Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 82715 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82715 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
“No,” Parker ordered, getting to his feet. He raised his arm and the loudest thud I’d ever heard filled the room. I flinched, dropping down and curling my body around Rhett’s.
“No,” I whispered, tightening my body around Rhett as he started to cry. “Shh, baby.”
“Emilia.”
“Stay still, baby,” I choked out, trying to hold Rhett under me. “Shh, stay still.”
“Emilia.”
I started to rock, holding Rhett to me. I couldn’t see anything, but I could feel him. My baby. His hands pinched at my sides as he tried to escape, not comprehending why his mama was crying and holding him against the floor.
“Em!”
Otto’s voice was so loud that it seemed to reverberate through the floor. His hands on my shoulders pulled me upright, unyielding and firm.
“You okay?” he asked, his eyes wide and frightened. His hands brushed over me, running through my hair and down my shoulders, over Rhett’s back, skimming over my hips and legs.
“Otto?”
“The fuck,” he whispered, glancing over his shoulder. “Who the fuck?”
I followed his gaze to find Parker face down on the floor.
“I hit him,” he said, sounding almost surprised. “I used a pan from the kitchen. Why the fuck doesn’t Michael have a fuckin’ bat or somethin’? Jesus!”
“Otto,” I said, scooting backward until I hit the wall behind me. “Call 9-1-1.”
“Fuck that,” Otto spat, pulling out his phone. “I’m calling my dad.”
“You need to stop saying fuck so much, or Rhett’s going to say it, too,” I murmured, my thoughts everywhere all at once.
“Yeah, I’ll get right on that,” he muttered, holding the phone to his ear. “Dad? You need to get the fuck over here, right fuckin’ now.”
When Michael’s dad and the others showed up less than ten minutes later, I was still on the floor with Rhett in my lap. He’d calmed down once he was sure that everything was okay but didn’t fall back asleep, content to curl up against my chest with his thumb in his mouth, his favorite pink blanket wrapped around him. Otto stood above the still-unconscious Parker holding a gun he’d found stashed somewhere.
“You okay?” Tommy asked, coming straight to me as the others filed into the house behind him.
“We’re okay,” I confirmed, my eyes watering as he helped me to my feet. “Otto—”
“Thank fuck he was here,” Tommy said, pulling me into his arms. “Thank fuck.”
I didn’t bother telling him not to say fuck.
“Where the hell is your son?” Michael’s uncle Will barked, looking over at us.
“Otto, call your brother,” Tommy ordered, then more gently, “You can put that away, bud.”
Otto nodded, his eyes still wider than normal. He set the gun on the table behind him and kind of stumbled away from it.
“You did good, kid,” Gramps told him with a nod. “Real good.”
“Looks like he’s about to puke,” Leo chimed in with a laugh. “Don’t worry, we’ll handle it from here.”
“His head sounded like a ripe cantaloupe,” Otto muttered in disgust, making the men laugh.
“Call Micky,” his dad ordered. When Otto pulled his phone out and walked toward the kitchen, Tommy looked down at me. “You sure you’re good, sweetheart?”
“He thinks I took his money,” I murmured, staring at Parker.
“You did.”
“No, he thinks I took way more.” I shook my head in confusion. “Or it was his excuse? I don’t know. He’s going to keep coming back.”
“No,” Tommy replied grimly. “He will not, I can promise you that.”
I wasn’t sure what Otto had said to Michael, but when he came back from the kitchen, his face was even paler than it had been before.
“He’s on his way.”
Tommy nodded and walked me toward the stairs. “Take Rhett up, yeah? Get him tucked into bed. We’ll handle this.”
“I don’t—” My words trailed off as I glanced around the living room. The men looked calm, relaxed even, but each of them was carrying a weapon or five, some out in the open and others just bulge hidden inside their clothes.
“Go on up,” Michael’s dad repeated. “Get Rhett settled, yeah?”
I nodded and walked upstairs. Every shadow and shift of light in the hallway made me jump, and as I walked into the bedroom Rhett and I shared, I knew I wouldn’t be able to stay in there. Every piece of furniture seemed to loom at me from the dark. I quickly backed out of the room and went straight to Michael’s room. His light switch had a dimmer, and I turned it all the way down before tucking Rhett into the middle of the bed.
“Mama sleep,” he murmured. “Grandpa?”
“Mama will lay with you,” I replied. “Grandpa’s going to stay downstairs, though.”
I climbed into the bed and let the scent of Michael soothe me as I waited for Rhett to fall back asleep. The rumble of voices downstairs was pretty steady, but I couldn’t hear what any of them were saying until the minute Michael walked through the front door.