22. #2
When he got close enough, he took Beau into his arms for a tight hug and growled, “Don’t you ever run off like that again, Beau.”
“Sorry,” he said before he laid his head on Dayton’s shoulder.
Dayton shook his head before he said, “That scared the shit out of me!”
“You and me both, man. I’m not sure my heart is ever going to slow down.”
“Let’s get out of here. This place is crazy busy.”
Dayton carried Beau back to where Alana and Leo were waiting, and after a few seconds of Alana using her sternest voice to warn the boys of the dangers of running off, something she’d been a pro at when she was their age, things were finally calm.
Well, at least the kids were. I wasn’t sure I’d ever recover.
◆◆◆
“I love my new shoes,” Alana said as she skipped beside me toward the SUV. “Thank you for letting me get all of them even though I can’t wear some of them yet.”
“Look at it this way, sweetie. You’ve got two pairs that fit you now and two pairs that will fit you when your feet grow out of those.” I mumbled, “At the rate you’re growing, that means I’ve got you covered for at least six weeks.”
“Mine light up!” Leo boasted as he stared down at his feet. Dayton bumped into him and then rested his hand on top of Leo’s head to direct him since he was too busy looking at his new shoes to watch where he was going.
Beau was just as excited about his own and exclaimed, “So do mine!”
“But yours don’t have glitter,” Alana said haughtily.
“Glitter’s for girls,” Beau scoffed.
“I feel like I should brag about my new shoes, but they don’t light up, and they aren’t glittery,” Dayton said with an exaggerated pout. “I think I got screwed in this deal.”
I was relieved to see we were nearing my SUV. Just like the big box store we’d been at earlier, the sports store we’d just left had been stuffed with harried moms and their children who were eager to get new things even if they weren’t very excited about school starting soon.
I’d parked farther out in the parking lot because I loved my new SUV and wanted to keep it ding-free as long as possible - something that would never happen with kids piling in and out with vehicles on either side.
I was happy to see that no one was parked nearby, and it was a straight shot out of the parking lot to freedom. I hit the button to unlock the doors and then opened the back before I handed the keys to Dayton and asked, “Will you get it started and crank up the AC? It’s hot as balls.”
“Sure thing! Can I drive us home?”
“Ha! The boy’s got jokes!” I said through my sarcastic laughter.
I tossed the bags into the back as Dayton got it started Alana had already gotten inside and was peeking at me over the back seat when I heard Beau say, “Hi, lady!”
I tensed when I saw who he was talking to. “Mama, it’s the lady from the store! She said she’s my real mom, but I told her she wasn’t. She said she’d take me to get ice cream.”
“I want ice cream too!” Leo whined.
“Get in the car,” I snapped as I picked Beau up and put him into the cargo area. I looked over my shoulder and saw that Jill was coming toward us at a good clip, and the man behind her was keeping pace. I picked up Leo and tossed him inside, too, before I yelled, “Dayton, drive away! Now!”
Dayton whipped his head around to look at me and spotted Jill. I was worried that he’d get out and talk to her, so I yelled, “She tried to take Beau at the other store, Dayton! Take the kids and go!”
I barely had time to close the hatch before Dayton put it in gear and took off. I realized Jill was right behind me when she screamed for Dayton to stop, so I spun around to confront her.
“What the fuck, Jill?” I yelled in her face.
“I want my kids!”
“Did you try to kidnap my son?” I shrieked in outrage.
“He’s my son!”
I shoved Jill away from me before I screamed, “If you were really Leo’s mother, you’d have realized that you picked the wrong kid, Jill. That wasn’t Leo!”
Jill shoved me before she yelled, “Fuck you! Those are my children, and I want them back!”
“What’s in it for you?” I replied as I glared at Jill and then her friend. “And who’s the crackhead? Are you my new daddy?”
“Eat shit,” the man growled. “Are we taking her then?”
“You aren’t taking me anywhere, asshole,” I retorted as he reached for my arm. I yanked my arm out of his grip and then rounded on Jill who was trying to grab my other arm. “Back off, Jill, before I hurt both of you.”
My mother’s cackle was the same one that had haunted my dreams for years, and without a moment’s hesitation, I pulled my arm back and punched her square in the face.
When she staggered back, the man reached for me again, but I was ready this time.
I let my purse slide off my shoulder and then swung it in an arc with all of my might, clocking him in the side of the head with the full weight of it before I turned back to my mother.
I could hear people yelling nearby and hoped they had the good sense to call the cops right before I prayed that they’d give me a minute or two alone with my mother first.
As soon as she got close enough, I swung my purse again, hitting her with enough force to knock her off her feet.
She started screaming bloody murder as she tried to avoid my foot as I kicked her with everything I had.
I glanced over and saw that the man was starting to stand, so I aimed a kick at his head before I turned back to finish off Jill.
When Jill put her hand on the ground to push herself up, I stomped on it and then reared back and kicked her face like it was a football and I was going for the winning field goal. I couldn’t stop myself from laughing as she landed face first on the hot asphalt.
I bent forward and rested my hands on my knees, watching my mother and that asshole with her as I tried to catch my breath. I was quickly surrounded by people and heard a woman yell my name. I looked past the crowd of people and found Zane’s mom and his Aunt Lisa running my way.
I heard sirens in the distance just as Jill started moving again, and I knew that this was my last chance to pay her back for all of the years of frustration I’d felt because of her.
I dropped my purse and flipped her over before I dropped down to straddle her waist. Her eyes opened when I jerked her up by the front of the shirt, and I managed to punch her at least three times before someone pulled me off of her.
I tried to get away from whoever was holding me, but they were too strong. However, that didn’t stop me from getting in a few more kicks in before they dragged me away.
I recognized the voice when a man whispered in my ear, “Calm down, and at least pretend you’re the fucking victim here, Courtney.”
I instantly stopped fighting as my chest heaved with my labored breathing. The sirens were closer now, and I heard tires screeching nearby as police cars pulled into the parking lot.
I shrugged off Sam’s hold and took a deep breath before I looked at the crowd around me.
There were a few people standing with their phones held up, obviously recording rather than jumping into help.
Although, I had to admit that after seeing the bloody sight on the ground in front of me that I clearly didn’t need any help at all.
I was smiling when the cops walked up. I didn’t give a shit how many people had caught it on camera. The last thought I had before my adrenaline tanked and I started shaking was that I hoped like hell I could find it online so I could watch it over and over again.