Chapter Nine #2
Blakely involuntarily shivered at the thought someone could hate her so much they wanted her dead.
Facing facts, she realized that being a judge meant locking criminals behind bars.
She presided over jury cases. Technically, a jury made the call.
However, she was responsible for sentencing.
Figuring out who she upset to this degree was her first priority.
Could Dalton take her to her chambers so she could look at case history?
The perp must have recently been released. His voice didn’t ring any bells, but maybe if her memory was jogged, her brain might be able to fit those pieces together and give her a name. If she was going to die by someone’s hands, she deserved to know who the bastard determined to kill her was.
Without another word, Blakely stood at the same time as Dalton. Chase was too old and too proud to be carried around like a baby. He reminded Blakely of the fact often.
Rather than take the back staircase, Blakely headed toward the front of the house to avoid the bloody scene.
“I’ll talk to whoever is in charge,” Dalton offered. “Do you want to hang out up here or wait for me by the front door?”
“Front door,” she decided, wanting to get out of her house as soon as humanly possible. A shot of rage nailed her for feeling unsafe in her own home. She’d made a promise to herself no one ever got to make her feel that way again. Not for long.
The bastard might have won this round, but she’d be ready moving forward. First and foremost, she had to figure out what to do with Chase.
Greg.
In all the chaos, she’d forgotten to call Bethany’s husband to let him know what happened.
With Chase in her arms, there was no way she’d make the call now.
Houston PD would deliver the news if she didn’t.
Could she make the call without alarming Chase or alerting him to the severity of the situation?
One thing was certain, Chase couldn’t be around her until the perp was locked behind bars. It was too dangerous. The thought a stray bullet could have struck him instead was another shot to the heart.
Keeping calm was her best defense. So she tucked those thoughts away as she walked down the stairs, holding her nephew’s hand. Dalton had gone ahead.
“Thought you might need this,” he said, holding out her handbag. “Phone’s inside.”
“Thank you,” she said. “Mind if I take a bathroom break before we head out?” She could explain what she was really doing once they got on the road.
“Not at all,” he said. In a surprise move, Chase let go of her hand and grabbed Dalton’s instead. The move choked her up a little bit.
“I’ll meet you in the truck,” she said.
“All right then,” Dalton said, acting cool. The catch in his throat said he was affected by the move too.
Blakely excused herself before heading down the hallway to the bathroom. Once inside, she dug her cell out and studied the screen. Tapped her thumb on the side of the device. With any luck, Greg would pick up. If the call rolled into voice mail, she might lose her nerve to deliver the news.
With a deep breath, she located his contact information and made the call.
Greg picked up on the first ring. “Hello?”
“Hey, Greg.”
“Bethany isn’t returning any of my texts or calls,” he said, sounding frazzled. “Is she there?”
“Are you sitting down?” she asked.
“No,” he said. “Why? Is it that bad?” Before she could respond, he asked, “Is she leaving me? Because I messed up royally, and I—”
“Slow down, Greg,” Blakely said as calmly as she could. How did she tell the man his wife had been shot at her house—a house where his son also spent the night? “I have something important to tell you, and I need you to sit down.”
The phone went silent for a moment.
Then came, “Okay, I’m sitting. What is it?”
How did she get him up to speed with everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours?
Maybe she didn’t. Maybe she stuck to the facts about what had just happened.
“Bethany is being taken to the hospital right now,” she began.
“What?” The question was rhetorical.
“My life is in danger, and I’m afraid Bethany was caught in the cross fire,” she continued in as calm a tone as she could muster. Hearing those words come out of her own mouth was surreal. Was this really happening? “Bethany was shot, Greg.”
“Oh dear G—”
“We were able to stem the bleeding until EMTs arrived,” she explained. “I can’t tell you what her current condition is. Only that she is being taken to Houston General in an ambulance.”
“Alone?”
“Yes, for now.” Blakely had to stop by the local substation before she could head to the hospital.
“You were there,” Greg said, his voice filled with disbelief. “You have to have some idea as to whether or not she’s going to make it.”
“I’m hoping and praying just as much as you are,” Blakely said. “And don’t worry about Chase. He’s with me.”
“All due respect, Blakely, so was my wife.” This wasn’t the time for Greg to be indignant, but she understood him needing to take his frustration out on someone. “Sorry. I didn’t mean that.”
“An apology isn’t necessary,” Blakely reassured. “I know you didn’t mean it.”
“Still,” he said on a sharp sigh. “Are you heading to the hospital?”
“After I stop by the police substation,” she said. “What do you want me to do with Chase? Can you take him?” She paused a beat. “I think he’ll be safer with his father.”
“Yeah, I guess,” Greg hedged. Not exactly the response she was hoping for. “The hospital isn’t a good place for him, though. I thought maybe he could stay with you or—”
“Never mind,” she cut him off, offended that he wouldn’t want to comfort his son while the kid’s mother was in the hospital. “I’ll make arrangements for him.” She needed to think because there was no way she could keep him with her and ensure his safety. “Don’t worry about it.”
“No,” Greg decided. “I should be with him. It’s just that work is piling up, and I…never mind. I’ll take him to the office with me.”
“Okay,” Blakely said, pensive, before telling him that she’d drop Chase off after a trip to the local substation.
Greg had left the details of Chase’s life up to Bethany.
Still, it was surprising to see how disconnected he’d been with his own son.
Had making a living blinded him to what was really important?
His family? And how had Blakely missed it?
Easy. Bethany never talked about the cracks in her marriage. From the outside, she had a perfect life.
Blakely should have noticed how much effort it was taking to create the illusion. She might have been able to help.
“I’ll swing by the hospital now,” Greg said, sounding resigned.
“Why don’t we meet there instead?” she offered. “That way, you can stay there as long as possible.”
Greg’s hesitation wasn’t reassuring. Was she being too hard on him?
“See you there?” she asked.
“Okay,” he agreed before ending the call.
She left the call with an unsettled feeling.