Chapter Thirty Two
Caroline bolted to her left as Nancy leapt at her, with a needle in her hand. Fear kicked in her adrenaline as she opened the door and raced outside to the pool area.
“Help,” she screamed, knowing Mac and Spider watched over her. “Help.”
Nancy ran toward her, her eyes turned menacing as she zeroed in on Caroline.
“What are you doing?” she cried, shocked and confused.
She threw a chair in her path as she raced inside the house, searching for anything to use as a weapon.
Her hand went to her thigh as she remembered the knife Victoria gave her.
She groaned as she went into the kitchen to grab one, realizing she forgot it in her race to dress and go to Jameson.
“It’s no use,” Nancy said, advancing on her. “For years, I waited for your stupid father to die.”
“You said you loved him,” Caroline said. “How can you do this?”
Nancy let out a low laugh. “You owe me. James paid me to keep your parents from finding you. When he disappeared, I didn’t have any money to care for my boy.
Cain joined the ring and asked me to stay here.
He didn’t want anyone to take his property away.
Your mother cried herself to sleep every night, and she finally died, hoping to find you in heaven.
Thomas refused to give up hope. Toward the end, he must’ve suspected something because he stopped giving me the details of what the latest private investigator found.
When you showed up, I knew he’d leave you everything.
I worked too many years to allow you to get what was mine,” Nancy snarled.
“No one will suspect me of murdering him. They’ll think he suffered from a heart attack.
The dose of pesticide worked nicely. “Where’s the key to the safety deposit box?
” Nancy demanded. “I know he put money in there.”
“You knew how much he meant to me,” Caroline cried, waving the knife in front of her. “I would’ve found a way to repay you.”
“You?” Nancy mocked in disbelief. “Will you spread your legs for another man? I’ve already told my son about your cheating. He’s not happy with you.”
“I don’t even know your son,” Caroline said, avoiding Nancy’s attempt to jab her arm.
“Do you mean the young man who picked me up from the funeral?” Nancy asked as she took a stab at her. “He works for my son. Oh, I’m afraid you know him very well. I can’t imagine you forgetting Cain so soon.”
Caroline froze. “C…Cain?” she stuttered, her entire body buzzed in recognition of his name. Her knees threatened to buckle from beneath her.
“You’ve acted naughty, Caroline,” she tsked. “You belong to him, and you let another man touch you. He said he can’t wait to punish you.”
Nancy backed her into a corner, seeming much spryer than she did while caring for her father. Nancy raised her arm to jab her.
Kicking out, Caroline knocked the needle from her hand.
They rushed to grab it before the other reached it.
Nancy grabbed her ankle, sending her crashing to the floor.
Caroline kicked and clawed her way toward the needle.
Nancy launched herself on her back. Evil glowed in her eyes, reminding Caroline of Cain.
Recalling Victoria’s instructions, she dislodged the older woman from her body.
The syringe flew farther from her grasp as she scrambled to her feet.
Nancy screeched as she flew toward her in a fury.
The traumatized Caroline swung her fist with all her might, knocking Nancy into the counter’s edge. The woman wobbled, then slumped to the floor.
Panic filled her as she grabbed the syringe and raced back to the pool house and dialed Mac’s number. When he didn’t answer, she dialed Jameson.
The phone rang once, and Jameson’s worried voice came over the line.
“Caroline?” he rushed. “Where are you?”
“I’m in the pool house. Nancy went crazy and tried to stab me with a needle. I forgot my knife,” she said, running to the bedroom to retrieve it, putting it around her thigh.
“Secure the door and don’t let anyone in,” he ordered. “Do you hear me?”
Caroline ran to the living room, and her blood ran cold as Cain grinned in the doorway. She dropped the phone.
“Did you miss me, Caroline?” Cain said, advancing toward her. “I almost gave up on you until my mother called and said you reunited with your dear father. It’s too bad you ran back to him. Now I’ll have to punish you as I promised.”
“I’m not yours,” she spat. “You don’t own me, Cain. You’re sick.”
His eyes narrowed as he drew closer. The sly smile spread across his face, immediately jolting her back to her past when he beat her, hurt her.
“I’m coming, Caroline. You fucking remember what Victoria and I taught you,” Jameson yelled, his voice bringing her back to the present. If she wanted a future, she needed to fight for it.
Her lip curled into a snarl as Cain stood before her. The old Caroline would’ve dropped to her knees in fear. But the new one kicked him in the nuts and busted his nose. She ran past him, jabbing the needle in his arm. She didn’t have time to push the plunger before he turned and yanked it out.
“You fucking bitch,” he growled as she yanked the patio door wide open, noticing Spider lying on the ground. She didn’t have time to worry about him as Cain lunged for her.
Caroline shrieked as both of them fell into the pool. Cain dunked her head under water. She thrashed, fighting for air.
“Why didn’t you say you wanted to play our little game?” Cain asked menacingly as he dunked her again. She coughed and sputtered as he pulled her up. She barely got any air before she went under again.
Panic filled her before she recalled what Jameson taught her. She took a gulp of air when he let her up. She kicked him in the stomach as she shoved off. He grabbed at her foot, trying to take her under. Caroline twisted and kicked, hitting his shoulder as she swam to the deeper water.
“You’ll pay for that,” he threatened, but Caroline no longer feared him.
Jameson and Victoria taught her how to defend herself.
She climbed the steps, taking deep breaths.
Cain snarled as he jumped out of the pool from the edge.
He stalked toward her as she backed toward the main house, glancing over her shoulder.
Nancy lay in the kitchen, but Caroline forgot to tie her.
Swiping the wet hair from her eyes, she glared back at him. “You no longer have any power over me. Go to hell, you bastard.”
He rushed toward her when she punched him in the neck.
His eyes grew wide as he choked and coughed, holding his injured windpipe.
Cain’s eyes grew red with anger as he came at her again, grabbing her arm.
Twisting and using her other arm, she broke his hold, feeling more powerful with every strike. He deserved her anger, not Jameson.
Her fist collided with his eye, sending him backward. His expression promised her death as he pulled out a gun, aiming it at her.
“You’re coming with me, Caroline,” he ground out. “There’s no way out. Get on your knees,” he commanded, as he approached her.
“Cain, go fuck yourself,” she said as she kicked the gun from his hand, startling him. The gun went off, and Caroline turned to run. The door opened, and Jameson appeared. His eyes scanned the area until they landed on her tormentor.
Shoving Caroline behind him, Jameson growled. “As always, you have to pick on those weaker than you. This will be the last time you ever lay a fucking finger on her.”
“Ah, Jameson. It appears you rose from the dead,” Cain spat out the blood trickling from his nose into his mouth.
“Go inside the house, Caroline,” Jameson ordered.
“He’s got a gun,” she warned, refusing to leave him.
“You’d better listen to her,” Cain said. “If you come willingly, Caroline, I won’t kill him. For every second you hesitate, I’ll put a bullet in him.”
Caroline tried to move around Jameson. She felt brave enough to fight for herself, but she couldn’t allow Jameson to get hurt.
“Stay back,” Jameson said, shielding her with his arm.
“One,” Cain counted.
“Wait,” Caroline begged, attempting to avoid Jameson’s attempt to keep her behind him.
“Two,” Cain said, menacingly.
Caroline screamed as her senses overloaded. Unable to bear watching Jameson die, she fought against his hold. Jameson turned to shield her as the gun went off. His body jolted against Caroline before he turned, using his body to protect her.
“Jameson,” she screamed as another bullet whizzed past her head. She fell to her knees as she lowered him to the ground.
“Get behind me,” he said through gritted teeth.
“No, he’ll hurt you,” she cried as Cain yanked her by the hair.
“He’s dead anyway,” Cain laughed sinisterly as he aimed the weapon at Jameson’s head.
She kicked and clawed as he pulled her from Jameson’s weak grasp.
“Watch while I kill him, Caroline. His death will be on your hands. You let him touch my property,” he growled in her ear.
The knife Victoria gifted her pressed against her thigh as if reminding her. Caroline struggled against him while she slid the blade from the sheath.
“I’m not anyone’s property,” she gritted out as she plunged the knife into his thigh, as Victoria taught her, and twisted.
Cain let go of her, screaming in agony.
“You bitch,” he seethed. “You’ll be lucky if I ever let you out of your cage.”
Caroline didn’t respond as she stumbled toward Jameson. Cain raised his gun to fire as Jameson rolled over and shot him, hitting Cain’s shoulder.
Jameson’s arm fell to the ground as Caroline dropped to her knees, taking the gun from him. She aimed it at her abuser. The man who tormented her on a daily basis for five years.
His eyes narrowed as he took in her shaking arms. His smile grew bigger as blood filled his mouth, dripping down his chin.
“You’d better have a good aim,” he taunted. “Because I’ll have to come up with a new punishment for your disobedience. Put down the gun and get on your knees.”
Jameson pulled himself up, determined to protect her as blood seeped through his shirt. “Run, Caroline,” he wheezed.
No, not this time, Caroline thought as she peered at Cain and straightened her shoulders. She was no longer a victim. She was a survivor.
“I only need to hit you once,” she said as she aimed and fired. His body jerked with every hit, and he turned startled eyes on her as if suddenly realizing she sent him to hell. His body moved in slow motion as Caroline dropped the gun. She watched as he fell into the pool face down in the water.
Caroline gently turned Jameson on his side. Blood coated his chest, making it difficult for her to see the wound. Hating to leave him, she rushed inside. Moving past Nancy’s unconscious body, she grabbed kitchen towels to hold onto the wound as she picked up his phone, calling 911.
“I’m Caroline Bates. I need an ambulance to 222 Greenbriar Ct. Hurry, he’s shot and bleeding,” she told the operator before dropping the phone.
She cried as she pressed against the injury.
The throbbing hurt like hell as anger flooded his system. He’d be damned if he went to hell with Cain. Jameson opened his eyes to stare into Caroline’s crystal blue ones. They filled with tears as she pressed against the damn bullet hole.
“Please don’t leave me,” she begged. “I’m sorry for what I said. I hurt you because I was scared. You told me to fight. I did. Now it’s your turn.”
Jameson raised his hand and cupped her cheek. “I love you, Honeybee,” he murmured. “Remind me not to piss you off.”
She choked back a laugh.
Matthew and Julio arrived seconds before the ambulance. They rushed to aid both their teammates as Rebecca pulled her away from Jameson while the paramedics worked on him. Mac cuffed Nancy and led her outside as she screamed profanities at them.
“No, no, no,” Jameson heard Caroline cry as they surrounded him. The pressure in his chest grew tighter as the paramedics worked.
The machine measuring his heart rate stopped beeping and made a single sound.
“I love you, Jameson,” he heard her call out to him as his body floated away.
Feeling strangely at peace, he closed his eyes.
Flashes of his future with Caroline greeted him as he felt them pull and tug on his body.
He felt the joy of watching their firstborn child come into the world.
His hand reached out to touch Caroline’s honey blonde hair as she smiled and wrapped her arms around him.
Her laughter filled the void, reminding him of what he needed to fight for.
Yet the peace of never having to prove himself beckoned.
Jameson knew he was given a choice. He turned back to see Caroline holding out her hand to him, her eyes begging him to return.
Jameson sighed and turned toward the light.