Break My Heart (The Heart Series Book 2) (38 page)

“She’s went off and handcuffed me here!” He rattles his hand on the steering wheel. I didn’t even notice it.

“Tell me she did
not
go into that field.” My tone is lethal. 

Like a statue, I’m part of the solid ground. My murderous glare zeroed in on him.

His expression says it all, and my world turns upside down.

“You let her just go out there on her own?” My teeth are clenched, jaw rigid.

“I was going with her, but she lied to me! Handcuffed me! We have to go after her!” His raw voice is desperate.

He knows, whatever the fuck goes on in there, he knows she’s in trouble.

“I’m going after her,” I spit out. “And you’re staying right there.”

“You can’t leave me here!” he yells, but I can’t listen. Instead, I toss my handcuff key his way without so much as a glare.

“Please bring her back,” he calls behind me, and I stop to face him.

“I will,” I say, walking backward to the edge of the field “And after I get her back, I’m coming back to kill you.”

I turn around and run into the sea of grass.

This time I’m not leaving this field without her.

CHAPTER 38

Ileana

Two vehicles are fast approaching, mowing down the grassy field.

“Listen, I don’t have time to explain,” she says urgently. “That’s the sheriff. He thinks I did something to Will and Will’s cousin—”

She doesn’t get to finish. The cars plow right through the field, gunning straight for us. A car I don’t recognize leads the way, followed by Will’s truck.

I push my grandmother’s frame behind me. “I’ll take care of this.”

“Please, let’s go—”

A big man steps out, walking purposely toward us.

“Hold it right there, miss!” His scowl is menacing. He’s wearing an old-fashioned policeman’s hat, white shirt, suspenders and a tie. There’s a Sheriff star on his left breast pocket. Hidden under his huge stomach, there’s a Colt pistol hanging from his right side.

“Please don’t hurt her, I’ll go with you, just let her go,” my grandmother pleads with him, but he continues stomping our way. He does a double take when he sees me, but shakes his head.

“Lily?” I freeze.

Oh no. I know that voice. Carol. And she’s just steps away.

I’m overwhelmed by her presence. Carol looks older, her features marred by worry and anguish. “I knew it was you. Those eyes never lie.” She is fixated on me, and her expression disarms me.

Joy fills her teary eyes, and I want to run into her welcoming arms, like going home.

“Hi, Carol.” My voice tight, I do my best to shove down the nostalgia and sadness that are threatening to spill. The cool breeze blows through, making her dress dance among the grass.

I spot Mary and a young man, who I’m assuming is Danny, approaching us.

“There’s two of you?” Mary’s welcoming smile explodes with giddiness at the sight of me.

“Not exactly. It’s complicated—”

I’m rattled awake by a struggle behind me. My grandmother is being manhandled by the sheriff.

Regaining composure, I address the man dragging Lily. “Excuse me, sir, you need to let go of her. Now,” I order, keeping emotion out of my tone.

No longer is this personal. Instead, I’m Agent Harper, and I have a job to do.

“Don’t you worry, I’ll deal with you next. There were two of you, that was how you’d done it, wasn’t it? You two are going to pay—”

“May I ask what you’re referring to?” I ask, but he looks at me like I’m something he’s trying to scrape off of his shoe.

Completely ignoring my request, he drags my grandmother by the arm as everyone watches helplessly.

“It’s all right, sweetheart, you tried. Just go home.” My grandmother’s defeated voice slays me. She tips her chin in resignation and lets the sheriff take her away.

This isn’t happening. I didn’t risk my life and come all this way for this bullshit.

I’m done playing nice.

Pulling my shoulders back and tipping my chin up, I address the sheriff loud enough for everyone to hear. “So, I guess slapping your son around isn’t enough. Now you’ve moved on to helpless women?”

The sheriff freezes, his meaty hand still clamped around my grandmother’s arm. His expression says I stomped loud and good on that nerve.
Bullseye
.

Carol gasps in pure dread and horror. My grandmother’s eyes fill with new tears, grieving for me.

“That boy is a coward and a liar,” he drawls. “That’s why he took off in the middle of the night.”

Watching his hand, I pray he reaches for his pistol. I’m going to drop this guy like a bad habit. This ends here.

“Your son didn’t say a word, old man,” I taunt. “You just did.”

He shoves my grandmother aside, homing in on me. His face is beet red, boiling hot with anger. “Who in the hell do you think you are?” he spits, a serpent spilling its venom.

I give him a smug smile. “I’m the bitch that broke your son’s nose.”

His lip curls up in a snarl and his eyes nearly pop out of their sockets.

Thunder rolls in the background, and I get that feeling. Hairs on the back of my neck stand up on end.

“You are nothing. Hitting your boy when you know he can’t hit back, manhandling innocent women, is that how it works? Well, come on, Sheriff. Why don’t you take a crack at me?” I taunt.

Carol and Lily yell in unison, both pleading for me, but I shoot them a placating gesture to stand down. Danny makes a move to intervene, but Mary grabs him and shakes her head. She knows I can take care of myself.

Anger, disdain, and outrage cover his pudgy, wrinkled face. He comes straight for me but I don’t flinch. This is a game of chicken, and I don’t intend to lose.

He’ll have to hit me right here, in front of witnesses.

And he does.

The left side of my face explodes in pain as his large, heavy backhand strikes me, and I go down. Screams fill the air from everyone.

Voices plead with him not to hurt me, and my teeth rattle inside my head. Blinking rapidly, I focus and struggle to get up. I barely get a chance to reach for my baton when he hits me again, this time with his fist. The taste of copper fills my mouth, and I stumble back trying to gain some distance. I use the opportunity to stumble farther away, crawling away from him.

Small raindrops fall, and when I look up, his haggard face is smug with satisfaction. He thinks he’s taught me a lesson. “That’s right, you crawl back, girlie. There’s nowhere to hide,” he drawls with a sneer.

It’s now or never.

Rolling on my shoulder in one swift motion, I retract my baton and swing it with all I’ve got, crushing his left kneecap. He stumbles from the pain but I don’t give his shock time to register.

Another hit with my baton and the crack of his left arm fills the air.

He goes down hard. The second he reaches for his weapon, I make my move; I hit his right hand with the baton and grab his pistol from his holster, and step back. Emptying the Colt, I let the bullets fall to the ground, and then throw it as far as I can.

Everyone has gone quiet. Only the sounds of the wind, the rain hitting our faces, and thunder in the distance fill the air.

I return my baton to its holster. “Are you all right?”

Shaking in shock, my grandmother nods, her teeth chattering.

The sheriff groans incoherently, drifting in and out of consciousness.

“Oh, Lily.” Carol sneaks up behind me.

The minute I turn, she embraces me openly. My hands automatically wrap around her, hugging her back. I hug her with all I have, and I don’t want to let go. The grief I was trying to push down earlier overpowers me. Tired and overwhelmed, tears escape my eyes as happiness and sadness fight for position.

Finally, I break the embrace.     

She wipes her tears as she takes me in. “Oh no, Lily, look at your face!” She fusses over my eyebrow, trying to clean it up. Ever the mom. I can’t help but smile despite my tears.

“I’m fine.” I grab her hands and look into her eyes. “And Will is fine, Carol. He’ll be better than fine once I take her home.” I nod toward my grandmother.

Right in front of my eyes, Carol loses all composure. Mary and Danny reach for her, holding her up.

“Hi, I’m Danny.”

Mary beams at his introduction. Her eyes are filled with unshed tears, but they seem like tears of happiness, like everything is right with the world.

“Nice to meet you. Where’s MJ?” I ask Mary.

“She’s at school, thank goodness.”

MJ. I wish I could have been able to see her.

“Give her my best, will you?” I stand there, not knowing how to say goodbye to the most amazing women I’ve ever met.

“Well, I wish I could stay, but I can’t. I’ll never forget you. Never.” Tears run freely. Reaching for Mary, I give her a quick hug, but before she can return it, I pull away.

I want to stay, but there’s a reason I can’t. What is it?

Suddenly, I’m having trouble remembering, as if my brain is muddled. Rain pounds harder, thunder explodes, and lightning strikes illuminate the sky. We are all soaked to the bone.

Danny holds Mary tightly…
Tommy
. I need to go home to Tommy.

But before I go, there’s something more I need to do: keep this piece of garbage from hurting anyone else, including his own son.

Marching straight over to the big, crumpled, bloody body, I kneel next to the Sheriff. His face is full of disbelief, a watered-down bloody mess. I take stock of his condition: detached kneecap, possible arm fracture, and broken right hand.

I wait for him to make eye contact, wanting to make things clear.

“Asshole. Look. At. Me,” I order.

The Sheriff’s gaze blazes with anger and contempt. If he weren’t on the ground injured, he would have killed me already.

“I see all. I know everything. If you so much as lay a hand on your son or any living creature, I will hunt you like the animal you are, and I will put you down. Nod if you understand.”

He grits his teeth in pain and rage, refusing to acknowledge me. Understandable. He’s the all-big and mighty Goliath. And here’s David, peering down at this crumpled, defeated body, and threatening him on top of it.

“Sheriff. Are. We. Clear? Nod for me.” I’m trying to get him to comply. I don’t want to kill this guy right here. “You are not to hurt anyone again. Wayne skipped town, and so did Will. It’s over. And you are not to follow your son. Let him go. And leave the Shaw family alone. Understood?” My words are bullets going straight for him, working their way inside his brain, pushing their way in, and destroying the poison inside.

His expression goes from realization to remorse. Finally, he nods his compliance.

A part of me celebrates the small victory while the other fills with dread.

Something tells me this isn’t over, but I have to go. Focused on my purpose, I hightail it back to my grandmother.

“Let’s go.” Grabbing her hand, I lead her away, deep into the field. Schooling my features, I don’t look back.

“Where are we going?”

“That depends on you.”

She stops dead and stares at me. “What do you mean?”

“You have to stop trying to fix the past. Trying to get your daughter back.”

I will never forget her expression as long as I live. Raw pain and anguish.

“I know I can’t change the past. Fate cannot be changed.”

She doesn’t have to say anything else. If I’m anything like her, I know she’s tried every angle. It’s the reason why she braved the course, was prepared to end it all. The pain. The grief. The loss. But her story can wait. We need to get out of here.

“Okay. Let’s get you back to Will.”

She brushes the hair sticking to her face, and her eyes shine with love. She’s a sliver of sunshine among the storm.

Her words, our fates intertwined, bonded us together. It explains so much. My attraction to Will, the way I confided in him, trusted him.

“All right. Now, you steer and I’ll push.” She gives me a poignant smile.

“You got it.”

“Now, do as I do.” Kneeling down, she guides me until we’re shoulder to shoulder. “Close your eyes,” she says softly, “and empty your mind. Let your heart lead you to where it wants to go.”

I close my eyes and take a deep breath.

Tommy.

His smile, his scent, his touch, his kiss, his body making love to mine. Loving me. Cherishing me.

Humming begins inside my ears. Louder and louder, until all I feel is who I am…with Tommy.

Lily grabs my hand, and my world goes dark.

CHAPTER 39

Tommy

Thick grass hits me as I try to maneuver my way deeper and deeper inside the belly of this beast that keeps taking my girl away from me.

Fucking field, it’s going on my list of shit to fuck up: first, get my girl, then kill Will, then burn this fucking field to the ground. Maybe not in that order. Maybe I’ll burn the fucking field then kill that son of a bitch.

“Where are you, Lil?” Panic starts creeping up. The deeper I go, the darker the sky becomes, and the thicker the fucking grass gets. The air is warm and humid, and a weird electricity in the wind blows the grass right along, like nothing is wrong, but everything is. It’s
all
wrong.

“Lil!” I roar into the wind.

That’s it. I can’t wait. One thing I don’t have is patience.

“Fuck this shit.” My legs are no longer striding, but running, moving as fast as humanly possible.

“Lil!” I yell with all my might, voice booming all around me, echoing right back at me, as if mocking me. “Fuck!” Now I’m screaming, fuck this shit. She needs to come out now.

“Lil!” It’s so guttural, I don’t even recognize myself.

I almost miss it, movement in the corner of my right eye.

A woman’s silhouette.
Lil
.

My heart pounds triple time and my legs are flying, moving straight for her.