I sucked in breath after breath. He was going to make me do the one thing I didn’t want to, and I knew it. I was terrified of that. I was so scared he would strip this baby away from me.
But he turned around and left, I could hear his footsteps fleeing as he got in his car, revved the engine and drove away.
I let out a sigh of relief as I slumped against the door and slid down, sinking until my ass was on the hardwood and my knees were drawn together. I sobbed until I ran out of tears, the flow of them trickling to nothing. I’d never cried until I couldn’t, that was a new thing for me. I always heard about it, but I thought it was just one of those things people say. No, it’s real, and it hurts. It hurts not to have another tear to give to pain. I couldn’t believe the amount of hurt I was experiencing. It made me want to double over and just scream. Rage.
Another knock at my door. He said he would be back, but I didn’t think it would be this soon. The anger of the moment overtook me as I stood up and wrenched the door open glaring at what I thought was Greyson. I was going to scream at him to stay the fuck out of my life and leave me alone. He made his damn choice when he banished me from his life to live with my father. I wasn’t interested in his plans for me or this child.
Instead, a sick smile met my eye level. The kind that shattered all my anger and left me feeling one emotion. Fear.
“Hello, Joanna.” David looked down at me, a man on either side of him. “You’re going to come with me.”
Greyson
I walked up to her door with the crowbar and expected to have to use it. I didn’t expect that the door would be hanging open, but it was. My breath quickened as I assessed the damage.
Fuck.
I walked into the house and looked around. The foyer table had been knocked over, the rug flipped up. There had clearly been a struggle. In the middle of a chaos was a note. A single piece of paper with just a few words scribbled on it.
She’s mine now.
David. It was his handwriting. His fucking note left behind. He took my wife. He took my unborn child.
He was going to pay.
I crinkled the note in my hand and let out an angry yell. That piece of shit was going to get exactly what he deserved.
I turned to leave the townhouse, and that was when I heard it. A snore so loud that it couldn’t be ignored. She was ripped from her home all while her father slept in his bed, probably in a drunken stupor.
Rage filled my veins and left me wanting to punch something, so I turned to the closest target, the living room wall. It gave easily under my fist putting a hole in the already dry-rotted construction, then I stalked down the hallway to another unsuspecting target. Her father.
I opened the door to his room and saw him passed on the bed, a bottle clutched to his fucking chest.
“Wake the fuck up, you piece of shit,” I yelled as I kicked him right in the side.
“What?” He asked, his words slurred.
“You dumb fuck, do you have any idea what you’ve done? You were fucking home you stupid shit.”
“Who the fuck?” her father asked as he came up swinging. “Grey-“
“Joanna, where is she?” I grabbed his collar and slammed him against the head of the bed. I knew he didn’t know anything, I knew he couldn’t, but I was so angry I didn’t give a shit.
“I-I-” he stuttered, the fear very real in his eyes.
“You’re fucking worthless, you know that? If you’d be awake, sober, you might’ve been able to save her.” He wouldn’t have. I was kidding myself when I said that. What I really meant was that if I’d stayed by her side, if I’d refused to leave when she screamed at me to, it never would’ve happened.
She’d be safe in my arms, and not out there with David.
I went through a mental list of all the resources I had. Dennis, but he might not give a shit, he was pretty pissed about the way shit went down. He and my father had started proxy wars with territories and gangs, my father wouldn’t care, hell I wouldn’t be surprised if he fucking gave his permission. The only people I had on my side were Janson and the crew, but they would be enough.
I walked out of the bedroom and grabbed my phone, dialing.
“What is it, Greyson?” my father asked.
“Did you send him?”
“Send who?” I could tell he was tired, probably been sleeping.
“Who is it baby?” I heard the voice on the other end of the phone, it wasn’t my mother. Another one of his damn whores.
“David. Did you give him permission to come after my wife?” I would take down the entire family from the inside out if he did.
“What? No, I didn’t.” He sounded genuine. Like he was surprised David had done anything of the sort. “Greyson, I had no idea.”