“Don’t fucking move, or I swear I will split this bitch’s skull wide open!” Joel screams in a voice dripping with vengeance.
“Erin! Are you all right?”
I never thought I would hear the sound of Adam’s voice again and my heart is lodged in my throat as tears silently slide down my face. My vision is blurred as my eye is swollen shut, but I see him. I see my incredible loving man who somehow found me, and he’s here. My legs buckle underneath me but Joel keeps me held upright.
“Tell the rest of your damn cronies to get out of the vehicle now, pretty boy, or you will stand there and watch me kill her. I am not fucking around with this shit anymore.”
I see Luke emerge from the driver’s side and Antonio steps out of the passenger side.
“Adam. Is Sierra all right?” I whimper through my tears.
“She’s fine, baby,” he says calmly.
“She is not your fucking baby. She’s mine,” Joel rages and pushes the gun harder into my head.
Luke intervenes with his calm and cool voice and posture.
“Joel, you need to let her go, man. You’re never going to get away with this. The cops are on their way here.”
“Nice try, asshole. Do you think I give a shit about the cops or any one of you fuckers here? This bitch ruined my life years ago when she called the cops and she never looked back once. I told her and told her to never leave me, but she betrayed me and did it anyway. So I am calling the shots here and this is how it’s going to go down.”
Joel walks us to the edge of the porch and his grip around my waist gets tighter.
“You are going to step back out of my way. I am going to get the hell out of here and I am taking her with me.” Joel’s voice is beginning to sound desperate and I can feel his hands start to shake. This monster of a man is taking over my entire being and I am not about to leave with him. I can’t, not when my future is mere feet away from me. It’s either fight or flight, and this time fight is going to win.
Out of the corner of my eye I see my sister Shelby kneeling down on the other side of the Range Rover. I squint my good eye to double check and make sure I am seeing things clearly. Before I have time to fully register what I’m seeing, she opens the back door and out jumps Muppet in all of his big, fuzzy glory. He moves so fast, Joel doesn’t have time to react as Muppet sinks his teeth into his leg.
Joel immediately releases me, his gun dropping to the ground just below the last step. Everything appears as if it’s running in slow motion as Adam scoops me up in his arms and carries me around to the other side of the vehicle where Shelby waits. He gently places me on the ground and I embrace my sister tightly as Antonio and Luke race toward Joel. I can see it all unfolding as Muppet releases his grip on Joel, blood covering his face and paws.
Joel reaches behind his back and pulls out another gun, pointing it directly at Luke and Antonio just as they reach the bottom of the porch stairs.
“Stop right there,” he yells, wincing through his pain as he hops to the edge of the porch on his good leg. Suddenly, my sister releases me and spins herself around, pulling a gun of her own out of her jacket, and I gasp.
“Shelby! What are you doing?” I reach for her but she moves away, ignoring the sound of my voice.
“Put the gun down, Joel,” Shelby commands in a deadly serious voice.
“Fuck you, Shelby!” Joel turns his gaze and takes aim at my sister. All I hear is the echo of a gunshot before I collapse to the ground screaming uncontrollably.
“SHELBY! NO!” I claw my way through the dirt to reach my sister who has fallen to the ground just a few feet in front of me. I am quickly scooped up and cradled into the strong arms I have become so familiar with. I scream and kick and try to get him to let me loose but he won’t.
“Adam, let me go! I have to get to her, please let me go! Oh, God! No, Shelby, no!”
“Shh. Erin! Listen to me. Stop.”
Adam’s smooth comforting voice startles me and I stop thrashing about. At that moment, I see Antonio helping my sister up off of the ground.
“Erin!” she screams.
“Shelby.”
Adam sets me back down on my feet and I realize that I am not dreaming as my sister cradles my head in her hands. I look her over for signs of a bullet hole but there is nothing.
“I…I thought he shot you! Oh, God! Shelby!”
“No, he didn’t. I shot him. I’m okay, Erin, and so are you. It’s over sissy, it’s over.”
“I...is he dead?” I tremble and put my hand over my mouth.
“He’s dead,” I hear Luke say as he gets up from kneeling beside Joel. The world goes black and the last thing I hear are sirens and the words from Adam’s sweet mouth saying, “I love you.”