Baby Secret (Slade Brothers Book 3) Read online

  I try to listen to his words. I try calming myself down, but there’s no use. The anger won’t let me until I do something with it. And I’m saving it all up for him. This isn’t something a drunken night with the boys will fix. The only thing that will rid me of this anger is having Glenn’s life resting in my hands. He didn’t show her any mercy, and I plan to do the same with him.

  I shake my head in an attempt to clear it. “Okay, anyone got any ideas on where we can check for Glenn?” I ask, trying to distract myself.

  “He has to be staying at the motel, right?” Colton asks.

  “Tessa said he came in here last Saturday. He’s had to stay somewhere this whole time.”

  “Alright, we’ll check the motel first,” Drake says. “Who knows, he may have been parking at the gas station or bar so we didn’t notice him at the motel.”

  “I think I’m going to swing back by the house first,” I tell them.

  “What do you need?” Drake asks.

  “I just want to check things out, make sure he’s not there waiting for her to come home,” I lie. While I’m there, I’m grabbing my pistol from the locked cabinet in Autumn’s closet. She doesn’t even know about the gun. I know city people like her, and they don’t like the idea of having a gun in the house. But the first sign of trouble, they’re all ready to call a cop, a person with a gun. Well, I’m not a city boy. I’ve been raised with guns. I know how to load ‘em, shoot ‘em, clean ‘em, and respect ‘em. I hoped I’d never have to open that cabinet after I locked it, but with Glenn out there somewhere, I need to be able to protect myself and my family.

  The three of us load up in the truck and make our way toward the farmhouse. I drive slow through the darkness, watching out the windshield and the driver’s side window for any trails or breaks in the trees—any place he could be hiding. He came for one thing, his family. And he didn’t succeed. There’s no way he’s tucking his tail between his legs and going back home empty-handed. We’re pulling up to the house when I see movement up ahead.

  “Did you see that?” I ask the guys.

  “What?” Colton asks, leaning forward and scanning the field in front of us.

  “I saw something move,” Drake says, doing the same to get a better look. “Over by the barn.” He points.

  I step on the brake pedal and shift into park. I shut off the truck and the three of us climb out.

  “Should we check the house first?” Colton asks.

  “And give him the chance to get away?” I reply, heading directly toward the barn. The hair on my neck starts to stand on end as I draw closer and closer. The night around us is deathly silent, not a cricket chirping, not a beetle buzzing. There’s no breeze and no stars, a perfect night for a summer storm. When I’m only a few steps away from the barn, the doors come flying open and I’m tackled to the ground.

  “Oh shit,” one of the guys say as they both come running over.

  Everything is moving so fast that I can’t even be sure that the guy on top of me is Glenn, but either way, I don’t hold back. I fight against him, landing a solid hit to his jaw but taking one myself.

  “Call the police,” Drake yells to Colton as he rushes over and throws Glenn off of me.

  I jump to my feet and so does Glenn. Both of us are in this crouching position, just waiting for someone to make a move. I like the element of surprise, so I jump for him, wrapping my arms around his waist as I tackle him to the ground. With him beneath me this time, I drill him with punch after punch. Something happens and I completely lose myself. I see nothing but anger, hate, pain. I don’t even know what I’m doing. All I know is that he’s going to pay for what he’s done to them. I pull my fist back again and again, drilling him with hits to the jaw, eyes, and nose.

  “Whoa, Clay! Stop, man,” Drake says, trying to pull me away, but I’m still gone. I can’t listen. His words, I hear them, but they don’t click. They make no sense. I keep swinging. Drake and Colton both grab an arm and lift me off of him. I fight to get back, but I can’t take the both of them.

  “Stop, you’re going to kill him!” Colton says, but still, I’m fighting to get at him.

  Finally, Drake steps in front of me, coming between me and Glenn. With him out of my line of sight, I feel myself begin to calm. “Listen to me,” he puts his hands on either side of my face, forcing me to look into his familiar eyes. “You’re no good to Autumn or the baby in jail, man. Calm down and let the police handle this.”

  My ears are ringing. My heart is pounding. So much adrenaline is pumping through my veins that my whole body is shaking. When I calm and Drake steps away, I find Glenn laying out before me. At that moment, everything makes sense. The world freezes as I look at what I’ve done.

  Both his eyes are swollen shut, bruising already. There’s blood pouring out of his nose, his mouth, and a cut on his head. His lips are busted, swollen, and bleeding. He doesn’t even look like the same person. I look down at my hands and see that they’re covered in blood. Blood has soaked through my white t-shirt, and there’s a rip going down the front. I don’t know if the blood is mine or his. I don’t remember my shirt being pulled to even rip.

  The sound of police sirens fills my ears, and I turn around to see the flashing red and blue lights.

  “He’s down here,” Drake yells, waving his hands above his head.

  Two police officers step out of their car and point a flashlight in our direction. Slowly, they come walking down.

  “Damn, son. You really did a number on him,” Frank, my dad’s old friend who’s known us since we were kids, says.

  “He attacked me. He was hiding in the barn. When I came down here to check it out, he busted through the doors and tackled me.” I needed to get that out. It looks like I murdered him with all the blood on me.

  The other officer, who I don’t know, bends down and checks his pulse before slapping the cuffs on him.

  “Unfortunately, we ain’t going to be able to take him to jail right away. He’ll need to be cleared by the hospital.”

  I nod. “Let him die for all I care,” I mumble.

  Frank puts his arm around my shoulders and walks me away a few paces. “Listen, I’m only telling you this because we’re so close. If I were you, I’d be looking into getting a lawyer. He could press charges.”

  I nod. “I already got one in mind,” I tell him, thinking of Celeste.

  “Also, after looking into a few things earlier after you called, I discovered that there’s a warrant out for him back in Ohio for suspected murder.”

  “Murder?” I ask, feeling like a bucket of ice water has been dumped on my head.

  Frank nods. “It’s believed that he had something to do with his neighbor’s death. Turns out, she was helping Autumn in her escape.”

  I let out a long breath and shake my head. “Thanks for the help, Frank. I’m going to get cleaned up and go check on my girl.”

  He pats me on the back and allows me to step away.

  I make it to Lincoln a couple hours later. After showering, I found several cuts that needed to be taken care of. My knuckles are busted and wrapped up. There was a gash on my head that I fixed up with butterfly stitches and a bandage, and I have a swollen, busted lip. But it’s done and over. Glenn will never be a problem again.

  I walk into Autumn’s hospital room, which is being kept dim. She’s fast asleep. Afraid of waking her, I pull up a chair next to her bed and take her hand in mine. I lay my head down, feeling sleep tugging at me already.

  “Hey,” she whispers, causing my head to pop up.

  “Hey,” I say around a smile.

  “Where you been? I thought you would’ve been here sooner.” She takes in my face, and alarm paints her features. Her brows draw together as her eyes become misty. “What happened to you?”

  “Well, I went by Drake’s and checked on Bryce. He’s fine. He talked Celeste into getting pizza for dinner. Then I went by the house to clean up and grab you some fresh clothes,” I lie, but she doesn’t ne
ed to know that I was going out on a man hunt for her ex. “Glenn was there waiting.”

  She sucks in a loud breath. “Glenn did this to you?”

  I nod. “He attacked me, but I had a handle on the situation. When the police arrived, he was out cold. They said there’s a warrant out for his arrest for murder.”

  She nods. “Judith. He did it. He told me,” she says.

  I squeeze her hand slightly, careful not to hurt her. “I don’t think we’ll hear any problems from him anytime soon. But I am strongly urged to hire a lawyer in case he wants to press charges for rearranging his face.”

  She giggles.

  “How you feeling? Did the doctors here find anything?”

  “I’m fine. I got some bumps and bruises and cuts, but no concussion. My rib is cracked, but there’s nothing they can do about that. The baby is completely fine. Heartbeat’s stronger than ever.”

  I press a kiss to the back of her hand. “You’re finally free. No more fear. No more running.”

  She takes a deep breath of relief, and her eyes flutter closed.

  I lay my head down beside her, but she scoots over. “Come on. Get in bed with me.”

  “Are you sure? I don’t want to hurt you.”

  She rolls her eyes. “Come on.”

  I climb up onto her hospital bed and wrap my arm around her loosely, careful of her side. I place my hand on her flat stomach. I can’t wait for the day when it’s round, when I can feel my baby move inside of her. I press a kiss to the back of her neck, and she lets out a whimper that makes me feel like I’ve been struck by lightning. God, I don’t know what I’d do without her. It’s funny how you can go your whole life without feeling this overwhelming feeling of needing someone. Then one day, bam, everything changes. I’m sure if we’d never met, I would be just fine right now, but I know I’d still be lost. I never knew how lost I was until I felt her against me. Now that I know, I’ll never be able to live without her again.

  25

  Autumn

  The next morning, I’m discharged and free to go. I pull on the clothes that Clay brought from home and toss the others into the trash. They’re all dirty, covered in dirt and blood, and ripped from when I crawled through the ditch filled with gravel and sticks. Clay has asked me time and time again what happened, but I’m not ready to talk about it. I’m not sure I ever will be.

  This time wasn’t any worse than any other time Glenn has come after me. But I know that Clay will only blame himself. He will say he should’ve checked the barn, he should’ve done this or that. I know the events that unfolded yesterday are bad, but I wouldn’t change them for anything because now it’s over. I’m fine, the baby is unharmed, and Bryce never knew anything was going on. Glenn is gone and out of our lives for good.

  Guilt is still eating at me when I think of poor Judith though. She didn’t deserve the mess I brought to her door. She should’ve had many more years to enjoy her daughter and grandchildren. Every time I close my eyes, I can see her smiling face and shimmering blue-gray eyes. She was such a kind, sweet old lady. I wish I knew where Lidia was. I’d like to thank her and apologize for anything that Glenn may have done. I hope that wherever she is out there, she’s happy and can forgive me one day.

  “You ready?” Clay asks, standing from his seat.

  I nod. “Yep. Let’s go home.” I hold out my hand and he takes it with a smile. He opens the door as he brings my hand to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to my skin.

  I’m so ready to see Bryce that the hour drive home seems twice as long. Clay fills me in that he received word back that they’re extraditing Glenn to Ohio and he’s been formally charged with murder. If convicted, he could face life. I’m filled with excitement and anxiety, my leg bouncing until the moment we pull into Drake’s driveway. We both climb out of the truck and watch as Bryce rides the horse all by himself with Drake and Celeste standing close by.

  We walk over and Celeste pulls me in for a hug. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

  “Thank you for taking care of him.” Tears sting my eyes. I knew this family was good people, but seeing how much they care for me and Bryce, people they don’t even really know, makes my heart swell with love.

  “Of course,” she says, pulling away.

  “Mommy! Look at me!” Bryce yells, waving vigorously.

  I laugh and wave back. “Good job, buddy!”

  Clay places his hand on my lower back and holds me close. Since we woke up this morning, it’s like he never wants to let me out of his sight again, like he never wants his hands to leave my body. He’s taken every chance he gets to hold my hand, kiss me, or touch me in some way.

  “I fixed up the backdoor and swept up the glass,” Drake says. “I didn’t want you to have to come home and clean up all of that. Plus, I didn’t want to leave the house open to the elements. We got a pretty good storm last night.”

  I offer him a smile. “Thank you. For everything.”

  Honestly, I hadn’t even thought about the door. Deep down in my stomach, I’m worried that all of this will ruin my home for me now. When I walk into that laundry room, will I have flashbacks of being dragged out that door? Will I ever feel safe there again, or will it always be tainted? I guess there’s only one way to find out.

  “Thank you, guys, for taking care of him. I seriously can’t thank you enough. I don’t mean to rush off, but I’m still feeling a little sore and would really like to get home to sit down and put all of this behind me.”

  “Of course, you need your rest,” Celeste says before turning for Bryce. “Bryce, come on. It’s time to go home.”

  Bryce steers the horse our way and Celeste helps him down. He comes running over to us and Clay bends down, picking him up.

  “You ready to go home?” he asks him.

  Bryce nods. “Yeah, but I’m really going to miss that horse.” He gives it one last, longing look.

  Clay laughs. “Well, the barn is done now. We might just be able to get a horse of our own.”

  “Yeah!” he cheers, eyes wide and sparkling with excitement.

  The three of us load up in the truck and drive back to the house with Bryce talking the whole way about how much fun he had with Celeste and Drake and riding their horse. As we’re approaching the house, a sense of dread washes over me. My heart begins to pound and sweat prickles my skin. Clay must sense it because he reaches over and takes my hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. I glance his way and smile, a secret thank-you.

  Clay parks the truck and we go inside. Bryce runs straight to his room. I look to my left and find my broken phone. Clay walks over and picks up the pieces.

  “We’ll get you a new one,” he says, taking the pieces into the kitchen and tossing them in the trash. I follow along behind him, in need of a drink. When I walk in, he’s already taking down two glasses, so I have a seat at the table knowing he will provide for me.

  He sits down across from me and slides over my glass of tea. “Want to talk about it?” His thumb lightly traces over the skin of my hand.

  I pick up my glass and take a drink. “I fell asleep on the couch and woke up to a noise.” I take a deep, calming breath. I know I need to tell him, to purge this from my memory. I don’t want there to be anything between us.

  “I realized it was coming from the back of the house, so I went to check it out. Glenn was at the door, and he had somehow managed to get it unlocked. Just as he was opening it, I jumped for it, slamming it and locking it back. We fought for a while, but finally, he rammed his shoulder into it over and over until the door gave in. I took off running for my phone that fell out of my pocket during my nap, but he caught me. He threw me on the floor.” I swallow down the emotion growing thick in my throat.

  “When my phone rang, he stomped on it and was going to take me right then, but you pulled up so he dragged me out the backdoor. I heard you walk in and yell my name. I was just on the back porch then. But you must have gone upstairs or something because by the time you made it outside, we
were already hidden away in the barn. That’s where we stayed until everyone left.”

  I can see the anger marring his face. His brows begin pulling together when he realizes that we were here at the same time. His blue eyes focus on the table between us like he’s afraid to meet my eyes. His hands, which are resting on top of the table, turns to fists and his back straightens.

  “I didn’t know you were here. I thought he’d already taken you.” He shakes his head, sadness falling over him like a heavy blanket.

  I nod. “I know.”

  He stands up and starts pacing, his hands fisting in his hair. “If I had just looked in the barn, I would’ve found you. You never would’ve gotten hurt.”

  I stand and close the distance between us. “It wasn’t your fault, Clay.” I place my hands on his face, directing his eyes to mine. “I’m fine. Everything worked out just as it was supposed to. He’s gone. He won’t be a problem again. I’m free, thanks to you.”

  “Drake and Colton had to pull me off of him. I would’ve killed him. I just…” He shakes his head and leans against the island, his hands moving to my hips and pulling me against his chest. “I lost it. When I finally got my hands on him, I blacked out. I couldn’t think of anything other than how he’s hurt you. I wanted him dead. I wanted him to pay for what he’d done.”

  I rest my head against his chest, listening as his heart pounds. “He will,” I assure him. I lift my head and our eyes lock. His tongue comes out, running across his bottom lip, wetting it.

  “I don’t know what I would do if I lost you,” he breathes out, stepping toward me and forcing me to step back.

  “You won’t,” I promise.

  He takes another step, pressing my back to the fridge, the coldness almost shocks me. “I don’t know how I’ve lived this long without you, because I know I won’t be able to live that way again.”

  I cup his cheeks in my hands. “Clay, I’m here. You’ll never lose me.” I get up on my tiptoes and press my lips to his. For a moment, he doesn’t move. He just stands there, allowing me to kiss him. Slowly, I feel him begin to relax. His body softens, his lips begin to move with mine, and finally, his hands find my body. His right hand cups my jaw, keeping me from pulling away. His left hand holds firm on the small of my back. He has me trapped. I couldn’t pull away if I wanted to, but I don’t want to. I’d be perfectly happy staying right here for the rest of my life. When his lips part and his tongue demands entrance, I allow it, need it. I want to taste him and burn this feeling into my memory while praying that things between us never change or fizzle away.