45. Kali
CHAPTER 45
Kali
The frantic scene continues to unfold as I stand, rooted in one spot, staring into the woods. Waiting and praying. They’ve already tried to check me out at an ambulance, but I brushed them off. I’m fine. Physically, I’m not damaged, emotionally is another story. A group of EMTs ran into the woods minutes ago, carrying a stretcher.
Nobody will tell me anything.
All I want to know is if Riggs and Paxton are okay.
Where are they?
My heart stops, and I hold my breath when I notice movement between the trees. A cluster of officers and EMTs gather around a stretcher. I strain to catch sight of the figure within. Denim-covered legs come into focus. I rush over, hoping to find Carl dead. Bile rises in my throat when I catch a glimpse of Carl’s face. Or what used to be his face. I have to turn away. But it’s too late. The haunting image sears into my brain.
An officer rushes over as I double over. “You all right?”
I nod, covering my mouth with my hand. “Please tell me if Riggs is okay? And where is Paxton?”
He juts his chin forward, and his gaze moves over my shoulder. I spin around, finding Paxton and Riggs walking side by side. I run over and fall to my knees in front of Riggs, lifting my hand to touch him but not knowing if I should. He sits, and his dark eyes stare at me, his tongue falling out the side of his mouth as he takes quick breaths.
“You’re bleeding. Where was he hit?” I ask, looking up to Paxton and back down to a blood-covered Riggs. I wouldn’t even know where to begin. There’s blood everywhere.
“He wasn’t hit.”
“But I heard him yelp.”
“It could’ve been from the sound of the gun. But I searched him from head to toe. Carl missed. He’s good.”
I tilt my head back and blow out the breath I’d been holding since I heard him yelp. The relief is immeasurable. I feel an ugly cry coming on.
Paxton helps me up and lets me get it out, holding me tight to his chest. He murmurs into my ear, “It’s over, Kalico. You’re free.”
Chip died from a single gunshot to the head.
Carl died in the ambulance. I’d never wished anyone dead until I saw him pull Ari out of the truck. Ari and I share tearful glances, our emotions mingling in the confined space. It’s a strange mixture of sorrow and relief.
“Why didn’t you ever tell me about what happened to you?” Ari asks, wiping tears off her cheek with the back of her hand.
We’re in the back of Martinez’s black SUV, headed to the police station. Before we left the house, she told me that Carl was too busy trying to track me down that he hadn’t harmed her. Yet. She didn’t know what he planned on doing, but I can guess it was to bury both of us. He tracked Chip’s car, saw him go to Austin and a rural residence, and took a chance I was there. Martinez grumbles in the front about how small towns don’t always put trackers on their cruisers or they would’ve found me sooner.
Why is it so easy to track someone? There will be a weekly care check in my future.
“It’s a chapter in my life I never wanted to revisit.” She nods in understanding. “I never thought it would catch up to me, let alone put someone close to me in danger. I’m so, so sorry.”
Her arms wrap around me in a reassuring embrace. “This is not your fault,” she murmurs, the weight of guilt still lingering despite her words. “Even if you would’ve told me what happened, that was two years ago. I wouldn’t have done anything different.” I rest my head against her shoulder.
“Yesterday, when I woke up and saw you hadn’t come in…” The sinking feeling in my stomach hasn’t yet subsided. “I knew something was wrong. What happened that night?”
“After Jay left me, I continued talking with a guy. I think his name was Garrin. Or Darrin. Something like that. He works at some tech company here. He was cool at first, but the more he drank…” She cringes. “The more he became a dick. So, I left him at the bar and started walking back to the hotel. It was only a block or two away. But that’s the last thing I remember. I don’t think I was out long because when I woke up, it was still dark outside. I was tied up in an old shack. I thought I was going to die.” She squeezes my hand harder. I know that feeling.
“I wonder if Carl was watching you and slipped something into your drink.”
She shrugs. “When I left, I was a little more buzzed than I thought I should be. I just chalked it up to strong drinks. You know I always try to keep my drink close to me. We were sitting at the bar the entire time, talking. And it was really packed in there, so I don’t know…” Her voice trails off, and I leave her to her thoughts.
Mine are a jumbled mess. There’s a lot to unfold from the last forty-eight hours.
Mainly, Pearl.
A ruse. A deadly ruse.
All to get me and her son together.
The worst part is that she didn’t regret it. In her eyes, her plan worked. I just don’t understand that level of evil.
“Thank you for saving me,” Ari whispers.
I sniffle and let out a sarcastic chuckle. “I didn’t do much. In fact, I made things worse.”
She pulls away, pinning me with a sincerity that cuts through the shadows of doubt. “He was ready to give up looking for you. He was getting more agitated, throwing things and screaming. This morning, he told me he was done waiting.” The weight of her words sends shivers down my spine. He planned to kill her, with or without me. Martinez’s eyes meet mine in the rearview mirror, his expression softening. “There is no way I could’ve fought him myself. I tried. I tried, but he was too big. But you fought for us.”
Tears fall down my cheek. I don’t feel like the hero. I feel like I caused this. That is where the fight came in—deep inside the guilt. I owed it to her. Dr. Betty would disagree. I can already hear her soft words. “ Responsibility lies solely with the person who chose to hurt you.”
She’s right. Pearl is to blame.
Chip is to blame.
Carl is to blame.
I am the survivor.
The rest of the ride is driven in a solemn hush, embraced in each other’s arms. When we arrive at the station, a swarm of news reporters gathers at the doors. A protective barrier of officers ushers us through the glass doors. The second we step into the lobby, Ari’s parents and twin sister scream her name and rush over to her, encasing her in a tight circle.
I flash her a bittersweet smile as I keep walking. A pang of longing resurfaces, reminding me of all the times I had to stand on the sidelines during school events where moms, dads, and grandparents came for the day. As an adult, it doesn’t hurt any less.
Martinez joins me and wraps his arm around my shoulder. “You did great out there. Glad you’re okay.” I lean my head against his arm, welcoming the sentiment regardless of if he’s doing it because he feels sorry for me. It’s all I’ve got at the moment, and I’ll take it. He stops walking and turns toward me. “I was also wrong about Paxton.” His words catch me off guard. I don’t imagine he’s the type of man to eat his words often.
“Well, in a way, you were right about it being linked to him.”
“Eh.” He bobs his head a little. “I still had my doubts. But he proved me wrong. He’s a great cop and a good man.” He’s still wrong. He’s the best man. Even though I haven’t figured out if he’ll ever be my man again.
“Kali!”
The call of my name snaps my attention upward. Amy barrels down the long hallway, Ted hot on her heels. Her arms open wide, and then she engulfs me in the warmest, tightest hug ever. If my heart could burst open, it would.
Someone cares about me.
Ted joins in, cocooning the both of us with his large embrace. “Thank you,” I cry. “Thank you for being here.”
“Sweetheart, when we found out, there’s no other place we could be. We’ve been here all afternoon, worried sick about you.” She pulls back, scanning me for any signs of distress. “Are you okay?”
I manage a nod. “I still can’t believe it was Chip. But he’s…” Gone . The word gets caught in my throat, refusing to come out.
Amy nods, her eyes fill with empathy as she wipes away my tears. “We know.” I sniff a couple times. Ted walks over to the front desk, grabs the box of tissues, and hands it to me. I take one with a grateful yet sad smile.
“I was so scared,” I confess, my voice trembling. “But Zander’s words kept me fighting, kept me searching for ways to escape. If it wasn’t for my time with you guys, I don’t know if I would’ve found the strength to fight him.”
She huffs, shaking her head. “That’s hogwash. Your entire base is built on strength and determination since you were a child. Every time life knocked you off, you came back stronger. Zander might have taught you how to physically fight, but mentally? You’re the strongest person I’ve ever known.” Her voice cracks with emotion, and I can see the fierce love and pride in her eyes.
“Oh my gosh,” I cry, falling into her arms again. “Thank you. Thank you for believing in me. Being here for me. It means more to me than you’ll ever know.”
“We know, kid. We know,” Ted says, joining in.
I will feel this hug for the rest of my life.
Amy pulls back and snatches a tissue, blotting her eyes. Ted smiles and does the same thing. Then Amy blows out a shaky breath. “We know you have a lot going on, but we’d like to have dinner with you before you leave town,” she says.
I grab her hand, still needing her touch.
“Of course. I’d love that.”
Ted bends down, planting a kiss on top of my head. “I’m proud of you.”
Overwhelmed with gratitude for this unexpected support system, there’s no way I can stop the tears. “You guys,” I cry, pulling them into another hug. “I love y’all.”
“We love you, too,” Amy cries with me.
After our emotional moment, they say goodbye with a promise to meet again before I leave. As far as when that will be, I haven’t thought about what happens tomorrow. Then Martinez grabs me to make a formal statement of everything that transpired.
Walking out of the conference room, there’s a sense of freedom buzzing throughout my veins. The finality of the previous two years is liberating, the weight of fear being released. But what’s next? I glance back into the police station.
Martinez walks up to me. “He’s waiting for you back in Detective Cates’s office,” he says.
My eyes drop to the dirt and blood covered Rolling Stones T-shirt and ripped shorts that must’ve caught on something at some point when we were running. The only thing remotely clean on me is my hand where the paramedics bandaged a shallow cut. I look like a hot mess right now. Maybe it’ll be better if I get cleaned up first.
He nudges me, reading my hesitation. “He won’t care.”
I nod, taking a deep breath before turning to walk toward the office, my heart pounding in my chest. My pace is slow and steady as I try to figure out what I’m going to say. What do I even want? Despite the distance and time, my heart still quickens whenever I’m around Paxton. But it’s not up to me now.
I had that choice a year ago, and I didn’t choose him.
I spot Paxton talking with Liam in the doorway to the office. Liam acknowledges me with a smile and a quick thumbs-up before walking away and disappearing into another office across the hallway.
“Hey,” Paxton says in his sexy, deep voice, leaning on the doorframe. He’s freshly showered in street clothes, his curls still wet. He smells like soap, and it makes me wonder if I smell like sweat and dirt. I chuckle to myself. You can take the girl out of the ground, but you can’t take the ground out of the girl. “What’s so funny?”
I match his posture on the opposite doorframe. The tips of our toes brush against each other. “Nothing. Just wishing I had taken a shower.”
“You look beautiful.”
I blush, biting the inside of my cheek as the air charges with unspoken tension. I shift on my feet and glance around the floor. I jerk my head back to him. “Where’s Riggs?”
“The vet took him. They called and confirmed that he’s in perfect health and they’re cleaning him up.” I let out a sigh of relief. I couldn’t help but wonder if Paxton had missed something. Riggs has so much damn hair. I was still worried. “How’s Ari?”
“Considering everything, she’s doing all right. She left with her parents. She’s going to take some time off.”
“How about you? When are you leaving?”
His penetrating gaze makes me fidget. “I’m going to stay for a little while. I have some unfinished business.” I swallow hard. “I think.”
He lifts a brow. “You think?”
The heat from my cheeks spread. “I hope?”
My heart sinks when he drops his head. I’m too late. We said goodbye. Why should I expect him to drop everything for me because I’m here now?
“It’s okay,” I whisper, blinking back tears that are trying to form.
“It’s not what you’re thinking.” He reaches for my hands. “I just?—”
“Just kiss the girl!” Liam yells, interrupting him from across the hall, and Paxton can’t help but chuckle.
Thankfully he listens to Liam.
The kiss is urgent and deep as he pushes me against the doorframe. I wrap my arms around his neck with the same urgency, letting go of any doubts. His hand presses into the curve of my back, as if not able to get close enough.
“All right, all right. That’s enough. You are at work,” Liam jokes.
Paxton chuckles against my swollen lips and pulls back, resting his forehead against mine as we catch our breath, the warmth of his skin creating an intimate connection in the unlikely setting. I make a mental note to give Liam a fantastic birthday present next year.
Paxton stands taller, cradling my face with his hands, and his brown eyes search mine for an answer.
“Will you ever be able to get over how we got together? Will you always question the validity of our relationship? Because I need to know now.”
I thought about this. A lot. Last night in my hotel room, in the night’s quiet where sleep eluded me, thoughts of the lengths Pearl went through to get me with her son played over and over. Is that really why we’re together? Because of her? I’ve been introduced to people in the past, and just because there was an introduction, it didn’t mean there was instant chemistry. She did not force my heart to fall in love. It did it of its own accord.
“I didn’t fall in love with you because of what your mom did,” I say, our eyes locked, my expression serious, but then a smile plays on my lips. “I fell in love with you because of your dog.”