42. Sarah
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
sarah
I sat up immediately, turning my head both ways, confusion settling over me. It was dark, the TV off. The only light came from the fireplace. Shadows danced along the walls, and my heart was pounding.
What the hell was that noise? Had I just heard a gunshot?
“Sammy? Colt?” I called.
Sammy rushed into the living room, his body tense. He opened his mouth to speak, but then fell silent as we both breathed in deep.
A burning scent filled the room, but it wasn’t coming from the hearth. I breathed out. “Do I smell smoke?”
He inhaled and his eyes widened. “Wake up the kids. Now.”
“Where is Colt?” I asked.
“Outside. Get them up.” Sammy was already pulling on his boots. “Hurry.”
He jumped up and yanked open the door. But then, his body went rigid. I stared in horror as he held up his hands, a breathless whisper rushing out.
“Sarah, get them out. Go out the back.”
Fuck. What the fuck is happening? I shook the boys, getting to my feet quickly and pulling them up. I heard a voice outside, but I couldn’t think about that right now.
“What’s happening?” Davy asked.
Sammy slowly took a step back, revealing the woman from the cafe. She was holding a gun to his chest, her eyes burning with hate.
Fuck. “Run! Go to the neighbors’ and get help,” I growled, shoving Davy and Jake toward the back. I couldn’t leave Sammy alone.
“Mom! There’s fire in the dining room?—”
I shoved them both down the hall, pushing them toward the back door. I pulled it open, my eyes widening as flames crawled over the porch. There was still enough room for them to get out.
“Go!” I yelled.
“But—”
“ Go! ” They took off running, dashing out into the back yard.
I turned back around. I couldn’t leave Sammy alone. I rushed back to the living room, growling as I stepped closer to Sammy and the woman. “Let him go. I don’t know why you’re doing this, but we haven’t done anything wrong.”
She kept the gun on Sammy, her gaze pinned on me. “You’re the reason my sister is dead. You had to know, you had to!”
“I didn’t,” I said, my voice trembling. “I swear I didn’t. He tried to kill my own sister too.”
“But he didn’t. He killed mine. She was missing for years, and for years I hoped I would see her again—that we would find her. But he was caught and we found out the truth. Then they let your husband out . On bail. ”
Sammy slowly took a step back. “So, you tried to kill an innocent woman and her children, Elizabeth?”
She sneered at him. “She’s. Not. Innocent !”
The moment she moved her hand, Sammy grabbed her wrist and twisted. The gun fired off, the bullet flying past me and hitting the wall. More smoke filled the living room as Sammy knocked the gun from her hand, shoving her back out the door.
I barreled after him. His arms wrapped around me, stopping me right as she screamed, her feet slipping on the ice that spread over the porch. It happened so slow—everything around me turning to molasses as she fell back, her body hitting the stairs at an angle that wasn’t natural?—
Crack.
Sammy pulled my face against his chest, holding me tight. We both went still, breathing hard as an unsettling silence followed.
Thump, thump, thump— his heartbeat thrashed in his chest. My breaths came faster.
Be strong. You have to be strong.
“Sarah,” he whispered, his voice trembling. “I need you to call 911. We need to find Colt. Grab your shoes and get out of the house.”
The sound of crackling wood followed the scent of rubber and chemicals burning, growing stronger as the fire roared hotter. Our house was on fire. We’d lose everything, we’d?—
He released me. I darted back through the doorway and pulled on my tennis shoes and pocketed my phone. Sammy carefully made his way down the steps and out into the yard.
“Colt’s been shot!”
No, no, no, no. My hands trembled as I called 911.
The operator answered. “ 9-1-1, what is the address of your emergency? ”
I rattled off my address as I stepped outside, my ears ringing.
“What is your name?”
“This is Sarah Bently. We need help. The house is on fire and my boyfriend has been shot. We were attacked and there’s a dead woman, too.”
Lights across the street flickered on and I breathed out in relief as I spotted Davy and Jake. A few neighbors were coming out. My mind was moving so fast, panic setting in along with the cold blanket of adrenaline. I had to keep moving, had to keep helping.
Colt. Get to Colt and Sammy.
I stepped around the woman on the stairs, refusing to look too closely. Blood pooled across the sidewalk, her body unmoving.
“Don’t look,” I whispered to myself. “Don’t look, don’t look.”
I rushed around the house, heart hammering. My lungs sucked in cold air, a gasp leaving me as I saw the flames that stretched over the back of the house.
“Is the patient conscious?”
Sammy was kneeling over Colt. There was another body in the grass, too, but they weren’t moving.
“Tell me how to stop the bleeding,” I rasped, falling to the ground next to Colt. He was breathing hard, blood gushing from a wound on his thigh.
“Is the patient?—”
“He’s awake, the wound is in his upper thigh.”
Sammy yanked his belt off and pulled it around Colt’s leg, yanking it tight.
“Tell us, you’re on speaker phone,” I pressed the button and set it on the ground .
“ You’re going to want to apply pressure to the wound, try to slow as much blood loss as possible. They’re four minutes out.”
Colt cried out, gritting his teeth. “Where are the boys?” he rasped.
“They’re safe,” I whispered.
He reached for me and I wrapped my arms around his chest, letting him lean back on me. Sammy ripped off his coat, using it to apply pressure.
“Fucker got me in the thigh.” His voice was shaking, barely louder than a whisper. “I managed to knock him out. He still has a gun.”
Sirens wailed into the ice storm, flames burning brighter. I turned my head, looking over at the man on the ground. He started to stir.
The operator continued to talk as I released Colt, crawling fast for the gun that gleamed in the flaming glow emanating from behind us. He lifted his head and reached for it, but I snatched the weapon before he could, sliding it further away.
“You bitch,” he snarled.
A police cruiser pulled up first, skidding to halt and bumping into a curb. I rolled back as he tried to grab me, kicking at his hands. Two of the officers rushed toward us, pulling him back. I recognized Tammy and exhaled sharply with relief.
A fire truck and ambulance arrived next and the yard was flooded with people. I got to my feet and ran back to Sammy and Colt.
“Hi, sugar,” Colt rasped, his breathing slowing.
Sammy shook his head. “They just got here, Colt, you’re doing great. It’s going to be okay, I promise.” His voice broke but he looked up at me and then at the paramedics rushing toward us.
Shouts echoed around us as they took over. Sammy pulled me to my feet, holding me tight as they lifted Colt, swarming around him. Tears blurred my vision as Jake and Davy broke through the line of people, throwing their arms around us.
“Is he going to be okay?” Jake sobbed.
Sammy pulled the boys into our hug. They trembled from the cold and I tightened my arms around them, using our body heat to huddle in the frigid air.
I looked down and winced. Sammy read my mind, lifting both of them up so their bare feet weren’t on the grass.
“Let’s go with them,” I whispered.
We followed the paramedics to the ambulance and Sammy glanced back at the house, his eyes widening. “Fuck.”
I couldn’t look. All I could do was watch as Colt was loaded into the ambulance.
Bud approached us warily, lines of exhaustion etched into his face. “Let’s get everyone to the hospital and we’ll sort all this out.”
“Their house needs to be checked,” Sammy said. “Right before this happened, Colt and I realized that they bought a house down the street.”
He nodded. “We’ll go. Let’s get you warm and safe.”