“If I’m going down,” he sneers, “so are you.”
Everything happens in slow motion. I scream, feeling the ache in my throat as the sound leaves my mouth. Logan races to the desk in an attempt to grab the weapon from his father, but a shot rings out loudly, deafening me.
I’m forced to the floor by strong hands, a heavy body covers me. My mother’s body falls to the floor as she grips her stomach. The door shudders against the wall somewhere behind us as loud voices boom in the background. Clicks, of what I can only assume, are guns, ring out, and men fill the space. The body covering me is soon gone, and I’m tugged to my feet.
Men move toward my mother. They work on her, pressing something to her stomach where blood is gushing from the bullet wound. Logan’s arms are around me as he moves me backward, and soon enough, we’re out of the office with a man in a suit talking, but I don’t hear him.
Everything is muffled, mumbled, as if I’m in a bubble, and everyone else is outside it. My blurry gaze locks on the scene unfolding inside the large, darkened room where I realize paramedics are now working on my mother’s body, and I wonder if she’ll survive the gunshot.
Not long after, Logan’s father is taken out in handcuffs. Before they can escort him down the steps, he stops, looking his son in the eye, and speaks. “I did this for you. To keep you and Vera safe. I didn’t have a choice, son.” There’s an earnest tone to his voice, and I wonder just how long my mother held him hostage.
How is it he didn’t kill her long ago?
Was she just that good? I doubt it.
35
Logan
People pass in a blur. Blue, black, and red. All I see are colors, and soon enough, we’re taken downstairs. The loud wailing of sirens echoes in the air. The scent of blood hangs heavily around us, invading my nostrils with a metallic scent. The voices of cops and medics echo around us as they do their job.
Questions.
Answers.
More questions.
Frustration burns in my veins. All I want is to take Vera away from here. She doesn’t need to go through all this, but I can’t move because we need to be here to give our story to the police. When one walks off, another appears. Two detectives are now questioning Vera about her mother. The woman who left her as a child and never looked back. The same woman who wanted our child because she craved the Oakridge name for herself.
What I don’t understand though is why.
I watch my father ride away in the back of a police vehicle, his gaze locked on mine, but I have no way of helping him. Not that I want to. He’s finally getting what’s coming to him, and he needs to pay his penance. The price of wealth comes at a high cost when you break the rules. And my father’s broken far too many in his years.
“Mr. Oakridge,” the cop calls, and I realize he’s talking to me. I haven’t gone by that name for so long it feels foreign to be called it now. “We’d prefer you to stick around for a while. There are a lot of documents in your father’s office we’d like to talk through with you.”
“I had nothing to do with the company, so I’m not sure—”
“Please.” It’s not a question. It’s his way of telling me not to leave the city. I nod. “Thank you. We’ll be in touch. You and your wife can leave now.”
I don’t correct him. Slipping my hand into Vera’s, I tug her along behind me. We make our way to the truck in silence, but the moment we’ve shut the doors, Vera turns to regard me.
“I don’t know how to feel,” she whispers, the pain evident in her voice. “She left me, planned to take my future child from me.” Her gaze is watery with emotion. “She looked at me like I’m something to barter with rather than her daughter.” Her voice cracks and I glance over to see her shoulders shaking. Instinctively, I wrap an arm around her, pulling her into the crook of my body. “She was supposed to be dead.”
“Do you want to go to the hospital?” My voice is croaky, but there’s no sadness in my tone. The emotion has left me. Our lives have been orchestrated by two people who were meant to keep us safe.
“No.” Her response is clear. “We’ll hear from the police once they’ve confirmed what’s happened to her.” She snuggles closer to me. “Take me home.”
I want nothing more than to drive to the cabin. It’s far from here, and I’m not sure if the cops would allow it. It’s worth a try.