26. Ellie
26
ELLIE
I looked up and realized it wasn’t just Tammy and Jack in the room with Wade and me, but others I’ve come to know the past few months were also here. Chuck and Vince were behind my brother, along with one of the new guys who were just hired at the security firm, though I couldn’t place his name. Then I heard a sniffle, and I saw Ruthie standing next to Jack as she looked at me.
“Hey Ruthie , I’m gonna be okay, I promise,” I said, hoping it would ease her concerns.
“Damn right she will be,” Tammy interrupted. “ Especially after I get my hands on that bitch Beth and wring her neck.”
A deep cough, meant to get attention, came in from behind the group. I looked up and saw Archer with a man next to him I didn’t recognize.
“Elliana, my name is Detective Cooper ,” the man said, and only then did I notice the badge on his belt. “ I’d like to ask you some questions if you’re feeling up to it.”
Wade leaned down and spoke to me softly, taking my hand. “ You don’t have to do this right now if you’re not up to it.”
“It’s okay. I’d rather get it over with so I don’t have to think about it again.” I squeezed his hand to reassure him.
“Please call me Ellie ,” I said to the detective and told him to ask what he needed to.
He told me to start from the beginning right before I was grabbed.
I explained about Beth telling me that Wade needed me, and we’d gone outside. As Beth and I had walked out the door, something hit my head, and the next thing I remembered, I was waking up in the house with my hands tied to the headboard.
I continued, and there were several gasps from the women and several growls from the men when I gave specific details, but the part that seemed to bother all of them the most was anything to do with Beth . Everyone was upset to find out she’d been helping Randall the whole time.
“Beth said you two had a connection,” I said, looking at Wade .
“That’s a crock of…” Wade interrupted, shaking his head. “ We never went out, and I never gave her any indication I was interested.”
“I know,” I said, squeezing his hand to try to calm him down. “ She said you two were getting close and were going to be lovers if I hadn’t stepped in. She said when she saw us getting close, she had to get rid of me.”
I explained how all the things that had been done to my car—the radio, the moved seats and mirrors, and the air freshener were all done by Beth . She would take my car keys out of my purse while I was at work, go change something in my car, and come back before her break was over.
Even after I told them that Randall had shot her, the only response was from Chuck , who muttered, “ Good riddance bitch.” I got to the part about Randall’s other confession and started to cry. I looked at my brother and could barely even mutter the words.
“He killed Gran ,” I told him. I turned to the sergeant and told him the details, trying not to cry through it, even though it broke my heart to know that she died because of me. Had I not dated Randall , she never would have died when she did.
“I’ll kill that motherfucker,” Jack groaned, not loudly, but loud enough that the sergeant looked over at him.
“That won’t be necessary,” Archer said from the back of the room.
“Did you arrest him?” I asked the sergeant, needing to know if I would have to testify.
“He didn’t make it, Miss Hutchinson ,” Detective Cooper said.
I was sure the confused look on my face was obvious. I felt Wade’s hand squeeze mine, and I looked up at him. His face held no emotion and was entirely unreadable. I looked back at the sergeant.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“The injuries he sustained from Mr . Watson and Mr . Fletcher as they were restraining him from attacking you were too much, and he was pronounced dead by the EMTs on the way to the hospital,” Detective Cooper said.
This was news to me. I remembered Randall on top of me choking me, and then he was gone. Then I saw Wade’s face, but everything after that was a bit fuzzy.
“Are you arresting Wade and Vince ?” I asked the sergeant, panic starting to build in me at the thought of them being taken away.
“Not at this time, no,” he said. “ While perhaps a bit aggressive, it appears he fought back, so the injuries he sustained from Watson and Fletcher are from self-defense and protecting you.”
I sighed as relief washed through me. Then it hit me how tired I was. I didn’t realize I had closed my eyes until I heard Wade’s voice.
“Enough questions for now. She needs to rest,” he said.
“It’s okay, I think I have everything I need,” Detective Cooper said. “ If you think of anything else, please give me a call.” He handed me his card and then walked out of the room.
I tried hard to keep my eyes open, but then Wade leaned down, brushed a kiss on my forehead, and whispered, “ Sleep , baby. I’ll be here when you wake up.”
I gave up resisting and closed my eyes, letting sleep pull me under.
* * *
When I woke later, the only people still in my room were Wade , Vince , Ruthie , and Jack .
“How did you find me?” I asked Wade and Vince . “ Did you follow Beth ? I was worried you wouldn’t be able to find me because I hadn’t taken my phone, but you found me.”
Neither of them said a word for a moment, and just as Wade started to open his mouth, Ruthie interrupted.
“It was actually me. I’m sorry, Ellie . I just wanted to do my part to keep you safe.”
The confusion on my face must have been easy to read, because she exhaled and took a step forward.
“The boxing glove charm I gave you,” she explained nervously. “ It has a tracker on it. Mine does too. Archer gave it to me when we moved here, just in case something happened. When I heard about your ex, I told him I wanted to get you one too, so we did.”
She sighed then stepped closer to me. “ I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I couldn’t think of the right way to say it, and then I let it go for so long that I was worried you would be upset I didn’t tell you, so I just kept it to myself.”
I nodded, understanding what she was saying and so thankful that she had the foresight to do that. I then looked at Wade assuming he would say something, but Ruthie spoke again.
“Don’t blame Wade . He didn’t know,” she said, jumping to his defense. “ Only Archer and I knew. And Archer thought I’d told you, and he figured if you wanted Wade to know, that you would tell him. He didn’t know I hadn’t told you. I’m so sorry.”
She tilted her head down almost in defeat, and I felt bad that she felt so guilty over something that ultimately saved my life.
“Ruthie, I’m not mad,” I emphasized. “ Just before the guys arrived, Randall was choking me and likely would have killed me. If you hadn’t given me that, the guys may not have made it in time. I’m not even a little mad. I’m thrilled you gave me that charm. Thank you for saving my life.”
She burst into tears, and my brother suddenly grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her into him, whispering something in her ear as he rubbed his hand up and down her back.
Before I could ask anything else, a nurse I hadn’t seen before walked in. The look on her face showed she was clearly surprised to see so many people in the room, and she wasn’t having it.
“Okay, then, all of you. If you aren’t family, out of the room, now,” she demanded and clapped her hands twice to get them going.
Vince gave me a quick nod and then left, but Wade , Jack , and also Ruthie , who was currently attached to my brother’s side, stayed put.
“Who are all of you?” the nurse asked, clearly making a stand about the family only rule.
“I’m her fiancé,” Wade answered, and my mouth turned into a small smile at his little white lie.
The nurse turned to my brother and Ruthie and lifted her eyebrow, clearly wanting to know who they were.
“I’m her brother, and this is my fiancé ,” Jack said with a little snark emphasizing on the last two words, making it clear to us that if Wade could lie about a fiancé, so could he.
“Okay, then, you three. Over there on the side while I check her, and then you can have your time with her,” the nurse said, pointing to the other side of the room, and then she came to me to check all my vitals. “ How are you feeling, dear?” Her voice had instantly softened from the snippy one she’d given everyone else in the room.
“A little sleepy but good,” I told her.
“Pain management okay?” she asked, and I nodded in return.
She wrote a few things down on her chart and then told my family they had thirty minutes and then I needed to rest. I smiled because she reminded me a little of Tammy .
Wanting to lighten the mood a little between the two broody men standing in my room, I turned to my brother to tease him a little.
“Not sure you can give Wade any crap for getting a fiancé since you have one too apparently,” I said with a smirk.
“Yeah, well, if this loser is allowed to use that fake excuse to see you, then so can I in order for Ruthie to stay,” he explained while glaring at Wade .
“It won’t be a fake excuse for long,” Wade said to my brother, then walked up to my bed and grabbed my hand in his squeezing gently.
The mood in the room electrified, and I saw the change on my brother’s face before he spoke.
“Care to explain?” he asked with purpose to Wade and began to untangle himself from Ruthie , but she latched onto his arm to try to hold him in place.
“Your sister and I have been seeing each other,” Wade said, eyes straight on Jack’s . “ I was going to tell you when you got back, but it got serious before I even realized.” He looked down at me. “ I love her.” He smiled at me then looked back to Jack . “ I get this might be a shock, and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, but hopefully you can understand we were a little busy with the other priority of keeping her safe.”
“I was going to tell you when you got back too. Everything ,” I told my brother. “ Not just about Wade , but everything with Randall too. I just didn’t want to worry you and add to your stress while you were on your final mission. I’m sorry, big brother.”
The tension in Jack’s face that had been aimed at Wade now softened as he looked to me.
“You happy?” Jack asked me softly.
“I am now,” I said, and I realized I genuinely meant it. I looked up at Wade and smiled at him, and he winked back.
“You hurt her, and I’ll kill you. Don’t care if you’re my friend or not,” Jack said to Wade with a stoic look on his face.
“I’ll hand you the gun myself,” Wade responded back.
I decided to change the topic to get some answers.
“I’m sorry this is our reunion, but I’m happy to see you,” I told Jack . “ Did the guys call you and tell you to come here?”
“I realized something was wrong when no one was answering their phones to come pick me up from the airport,” he started to say. “ I got an cab to bring me to my apartment, and when I got there, there were multiple squad cars. I walked into the Ranger Shield Security front office and saw Ruthie here explaining to the cops about the security cameras in our building. Once I introduced myself to the cops, everyone got me up to speed. Then Vince called me back a few minutes later and let me know they’d found you and more of the details.”
“I’m so sorry,” I said to Jack , feeling terrible that this was what he came home to.
“Don’t apologize,” he said. “ I’m happy you’re safe, that asshole is dead, and I’m happy you moved down here. That’s all that matters for now.”
He was right. That was all that mattered. I was so happy he was home safe from his latest mission—even happier it was his last. Happy to be making new friends, starting school soon, and happy to have Wade in my life.
Wade squeezed my hand and leaned down to kiss my head, and I felt so completely content for the first time in a long time.
Here’s to a new beginning, I thought, looking over at the people who meant so much to me.