Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 66580 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66580 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Fuckin’ moron.
Then Randy the cockwad moaned through his gag, reminding me we still had serious business to handle.
“Very nice,” I said, because we needed to get this shit moving. “You kids are adorable in love and all that shit, but you need to get out of here if this is going to work. You sure your brother has our asses covered on the fire?”
Heath looked up from Hannah. “Yeah. Make it look good, though. Just because we have my brother doesn’t mean we want to use him. Not if we don’t have to.”
“Got it,” I told him. “Girls, grab whatever shit you can fit in your purses and then get out of here.”
Chapter Seventeen
Mandy
Heath took us to Cranston to see the latest Pixar film. It was good. Really good. So good that I cried, although some of that might’ve been pent-up emotion over the situation. Afterward, Heath took us all out to Applebee’s. I watched him with the kids, wondering if he could actually be the real deal.
He laughed with them, teasing and playing, all the while treating Hannah like a queen.
The whole thing was so sweet I could have vomited. Hannah ate it up. Good for them. Maybe Heath wanted a big family, and Hannah sure as hell loved being a mom. No way you’d catch me bringing any spawn into the world, but whatever made her happy was fine by me.
Ignoring them, I focused on my food, plowing through a burger the size of a house. Then the little girls begged and pleaded for ice cream, and there was a long debate over exactly what sundae to order. We’d made a decision and had just gotten our order when my phone started blowing up.
Sara: I got a call from my sister. There’s a fire on the flat. I don’t want to freak you out but sounds like it could be your place
Hannah’s phone went off a moment later, followed by Heath’s. Then more messages started arriving. Heath made a tense phone call to dispatch, then looked up at us and nodded.
Show time.
“There’s a fire at your trailer,” he told Hannah, and Callie’s eyes went wide. Hannah and I had talked about this—we hated putting the girls through trauma, but it was better than being ripped out of their beds and taken to a whole new town.
“Mommy, what’s happening?” she asked. At least the twins were too busy with the ice cream to pay any attention.
“It’s okay, baby,” Hannah said, wrapping an arm around the little girl. “If there’s a fire, we’ll deal with it.”
“But where will we live?”
Hannah and I stared at each other—that was a detail we hadn’t had time to figure out just yet.
“Don’t worry,” I told Callie. “Your mama and I used to move a lot when we were your age. I know you never met your grandma, but she was real good at figuring stuff like this out. She taught us everything she knew. We’ll always take care of you, honey, okay?”
“Okay,” she said, shrinking into Hannah’s side.
“I have a nice, big house,” Heath said. “You guys can stay there tonight if there’s really a fire.”
Hannah’s eyes flew to his.
“What about tomorrow?” Callie asked, her voice small as my phone buzzed again.
“You can stay as long as you need to,” Heath told her. “All of you.”
Hannah looked at him like he was her knight in shining armor. Maybe he was, although the curse of the McBride women suggested we stay cautious. He was better than Randy, that was for damned sure—and Hannah made a great damsel in distress.
As for me, at least I wasn’t in jail again.
Funny, the last time my life had fallen apart, I’d gone down as an accessory for a crime I hadn’t committed. Now I was guilty as hell and a cop was covering my ass.
This kind of bullshit from the justice system is why superheroes go outside the law, Wonder Woman said, her voice accusing. You took care of your family and that was the right thing to do. Fuck everything else.
“Let’s go,” Heath said. “I just got a message from my brother. I’m very sorry, but it’s definitely your place that’s on fire.” He looked at Hannah. “We can call my mom on the way and ask her to watch the girls for a few hours, if you like.”
“No!” Callie shrieked, and heads turned toward us. “I don’t know her. I want to stay with Mommy.”
“It’s okay,” Hannah reassured her quickly. “You can stay with me. It might be scary, though.”
“Nothing’s scarier than you disappearing,” she said. “I’m a big girl.”
The drive home was tense. We kept getting more phone calls, including the hardest one—Randy’s parents. Hannah handled it well, telling them only the truth.
Yes, Randy had come over that day. No, she didn’t know where he was now or whether he’d been there when the fire started. Yes, the girls were fine. Yes, we’d be there soon.