Chapter 20
Twenty
“ Y ou okay, Evie?” Derrick hadn’t stopped glancing over at her since she’d gotten in the truck. Probably didn’t help that she hadn’t been able to stop crying since they drove away from the bar. He’d waited a long time, to be fair, but clearly pulling into the ranch’s driveway meant it was time to check in on her.
“Fine.”
“Alright, then. My mama always taught me never to push a lady to talk, but if you need to get something out in the open, I’ve always been a good listener.”
“I’m sorry. I appreciate that Derrick, but you’ve done me a big favor already by just driving me back.”
“Did Sam upset you? I can’t imagine he’d be too pleased to know you were in my truck crying up a storm.”
She shuddered. “No. And I’d appreciate it if we could just keep this between the two of us. It’s honestly nothing. Jellybean just makes me cry sometimes.”
“She’s getting big lately.”
Evie must have given him some sort of look because Derrick laughed and held up his hand innocently. “You’ve been rubbing your back more often when you come out to see the horses in the morning. My sister was the same way when she had my nephews. But it suits you.”
“Being the size of a whale?” she scoffed.
He laughed again. “Bringing new life into the world.”
She couldn’t help but smile. “That was a really kind thing to say. Thank you.”
“Well, it’s the truth.” He parked the truck in front of the barn and hopped out, making his way to her door.
“You need help getting up to your apartment?” he asked as he held out his hand to help her down.
“No, thank you, though. I think I’ll take a little trip to see Jasper and then I’ll head up.”
“Sure thing, Miss Evie. Have a good night.”
“Thanks, Derrick. You too.”
The sweet cowboy tipped his hat and walked off towards the bunkhouse.
“Where did Evie go?” Abby asked as she slid onto the bar stool next to Sam. He was in no mood to speak with his sister.
“Back to the ranch.”
“What? Why? Is she okay? Why didn’t you go with her?”
He stared at his sister, aware of the black aura that was pouring off of him.
Her face went slack. “Oh shit.”
“Yeah, oh shit. You couldn’t just trust that I would tell her in my own time? You had to press and fucking upset her? She was crying about how she could have killed me, Abby.”
“I didn’t mean anything against her! It’s you who shouldn’t be carrying her around! You shouldn’t be carrying anyone or anything around.”
“The doctors cleared me! They cleared me to resume ALL my usual activities. I’ve been throwing hay, riding Jasper, wrangling the cattle, building all the shit you need for your wedding. All of it is more stressful than carrying that incredible woman in my arms.”
“I’ll come over tomorrow and apologize. I never meant to hurt her feelings.”
“Don’t bother. I’ll sort it all out with her. At the end of the day, she’s not pissed at you.”
“But you are.”
“Yeah, I am, Dove. You need to leave me be. Everyone does. All the texts. All the calls. Everyone is always checking in on me like I’m made of glass. It has to stop. I can’t take it anymore.”
The bartender walked towards Sam.
“What can I get you?”
“Whiskey. On the rocks.”
“Sam…”
“Abby. I swear to God. I’m fine. I can drink if I want.”
“Fine.” She held her hands up and turned to walk back to the table. “Just so you know, every single person that called, or sent a text, or dropped in for a visit loves you, and they’re doing it because they’re worried about losing you forever. That’s how fucking important you are to all the people in your life, Sam. So stop being so fucking selfish and realize that maybe you do need to slow down. Maybe you do need to accept that you aren’t as unbreakable as you thought you were. If not for any of us, then maybe do it for Evie and her baby, assuming you want to be around long enough for Jellybean to call you dad one day.”
His eyes followed her all the way back to the table where their friends were waiting, John quickly wrapping her up in a hug as she swiped at her face. Fuck. Abby had been through enough. He shouldn’t be adding to her stress.
The bartender returned with his order and the first sip went down with a searing pain. It’d been months since he had any alcohol. Truth be told, he was fucking nervous to drink again. But the way things spiraled with Evie, he needed something to take the pain away, so he could think clearly about how to set things right. He needed the world to be a little less sharp, the pressure weighing on him to be a little less heavy in that moment.
Yep, the baby was definitely more active at night. Evie knew as soon as she made her way up to the apartment and Jellybean started to roll that sleeping was going to be even more difficult than she was already anticipating.
Seeing Jasper had helped her cool down. Her emotions weren’t as frazzled as they had been when she left Sam standing in the parking lot of the Broken Spoke. But there was a heaviness that was settling into her chest. It made her want to curl up in her bed and hide until Jellybean was ready to be born.
God, she was grateful that she didn’t need to worry about Dr. Bowman. The bar incident had freaked her out, but with Sam and his friends there, she knew she was safe. Her heart ached, knowing that safe feeling with Sam around was shattered. He wouldn’t ever physically hurt her, that she knew without a doubt, but her heart felt broken all the same.
She sighed as she made her way to her apartment door. All she wanted to do was fall into bed, but she really should take down the trash and then jump in the shower. Evie turned the knob to her door and froze.
Her apartment was a mess. She rushed in, tripping over several books that were ripped and thrown to the ground. It looked like a tornado had gone through her apartment. Her eyes scanned the space from her kitchen to her living room, and landed on a figure dressed all in black at the end of her coffee table.
A scream ripped through her throat as she backed up, trying to move faster than the charging figure with a swinging hand aimed right at her face. Pain radiated through her eye as their palm made contact with her flesh, a stumble backwards causing her to fall over onto the couch. In an instant, the large shadow was on top of her, straddling her hips as she bucked wildly. The same hand that had just slapped her flew across her mouth, hot breath whispering in her ear as the intruder’s other hand brought a sharp blade up against her throat.
“Don’t move. And don’t even think about screaming again.” Her whole body shook, terrified by the gravel-filled voice in her ear that she didn’t recognize.
The man removed his hand from her mouth, and a sob escaped from her lips.
“Please. My baby. Please get off me,” she begged.
“This baby?” He pushed off her, her legs still trapped under his as he pushed up. Quickly pulling the blade from her neck, he traced the tip down her ribs and over her belly.
“What do you want?” she cried, the metallic taste of blood filling her mouth as she licked her painful lip, afraid to even breathe as his blade rested so close to her baby.
“You’re looking into something that is of no concern to you. You’re going to stop, because if you don’t, I’m going to make sure this little one never sees a single second of their life outside your belly.” The man’s cold hand splayed over her precious bump, palming it in a way that made her instantly nauseous.
Evie balled her hands, letting her fingernails dig into the flesh on her palms to stop the scream that was begging to be released.
“Why not do it now?” She had no idea where she’d gotten the strength to ask that question, but she did nonetheless .
The man laughed. He actually laughed right at her. “You have a purpose in my plan, and for now, that’s all you need to know. Stop chasing the missing money, or the next time I see you, I won’t just leave a bruise on your pretty pale skin.” He leaned over, pressing his chest against hers. “I’ll cut this fucking baby from your belly and leave you both to die.”
He jumped up, pain radiating through her legs as his weight lifted off.
“Killing that livestock was tough. But you… I don’t think it’d take more than a few minutes.” Grabbing her purse, he dumped the contents out onto the floor and stomped on her cell phone. From the crunching sounds, she knew her brand new phone was destroyed.
“Don’t think about calling for help, not that you’ll be able to now. I’ll be watching, making sure you follow my directions. If you don’t, if I even just see the police drive by this place, I’ll be back in the middle of the night, when you least expect it. In one slice, you’ll be gone from the world, and no one will be able to help you.”
The ledgers on her coffee table were his next target. Papers scattered about the room as he tore the pages free from its bindings. Evie ignored the ringing in her ears and focused every bit of strength she had on studying the man in front of her.
He was tall. Maybe an inch or two taller than Sam, and had a slight hitch where he tipped more to the left when he walked than the right. She committed the sound of his voice to memory, repeating over and over the things he’d said to her. He stopped one last time, turning towards her before walking out of her apartment.
“Sweet dreams, Evelyn Williams.”
She waited for what felt like an eternity after her front door closed to even allow herself to breathe. Tears stained her cheeks and the throw pillow beneath her head too .
“Hey, sweet girl. Let Mommy know you are okay. Please.”
She pressed her hand into her skin, praying the movement would wake the baby. And it must have, because her request was rewarded with a roll and a kick.
God, she wished she wasn’t alone. Only one person came to mind: Sam. She wouldn’t go to him. Not after what happened in town. Evie let the tears fall as she stood, locking the apartment door before walking to her kitchen for ice. She’d be okay. She could do it on her own.
The bag of ice cubes now rested on her cheek bone as she tipped her head back against the pillow. There had to be something she could do. Some way to make sure that Jellybean was okay. How would that man know if she did anything? If she told anyone?
Had he bugged her apartment? What if there were cameras watching her right now? Could he hear her breathing picking up in panic?
A knock came from her door and Evie nearly passed out.
“Evie, are you awake? Please open up.”
Sam.
“Please, Bluebell. Please let me apologize. Let me tell you how sorry I am.” His voice was relaxed. The vowels elongated and slightly slurred. Evie knew he didn’t drink, which made sense now that she knew about his heart. Had he been so upset about her leaving that he’d turned to alcohol to soothe his worry?
She wanted to leap up from the couch. To make sure that he was okay, and then to take all the comfort he would be willing to give her. But she couldn’t make her body move. She wouldn’t jeopardize Jellybean’s safety. The man could be watching.
Evie pressed her hand over her mouth. She didn’t trust that she wouldn’t call out to him if he tried to get her to answer the door again .
“Alright, Bluebell. I get it. I fucked everything all up.” Tears leaked from the corner of her eyes. “I’m sorry.”
She heard his boots make their way down the hallway. He was gone. And after having her heart ripped out and fearing for her life twice that night, she felt truly alone.