wouldn’t be here. I wouldn’t have led him to the girls.” She placed her sandwich down, and her gaze traveled past my shoulder. “I wish I’d never come here.” Her voice was a breathless whisper, but it gutted me.
“Don’t say that.” In the next second, I reached for her hand, pulling her into my lap. “I don’t want to think of my life without you in it.” I tenderly kissed her forehead. “Everything is going to be fine. I’ve already contacted the school and my private investigator again today. I’ve already informed my security team to go to the house and make sure it’s secure. Tomorrow, you’ll have an escort to and from the school. It will be fine.”
She sighed into me, not truly believing—I could tell. Either way, I held her tighter, knowing there was no way in hell I’d ever let her go.
Becky
The cool breeze prickled my skin as I walked to my car from Brisken Printing Corporation.
I’d spent the last few hours with Charles trying to convince me that everything was gonna be okay and me delving into my past, giving out as much information as I could about Paul so Charles could find him.
But as I pushed the key in the ignition and turned the engine on, anxiety deep inside of me lit up like a ball of fire ready to explode. I started to hyperventilate, so I took a moment and rested my head against the steering wheel, taking in deep, long breaths.
Everything will be okay, right?
In a matter of minutes, security would be at our house, surveying the area to make sure it was secure. Charles would have someone meet me at the school today to accompany me and the girls home. And tomorrow, I’d have an entourage of two security guards who would take us to and from school until Paul was found.
Everything will be okay.
As I drove to the school, flashbacks of everything that Paul had put me through bombarded my mind, bringing up the immense pain that came with that relationship.
As hard as I’d tried to erase the memories from my mind, I couldn’t.
All that occupied my thoughts was the violence, the verbal abuse, all the things that I didn’t want for my newfound family.
I drove to the school in a rush, needing to get to them, needing to bring them home safely. Typically, I would have stayed in the car and gone through the carpool line, but today, I didn’t. I placed the car in park, surveyed my surroundings, and rushed to the front doors, waiting for the bell to ring to dismiss my girls.
I debated on waiting for the security guard that Charles had hired to meet me here, but I didn’t. Anxiety and anxiousness in having the girls safe in my arms won out.
Minutes seemed like hours as I stared at my watch and back at the door again. My foot tapped against the concrete, and I bit anxiously at my pinkie nail.
When will the bell ring?
I waited and waited and waited.
Finally, when the bell rang, I rushed toward the doors, and when the teacher opened the door, I almost crossed the border to go inside. She raised a hand, as though I were new to the proceedings of dismissal but I wasn’t. I was to wait outside, but my anxiousness got the best of me.
Other parents were congregated by the door. My eyes swept over the crowd, teetering between my car, the surrounding areas, and back to the school again. Could he be here now?
I watched every single kid leave the building. Minutes felt like years, and I paced a path in front of the door, waiting for Sarah and Mary to emerge. Usually, it was Sarah who would come out first, but she was three minutes late. In about a hot second, I would charge in, not caring about the consequences.
I came closer, telling the teacher on duty, “I’m sorry, but my two girls haven’t come out yet. Can I just go grab them? I’m kind of in a hurry.”
“I’m sorry. For security reasons, we can’t let you inside right now.” Her face was apologetic, but it didn’t help the unease inside of me.
My mind was playing that negative game again, envisioning worst-case scenarios. Like Paul in the school with my girls.
My heart pumped and thrashed within my chest. Just the thought threatened a heart attack.
I took one step forward, about to cross the line, consequences be damned, when a swoosh of air released from my