Chapter 30

 

“Where are you going?” I huffed out while trying to catch my breath, apparently, Drew’s punches still had the power to leave me winded.

“We are going to get our son and then-“

“He’s not yours!” I didn’t even care that he could hear the desperation in my voice; this man had no business near my boy. Flynn was better off with Logan.

Next to me, Drew let out that cruel laugh that always managed to terrify me. “Really Sarah? Looking at that child is like looking into a mirror.”

My stomach started to churn and I closed my eyes, hoping and praying that this was nothing but a bad dream and that I’d wake any second with Logan’s arms still securely wrapped around me.

“I have to give it to you,” Drew sneered, reminding me that this was not a dream at all. “You’re good at hiding. If it wasn’t for Sheriff Jackson, I wouldn’t have found you.”

Damn you, Eli Jackson, you just couldn’t keep your nose out of my business.

“He wasn’t too keen on a fugitive dating his little brother,” Drew continued. “Speaking of which, your standards have clearly dropped. That’s the kind of man you bring into my son’s life?”

For the first time since I’d met him, I glared at Drew. “Logan is more of a man than you could ever hope to be. And if my son grew into even half of the man he is, I would be one proud mother.”

The sports car came to a screeching halt and almost instantly Drew’s hand came up. But just before he could deliver the slap, he seemed to realize where we were. Gritting his teeth, he eased the vehicle into gear and it began to steadily roll forward.

Reaching down, I tried the handle again, hoping that by some miracle the door would be unlocked now.

It wasn’t.

“I’m going to enjoy putting you back in your place, my dear Sarah.”

“I’m not yours anymore, Drew.”

The corners of his mouth lifted into a malicious smile. “Don’t worry; soon you’ll know exactly who you belong to.”

Just as I opened my mouth, we pulled up in front of Flynn’s school. An uneasy feeling settled over me. How the hell did he know where Flynn went to school? How long has he been watching us?

“Months.” Clearly, I had voiced my questions. My gaze flicked back to Drew, who was watching me with so much hate burning behind his eyes. Hate, I had no doubt, he’d take out on my boy just to get to me.

“Drew, please-“ I begged. “-please, you have me. Leave Flynn here, he’s happy.”

He snorted and shook his head, “Oh no, Sarah. I’m not leaving this dreadful town without you and my son.” He threw a cell phone in my lap. “Call them and tell them to bring the boy to the car.”

When I frowned, he said, “I’m not stupid. If I let you go in there, you’ll just try and run and I need to save my energy, I have big plans for you later.”

Yeah, I bet those plans included beating me within an inch of my life. I made the call and decided then and there that Drew wasn’t going to win this fight. I couldn’t run forever, it was time I stood still and fought back.

When Zelda brought Flynn to the car, she gave me a curious look. I couldn’t blame her, not only was I in a stranger’s car but I was sitting there in Drew’s passenger seat still wearing my pajamas.

“Everything alright, Harper.” The older woman’s gaze flicked between me and Drew.

I gave her a reassuring smile and said, “If you could just call Logan and let him know I’ve already picked up Flynn that would be great.”

“Dammit, Sarah,” Drew gritted out from beside me. He leaned over and I felt the unmistakable feel of his pistol dig into my side. With as much sweetness as Drew could muster he addressed Zelda, “We’re kind of in a hurry if you don’t mind…”

Her smile was weak but still, she opened the back door and loaded my boy into the car. My heart plummeted, I was hoping Drew would get agitated and leave without Flynn.

The moment the door closed Drew stepped on the accelerator, the momentum of his speedy pull-away pushed me back into the seat.

“Mommy?”

That one word just about broke my heart. In all the years and places we had lived I had never, not once, heard that fear in my little boy’s voice. I needed to somehow reassure Flynn that I wasn’t going to let anything bad happen to him.

I reached around the seat until I felt his little hand in mine. I squeezed as hard as I could, “It’s okay, baby. We’re just going for a drive, okay?”

Drew opened his mouth but before he could speak, I leaned over to him and whispered, “He’s five and he doesn’t understand what’s happening right now.” I could just hope that some part of that man was still human enough not to want to frighten a scared little boy even more.

Drew gripped the steering wheel in a white-knuckled grip, but surprised me when he didn’t say a word. As we continued on our way out of town, I prayed for courage and strength to do what I needed to do when we reached our destination.

It wasn’t long before we turned onto a narrow dirt road, shadowed by the enormous trees of the surrounding woodlands. After about ten minutes we reached a little cabin that was completely isolated. You didn’t have to be smart to know why Drew had picked this place.

I knew two things without a single ounce of doubt: I wasn’t that same weak woman Drew used to push around and there was nothing I wouldn’t do to keep my boy safe.