Chapter 17 #2
“Julian, have there been any updates from the police about the search for Marlon?”
“I haven’t heard anything yet, but my LAPD contact promised to keep me posted. I’ll text anything I hear to you.”
“Thank you. I’m worried about Marlene going to the house while he’s still on the run.”
“I doubt he’s anywhere near there, but I’ll let the LAPD know she’s on her way.”
“How did Marlon get past the guy watching my house?”
“He could’ve come in the back way and scaled the fence. You know how dense it is in the Hills with houses and brush. And if he’d been watching the house, he knew how to avoid the security. Even the best security isn’t foolproof.”
“Was he coming to kill me and Ty?” Now that the immediate crisis with Carson had passed, the full impact of what’d happened—and what could’ve happened—was settling in on her. The thought of Carson taking a knife that was meant for her and/or Ty made her blood run cold.
“What would he gain from that? He wants money. If he kills you or Ty, that doesn’t achieve his overall goal. Perhaps he was planning to threaten you into giving him what he wants.”
“I should’ve paid him off. None of this would’ve happened if I’d just given him the money.”
Julian glanced at her in the rearview mirror.
“You can’t use logic with people like him, Cresley.
Even if we made him sign something that said this was it, he’d still be back for more because he knows you’d do anything to protect Ty.
He’d continue to weaponize that fact against you.
You were handling it the proper way—through the courts.
He’s the one who decided to become a criminal. ”
She glanced over at her sleeping son. He had the face of an angel and the soul of a poet. He was the best thing to ever happen to her. “I don’t know how I’ll ever explain this to Ty. He adores Carson and knows his father is the one who hurt him.”
“At this point, you tell him the truth,” Isla said gently. “He’s old enough to understand that you take no pleasure in telling him what his father has done.”
“Yes, that’s true.”
A few minutes later, they pulled into the driveway of a ranch-style house.
“Fun fact,” Julian said. “Once upon a time, this was the home of Mama Cass Elliot from the Mamas and the Papas.”
“That’s so cool.”
“It’s been a peaceful retreat for the kids and me,” Isla said. “I hope it will be for you and Ty as well.”
“I hope so, too.”
Julian collected Ty from the back seat, carried him inside and put him down in the room where Isla’s children had been staying.
Normally, Ty would be getting up for school at this hour, but nothing about this day was normal. She hoped he’d sleep for a while longer.
“Help yourself to anything in the fridge and cabinets,” Isla said.
Cresley hugged her, feeling as if she’d become a friend during this horrendous ordeal.
“Is there anything we can do for you right now?” Julian asked.
“No, thank you. You guys have been great. I so appreciate you letting me stay here, Isla, and for your support through an awful night.”
Julian surprised her with a quick hug. “You’ve got my number if there’s anything I can do.”
“Thanks again.”
“Sure thing. I’ll text you when you can see him.”
“Okay.” She walked them to the door and gave Isla another hug.
“Get some rest,” Isla said.
“I’ll try.” Cresley waved them off and then turned the dead bolt to lock the front door.
She went through the house and checked every door and window to make sure they were locked and then made sure Ty was still asleep.
It put her on edge that the house had no security system, but Marlon would have no way to know they were there.
She left the door to Ty’s room open, so she’d hear him when she went to stretch out on the sofa.
Every muscle in her body ached, and her eyes stung from crying.
For the first time in hours, she checked her phone and saw a message from her manager, Teagan, asking about what’d happened at her home.
TMZ is reporting that someone was stabbed at your place. D&G is asking questions. Let me know what’s going on.
Fuck…
A friend was stabbed in the yard when he confronted an intruder. Thankfully, he’s going to survive. The LAPD is looking for the guy who did it. You can assure D&G there’s nothing to worry about.
What did it say about her current frame of mind that she couldn’t care less if she lost a twenty-million-dollar contract?
As long as Carson was alive and stayed that way, everything else seemed trivial.
If D&G invoked the morals clause, or whatever other thing they might use to get rid of her, well, she’d figure out something else. She always did.
She’d never been so exhausted, but she couldn’t calm herself enough to sleep.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Carson lying in the yard, covered in blood, and wondered again how anyone could survive losing that much blood.
She’d barely begun to know him, to care for him, to want him like she’d never wanted any other man…
That he could’ve been taken from her before they ever got the chance to see what might be possible was terrifying and devastating.
She’d offered him a way out of what’d been developing between them right before disaster struck.
He hadn’t taken it.
That meant something, didn’t it?
Her heart ached as if she’d been the one stabbed, which made her feel dramatic, but it was true.
Ty appeared a short time later, startling her out of a light sleep when he asked, “Where are we?”
“A friend loaned us a place to stay until it’s safe to go home.” She held out her arms to him, and he crawled into her embrace. He smelled of sweet little boy and was warm from sleeping.
“It’s not safe because of my dad. He hurt Carson.”
“Yes.”
“Why would he do that?”
“I want to tell you the truth, but it hurts me to do that because I know it’ll hurt you to hear it.”
“It’s okay. I can handle it.”
“Your dad wants me to give him money, and I’ve refused to do that, so he’s done things to try to make me scared enough to pay him.”
“Why doesn’t he have his own money?”
“I’m not really sure what he’s been doing for work, but from what I’ve heard, things have gone badly for him, and he’s obviously gotten desperate enough to do terrible things to try to get what he wants.”
“Did he crash into Carson’s car?”
“Yeah.”
“He could’ve killed you guys.”
“We were lucky that no one was hurt.”
“What would I do… if something ever happened to you?”
She tightened her hold on him, deeply resentful that Marlon had forced her to have this conversation with their innocent child. “Auntie Marlene and Auntie DeeDee would be there for you, along with our many friends. You’d have an entire village rallying around you.”
“I don’t want them. I want you. And Carson.”
“I’m not going anywhere, and he’s not either.”
“He didn’t die?”
“No, sweetie. The doctors saved his life.”
Hearing that, Ty broke down in sobs.
Before this incident, she couldn’t recall the last time he’d cried like that. “Shhh. It’s all right. Everything is okay.”
“I was so sure you were going to tell me he died.”
“Thank goodness he didn’t.”
“I really like him.”
“I do, too.”
“Do you think he likes us a lot, too?”
“I know he does. He thinks you’re great.”
“He thinks you are, too. He’s always watching you.”
“Is he?”
“Uh-huh. That means he likes you.”
“How do you know?”
“Duh, I know what it’s like to think a girl is pretty.”
Cresley bit her lip to keep from laughing. Leave it to him to make her laugh during such a difficult conversation. She kissed the top of his head. “I don’t want you to worry about losing me. That’s not going to happen, okay?”
“You don’t know that for sure.”
“No, I don’t, but I’m pretty sure it’s not something you need to be concerned about any time soon. I plan to live to be an old, cranky lady that you have to take care of.”
“That sounds fun.”
“I’m sure it will be, because we always have fun together.”
“Yes, we do.”
“Marlene is going to the house to get our stuff, so you need to let me know what you want for a couple of days.”
“Is it safe for her to go there?”
“Carson’s brother let the LAPD know she was coming.”
“Oh, that’s good.” He gasped. “Hey, I’m supposed to be at school!”
“You’re getting a free day off.” Unlike most kids, that wouldn’t make him happy. He loved school and worked hard to do well. “It’s one day, so don’t worry.”
“It’s fine. I want to be here with you. Can we see Carson?”
“Yes, but I’m not sure when. They’re limiting the number of people who can go in, and he has a big family. So it might be a day or two.”
“I can’t wait to see him.”
“Me, too, buddy.”
“What should we do today?”
“Lie around and watch TV?”
“You never want to do that.”
“I haven’t slept yet, so that sounds like the perfect day to me.”
“Is there food in this house?”
“Yes, there is, or we can order delivery.”
“Pizza for breakfast!”
“Ew.”
“Yum.”
She tickled him, and his joyful giggle healed her. “I love you so much, pal.”
“I love you the mostest.”
“No way.”
“Yes way. I’m sorry my dad is causing all this trouble.”
“That is in no way something you need to apologize for. Tell me you hear me on that.”
“I hear you.”
“It’s not your fault. It’s his fault. He’s choosing to do these things, and you don’t ever have to apologize for him.”
“Still, I feel bad about it.”
“That’s understandable, but don’t ever think that it’s your fault. That’s very important to me.”
“Okay. So about pizza for breakfast…”
“Whatever you want, my love.”