Liz
As soon as she was taken away, I pinched the skin on my upper thigh and pulled myself the fuck out of it.
This was getting out of hand. Not only did he feel emboldened enough to burn down my entire gallery, but he decided to go after my lover as well? It had to stop. I couldn't let him walk all over me like this. He had ruined my life enough.
I had to watch in fear and anger as the cop cars pulled away, taking Jax.
She doesn’t deserve this. And neither do I or Claire, for that matter.
All the years I was with him ran through my mind. All the sorrow. All the anger. All the hurt.
I had been a good wife. I had been a good mother. But when I finally started to do something for myself, he couldn't handle it.
He had a life, which included my money and even my car, that he could do whatever the fuck he wanted with. But what had he decided to do? Make mine a living hell.
I’m done.
I wiped my tears and looked at Claire. Now that all the panic had subsided, I was left with cold anger. The explosive but calculating kind.
Because I had a plan.
“I love you,” I told her, keeping my voice steady. “But it's time for you to go home. I'll handle this from here.”
She gave me a look of disbelief and slowly shook her head. Her hands reached out to grab mine.
“Mom, I know you're capable. But I don't think you can—”
“No,” I said in a strong tone and grabbed her arms, giving them what I hoped was a reassuring squeeze.
She was just as affected by this as I was.
I needed to be the adult now. “I can do this. I had a moment. The moment is gone. I appreciate you being here for me, but now I need you to go. Yes, it was him. And because this has been escalating, I need to know you’re safe. ”
Her face deflated just as she let out a small sob that I could tell she had been holding in for too long.
“He knows where I live. He sent me a birthday card. I should've told you. You don’t think he would hurt me, right?”
Once, I would have been able to tell her her father would never. But now…
Breaking windows and breaking into my gallery was enough to cause fear and annoyance, but at least then I knew he was only targeting me.
Jen had been in the gallery today. Claire had been with me. And if he had been following us, as I suspected, he would know about our lunch dates. In my mind, he had set that fire knowing all of us could be in there.
That included his daughter.
I cursed under my breath. There was no way I could send her home. I was left with only one option.
Taking out my phone, I dialed a number. Sloan answered on the second ring.
“I'm watching the news. It doesn't look good. Is—”
“I need help. A ride. A place to lay low. And someone really good with computers.”
I expected her to laugh, but her voice sounded cool and collected as she replied, “Already on my way.”
Relief ran through me. I didn't have a long list of people I could trust, but thankfully Sloan was one of them. Even if she had held information from me.
When I looked at Claire again, small tears had started falling from her eyes, and her hands were shaking. She's scared. I held her hands in mine.
“A lot of things are going to happen very quickly, so I need you to listen and listen well.”
She nodded, and I saw the determination in her eyes, but also the fear.
“Now, what do you know about Club Pétale?”
“If I hear that you told Claire—”
Sloan held up her hands. “Listen, if she asks, I won’t lie to her face. She's a grown—”
“My daughter,” I corrected, glaring at her. “Keep it simple. Keep it vague. I already told her the gist of it, but obviously not everything.”
I turned to look at Claire, who was in the living room, where she and Lillian were trying different sweets they’d brought over for her. She still looked spooked, but Lillian's presence seemed to be helping her relax a bit.
“Don't worry, we won’t corrupt your daughter,” Sloan said, placing a hand on my shoulder. “But are you sure you want to do this?”
I nodded. “Have you heard anything from your contacts?”
“She's in holding. It's as good as it can be. They're not torturing her or anything—they can only get away with so much. My lawyer is already on the way to meet her, and she will have their fucking heads if they even touch a hair on hers.”
I nodded, but I still couldn’t help the sickly feeling in my stomach.
“What's the chance that she actually goes to jail?”
Sloan rocked back on her heels. “My lawyer is really good, but from what I know, they've been trying to get her in custody for a long time. They're likely using this as a stepping stone to charge her for other things. I definitely wouldn't put it past them to try some shady shit.”
“So… likely?”
“Look, I've been to jail. It's not that bad when you have the right connections—” I gave her a glare that stopped her in her tracks. “I know. I'm sorry, that's not what you want to hear.”
No, I didn't fucking want to hear about Jax going to jail. About what they might do to her. If someone hurts her…
I was already so angry I didn't know what to do with myself.
There was still fear under there. Fear that I couldn't see this through the way I wanted to. Fear that I couldn't be the savior everyone needed at the moment. But this time, I was using it to fuel me.
I let out a long sigh and ran my hand through my hair. “Just make sure she doesn't get near the scene, okay?”
No matter how hesitant she was, Sloan still nodded at me.
She reached behind her for a large tote bag. It was way bigger than anything I would've used myself, but it was what was inside that mattered. I liked the weight of it as I slung it over my shoulder. It reminded me that I wasn't going into this empty-handed.
There was a fire inside me that my ex-husband had lit, and it wasn't going to go out soon. Not without some serious consequences.
I gave Sloan a smile and patted her on the arm.
“Tell Lillian I'll reach out to the artist she likes and see if she has anything off-market for her.”
She attempted a lighthearted smile, but it looked like more of a grimace.
“One last chance to back out.”
“Not taking it.”
I walked to where my daughter and Lillian were talking. Lillian looked at me, barely able to control her expression, and I could tell Claire knew something was up.
“You off?”
I nodded.
“I'm going to make sure this doesn't happen again. I'll be home in a few hours.” I hope. But I didn't add that last part.
My daughter got up and pulled me into a strong hug. I hugged her back, inhaling her scent. I remembered how obsessed I’d been with how she smelled from the moment she was born. And while it had changed through the years, she was still there. My baby.
I pulled away to get a good look at her face, and the more I looked at her, the less I saw her father and the more I saw me.
It reminded me that I wasn't just doing this for her. Not just for Jax either. But for me too. I needed to stand up for myself against him.
“I love you,” I said, packing every word with as much sincerity as I could. “I'm sorry about everything. And we will talk about all of it when I come home.”
“Yes,” she breathed. I felt like both of us wanted to say so much more. It was lingering in the space between us, but neither of us could speak it. “When you come home. When you both come home. I love you too, Mom.”
I took her in for one last moment and turned to leave the safety of Sloan's apartment.
I will come back.
He will not break me.
He will not take anything else from me.
From us.