Chapter 21 #2
Not that it’s going to do any good. Animals can sense when you’re in distress without you talking.
An eerie feeling creeps up my spine with each step I take as I move toward the sliding glass door. Frigg moves with me, coming to a stop at the edge of the table, her eyes wide and unblinking as she locks in on the same spot she was looking at when I found her.
I can’t see past the patio because the lights are off.
Do I risk turning them on?
What if someone’s out there?
Oh, my God.
They can see me, but I can’t see them.
“Is someone out there, Frigg?” I ask again; this time I’m not able to keep the fear out of my voice.
Frigg doesn’t move.
Okay, I need to put my big-girl panties on and turn the lights on to see. It’s probably nothing, and I’m just being crazy. Frigg probably saw a moth or something fly up against the glass from the light coming from inside the house.
I move along the bar part of the counter until I reach the end where it butts up to the wall right next to the glass. The switch is right next to it.
My finger finds the switch. I inhale deeply as I count in my head to psych myself up to turn it on. “One… two… three.”
I squeeze my eyes shut as I flip the switch on. I slowly open one eye, taking in the patio furniture first.
Nothing.
I press my nose up against the glass and cup my hands around my face as my eyes strain to see further into the yard.
I still don’t see anything.
The tiny hairs on the back of my neck are standing tall from the feeling of being watched. At this point, it’s probably my paranoia.
I need to get a grip. Nothing has happened all day. Maybe Frankie is right. I just need to relax. I did have a crazy-ass weekend, and I’m not even sure I’ve really processed it.
Hash and I did a complete one eighty in the best way possible. I just hope it stays that way.
“Come on, Frigg, let’s go to bed.” I sigh as I shut the patio light off, turn off the kitchen light, and grab my drink and head to bed.
I bolt up in bed wide awake at the sound of glass shattering.
It’s still dark out. I glance at the clock on my nightstand and see that it’s only three a.m. before the panic starts to set in.
Someone is breaking into my house.
“Oh my God.” I gasp, as I frantically look around my room, frozen from the adrenaline of what to do next.
More glass shatters. I hear it crashing against the floor.
“Cormac.”
I snatch my phone off my nightstand and sprint down to the end of the hallway to Cormac’s room. My palms slap against the door, stopping my momentum. I look over my shoulder at the sound of a heavy boot hitting the floor.
They’re inside.
My heart is racing so fast it feels like it’s going to fly out of my chest.
With shaky hands, I quickly open it and slip inside, locking the door.
Cormac is still sleeping peacefully in his crib.
“Okay, okay, okay,” I whisper to myself as I try to figure out what the fuck to do. “Think, Aisling. Fucking think.” I slap my hand against my forehead. “Goddamnit!”
Holy shit, Hash!
Finding Hash’s contact, I hit call.
“Please pick up,” I say as I look up at the ceiling, listening to it ring and ring. I have no idea what he’s doing tonight. For all I know, club business means they’re all drunk off their asses right now. “Come on, come on.”
“Baby doll?” Hash’s deep voice sounds through the phone.
“Someone’s in my house,” I hiss into the phone in a whisper.
“What?” Hash asks, his tone alert. “Where are you?”
“I ran into Cormac’s room when I heard glass shattering.” My eyes slide to check on my sweet baby boy, who is dead to the world and has no idea what’s going on. “I’m really scared, Hash,” I tell him in a hushed whisper, unable to keep the tremble out of my voice.
“I’m on my way.” I can hear Hash putting his jeans on and opening his bedroom door. “Lock the door.”
“I already did.”
“Good girl,” Hash praises. “Hang tight, baby doll. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“You’re not going to hang up, are you?” I ask, the fear rising at the thought of not being able to talk to him if something happens.
I hear muffled voices in the background, making me wonder who he’s talking to so late.
“I need to hang up, baby,” Hash tells me gently. “I’m on my bike. I need to get to you as fast as I can, okay?”
“Okay,” I whisper.
“Okay,” Hash says. “Do you have something with you that you can use in case he gets into the room?”
Shit.
I didn’t even think about that.
I frantically look around Cormac’s room trying to find any sort of sharp object I can find.
My eyes lock on a wand I have hung on his wall that I found at a Renaissance Faire Frankie and I went to when I was pregnant.
The guy was a blacksmith and forged it himself.
The top of the wand had three prongs holding a decent-sized amethyst, and the tip was extremely sharp.
I pricked my finger when I was testing to see if it was actually sharp or not.
It’s definitely sharp enough to stab someone with.
“Aisling?” Hash presses, starting to lose his calm tone.
“Yeah, I have something.”
“Good. Grab it and don’t let it go. If he comes in, kill that motherfucker. I’m counting on you to hold it down and protect our boy until I get there. Yeah?”
“Yeah,” I say, my voice sounding small.
“I’ll be there soon. Love you, baby doll.” Hash hangs up as I stare at the phone in shock.
Did he just say he loves me?
Banging in the house breaks me from the shock Hash just put me in and brings me back to the paralyzing fear that’s coursing through my veins. I can’t let it win, though. I need to be strong for Cormac.
Grabbing it off the wall, I test the weight of it as I raise it up and down in my palm. It’s heavy, being made of solid iron. Heavy enough where if I hit them hard enough on the head, they would be knocked out.
Deciding the wand isn’t enough, I struggle to push Cormac’s dresser in front of the door. If he does kick in the door, he’ll have to climb over this, which will hopefully buy me more time because Lord knows I’m going to need it.
I sit down in front of Cormac’s crib with my back up against the rails so I’m facing the door and blocking the path to him.
I jerk every time I hear something of mine crash to the floor or hit a wall. It sounds like my place is being trashed.
I looked at the time the call ended with Hash. It’s only been ten minutes, but it feels like a lifetime.
“Please hurry up, Hash,” I plead to the air as I tip my head back.
This night is so fucked.
My head snaps back into place as I hear the heavy boots coming toward Cormac’s room.
My pulse is racing as I move to stand up, grasping the wand, ready to strike at any second. I try to focus in on where he’s at, but my heavy breathing is getting in the way of me hearing what’s going on.
The wall separating Cormac’s room and mine shakes and rattles as something slams against it, making me jump and let out a light scream.
The house goes silent.
I cover my hand over my mouth as I breathe heavily through my nose.
Cormac stirs behind me, starting to fuss slightly.
He’s always been a hard sleeper, but even that noise would wake anyone up.
I don’t move for him yet, praying to anyone who will listen to let him put himself back to sleep.
His arms and leg movements start to slow, and he puts his thumb in his mouth, soothing himself.
The heavy boots slowly leave my room and head this way. I feel like I’m going to throw up with every step.
Where the fuck are you, Hash?
The boots come to a stop outside of Cormac’s room. The silence is deafening as I wait to see what’s going to happen next. The doorhandle jiggles, making me nearly jump out of my skin. My heart is hammering in my arms as my palm that’s gripping the wand starts to sweat.
I’m going to die.
I don’t want to die.
I want to see Cormac grow up and live his life. I want to live my life. I just reconnected with Hash, and I want to see how it plays out. Mother Nature is a vicious bitch if she’s going to take all of that away from me right after she gave it.
The handle jiggles again, this time with more force.
I scream as he starts body slamming the door, trying to kick it in. The dresser rattles with every slam.
The door starts to crack. It’s not going to hold out for much longer. They aren’t solid like the front door is.
A hole punches through near the handle before a large, bloodied fist pokes through.
This is it.
This is how I die.
The large fist relaxes as he stretches his fingers and begins to search around. I stay frozen in place, watching as he reaches for the lock and starts to open the door. It moves only an inch before the dresser blocks it.
A menacing growl emits from the man when he realizes getting to me isn’t as easy as he thought it was going to be.
He pulls his arm back through the hole he punched before he starts punching more around the existing hole, attempting to make it bigger.
Cormac screams from behind me, terrified and not understanding what’s happening.
I rush to pick him up, wrapping him tightly in his swaddle that’s loosened. “It’s okay, baby, mama’s here.” I kiss his head as I hold him against my body. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
I try my best to soothe him, but I feel like I’m failing as my body violently trembles against him.
Tears spill out of the corners of my eyes at feeling helpless and trapped in this room. Hash should be here by now, and he isn’t.
With one more punch and the middle of the door caves in, revealing a man with a ski mask over his face.
I feel like a deer caught in headlights as I stare at him while I hold Cormac protectively to my body.
“You thought a locked door and a dresser would keep little old me out?” The man sneers.
I say nothing as I tuck the hand with the wand in it behind my back, so it’s out of sight.
“You talk, bitch?”
I press my lips together, keeping the attitude that is begging to spill out of my mouth on the tip of my tongue.
“Alright, we’ll do this the hard way.” He grunts as he pushes his body through the broken door and throws a leg over the dresser. “I was hoping to have a nice little chat with you, but I’ll just have to send the warning a different way.”
“The warning?” I ask, sounding alarmed, the words slipping out.
“I want you to tell your man the Dirty Devils’ days are numbered in Ravenna Heights. They can go out easy, and I won’t cause any smoke. If they don’t though…” he trails off as he smirks at Cormac and me. “There will be consequences I’m sure they won’t like.”
“Like what?” I ask stupidly.
“Like your man losing two things he just got back in his life.”
I sharply inhale as I angle Cormac away from him, trying to shield him from what’s coming.
He takes a step toward me, making me tense, my shaking arms holding Cormac to me even tighter.
“We didn’t do anything to you. I’ll let Hash know what you said. Your message was delivered loud and clear,” I tell him, proud of how strong I sound when inside I’m peeing my pants.
“See, that’s where we disagree because I don’t think it was. How am I supposed to trust you’ll actually tell him and you’re not lying to my face?”
Is he crazy?
He doesn’t think Hash is going to want to know why my house is trashed and the sliding glass door is shattered?
“I promise,” I tell him, deciding it’s probably best not to argue with a maniac.
“Your promise means jack shit to me.” He sneers as he pulls out a pair of silver brass knuckles from his back pocket.
I watch in horror as he slips it on his right hand, flexing his fingers to test the fit. He pulls out a black handkerchief from his other pocket and begins polishing each knuckle one by one.
My stomach is in my throat as I swallow the bile that’s crept up. The acid burns my throat, but it’s not enough to distract me from the agonizing terror that’s flowing through my veins.
I know I can take one hit with those, but he’ll kill Cormac with one blow.
Using his being distracted to my advantage, I quickly set a screaming Cormac back down in his crib, my heart shattering into a million pieces as I watch him reach his arms out to me, begging for me to pick him back up.
Mama so wishes she could, sweet boy.
If I don’t make it through this, I hope he knows everything I did tonight was to protect him.
Tears are streaming down my face, the only outlet I can let my emotions silently have as I turn my back to Cormac and step in front of him so he’s no longer in the line of sight.
The man looks up, his eyes are manic as he smirks at me. I shudder at seeing the yellow teeth.
“This will get the message across.” He cracks his knuckles as he advances toward me.
Cormac cries louder; his screams are almost deafening.
“Shut the kid up,” he growls.
“He doesn’t have an off switch,” I hiss, anger outriding the fear because he’s putting my baby in distress. “You’re scaring him.”
“Suit yourself.” The man shrugs, moving toward the crib, his fist raised.
“No!” I scream as I watch my worst nightmare play out before my eyes.
With everything I have, I raise my arm that’s holding the wand above my shoulders and swing it as hard as I can, nailing him right in the head.
He staggers back and blinks rapidly but doesn’t fall to the ground.
“You fucking bitch,” he yells, regaining his balance.
Before I can swing again, his decorated fist makes contact with my face. My head snaps back, and I fall to the ground in front of the crib as pain radiates through my body, shocking my system. Giant black circles coat my vision as it gets fuzzier and fuzzier.
I whimper on the ground, unable to keep my eyes open any longer because the pain is too great.
“I’m sorry, baby,” I whisper, barely audible, knowing I failed him.
My mind is playing tricks on me as I hear the soft rumble of bikes in the background. It must know that noise would soothe me and put me at ease while he finishes me off.
“Goddamnit. This isn’t over, bitch. Tell your man what I said. I’ll be back. Trust me, I’ll be back.”
That’s the last thing I hear before everything goes black.