Lex (Unconventional Hearts) (54 page)

I don’t give a shit; she’s not taking her if
that’s what she’s here for.

“What’s going on mommy? Who’s here?” I hear
Emma sweetly ask, emerging from the living room and into the
foyer.

“Emma, go upstairs.” I order, side stepping
so I can block her tiny body from the gun and the monster that
birthed her into existence.

“Put the gun away, Melissa. Your issue is
with me, not to scare Emma.”

A dark sadistic laugh breaks into the air
from between Melissa’s taut lips. “Funny,
boy
. You steal my
husband and now you are telling me what to do?”

I don’t have time to deal with that right
now. I just need to her to leave or get Emma safely out of the room
before I deal with crazy pants. This isn’t my first rodeo with a
deadly weapon or a psycho. If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear I
attract them.

“Emma…”

Emma breaks my train of thought as I feel her
tiny hand touch mine, wrapping her fingers around two of my
mine.

“Emma, go upstairs.”

“No Emma, come here to mommy.” Melissa
changes her tone to a soft mothering one.

The conniving lunatic! My heart is hammering
in my chest, and the mere thought of Melissa calling herself
mommy
has the hair on the back of my neck standing
attention. The nerve of this deranged psychopath!

I raise my brow to the aimed gun and Melissa
lowers it to her side. Tucking it against her leg, the nuzzle
resting on my floor. Thank God!

Finally, safely able to break my concrete
stare on Melissa, I turn to the side and kneel. Emma doesn’t waste
a second to have her arms wrapped around my neck. Her head buried
into the curve my neck.

“It’s okay, Sweetie.” I whisper into her ear,
holding onto her little body, protectively enveloping her in my
everlasting love.

Emma’s body begins to tremble, wetness from
tears dampen my neck. Emma’s scared and she’s crying, and this
monster did this to her. Come hell or high water, one way or
another I will make sure this
never
happens to Emma
again.

Rubbing my hand along Emma’s back to soothe
her. I keep the corner of my eye latched onto Melissa. She’s just
standing in a pair of dark jeans and a yellow t-shirt. Her facial
expression unmistakably dumbfounded, watching Emma hold onto me for
dear life.

“That’s enough. Come to mommy, Emma. I’m
taking you with me.” Melissa orders, hardness cloaking her tone
this time.

Emma sobs into my neck and Melissa takes a
step forward.

“No.” I warn Melissa, as I hold onto Emma
tighter.

If this bitch think’s she is going to win,
she has another thing coming.

“Leave Melissa and go home. You’re scaring
her.”

“She’s coming with me.”

Oh no she’s not!

Turning my head so my lips are pressed to the
shell of Emma’s ear, I whisper. “Emma, go upstairs, go into your
bedroom, lock the door, and hide in your closet. Don’t leave there
until daddy or I come and find you.”

Emma sluggishly shakes her head.

“Yes, Princess.”

“She has a gun.” Emma whisper whines into my
shoulder, sucking in a whimpering breath.

“I know, Princess. But I promise I’ll be
fine. Just go upstairs. Do as I tell you.”

Releasing Emma, I firmly stand and maneuver
myself so Melissa can’t touch her. Emma reluctantly lets go of my
hand and I hear her little footsteps hurriedly fleeing the
room.

“Where is she going?”

Melissa is obviously not the sharpest tool in
the shed.

“Emma is changing her clothes right now. And
you and I are going to talk.”

“You fucking liar!” Melissa screams her face
turning bright red as she swiftly swings the gun back into her
hand, aiming the thick round barrel right at my chest.

If I die today, please God, make Emma
survive. I’m doing this for her.

Gage

“You’re sure she’s not on her way to the
session today?”

I’m speaking to Melissa’s anger management
therapist that was court mandated last Thursday by a judge for her
to attend. She has a twelve-week course she has to complete before
she is granted visitation with Emma. Which, if you ask me, is
getting off lightly.

“No, I called her, texted, even sent a deputy
by her house and nobody seems to be home.”

FUCK!
A rogue ex-wife
, not on the top of my
priority list to deal with today.

“Okay, Jefferson, what do you want me to
do?”

The phone in my pocket begins to sing.
‘Butterfly kisses’. It’s Emma’s ringtone.

Why is she calling me?

“Well I—”

I interrupt him, “Hold on Jefferson, my
daughter is calling me.”

Hitting the answer button, I hold my phone to
my ear.

“Hello? Emma? What—”

“Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Bad lady is downstairs.
She has a gun! Daddy! Daddy! Help me. Daddy!”

Emma is frantic, bawling profusely into the
phone. Her voice is scratchy, like her mouth is on the
receiver.

Not wasting a precious second, I end my call
with Jefferson without saying goodbye.

“Daddy!”

“Calm down, baby. What’s going on? Are you
okay?” I’m trying to stay calm, although on the inside I’m freaking
the fuck out!

“Daddy! No, no. Bad lady has good mommy,
downstairs. She has a gun!”

“Who’s the bad lady?” I calmly ask. Fuck this
is hard! My daughter is terrified.

“The evil lady who hurt me.”

“Melissa, your mom?”

“Yes! She’s downstairs. She is pointing gun
at her, Daddy. Help Lex, Daddy. Help her. Bad lady came to take me
and Lex said no. She told me to hide in my bedroom. I’m in my
closet. I got my phone from my backpack just like you taught
me.”

“Good girl. You’re not hurt?”

“No….n…o…” Her tiny voice breaks, cracking my
heart along with it.

“I’m calling the cops, baby, daddy will be
there soon. Don’t cry. Mommy is taking care of it. She would never
let you get hurt.”

“I know, Daddy, but I don’t want my mommy to
die.”

I swear to fucking God, if my woman dies at
the hand of my ex-wife, I will kill that stupid, self-righteous
cunt with my bare hands.

“Keep talking baby; tell me about your
ponies. Tell me about what you did today. Daddy is going to call
Lincoln on his other phone.”

I set Emma on speakerphone down on my desk.
She listens to my instructions and begins to talk, telling me about
her ponies. Her voice quickly evens out.

Dialing my work phone, I put it to my
ear.

“That’s great baby, keep telling daddy.” I
encourage Emma in the calmest tone I can conjure up.

“This is Lincoln.”

“Lincoln, it’s an emergency. Melissa is at
Lex’s house, with a gun. Emma is upstairs hiding in the closet. She
came to take Emma but Lex stood her ground. I’m not sure what’s
going on there. But I’m calling you before I leave. You can call
the cops, but I don’t want Melissa to shoot her. She’s unstable.
Highly
unstable.” I spit it all out a hundred miles an hour
in one breath. Inhaling a big gulp of air, as the last word passes
my lips.

Loud huffing and the sound of something
brushing up against the phone is all I hear through the phone.
“Lincoln you there?”

“Yeah! I’m running, I’m only three blocks
from Lex’s. I have my dog with me, was out walking her. Call the
station; tell them to get to Lex’s, hostage situation. I’m going in
unarmed.”

The phone call abruptly ends. FUCK!

Lex

“Listen you stupid bitch, get on the fucking
floor.”

“No, you need to put the gun down and go home
Melissa.” I speak evenly, my hands held in the air.

For the last ten minutes, Melissa has tried
to get past me to go upstairs. I’ve blocked her way. She may think
she’s a badass, carrying the gun. She’s not used it as a weapon,
only for intimidation tactics. My father did that to me a few times
when I was a teenager, held me at gunpoint. I was more afraid of
him, than I am of Melissa and she’s got the bigger gun. If she were
to use it at point blank range, I would be dead in minutes. A
shotgun slug isn’t something to trifle with. It’s not because I’ve
used one before. My all-adoring best friend, who’s at work today,
happens to hunt.

Lincoln

Tying up my tame pup on the railing attached
to Lex’s back steps. I hear a loud commotion coming from inside.
Wish I had a weapon, but I left it at home. I’m off duty today not
the best day for that. I’m a master at hand-to-hand combat.
However, it being a woman, I’d be going up against, I’d rather have
a gun. Not a circumstance I’m very comfortable with going in
unarmed. I’m not particularly happy about hitting a woman
skin-on-skin. It’s not the same as when I do it inside the safe
consensual confines of my playroom. But it’s Lex’s safety at stake
and I will do anything for my girl.

Quietly pressing the button on Lex’s back
screen door, I open it just enough to fit my body between it and
the back door. Then I carefully turn the nob on her house door,
gliding it wide-open. Stealthily stepping in my tennis shoes onto
her hardwood, I gently close both doors behind me. The only noise I
make is the click of the backdoor coming to a full close. Good
thing she had her backdoor replaced a few years ago. An older one
would have just broadcasted my entrance to the entire house with a
loud squeak.

Now standing in her kitchen, I get the full
gist of Melissa yelling.

“You think you can take my husband and my
daughter? Who in the hell do you think you are?”

The anxious cracking in Melissa’s murderous
voice is a clear indication she is off her rocker. I’ve seen this
time and time again. Logical people’s tones don’t clearly justify
holding someone at gunpoint as Melissa is doing right now. So to
keep the woman from becoming trigger happy, I do the smartest thing
I can in this sticky situation. I announce my arrival.