Their Blue-Collar Girl (The American Soldier Collection 4)

“We’ll get through this, Maggie, and Ben will be fine,” Lori told her sister and they planned their schedules.

* * * *

A week had passed and there was no sign of trouble as Lori prepared to leave for work one early Saturday evening around 4:00 p.m. She planned on calling Maggie every two hours until 10:00 p.m. Then Maggie would call Lori until she left the restaurant at 2:00 a.m. It was a routine they would stick by until Derrick was caught.

Lori got busy waiting on tables and missed calling Maggie by fifteen minutes. She ran to the phone the second she got a chance and gave a huge sigh of relief at her sister’s voice. Maggie said everything was fine and Lori went back to work. It was a busy night and Lori hustled to get as many tables as possible and receive the best tips. Her family relied on it and it was a great form of income for them.

In the midst of clattering glasses, cleaning off tables, loud laughter, and excitement, Lori finished up her last table of the evening. She was exhausted and glad she didn’t have the late shift tonight.

“Hey, Lori, why don’t you come have a drink with us before you go home?” the bartender Jack asked and Lori declined as usual even though there were some rather good-looking men at the bar. If she were a normal single twenty-one-year-old woman, she would be dating right now, having a good time, and perhaps tossing responsibility to the wind here and there. But that wasn’t her life. She had responsibilities and she needed to get home to them right now. Every minute that Maggie and Ben were out of sight caused her worry and anxiety.

“No thanks, Jack, I can’t tonight. I’ve got plans early tomorrow morning,” she lied to him and Jack smiled a disappointed smile as well as the others at the bar.

She did kind of have plans tomorrow, the same plans Monday through Sunday. Her 6:00 a.m. four-mile jog was her scheduled appointment. It was what kept her in shape along with the one hundred crunches she did first.

Lori headed home in the beat-up light blue Ford Tempo Maggie and her picked up in New Jersey at a local gas station. It was reliable and didn’t draw too much attention to them unless it stalled at a green traffic light. She pulled into the driveway and noticed the kitchen light was on. She figured Maggie was waiting up for her again and was unable to sleep.

Lori was surprised to find the side kitchen door unlocked as she pulled the key back out of the doorknob and entered.

“Someone keeps calling the house, Lori,” Maggie told her sister as Lori entered the house.

“Is that why you have the door unlocked?” Lori asked, sounding a little annoyed that her sister didn’t lock it.

“I just unlocked it as you pulled in, Lori. I’m scared. I think it was Derrick.” Lori felt her sister’s fear immediately. She was a believer that your gut never lied.

“Let’s lock everything up and you go upstairs to sit with Ben. I’ll turn off the light and keep a lookout for a while. If you hear anything strange, we’ll call the police, okay?” Lori said. Maggie agreed as she headed upstairs. Lori turned off the kitchen lights and headed around the house, rechecking the locks on the windows and doors. Suddenly she heard her sister scream and Lori ran toward the stairs. She could hear a man’s voice, muffled behind a closed door.

Lori slowly climbed the staircase then stopped and went back down the stairs. She heard Derrick hit Maggie and Maggie screamed again. Lori grabbed the phone in the living room and dialed the police. The dispatcher asked what was going on and Lori quickly explained who Derrick was and what he was doing. She hung up the phone as she heard Ben crying and screaming, “Stop!”

Just as Lori approached the final step she could see Derrick by the opened bedroom door. Ben was on the green rug crying and Maggie’s lips were bleeding and her eyes were swollen. Derrick was going to kill them both.

“Where’s that little bitch sister of yours? I’m going to kill her, too. The two of you are going to die together and I’m going to take my son with me!” he yelled as he kicked Maggie in the stomach. Lori gasped as she watched her sister fall to the floor.

He changed his voice to a softer tone as he spoke to Ben.

“Don’t be scared, son, I’m your daddy. I’ve come to get you. We’re going to go live together,” he told Ben, who was hysterically crying as he held on to his mother. Derrick was irate at this as he forced Ben to release his grip on his mom. Ben was screaming. Maggie was barely conscious as she tried to hold on to Ben. Once again, Derrick kicked Maggie repeatedly then pulled out a gun. As soon as Lori saw the gun she made her move but Derrick felt the movement behind him as he turned around and shot once just missing Lori. She lunged at Derrick, tackling him to the bedroom floor, screaming at the top of her lungs.

“Run, Ben! Run!”

* * * *

Little Ben ran for the door and down the stairs as he ran across the living room he could see the colored blue and red lights shining outside. The police were there, heard the gun shot and were cautiously entering the house. Ben yelled.

“My daddy is gonna kill my mommy and Aunt Lori. He hit me and Mommy’s bleeding. Help us!” he yelled and the police officer grabbed Ben bringing him to safety outside. The local police and state police were arriving on the scene. They had the house surrounded. They were aware that a f

ugitive was inside the house and a possible hostage situation was underway.

* * * *

Lori was wrestling with Derrick who was now hitting her with his fist and the gun. She was relentless, unwilling to give up fighting for her sister’s life and Ben’s. Derrick would not win. He wouldn’t get Ben.

Lori’s hand was over the gun and Derrick had it pointing straight at Maggie.

Lori gathered all her might and head butted Derrick causing him to release his grip on Lori and fall to the other side away from Maggie. Lori was telling her sister to get up and run just as multiple police officers were ascending the stairs.

“Stop. Police. Put down your weapon!” the officer yelled, but Derrick didn’t budge as Lori fought him for power of the weapon. Her wrist was twisting the wrong way and the pain excruciating as she held the gun unsure of its direction.

“It’s over, Derrick, you’ve lost. Give up!”