Chapter 14

14

Shannon knew her father was a lunatic. He was still raving and yelling even with the cops there.

She glanced at the cops and found them out of their cars, guns pointed at her father. She didn’t know when that had happened since she’d been trying to stay upright and not trip over the sidewalk or bushes.

Panic and shock had her operating at a deficit. She needed her things, but she would die if she raced back into that house. She didn’t want her dad to die, not really, but he was acting like a crazy loon.

She’d made it almost to the curb and was still moving when the cop’s voice crackled over the loudspeaker.

“Put the gun down, sir.”

She stumbled off the curb and into the street, tripping backward. She caught herself on the pavement, the sting in her hands increasing. Her eyes landed on her dad, his beady stare focused only on her. For a second, she believed he would shoot again.

“Put the gun on the ground. Now!” The cop sounded more insistent, more like he meant business.

She inched back, seeking some sort of safety but knowing she wouldn’t find it. She’d lost her family, her home, her everything, and Striker wasn’t calling.

“Ma’am, come this way.”

She glanced over her shoulder. A cop motioned to her, his eyebrows raised. On shaky legs, she moved to him, fear finally coming out as tears.

Life had turned crazy. She was standing in the street with cops while her dad pointed a gun at her.

Panic drove her to beg. “Oh God, oh God, don’t shoot him. He’s a freaking idiot, but don’t shoot. ”

“Do you know him?” the cop asked.

Another police car sped close, lights flashing. The new car skidded to a stop, and a guy hopped out, gun drawn.

She was out of control, and she felt like she was in one of those falling dreams, but the freefall wouldn’t stop. It just kept going, and she feared hitting bottom.

Her father still hadn’t put the gun on the ground, but he now had both hands up in the air, the gun gripped awkwardly in his fist. A door slammed behind her, and she glanced over her shoulder, not seeing anything. Were their neighbors watching this circus?

The clear blue sky and birds chirping were directly opposite to the storm brewing in front of her. She clutched her hands close, trying to control the fear.

Her dad started to bend over, his words jumbled. It sounded like he was going to give up.

“Ma’am, could you tell me what happened.”

Her head jerked up, and she stared at the cop, her mouth open, eyes wide as her muscles trembled. His words filtered through her brain, and she nodded but didn’t speak.

“Ma’am, you just need to tell me what happened.”

Her hands were shaking, so she clenched them tighter across her waist, her stomach rolling. “Um, sure. Sure. Oh my God, he actually shot at me.”

The officer stayed calm, his voice even. “Ma’am, what happened?”

“I was at home, and he brought some guy over.” She glanced around, pointing to the man who her dad had brought to the house. “That guy.”

The cop spoke into the mic at his shoulder. “The man in the white shirt with dark hair and pale skin, grab him. He was inside the house.” The cop focused on her again. “And what else happened?”

“Um, so I was in my room studying, and my dad called for me to come out. It’s easier just to try and make him happy. But he wasn’t happy because I said no.” She stared at her dad. He’d been handcuffed, and he had his head down as the cop spoke to him. Goose bumps broke out over her shoulders. He couldn’t hurt her, not now.

“Said no to what?” The cop’s low voice broke through her musings.

She blinked at him, not understanding the question at first. Then she remembered. “He said I had to marry that guy. I don’t even know his name.”

“So he said you had to marry that guy over there, and you don’t know his name?”

“No, I’ve never seen him before. I have no idea who he is.”

The cop nodded as he wrote something down in a small notebook. “Okay, so what else happened?”

“Oh God, he could have shot me.”

The cop stood taller, his lips thinned. “Ma’am, what happened inside the house?”

For the life of her, she couldn’t think as she stared into the cop’s crystal-blue eyes. They reminded her of the sky. Why was she thinking of the sky now? Her hands and her knees were shaking so bad she needed to sit.

“We’ll get you a blanket. Could you tell me what else happened?”

She closed her eyes, thinking about everything that had gone down in the den with her father, how he’d chased her. Another shiver snaked through her.

“He-he wanted me to marry that guy. I said no. Then he hurt me—he grabbed my arm and yanked, trying to force me to do God only knows what. I ran to my room to gather my things. He broke in and started threatening me with his gun.”

“So your father said you had to marry that guy you don’t know, and when you said no he got his gun?”

She nodded as heat flooded her. Would this officer think she was a terrible person because she was pregnant and single? What would he say about her? Did she even need to tell the cop she was pregnant ?

“What happened next?” the officer asked.

She watched as the police led her father toward the car. That was when her dad started spewing stuff, his hateful words hitting her right in the gut.

“You’re nothing but a whore,” he yelled. “A nasty-ass whore. You should be the one in jail. I should have killed you when you were sleeping. You nasty-ass whore.”

The other cop shoved him into the back of the police car, cutting off his rant. The police officer closest to her grunted then met her gaze.

“I take his words as a threat. I’ll make sure you have a protection order against him. How about we find a place that is more comfortable and talk about what happened?”

She watched as the cop car drove away with her father inside. She turned back to the officer beside her.

“What will happen to him?”

The cop shrugged. “He’ll be held for at least twenty-four hours. There’s a good chance he’ll be in for a few days before he gets bail. Do you know if he has the money to pay?”

“No clue.”

“I’d expect him to be back on the street before the weekend.”

She sucked in a breath. “That soon?”

The cop winced then shrugged. “It sucks. Trust me, I know. I’ve seen too many bad men out on the streets after something like this. I want you to be aware. Don’t for a moment think you’re safe with men like that around you. You can’t trust them. That’s not official but based on what I’ve experienced. You need to keep yourself safe.”

She nodded. Her father treated her like she was property, not a real human. That he even thought he could arrange a marriage was ridiculous. He was unhinged. For years she’d kept the peace, making sure to stay out of his way, keep quiet, be respectful, but this was the undoing. No question, she couldn’t live here any longer.

“You probably want to gather your stuff and find another place to stay.”

Pressure built in her head as she imagined how her life would change being homeless. The car she’d been using belonged to her dad, and he’d already taken that from her. She had nothing to her name. It would be another month after she graduated before she could take the state test, and then if she moved to Georgia, it would be weeks if not months before the Georgia license came in. She’d be stuck working as an assistant until then, and she had no money, no car, nothing.

A sob escaped her lips. She cringed as fear and pain filled her.

She stared at the ground, shaking her head as depression took over. It was too hard to live like this. Stability, that’s what she needed, but she had none.

Pain hit her square in the chest. Striker wasn’t around. She wanted to talk to him, tell him everything that had happened, but he was out of touch, overseas somewhere.

“Do you have somewhere else to go?” The cop was being kind, and she was wrapped up in her head, feeling sorry for herself and here he was trying to be nice. Granted, her father had just threatened to kill her. She guessed that was an okay excuse for losing her manners.

She shook her head. “No.”

“There are a few shelters,” the cop said.

“I have my equipment. I need it. I can’t leave it here.”

“Equipment?”

She nodded. “I’m graduating soon from cosmetology school. I’m so close to being finished. I take state board exams in a month.”

He pulled out his phone and started typing. “There’s an inexpensive hotel not too far from here. It’s about sixty a night. I might be able to get the owner to lower the price. He does that for me when I get situations like this.”

She reached out and touched the officer’s arm. “Wait, this happens often?”

His lips pinched together as he screwed them up on one side, and his face scrunched up before he shrugged. “Yeah, it does. At least twice a month just for me. Maybe more.”

“Jesus.” She blew out a breath as reality hit. This was more common than she thought. Why were people so mean? Then worry about Striker hit. Would he accept her being pregnant?

“It’s rough out there. Usually, it’s a husband or a wife.”

“That’s sad.”

The cop glanced around, giving her a minute to wipe away the tears. Maybe it was just her emotions from the pregnancy, but she didn’t think so. What her father had done was horrifying.

He cleared his throat and shot her a smile. “How about you go start packing your supplies. Me and my partner will take you to the hotel this evening. You’ll be safe there.”

Her hope faded as her mind filled with thoughts of her dad. How could he be so evil? She met the cop’s gaze and gave a quick nod. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, and we’ll help you. There are good people out there.”

She blew out a breath, the weight of what had happened pressing down on her, making it hard to breathe. Sitting here wouldn’t get her out of her father’s house. It was time to get organized. It took her almost two hours to pack up her life. The cops left and said they would return in a few hours. She worried they wouldn’t come back to get her. She obsessed about Striker for almost an hour as she packed. Everything seemed too much. How could she expect strangers to be nicer than her father?

Three hours after the cops had taken off, she received a text, stating the police officer and his partner would be around in about an hour. Her heartrate picked up, and she took one last look through the house. Since she’d been planning on leaving her father’s house anyway, half of her things had been packed. Now she moved the four small boxes and two suitcases to the front hall, waiting for the cops to come help her.

Her father had attacked her just because she was pregnant. He was pure evil. Maybe she’d messed up having sex with Striker. She was pregnant, but she knew he would help her once he knew. He wasn’t the type of guy to abandon a pregnant girlfriend. At least she hoped he wasn’t. Maybe everything had been an act, but Striker had seemed real.

No, doubt, Striker was the man for her. And even if she decided not to be with Striker, she still wanted the baby. There wasn’t anything wrong with keeping this baby. She would work hard to be a good mother, even if she didn’t have any help.

When the police officers arrived out front of her house, this time, the circumstances were different. They helped her load the boxes into the back of the car, then gave her a muffin they’d picked up on the way over. The gift, even if it was small, brought tears to her eyes.

“Thank you.”

“You’ve had a hard day,” the officer said.

She nodded, then slid into the back of the car. The hard plastic seat was too straight, making it impossible to get comfortable, but the drive to the hotel wasn’t long. She didn’t say much because there wasn’t much to say.

The bile in her stomach calmed as she nibbled on the muffin. She had a little bit of cash from tips her clients at school had given her, but it wasn’t much. At fifty dollars a night, which was the rate the cop got her for the room, it would only be two hundred and fifty dollars for the rest of the week. After she finished school, she could get a better job, but she’d need to find a cheaper place to stay. Maybe she could swing paying this much for another week after graduation, but money would be tight.

The cops helped her with her last box. She wanted to give them a hug, but she didn’t feel it would be appropriate, so she shook their hands.

“Thank you.” She felt like they deserved more than words. They’d saved her life and she was indebted to them.

The cop handed her his card. “I hope you find a place soon and that everything turns out okay. Call if you need anything.”

“Thank you. I’m sure it will be fine. Once I’m no longer spending seven and eight hours a day in class, I’ll be able to find a job.”

He shot her a smile that made her think there were some nice people in this world. “That’s good. I’m excited for you.”

Her heart was a little lighter. “Thank you. I’m just in shock.”

“I bet. You have my number. If anything happens, if your dad comes around, just text. If you need a drive-by or don’t feel safe, call the police emergency number; they’ll have information about what happened. We’ll make sure he can’t hurt you."

“Thank you.”

The police officers left, and she locked the door, wishing she had someone she could count on. But everyone she knew was stressed financially. Most of them were in school and didn’t have places of their own. Striker was the only person she knew who wasn’t living with his parents or sharing an apartment with five other people.

Getting to school the next day was more difficult than it had been from home because of where the bus routes didn’t go. But she left early and made it with only minutes to spare.

Nothing much changed for her life, except she didn’t have to go home and clean up her dad’s messes. She ate soup warmed in the microwave for dinner, and microwave meals for breakfast.

The hotel wasn’t too bad, and it was quiet for the most part. It was located just off the peninsula near a freeway. There was some street noise near rush hour, but she got used to it fast.

The most significant difference living at the hotel instead of her dad’s house was no one bugged her. She studied uninterrupted and went to bed early each night. She was ready for the test and ready to graduate. Now that she knew she was pregnant, she combatted morning sickness with white crackers and cold ginger ale which helped.

The morning after her father had gone crazy, she’d texted Striker asking him to call because something was up. Twenty-four hours passed before she realized her father had cut her phone service.

Now she had no way of getting in contact with Striker. School would be over soon, and she couldn’t rely on getting messages from anyone in her class if she texted Striker from their phone. She needed to buy a disposable phone, but she had to have money for rent first. Since this was the last week of school, she wasn’t taking clients. That meant no tips were coming in. Her life was all stress and pain, and she just needed a break.

The desperation that hung over her since her father kicked her out broke. She went into a full meltdown, ugly crying once she stepped into the hotel room. An hour passed before she gathered herself enough to shower. Maybe Striker would still want her in a few weeks after she got a phone. She moved to the dresser and picked up the deactivated device, thinking of tossing it at the dull cream-colored wall, but the phone hadn’t done anything wrong.

After drying her eyes, she found something to eat, then showered and headed to bed early. Though her graduating class wasn’t huge, they were having a party to celebrate after the ceremony. If she skipped the ceremony, she could be out looking for a job. She needed to earn money, but one day to celebrate her accomplishments wouldn’t make that big of a difference.

Was everything that had gone wrong just a sign indicating she didn’t need to keep this baby? The idea of Striker’s child in her arms brought more tears. She tried to stop crying, but nothing calmed her. Fear of never holding or kissing Striker again twisted her up. She didn’t even know his real name, just Striker. Why hadn’t she pushed for his first and last name? Now she was homeless, carrying his baby, and though she was graduating tomorrow afternoon, her prospects were slim because she didn’t have a phone. Life had gone from difficult to nearly impossible in the space of a few days. How would she raise this child? What if there was another option? She shivered and clutched her belly.

“What should I do?” she cried out as more tears came. The increased hormones had her all worked up. If only there were an easy answer, but nothing was ever easy.