of whoever it is.”
Freddie released the deep breath he’d been holding while waiting for her to give him permission. He grabbed the phone from his back pocket and took the call from Sam, giving thanks to the Lord above that it was her. “Hey.”
“What the fuck? Why weren’t you answering?”
“I told you before.” He made an effort to keep his voice calm and flat. “I don’t care about you. I never have. Stop bothering me with your lies.”
“Freddie… I’m coming. We’re coming.”
“That’s good. That’s what needs to happen. Now don’t call me again.” He returned the phone to his pocket. “All set.”
“It’s already happening to you too. People from outside your marriage will want to ruin it. They’re jealous because you have something they want. That’s what happened to us. Other women wanted my husband, but we were fine until that bitch stole everything from us. Mark never looked at anyone else until Ginny ruined us. And now…” She paused, blinked, her eyes full of tears as she looked at Freddie with utter desolation. “What am I supposed to do now?”
“You turn to your family and your friends to get you through it, and you rebuild your life. It’s what people do when things don’t work out like they hoped. They start over.”
“I don’t want to start over.”
“You have to. It’s the only way forward. Things didn’t work out with Mark. So find someone else who will love and appreciate you.”
“How can I do that when I can’t even leave the house? That never used to be a problem, but now…”
“What did you do before?”
“I owned a bookstore, but after Ginny took the money, I couldn’t afford to stay open. I had enough for a year, but when we realized the money was gone and the investment was a scam… That store was my whole world, and then it was just gone. Fifteen years of work, just gone.” Her helpless shrug tugged at him. “I don’t know what to do.”
“Yes, you do. You get a therapist to help with the agoraphobia. You get a lawyer to help with the divorce. You sell this beautiful house and get yourself a nice cozy little apartment you can easily afford on the proceeds from the sale. Then you set up an online profile, and you meet other people who’ve been disappointed in past relationships and find your happy second chance. You can do it, Hattie. I know you can.”
“That sounds really nice,” she said with a small smile that softened her demeanor. “You make it sound so easy.”
“It won’t be easy. It’ll take a lot of hard work and emotional upheaval, but at the end of it, you’ll come through stronger and more able to face whatever happens next. And you’ll be rid of a husband who dishonored you by turning to another woman. Think about how amazing that new life will be and how vindicated you’ll feel when you pull it off without him. He doesn’t deserve you, but there’s someone out there who does. You just need to find him.”
“You really think I can find someone else?”
“I really do, but first you have to give me that gun and let me go. Otherwise, you’re going to end up in really big trouble. We can chalk this up to a misunderstanding, but only if you give me the gun.” He held out his hand while giving her a pleading look. “Please, Hattie. Give yourself a chance to be happy again by doing the right thing. Give me the gun.”
In the seconds it took her to make up her mind, Freddie’s entire life flashed through his mind, the good, the not so good, the beautiful, the ugly. The highlight reel ended with Elin’s exquisite face smiling at him the way she did all the time, as if he was the center of her world. He was, just like she was for him.
“Please, Hattie. Don’t do something that can’t be fixed. We can still fix this, but if you hurt me or continue to hold me against my will, I can’t help you.”
“You’ll help me?” she asked softly.
“I swear to God.”
Another moment passed during which Freddie never blinked as he held her gaze.
She handed him the gun.
He quickly removed the bullets. “Now give me mine too.”
Reaching behind her, she withdrew his weapon from the back of her jeans and handed it to him, leading with the business end.
He quickly turned it toward a far wall and then put it back in his holster, relieved