Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 24342 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 122(@200wpm)___ 97(@250wpm)___ 81(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24342 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 122(@200wpm)___ 97(@250wpm)___ 81(@300wpm)
“I’m calling Nelly,” Meadow says from the back seat, and I hear her explaining what happened a second later.
“If he touches a hair on her head…” I start to say, but I feel Heath squeeze my shoulder.
“It won’t happen. We’ll get her back.”
“He’s obviously not right. You heard him on the phone this morning.” He was babbling and half talking to himself. He wasn’t making any sense, and then at one point, he just laughed for no reason.
“Nelly is sending the police to his house,” Meadow says. “She’s going to call his doctors at the hospital too.”
“Good.” Heath points up ahead. “They went that way.”
“We’re not far from his house,” I say as I make another turn and try to go around traffic. “Fuck.”
We get delayed by a truck as it pulls into a parking lot, and my heart feels like it might split open in the time it takes for it to move. I punch the gas when it’s finally gone and speed all the way to where Jinx lives.
The gates are wide open as I pull down the long drive, so we can’t be that far behind. When I come around the tree line curve, I see the car parked up ahead, and I nearly sob with relief when I see Jinx standing there with Briar.
I’ve barely got the car in park before I jump out, but when Briar turns to face me, the look in her eyes stops me cold.
“Don’t come closer,” she says and holds her hands up. That’s when I notice the knife in Jinx’s hand. “Everyone just stay calm.”
“Jinx, what the fuck are you doing?” I bellow, and I feel Heath behind me before he grabs my arm. I know he’s doing it to keep me from doing something stupid, but it only makes me angrier.
“She’s going to make it all go away.” Jinx smiles and then lets out that strange laugh from before. “It’s all going to disappear, and then it will be like it never happened.”
“Jinx?” All eyes turn to the older woman on the front steps of the house, and it’s his wife, Elena. “Oh no, what have you done?”
“Everyone just stay calm,” Briar says again. “Jinx, I told you in the car I’m happy to help. All you have to do is give me your laptop, and I’ll make everything go away.”
“That’s right.” Jinx nods. “You promised.”
“And I always keep my promises.” Briar’s tone is so calm and soothing. “Let’s go in the house, and you can show me where the computer is.”
I feel Heath lean against my back as he whispers to me, “When he turns around, you go left and I’ll come at him from the right.”
I silently nod and he releases my arm. I’m not paying attention to anything else as Jinx points the knife at Briar and forces her to take the steps up to the house toward Elena. When Jinx finally gives us his back, Heath and I move fast.
I’m there first, and I lower my shoulder to tackle him to the ground so he doesn’t have a chance to grab for Briar or hurt anyone else on the way down. The knife falls out of his hand and skitters along the driveway before Meadow runs over and picks it up.
“Let me up! They’ll kill my son!” Jinx shouts as Elena rushes down the stairs to where Heath and I are holding him pinned to the ground. “They’ll kill him!”
“Nobody is going to kill Chad,” Elena says, trying to soothe her husband. “Jinx, it’s okay, they got their money. They’re not coming back for us again.”
“They’ll kill you too!” Jinx screams before his eyes roll in the back of his head and he passes out.
Sirens echo in the distance as I look up and see Briar sobbing.
SEVENTEEN
BRIAR
“Beauty, look at me, love. You’re killing me here.” I cling to Mace because I’m not trying to upset him more; I just don’t ever want to let him go again. I spent too much of my life not hanging on to Mace, and I’m seeing now that it was time wasted.
My heart is breaking for everyone. We've been at the police station for over two hours now, and this is all a mess. Jail is the last thing I think anyone deserves when help and compassion is what is need most. I saw Jinx's wife, and her whole life had crumbled before her.
“He needs help,” I sniffle into Mace’s neck. “I don’t want to press charges. I just want to go home,” I whisper.
We haven’t done a lot of talking to the police. I’m not ready, and honestly, reporting this is the last thing on my mind. At the moment, everyone is safe, and that is all that matters to me.
“Then we’ll leave,” he says and kisses the top of my head.