A loud racket startled me awake. Raising my sleepy head, I looked at the television as an infomercial played on mute, then I turned my attention to Adam. He heard the noise too and was already on his feet with his Glock drawn. My heart pounded in my chest as I sat up and rubbed my eyes. I instinctively cradled my stomach, but immediately let go to grab my own gun in the nightstand drawer.
“Stay up here,” Adam said. “Don’t come out until I’ve come back. I’m gonna go check it out. It’s probably just the wind knocking something over, but I’ll go make sure.”
I nodded. “Be safe.”
I had a bad feeling when he walked out my bedroom door. Gripping my gun tightly, I waited and listened carefully. Was the person who tried to kill me back to finish the job? Pulling my blanket down, I noticed a spot of blood on the pink sheet. I stood on unsteady feet, waiting for someone to dare try and get rid of me that easily.
Never let the enemy see your weakness. Emmett taught me that.
Soon enough, Adam returned, and I laid back down with a sigh of relief. No killers lurked in my house. Thank heavens! But my relief was short-lived.
“Someone tried to break in, but those damn strays you always feed must’ve scared him off,” Adam said. “That orange cat was standing in front of the door like he wanted to take me on next.”
“Serves him right. I ought to rally up the neighborhood strays and sick them on him.”
Adam chuckled at that. “I’m gonna check the video cam footage to see if it caught anything.”
I waited as he pulled out his laptop, which had been hooked up to the cameras outside. It took a few minutes to boot up, but when it did, I was surprised at the unexpected visitor on the screen.
“Son of a bitch. It’s that dumbass kid again,” Adam grumbled. “Do you know him?”
I looked closer at the screen then shook my head. “No, I don’t. What’s he got to do with anything? I mean, he clearly isn’t the one who tried to kill me. The kid isn’t old enough to have a license, let alone be able to drive and shoot a gun.”
“You think the fucker’s paying the kid to harass you?” he suggested. “I remember that day the little shit said something about getting paid for taking pictures of your house. I’m not sure why he’d be back though.”
“We have to go out and find him. He might know who hurt me, and if we pay him enough, he’ll snitch. Money always talks,” I said. “Let me grab my coat. He could still be in the neighborhood.”
“Slow down,” Adam said. “You’re supposed to be resting, remember? I’ll get Chris to come drive around the neighborhood.”
I pouted. “That’s not good enough.”
“You’re in no condition to go out there and kick ass like you want to.”
“I’m gonna call Emmett.”
Adam groaned. “Please don’t.”
“Emmett won’t stop until he finds this person,” I replied. “I know you guys don’t get along and I had a spat with him before, but we need to work together on this. The Voiceless Rebels keep a close eye on New Syracuse at all times.”
“I understand. You want your big brother with you. But that doesn’t change how I feel about him.”
“It’s late out.” I peered out the window at evening sky. “So I’ll give him a call tomorrow. We can hold the fort down on our own until then.”
“Fine.” Adam sighed.
“You care to keep watch while I shower?” I asked him, trying to hide the dark stain on the sheet with the blanket. “Doctor said as long as I keep my bandage dry, showering will help the healing process.”
“Sure, go ahead.”
Tucking my nightshirt as far down as it would go, I rummaged through my dresser for new lounging clothes. I looked at the digital clock near my jewelry box as it flashed seven p.m. in bright red. I slept the day away.
“Want me to change the bed sheet?” Adam asked.
Heat rushed through my face. He noticed? Talk about embarrassing. “No, I can do it. Don’t want to gross you out with... All this. I’ll use the black one this time. I should’ve done that in the first place.”
“I grew up on a farm, honey. It takes a lot to gross me out,” he replied. “Go shower and I’ll change them for you. Are you hungry? I can fix us something if you want.”
“Okay, if you’re sure, and make yourself something if you want. I’ll try to take a few bites, but I really don’t have much of an appetite.”
“Alright. While you’re in there, I’ll give Chris a call.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
I cringed the moment I undressed in the bathroom and stared at my body in the mirror. A hot mess was the only thing I could think. When I stepped into the lukewarm water carefully, I tried not to look at all the blood trailing down my thighs. But I couldn’t help it. The water covered my tears and washed away the icky blood. I could’ve stayed in there for hours, but Adam would grow worried if I tried to.
If I didn’t have him, I don’t know where I’d be. He kept me from falling apart. Knowing I wasn’t going through everything alone made it so much more bearable. I didn’t even want to consider an alternative where I had to be by myself.
Time would heal my broken heart. It was gonna be difficult, but I’d get through this. Life threw a terrible curve ball that hit me right in the stomach, where it hurt more than anything I ever imagined. I turned the shower off and stepped out, loosely wrapping a towel around my waist.
Sometimes I needed to stop and cry for awhile, but when I was done, I always got back on my feet. Nothing and nobody would ever pull me down. It just wasn’t my time to be a mother yet, and as much as that pained me, I knew I had to keep living and fighting.
Blood would be spilled again, but this time it won’t be mine.
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