me and after fifty odd years, I finally see a rainbow and she’s the pot of gold at the end.
I’ve always thought happy endings were for suckers. Turns out, there’s a little fairy tale happiness out there for us all.
I reach into my pocket and withdraw my phone. Tapping the screen and pulling up the single photo I took of her while she slept. Her lips are slightly open, and her hair is a wicked mess around her pink cheeks but she looks like a fucking doll.
I’ve never taken a picture of anyone on my phone unless it had to do with work.
This picture is personal.
I stare at it for a long moment, a softness settles in around my heart and I think of the possibility that I’ve got my spawn cooking in her hot little womb right now.
I could be a father…
Boom.
The pressure behind my eardrums pops and a loud screeching sound tears through the inside of the plane along with a chilling woosh of air.
The lady behind me screams as an ear-splitting cracking sound shakes the plane.
The flight attendant on the intercom is barely audible above the roaring wind that’s coming in from the rear of the plane: “Brace for impact! Seat belts on. Heads down. May God be with us all.”
chapter fourteen
Hannah
One year later
I hear Ruth screaming from upstairs as I head round the side of the house. Brigid’s good with her, but babies cry, that’s one thing I’ve learned over the past three months. I’m grateful for my sister’s help. She could have walked out just like Dietrich did, never looked back, kept all her acting income for herself, but she didn’t. She stuck around. Because that’s what family does.
“Get the fuck out of our house!” I hear her voice as I reach out for the kitchen door, and my heart leaps into my throat.
This again?
Have they hurt my baby? Please tell me they haven’t hurt her…
“You borrowed five fucking grand, bitch! You haven’t even paid me the interest. You think we’re going to just forget about that because you’re losing your home? No fucking way.”
“We don’t have any money, asshole! Why can’t you get that through your thick fucking skull?”
“And we’ve told you, there are other ways to pay off your debt. Sweet little thing like you, you’ll be clear inside of a week.”
“I’m not a prostitute.”
I hear the crunch of a fist connecting with bone, and fury washes over me. As I put my shoulder to the swollen old door, I hear another punch thrown and his growl. “You’re whatever we say you are. You think being a whore is so bad? I can make things much worse. I can make that baby stop fucking screaming, for a start—”
The door flies open, and I don’t waste a second. Brigid is crying, hanging onto the kitchen table for support as she clutches her face, blood trickling from her lower lip. She tries to tell me to stay back, but there’s no way that’s happening.
As I move forward, I notice Oscar aiming himself blindly at the intruder’s legs, reaching him before I do and latching on.
“You touch my baby, you fucking cock sucking coward, I’ll kill you.” I scream as I launch myself at the stranger, grabbing my phone from my pocket as the first solid weapon that comes to hand.
The thug screeches hysterically as I use it to club him right across the face.
He throws a punch that connects with my arm, but he’s trying harder to avoid Oscar’s attack, dancing around as he tries to free himself from those powerful jaws. He might only have a few teeth, but Oscar knows how to use them.
“Get this fucking mutt away from me or I’ll shoot him!” He draws a gun, but I knock his hand away, and get pistol-whipped across the shoulder for my trouble, my phone skittering across the tabletop right under his nose. “I’m fucking warning you!”
Then he glances at my phone, and it’s like a light goes on in his eyes.
“Oh, you have bigger problems now, sweetheart. Much bigger problems.”
“Get out of our house!” I scream, pushing him toward the kitchen door. “Out! Go tell your stupid boss we’ll get him his money, but my sister is not going to come work for him.”
Oscar growls but I pull him back as the thug retreats.
“This ain’t fucking over, bitch. I’m going to be back, and next time I won’t be alone—”
He falls silent as Oscar lets out a low bark, then turns and flees for the door. And I go straight to Brigid.
“We shouldn’t have borrowed that money,” she cries. “This is my fault. You and Ruth should go. Get away from here. I—”