34. Sarah
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
sarah
My eyes slowly opened and I realized that I was snuggled up between Sammy and Colt. A soft moan left me as I lifted my head, looking at the clock.
Fuck, it was already five a.m. I needed to get up, run home, grab muffins, take them to the cafe for Alice, go back home to shower, then have breakfast with Honey and the boys.
I carefully slipped out from under the covers, but then Sammy’s arm looped around me.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he murmured sleepily.
Holy shit, Sammy’s morning voice was hot.
“I have to go,” I whispered. I turned over, kissing him fully. He moaned, his hand cupping my breast. Dammit. “We’ll sneak in more time later.”
“Okay, okay,” he mumbled. “Are you sure we can’t sneak something in now?”
I chuckled and kissed him again, melting against him. I drew back and pressed my forehead to his with a sigh. “I have to run a couple errands and then pick up the boys. ”
“Okay,” he sighed. “Text us where you are and all that.”
“I’ll be fine,” I said.
Colt snored as I got out of bed and gathered up my clothes.
Being with Colt and Sammy last night had been a religious experience. And it was worth being a little exhausted from lack of sleep.
I glanced at the two of them. Sammy had rolled into the middle of the bed and was now spooning Colt, the two of them intertwined.
I love them.
But being with them also scared me.
The way they looked at me, touched me, worshiped me… I wanted it, but I also worried I didn’t deserve it.
I pushed those burdening thoughts out of my head and headed down the hall to the front door. I slipped on my shoes and grabbed my bag, sighing.
It was easy to envision this being forever for us—having a house, sharing a bed, giving the boys their own spaces, and even land for them to run around on.
In my ideal world, I was running my own bakery. Colt had his winery back, Sammy was happy and doing what he loved, and the boys weren’t having issues at school.
It sounded perfect.
And impossible.
Even though it was what I wanted, it was just a dream—one I didn’t know how to make come true. Sometimes I felt like I was going two steps forward and three steps back when it came to healing from everything that had happened.
Until David was found and there wasn’t any more trouble, I wasn’t really sure I could go after what made me happy.
I pulled on my jacket and stepped outside, heading for my little Honda. Home, muffins, cafe, back home, then breakfast, then work later. Why would they want to be with me when I’m all over the place all the time?
The nasty thoughts and self-doubts were raging this morning. I did my best to push them aside as I got into my car and pulled out of the driveway.
I took a sip of hot coffee as I pulled into the empty Citrus Cove cafe parking lot. The blue building sat alone, the sky the color of crushed grapes. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think I was the only person in all of Citrus Cove.
Despite the flash of guilt at texting so early in the day, I sent Colt and Sammy a message. It wasn’t even six a.m. yet, but they had been clear about wanting to know where I was, no matter the time. My location pin was turned on for the two of them and everyone else in our family in case something happened.
I hated that we had to think that way.
David was supposedly missing. A small part of me wondered if something terrible had happened, but all I could think was good . He’d done so much harm to me and the boys that I didn’t feel bad about karma coming back around to him.
Though he could pop back up at any moment. Maybe he wasn’t actually missing, but just hiding away.
Next time I saw him, I would be stronger. That was the promise I’d made to myself.
My Honda’s engine whined as I put it in park, sitting still for a moment. It was freezing today. I rubbed my icy fingers together and opened the door. A breeze lifted, numbing my cheeks. I snatched my purse, my coffee cup, the box of muffins, and then headed for the back door to the cafe, thinking about Davy and Jake.
I worried about how all of this would affect them, especially at school. After all the trouble they’d already had in their classes, I wasn’t sure what to do. I knew it wasn’t healthy for Davy to constantly deal with other kids who were being mean because of his father. The fact that the police had shown up to our door meant everyone would be talking again. It didn’t matter that the boys had been with Honey, kids would still talk because their parents would be.
It was probably time to bring Emma and Haley to the parent-teacher meetings. Having the extra backup would surely help me convince the principal that I needed this shit to stop.
Puffs of vapor escaped my lips as I held my coffee cup in one hand, balancing the box between my forearms and body, and dug in my purse for the key with the other. “Where are you?” I mumbled.
I felt the cool metal and fished it out of the dredges of my purse.
I looked up and froze, shock rattling me.
Whore. Slut. THIS IS YOUR FAULT.
Those words were written in red on the door. An article was taped there from a local newspaper with Thomas Connor’s face on the front, along with the faces of all the women he’d killed.
I couldn’t breathe. Nausea bloomed as I stumbled back. It was just like the article that had been left on my car, but so much worse. Every single woman’s face was taped to the door, their names written in furious, jagged letters. The one in the middle—she looked familiar but I couldn’t think straight.
You’re next.
Just like Thomas had written for Haley.
My hands shook as I pulled out my phone, snapping a picture and sending it to the group text chat.
Colt immediately called me. “Sarah, where are you? Are you safe?”
“I’m at the cafe.” My voice trembled, my heart pounding. I could feel my phone buzzing as Haley called me too. “Haley is calling?—”
“Please don’t hang up. I have Sammy calling her so she doesn’t freak out. We’re on our way, okay?”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I didn’t mean to wake everyone up. I?—”
I heard him yell Sammy’s name as tears blurred my vision. I kept looking into the eyes of all the women Thomas had killed.
I should have been up there too, right?
“I’m here, Sarah,” he said. “Talk to me. Stay on the line. We’re on our way.”
I heard the muffled slam of a door and Sammy’s voice in the background. “Hunter is on his way too, angel. Are you safe?”
“Sarah,” Colt growled. “Sugar, please answer us.”
“I’ll get in my car,” I said.
“Do that.”
I rushed back to the Honda. I yanked open the door and slid in, tossing the box of muffins onto the seat and putting my coffee in the cupholder. I threw my bag to the floorboard.
“Someone wrote on the building,” I said. “They put an article about Thomas up and pictures of all the women. I don’t understand why this is happening. If it’s David, it’s just so…”
It wasn’t like David to do something like this. But then again, I’d never really known the man I was married to.
“We’re on our way. Sammy is calling Hunter and Cam.”
They were on their way. I forced myself to breathe. They were?—
Movement out of the corner of my eye made me scream. The end of a crowbar hit the window and the glass shattered.
“ Oh god! ”
Colt’s shouts echoed from the phone as I tried to shield myself as best as I could. Pain sliced my skin as a hand grabbed my hair through the broken window, twisting my head.
“Stupid bitch,” a man’s voice snarled. His voice sounded familiar, but I couldn’t tell why. “You deserve to die.”
I fought back, raking my nails over his hand and arm. He slammed my head against the steering wheel and I saw stars, blood dripping into my eyes.
Fight. I have to fight. I have to.
I grabbed the coffee cup in the holder next to me and threw it, splashing the scalding liquid over him. He yelped and released me, giving me the second I needed. I slid across the seat into the passenger side and opened the door, blood still rolling down my face as I stumbled out onto the ground.
Everything was spinning. I felt like throwing up but the need to get away kept me moving.
The hum of a truck and wheels peeling over pavement echoed around me as I crawled away from my car. My head spun as I made it to the sidewalk and heard a shout.
He wasn’t David. That was all I could think. It wasn’t only David who hated me and wanted me dead, there was someone else too.
“Sarah, oh god,” Hunter’s face appeared. He knelt down next to me and I grabbed his hands as he helped me sit up. “Fuck. Okay. It’s okay. You’re safe, okay? You’re safe. Sammy and Colt are almost here.”
“Can’t you take me home?” I croaked.
“No,” he said firmly. “Can you focus on me?”
I really couldn’t, but I tried. Everything wavered, making my stomach flip. “I’m sorry,” I gasped. “I’m going to throw up.”
“That’s okay. Let it out.”
I couldn’t stop it if I tried. I threw up dinner from last night, my throat burning. He rubbed my back gently, talking softly. “ We’re going to find out who did this and they’re never going to see the sky again. I’m so sorry this happened.”
All I could do was nod. I finished throwing up, breathing hard. Before I could protest, he scooped me up and carried me to the sidewalk, sitting me down.
Colt’s truck peeled into the parking lot, skidding to a halt.
“I threw my coffee on him. I fought back.” I didn’t freeze. I didn’t freeze, for once.
“Of course you did. You’re a fighter.”
The tears started up. Voices echoed and I felt Colt next to me, his face coming into my vision, eyes full of panic.
Hunter barked an order. “Sammy, get my first aid kit out of the truck.”
“Hi, sugar,” Colt whispered, his eyes tearing up. “Who was it? Who did this?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “I didn’t recognize his voice…” I closed my eyes, my head throbbing.
Their voices hummed around me and Sammy’s hand was on my face.
“She definitely has a concussion,” Hunter said. “Let’s get her to the doctor.”
“I don’t want the boys to know,” I whispered. “There’s already too much going on.”
“They’re going to know something is wrong,” Colt said softly. “You can’t hide?—”
“You aren’t their dad and I don’t want your opinion right now,” I snapped. I felt the sting of my words and winced, opening my eyes to look at him.
“Sarah, we’re taking you to the emergency room,” Sammy said firmly.
“I can’t afford that.”
“I’ll pay for it?—”
“ I don’t want you to . ”
“Too bad,” Colt growled. “We’re taking you to the hospital. You’re bleeding and you have a concussion.”
I was too dizzy to keep arguing, so all I did was flip him off. And yes, it was rude. But instead of hurting his feelings, all he did was smile.
“Good.”
“Fuck you,” I muttered.
“We’ll save it for another time.”
I scoffed but was manhandled before I could get another word in. Gently manhandled, but still manhandled. Sirens blared in the air as Sammy picked me up and I shook my head.
“Why would you call an ambulance?”
The amount of stress was enough to make me want to fall apart. I sniffled as the ambulance parked between Colt and Hunter’s trucks, strangers getting out.
Fuck, my head hurt.
Everything hurt. Wherever the glass had gotten me, the slicing pain was becoming more intense. I laid my head on Sammy’s shoulder, listening to the chatter around me.
“Sarah. Stay awake.” I felt Colt’s hand on my cheek. “Please, sugar. Honey just pulled in with the boys.”
Fuck. My eyes immediately opened as I heard Jake’s voice in the distance. I spotted her pale yellow truck and shook my head.
“Don’t you dare let them see me like this,” I said firmly, looking him in the eye. “Do you both understand me? I don’t need you here with me, I need you with them. Please, please. Please listen to me.”
Colt nodded as Sammy put me on a stretcher. I gave him a scathing look, but then I saw the way his hands shook.
He raked his fingers through his hair. “We’ve got the boys. We’ll meet you at the hospital. We need to make sure you’re okay, angel. ”
I breathed out, accepting my fate as the two of them were pushed out of the way.
As long as someone was after me, I was a danger to Sammy. I was a danger to Colt.
The moment I could see them heading to intercept the boys, I closed my eyes and slipped into the dark.