Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 68074 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68074 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
“No.” She refused to leave me.
The man produced a gun from a holster on his belt, leveling it at me. My mind went through a thousand scenarios, discarding each one as fast as it came. We could leap out the window, taking our chances with flying bullets. We could dive for the closet, locking ourselves in there to wait for the police. I could bum-rush him, sacrificing myself for Tammy’s sake. None of them were viable plans, but all of them better than doing nothing.
In the time it took for me to react, Porter leapt up from the floor, slamming into his former associate. The gun went off, a bullet burying itself in the wall above the bed. Tammy covered her ears, crouching down instinctively. I whirled, grabbing her by the arm and helping her out the window. I dropped to the ground a moment later, feeling guilty about leaving Porter. In a split-second decision, I had thrown in my fortune with Tammy, realizing it was more important to me to make sure she was okay than to risk death by helping Porter. Hating myself for cowardice, I focused on getting my girlfriend and our unborn child out of harm’s way.
We circled around to the front of the cabin, only to be startled by police lights. There were at least three cruisers in the clearing, officers jumping out and streaming into the little house. I grabbed Tammy by the hand and led her to safety. Dillon climbed out of the driver’s seat of my truck, parked behind the wall of cop cars.
“Take her to the hospital.” I handed the love of my life over to Dillon. “Porter’s still in there.”
“Go with Tammy,” Dillon insisted. “I’ll make sure Porter is okay.”
I deliberated. I knew Dillon and half a dozen police officers could do a better job protecting my old friend than I could. And Tammy needed my shoulder to cry on. I nodded in agreement, grabbing the keys from Dillon. I helped Tammy up into the cab and shut the door behind her. As I climbed into the driver’s seat, my heart thrilled to see a brave smile lighting her face. No tears or bruises marred her skin, just my sweet girl alone with me at last. I backed up and spun around, punching the hospital into the GPS. The nightmare was over.
28
TAMMY
Ialmost fell asleep on the drive to the hospital. After all the adrenaline and excitement had passed, my body began to hum with exhaustion. I had never in my life been so happy to see someone as I was when I first laid eyes on Mike, creeping in through the window. I had so many questions, but none of them mattered right then. I was safe and sound in Mike’s truck, on the way to the hospital.
Through the whole ordeal, I had wondered about the baby. Did that initial crash injure it? I wasn’t far enough along to tell. After all the heartache I had been through telling Mike about our offspring, losing it now would be more than I could take. We drove up to the emergency room, parked, and went inside. Mike helped me all the way, as if I were nine months pregnant and in danger of giving birth right then. It felt silly, but I let him. I knew I had been scared, but he had probably felt worse. I didn’t know how he found me, but I was beyond grateful that he had.
We checked in and sat in the waiting room, holding hands. We were both thinking the same thing. Is the baby okay? Even though he had left that morning without saying hello, I could tell from his gentle treatment of me that he had changed his mind. I could see in his eyes that he wanted this child just as much as I did. We were a family now, and this was our first test together.
The nurse came out and ushered us into the examination room. She left a paper robe for me to change into. I had just completed my undressing when there was a knock on the door.
“Come in,” I said.
A female police officer entered the room, nodding to both me and Mike. “I’m Candice,” she said gently. “I’ve been asked to collect evidence from your person.”
“They never touched me,” I said.
Mike exhaled sharply, and I could see he had been worried. Oh God, it had never even occurred to me that he was afraid I had been mistreated. I reached forward to squeeze his hand. It should have been the first thing out of my mouth when I saw him. I couldn’t imagine the hell he must have gone through, the entire drive in silence, wondering what had happened to me.
The officer nodded. “I’ll take your clothes anyway,” she said. “I’d also like to document any cuts or bruising.”