“It’s okay, Dorothy. I get it,” I said.
“What?” she asked.
“I hope I never have to understand it personally, but I get it,” I said.
“I am so sorry, Hailey,” she said.
“It’s forgiven, but it’s not forgotten. Your words have hurt me over the duration of Bryan’s and my relationship. And I don’t trust you, especially with the rift that’s growing between me and my parents. But I hope you’ve learned your lesson. I hope you now realize that I’m not going anywhere and that you do have some things you have to sort through and come to terms with.”
There was silence on the other end of the line as she sniffled again. The phone shuffled around as murmured voices fluttered in the background. I sighed as I lay down on the bed, rubbing my stomach and thanking my stars that my growing child was happy, healthy, and energetic.
“Everything’s taken care of now, sweetheart,” Bryan said.
“Oh, it’s good to hear your voice,” I said.
“How did you sleep?” he asked.
“Very well. I called Ramon, and he relinquished the deal on the paintings,” I said.
“Did he try to bargain with another tour?”
“No, but he did admit it was an idea he had. But he said to call him whenever I was ready for another one. And I think I might be, after being a mom for a little while,” I said.
“I’m about to head on home. Would you like anything?” he asked.
“Well, I was going to go paint, but now that you mention it, a really nice burger and a lot of fries sound great.”
“Yes,” he said, chuckling. “It does. Any particular kind?”
“A double bacon cheeseburger with all the vegetables and sauces with a large fry and a big ass soda,” I said.
“Sounds good. I think I’ll have the same,” he said.
“See you soon?” I asked.
“See you very soon,” he said.
We hung up the phone and hope spread throughout my limbs. Weights were being pulled off my body as a smile crossed my cheeks. Despite the frightening showdown that was about to occur in a couple of days, I was ready. I was filled with a renewed sense of strength and vigor, and I knew as long as I had Bryan at my side, I could conquer anything.
Even the likes of Ben.
I got up and put some clothes on, readying myself for Bryan to get home. I slid a dress over my body and hiked my breasts up, settling them in their proper place. I walked downstairs and started setting the table with plates and napkins, ready for us to eat together. If there was one thing I hated, it was waking up alone. But if there was one thing I loved, it was listening to the front door open before Bryan crossed through it.
And I grinned broadly as I heard the doorknob turn.
Chapter 25
Bryan
Today was the day we worked with the police to catch the bastard threatening my pregnant wife. I could feel the energy coursing through my veins. I was ready to tear his fucking head off. We’d buried the hatchet with my mother, we’d gotten to the root of why she was trying to sabotage my relationship with Hailey, and I’d finally gotten her to apologize. We had halted the sale of John’s precious paintings, and a doctor’s appointment I’d scheduled showed that both Hailey and the baby were doing magnificently. Now, all we needed was to catch this asshole named Ben.
I’d called the police and told them I was heading over to the gallery. I wanted all of us to be there from the time Hailey opened until the time that asshole arrived. Hailey kept trying to tell me that he didn’t come in until the afternoons, but I wasn’t taking any chances. Men like this were unpredictable, no matter how predictable they seemed. And if he was coming in high like Hailey thought he was, then things could escalate quickly.
And nothing was happening to either of them. Not on my watch.
The police met me there and began setting up their equipment. Surveillance cameras were perched on top of paintings, and one was concealed right at the cash register. They planted one on top of the doorway of the shop to catch the bastard coming in, and I was confined to the back room. I was going to be sitting in the little shop Hailey had in the back, only the door was going to be closed, and I was going to be watching everything. Two police officers would be in there with me, along with two who would be stationed out back and listening through devices planted in the windows.
This bastard wasn’t getting away today.
We were all set up just as Hailey came in for the day. She walked into the gallery, and I watched her demeanor change. She went from relaxed and laid back to tense and stressed. I walked over to her and wrapped her in my arms, trying my best to quell her fears.
“I’m nervous,” she said.
“I know you are, sweetheart,” I said.
“What if he tries something on me? I’ve got my taser, but I don’t have anything else.”
“You’ve got me and two armed police officers in your shop.”
“What?” she asked.
“I know the police told us to call when he arrived, but I wasn’t going to take any chances. We’re going to close the door to your shop, and you’ll put up a ‘caution’ sign. You can tell people whatever you want. Remodeling. Restocking. Whatever works for you. Is that okay?”
“I don’t know, honestly,” she said. “I don’t know how I feel about any of this.”
“It’s almost over. I promise. This man isn’t getting away. There are cameras to catch his face and microphones to catch his voice. They’ll capture him, and he’ll never be able to get out on bail,” I said.
“I, um, I called Kelly off work today. For all this. It’s not necessary for her to be here.”
“That the person you hired?” I asked.
“Shit, I haven’t told you about that? Yeah. That’s ... that’s the person I chose. How did I not tell you that?”
“Because life’s been a bit of a whirlwind for us lately,” I said.
I pulled her back into my arms and kissed the top of her head. I could feel her relax into me like my presence was comforting to her. And I was thankful for that. I was hoping that having me in the back room would make this easier on her today. No matter what we did and no matter how we set things up, the truth of the matter was Hailey was in the direct line of fire. She was the one having to come face-to-face with this asshole again, and I didn’t like it.
But it had to be done if we were going to catch him.
We parked the unmarked police cars at random points in the lot. That was the only thing I was nervous about, the only thing that could blow this through the roof. If this Ben guy didn’t come in high and he was scouting the area, he would know in a flash those were cop cars. He’d run before we ever got a chance to get him in this place, so I’d tried bargaining with the police.
“Why can’t we park them across the street? Or down the road?” I asked.
“Because our cars have cameras in them as well. We have to have them trained on the area around here somewhere,” the police officer said.
“But if he recognizes your cop cars, even if they’re unmarked, this task is tanked,” I said.
“There’s nothing we can do about that. They’re unmarked, and most of the evidence of them being cop cars have been removed. All of the flashers and the alarms and the extra mirrors have been temporarily taken down and put on the floorboards.”
“This is my wife and unborn child you’re messing with,” I said.
“We are fully aware who we are dealing with, what’s at stake, and what goes down in situations like this. Take a deep breath, Mr. McBride, and let us do our job.”
I relented, but I wasn’t happy about it. The gallery officially opened for the day, and the door to the gallery shop closed. I watched the screens like a hawk as people came in and out, and I was so proud of how normal Hailey was acting. She was interacting with the customers and selling new paintings. She was guiding them through their emotions, which was a new tactic I’d never seen her do before. I stood there in awe of her as she rang people up and took personal orders, smiling as if it was an ordinary day.
But then, a message scrolled across the screen I was watching.
He’s here.
My eyes flipped over to the television that had a projection of the front door. A grungy looking man who was teetering on his feet was headed for the door. I felt my fists clench at my sides as I watched him walk in, and then I heard the dinging of the front door bell behind the wall.
He was here, and I saw Hailey tighten up on the camera.
“Keep calm, sweetie. We’re right here,” I said.
“Mrs. McBride,” the man said. “I think you know why I’m here.”
I could feel my heartbeat ramming against my sternum as my anger levels rose. I could already see the fear Hailey was in. It was in the way her body caved and how she was reaching for her taser already. I wanted to rush out there and ring this man’s neck. I wanted to watch the life seep from his bone marrow. I wanted my face to be the last face he saw, the face of the brother of a man his cousin had murdered in cold blood.
“I need my money,” the man said.
“Could you just give me a second?” Hailey asked.
“Now, I was very generous to you. I gave you more than enough time to gather those funds,” he said.