34. Chloe
Chapter 34
Chloe
M y heart was pounding as I took off toward my car. That fucking asshole. I would make sure he paid. No one hurt my sister or those kids and lived.
“Just stay calm,” I told Celine. “I’m on my way. Where are the kids?”
A sob escaped her, then a sniffle. “All three are in my bathroom. I told them to lock the door.” Her voice was so shaky, I could barely understand her.
Rage bubbled up inside me. I’d given him the benefit of the doubt, and I’d let my guard down.
I’d come here to help her, to be here for her to lean on. Then I’d gotten so caught up in my own drama that I’d neglected to see what was really going on.
“Just breathe,” I said, channeling a calm I didn’t feel as I sped down Route 16. “And call the police.”
“No,” she cried. “I can’t. It will make everything worse.”
Peering up at the sky, I prayed to my mother to give her the strength to leave him. To finally realize she had to get far away from that asshole and give her children the life they deserved. She needed the police, a restraining order, and an excellent legal team. I could help with most of that, but not until she took the first step.
“I never thought he could be dangerous.” She sobbed. “Sure, he yells a lot, and he’s always accusing me of the most ridiculous things, but this?”
My hand shook as I gripped the steering wheel. I wanted him dead. My instincts were never wrong, and I’d had an inkling for a long time that he was an abusive piece of shit. She’d never come right out and said it. Had I pushed too hard? Or not hard enough?
“You either need to get the kids and leave the house or call the police. We don’t know if he’ll come back.”
I drove, silent, while Celine composed herself, her stuttering breaths slowing and evening out. “I’m gonna go get the kids,” she said.
Staying on the phone was the best idea, but they needed her. They were probably terrified. “Okay. I’ll be there in ten minutes. Just stay calm.”
“I’m scared,” she said, her voice trembling like it had when she was a little girl.
“Celine, I love you, and I love those kids. Please, I’m begging you, call the police. I’ll stay on the line while you do it. I don’t care what he’s said or done. The line has been crossed, and there is no going back. It’s time to be strong.”
“I don’t know if I can,” she sobbed.
“I have faith in you,” I said. “You’re just like Mom, and if she were here, she’d say the same thing. You are incredible, and you’re so much stronger than you give yourself credit for. We’re here for you.”
“Okay.” Her voice was reedy and weak. “Love you.”
Relief flooded me. “Love you too.”
I waited on hold while she called. For several minutes, the line was quiet, but when she clicked back over and said “police are on their way,” her voice sounded less shaky. “I have to end this.”
My chest swelled with pride for her. “If anyone can do it, you can. And you’re not alone.”
We stayed on the phone until I could hear the sirens in the background. Relief flooded my veins. “Okay,” I told her. “Go talk to the police. I’ll be there soon.”
Guilt tore through me as I navigated the winding mountain road. I’d come back to Maine to strengthen my relationship with her, to support her the way she deserved. And I’d gotten so distracted with Gus and the Hebert Timber and the baby. My stomach lurched as I thought about what could have happened tonight. And I vowed I would never let anything like this happen again.
Along with the guilt, bile rose in my throat, and then my stomach was twisting painfully. Shit. The sun was almost fully set, and it would be dark soon. This wasn’t an ideal time to pull over onto a country road, but I had no other choice as my festival food threatened to make a reappearance.
Slowing, I pulled onto the shoulder. There wasn’t much of one—this road was cut right through the forest—but it was my only option. The second the SUV came to a stop, I threw it in park and jumped out of my car to retch.
This was a new low. I was puking and flailing and scared, and people I loved were in danger.
Celine needed me, yet I was stuck here, heaving my guts up. The police were there, and she was in good hands. I knew that, but that didn’t ease my fears.
I’d had a plan, God dammit.
I was ruthlessly organized and executed each task with precision.
How had everything gone off the rails so spectacularly?
Holding tight to the bumper, I bent at the waist and threw up again. It was a pleasant reminder that I was not as invincible as I thought I was.
Finally feeling as though I could get in the car and continue to Celine’s, I pulled myself upright. Only when I did, my stomach bottomed out.
Holy Shit.
Ten feet away from me, standing in the middle of the road, was a moose. A big one.
My entire body trembled. This was bad. Very bad.
It was a bull with a huge rack of antlers, though he seemed more curious than aggressive.
Slowly, I inched around to the front of the car.
Was he watching me?
He didn’t move from his spot in the road, so I kept scooting, not taking my attention off him, holding on to the car until I reached the passenger side door. Heart racing, I jumped in, slammed the door, and hit the locks.
When I peeked up at him, the damn moose was still staring at me.
That’s when I lost it. Kicking, screaming, and crying.
“What the fuck?” I yelled. I needed to go, dammit.
I rolled down the window. It was probably a terrible idea, but I wasn’t exactly in my right mind. “Why is everything such a goddamn mess?” I shouted into the night. “Why can’t I get anything right? All I do is vomit and worry and panic about everything.”
I punched my steering wheel once, then again. Fuck, why couldn’t I get it together? What was wrong with me?
My sister needed me, yet here I was, being held hostage by a fucking moose.
“Everything is shit,” I screamed at him.
He was unmoved by my breakdown. Asshole.
The tears fell unchecked as I slumped back against the seat. Control felt so far out of reach. I didn’t have time for a roadside nervous breakdown. Celine needed me. But this asshole moose was still in the goddamn way, judging me.
What the hell was I supposed to do now? Rage and disappointment and defeat swirling, I grabbed my phone and dialed Gus.
“Thank God. I’ve been so worried.” His tone was laced with panic.
Dammit. My heart sank. In my haste to get to Celine, I hadn’t thought about how scary it would be for him when he realized I’d disappeared.
Gus was so solid and trusting, yet I kept resisting the urge to lean on him. Why? We were having a child together, and despite our complicated past, I loved him.
And then the realization hit me.
I was the problem.
I was the asshole.
He’d given me no reason not to trust him. No reason to question his commitment to me or this child. Yet I still kept him at arm’s length and refused to lean on him. I was carrying all my old baggage into this fresh start. Only this time, I wasn’t just hurting myself, but potentially my child too.
Time to woman up.
“I need your help,” I said through my tears.
“Anything. Where are you?”
I blew out a breath, willing myself to calm down. “I’m on Route 16. Celine called. Donny went after Julian, and she intervened.”
“Fuck.”
“I’m on my way. He left, but he might come back.”
“You’re alone? What are you going to do?”
He was right. My showing up could only anger him more and make things worse.
“The police are there. And she needs me.”
“I’m on my way. Promise you won’t do anything dangerous.” He was so calm and clearheaded. The complete opposite of my blubbering mess.
“I’m scared,” I admitted. “About everything.”
“I know, Dragonfly. But together, there’s no problem we can’t solve. Just stay safe.”
“I love you.” The second the words were out of my mouth, I hung up. Great, now I’d just dropped the I love you bomb in the most weird, traumatic way.
And the cherry on top of the shit sundae? The moose was still in the middle of the road, blocking my way. My people needed me.
Fuck it.
I opened the door and stepped out of the car.
“Get out of the fucking way!” I screamed, one hand fisted in the air like a maniac. “My sister needs me, so you best move your giant moose ass before I run you off the road.”
He lifted his head, probably preparing to charge me. Dammit, I was going to die with the shame of being a born-and-bred Mainer who decided to yell at a moose on a dark road. Statues would be erected to warn children of my stupidity.
“You think you’re all big and tough,” I yelled, kicking one of my tires. “If you don’t get out of my way, I’m going to come back tomorrow with the biggest crossbow I can find and shoot an arrow straight up your ass!”
I was insane. It was official. But I was overrun with fear and anger, and there was no stopping it. Besides, I was too scared to properly assess the risk of my actions.
Just as I was sucking in a deep breath, ready to rage again, the damn thing turned and fucking moseyed his way toward the edge of the woods. Taking his sweet time, but still moving.
Good.
It was about time someone listened to me.
I dove back into the car, started the engine, and pulled back onto the highway. As I passed the moose, I shot him the bird out the open window. “This isn’t over!”
The police were already inside when I pulled into Celine’s driveway, their lights flashing in the dark, making the nearby houses glow. Thank fuck they were here. Gus was right. I couldn’t just handle everything myself. We needed a lot of backup.
Inside the house, Celine was holding Julian and speaking to a police officer. It wasn’t until I was a few feet away that I saw it.
My heart dropped right out of my body, and my feet froze.
Holy shit. Her face.
One side was bruised and so swollen that her right eye was barely visible.
An anger so intense rolled through me that my body shook as I pushed past the police officers and threw my arms around my sister and Julian.
I wanted to build a protective force field around them and make all the bad disappear. I could live another hundred years and never forget what my sister’s bruised face looked like. I would do everything in my power to protect her.
“I’m here,” I rasped into her tangled hair.
“I’m so ashamed,” she cried, her words barely intelligible.
The longer I held her, the angrier I grew. Fuming, I pulled back and turned to the police officer, a kindly-looking grandfather type. “How does she get a restraining order?”
“We can get the paperwork started tonight.”
“Good.” I glared, stroking her hair as she cried into my shoulder. “Can I take them home with me?”
“We have a few more questions, but after that, yes.”
The officer had just continued his interview with Celine when Gus strode into the house, looking murderous.
Just as he crossed the threshold, our eyes met, and he softened.
With a small nod to me, he walked straight over to Ellie and Maggie, who were sitting on the couch, both trembling and crying. He dropped to his knees and dove right into a funny story about Clementine chasing a squirrel.
“Celine,” I said gently. “I’ll take Julian. Go sit down with Officer Hughes and fill out the forms. We need to get this done.”
With a sigh, she passed Julian to me.
Once I had him settled on my hip, his thumb in his mouth and his head on my shoulder, I shuffled to where Gus now had the girls howling with laughter.
With the hand that wasn’t holding Julian, I got my phone out and shot off a text to my lawyers. They were sharks who worked twenty-four hours a day. I’d have the best family law attorney in the state of Maine here tomorrow to make sure that piece of shit never came near my sister or these precious kids again.
“You kids wanna come have a sleepover at my house?” I asked.
The girls lit up. “Can we make a fire out by the lake again?” Maggie asked.
I nodded.
“I could go to the store and pick up supplies for s’mores if you’d like,” Gus suggested.
In unison, the girls squealed. God, this man. As I assessed him, a rush of love hit me so intensely, I almost stumbled.
He was massive, bearded, and intimidating. But he was here, sitting on the floor, making silly faces with these kids, distracting them and easing their fears on what had to be the worst night of their lives.
“Honey graham crackers?” Julian asked. “I hate cinnamon.”
A bolt of shock had my spine snapping straight. He rarely spoke, especially around people he didn’t know well.
“Of course, little man. Honey is way better.”
With a nod, Julian nestled back into my shoulder.
“Let’s go to your rooms and pack some stuff,” I suggested, looking over to where Celine was talking to the police. My stomach knotted as I once again took in her battered face. She better be pressing charges.
“And then we can all go have a super fun sleepover.”
The girls bounced up, and I followed them to their room, where they packed their backpacks and directed me to Julian’s preferred blanket, pajamas, and stuffies.
Gus helped me load my car and took junk food orders from the kids. With every minute that passed, the sleepover plans got more extravagant. Gus was now making a list on his phone of their food requests, which included every type of sugary breakfast cereal for the morning, and the girls had launched into a debate about which movie we would watch. Encanto was the current front-runner.
When Celine finished with the police—with instructions to swing by the station in the morning to finalize her statement and process the paperwork—we had the kids loaded up and packed, all three excited for their wild night at my house.
“Thank you,” I said to Gus, looping an arm around his waist.
“Anything,” he said softly into my hair. “Just ask. I’ll do anything for you, Dragonfly.”