Walk the Line (Kings of Chaos 5)

“You ready, baby girl?” I ask as I close the lid on the trunk after our last trip down from the condo.

Whitney scans the area and releases a deep breath. “Yeah, Mom. I think I am.”

“Then let’s get this road trip started.” This week has been an emotional rollercoaster. I said goodbye to Jess a few days ahead, packed up my only child for a trip across the country where she’ll attend college, and battled with my in-laws. Dating that type of man so soon since my incident was embarrassing and improper. I love the way they pretend like Brooks, and I just got a divorce. There are bonuses to my eighteen-year-old child attending college in Virginia. There’ll be very little contact with Connie and James Birling.

We climb into the SUV, and I pull away from the parking lot with the knowledge that it’ll look completely different when I return. We hit the road with coffee and deli sandwiches. We’ll be traveling at night in an attempt to beat the horrific traffic California is known for.

“Are you still going to see Jagger when I’m gone?” she asks.

“I planned on it. Does that bother you?”

“No. I mean. It’s weird seeing you with another man, but. He’s pretty cool, and Mom you’re a cougar cause he’s young.”

“Stop it,” I say with a shake of my head.

“What? It just proves you’re a fox. We have good genes.” She pats her face, and I laugh.

Over the summer she’s come into her own, working with her therapist to accept what’s happen and look ahead toward a bright future with enthusiasm. I know she’s got a lot of work to do before she’ll be one-hundred percent, but we’ve got a reference for a good Psychologist in Virginia, and she’ll have room to breathe there unlike here where everything, and at times, everyone reminds her of what once was.

“It makes me feel better knowing you’ll have someone capable to watch your back. I mean, who in their right mind is going to mess with him?”

“Do you think I need protecting?” I ask.

“Yeah, Mom I do. Because…when I think about how close I came to losing you, it scares the shit out of me.”

“Whitney.”

“I know, ladies don’t use that kind of language, but no other word was going to fit.”

“Honey.” I reach over and pat her hand. “I am going to be just fine.”

“I get scared that he’ll come back and try to finish the job.”

The words are a roundhouse kick to the face. “I don’t think Brooks is dumb enough to come back here. He’s holed up on an island somewhere with money he’s stashed in an overseas account.”

“What if he isn’t, though?”

The fear in her voice fills the cab.

“Then he’ll get a taste of lead. It’s different now, honey. Last time he caught me by surprise. I have no reason to hesitate to defend myself, and he’s lost the element of surprise. I don’t want you worrying about this. We agreed it was time to work on moving ahead with our lives.”

“I know, Mom. I’m trying. I just. I worry.”

“That’s my job, Whit.”

“I thought we were in this together now.”

“We are.”

“Then it’s our job to worry about each other.”

I snicker. “Are you sure you’re not planning on being a lawyer?”

“No way. I’d be bored to tears and falling asleep over thick bound leather books.”

“I’m sure there’s more to it than that.”

“Yes, but that’s a huge part of it. Are you going to return to physical therapy?”