One Big Mistake - Jennifer Youngblood Page 0,5
brothers had made Ramsey tougher. He punched Edison in the jaw. Edison grunted but kept his hold on the gun. Ramsey tried to pry it from his fingers. A pop sounded. It went through Ramsey’s brain that the gun had fired. At the same time, he heard a startled cry. Time seemed to slow to a painful crawl as Allie crumpled to her knees, clutching her chest. She fell onto her back, a circle of blood spilling out from the gunshot wound and soaking her fingers. Edison gasped as he dropped his hold on the gun. He scrambled over to Allie’s side, cradling her in his arms. “Oh, my gosh!” he cried, rocking. “You’re okay,” he kept repeating. “Stay with me! Please!”
Ramsey kicked the gun across the room as he rose to his feet. The horror of the scene made everything feel surreal.
Allie coughed and gurgled, her eyes bulging with a sickening panic.
“Call an ambulance,” Edison cried. “Hold on, babe. Hold on!”
Ramsey called 911. “There’s been a shooting,” he screamed.
The next several minutes would be forever etched in Ramsey’s soul. Edison crying and begging Allie to stay with him. A river of blood flowing over her pink pajama shirt and onto Edison. Allie’s eyes going glassy and then flat. The ambulance and police arriving. Edison’s shrieks of anguish when the paramedics pulled him away from Allie and placed her lifeless body on a gurney.
“You’ll pay for this,” Edison raged, fury twisting his features. “You just made the biggest mistake of your life.” He went to rush at Ramsey, but a police officer grabbed him from behind and handcuffed him.
“Let’s go,” the officer said as he hauled Edison away.
“You’ll pay!” Edison screamed. “I don’t care how long it takes. You’ll pay!”
Ramsey bolted up in bed, his hands clutching the sheets. His gaze darted around the room, trying to orient himself. “It was a stupid dream,” he muttered. Or nightmare. His skin was covered in a clammy sweat, and the ghost of Allie’s memory still lingered in the air. He scrubbed his face. This was the third nightmare in a matter of two weeks that he’d had about Edison and Allie. Was it because the anniversary of Allie’s death was coming up in a month?
He made a note to check in with his boss Sutton Smith about Edison Duffey’s whereabouts to make sure he was still in North Carolina. Edison was convicted of voluntary manslaughter in connection with Allie’s death. He served eight years in prison and had been released a year ago. Ramsey mentioned to Sutton that he was concerned about possible retaliation. That’s all it took for Sutton to put a tail on Edison, at which point Ramsey learned that Edison was working at a pawn shop in Raleigh, North Carolina. Thankfully, all had been quiet for the past several months. Edison seemed to be content to go about his life, but that didn’t stop the reoccurring nightmares.
Ramsey reached for his phone and checked the time—three thirty a.m. He placed it back on the table with a groan. Only three more hours before he was due to catch a flight back to Nashville. He’d been in Washington DC for the past week, running the security detail for a political rally. The job ended last night. Ramsey was looking forward to going home and taking a few days off. Tomorrow night, Ramsey along with his siblings and parents, were attending a thirtieth anniversary celebration for Cash and Ava’s record label. The two of them were set to perform. Also, Hartley Raines was performing.
Ramsey sighed as he relaxed against the pillow. An image of the fiery redhead flashed through his mind as a smile slipped over his lips. He’d last seen Hartley at an after-party following Cash’s concert in San Francisco. As always, Hartley had taunted and teased him with her soft, playful smile. She’d asked him out for coffee and when he agreed, she told him never mind before sashaying away.
The mere thought of seeing Hartley again quickened his blood. An image of her flashed through his mind—crystal blue eyes sparkling with mischief, long copper hair so alive that it glowed fire, her sleek sinewy body with curves in all the right places. Stop it! he ordered himself. The Romeo brothers had a strict code of not dating girls that any of them had previously been involved with. Jaxson liked to shamelessly flirt with all the girls, including his brothers’ girlfriends and wives, but there was no mal intent. That was