Chapter 34

Evelyn

My heart is racing as we stand there looking at the SUV parked in front of James’ estate. My son is here somewhere, and I’m anxious to get him back.

“What are we going to do now?” I ask Shawn.

Shawn doesn’t say a word. Instead, he takes off running.

What the fuck?

“Shawn!” I call after him. He doesn’t stop or turn around, though. He’s on a mission, and he means business.

I start running after Shawn.

I’m scared and pissed that James has taken Tanner, but it’s more anger than fear coursing through Shawn. He’s likely to cause permanent damage to James, if he doesn’t outright kill him.

The thought of Shawn killing James scares me. I’m not scared for James, but for Shawn. He’s not a murderer, but he is a furious, protective, and loving father who will do anything to make sure his child is safe again.

Whatever Shawn’s plans are, I have to stop things from going too far. If James gets beaten up with a broken bone here or there, I’m not going to complain. The man has compromised the safety and well-being of my child.

So, fuck it! I don’t care about the pain Shawn inflicts on him—just not death.

I’m running as fast as I can. There’s no way I’m going to catch up to him before he reaches the house, but I can try my damnedest.

I stumble in my chase. These damned heels are slowing me down and poses the danger of having my neck broken in case I fall.

I stop briefly to lift my right foot up and yank the heel. I kick the other one off my left foot in haste, so that I could keep running.

The stockings come off, too. The thin material is just going to be another hazard once they start ripping and snagging on any stray rock in the yard.

“Shawn!” I call out again. “Wait!”

The damned man keeps going. He’s fucking ignoring me.

A growl rumbles in my chest.

A burst of speed courses through me, and I run a little faster towards him.

I see Shawn reach the front of the house. Next, I hear a loud bang as he bursts through the front door.

Very subtle there, Shawn. It would probably have been smarter to try to sneak into the house quietly, but, honestly, Shawn is a better marine than James.

Shawn has always been smarter, bigger, and stronger. James had managed to fool both Shawn and me up to this point, but his luck has run out.

I finally get close to the front door. It’s wide open, with splinters of wood on the threshold. Shawn definitely kicked in the door and went in balls to the wall; fuck anyone who gets in his way.

I rush into the house and hear yelling coming from somewhere nearby.

“Shawn! Tanner!”

The sound of feet pounding on the hardwood floor breaks through the commotion of raised voices. The sound gets louder, and I realize whoever it is headed directly towards me.

Tanner suddenly bursts around a corner. Oh, thank god.

“Tanner,” I say with a tinge of relief in my voice.

“Mom!” he yells as he jumps into my waiting arms.

He’s crying and shaking as I squeeze him tightly to my chest.

“Mom,” Tanner says as he pulls his face back so he can look directly at me, “Dad and James are fighting. They’re yelling, and Dad punched James in the face. What’s going on? I’m scared.”

“It’s okay, Tanner. Everything’s going to be okay,” I reassure him.

I have faith that Shawn will make everything okay soon. I just have to make sure when everything is over and done with, he’s still going to be by my side—not in jail.

“But Mom, what’s going on?” Tanner asks again. “Why is Dad fighting with James?”

“They’re having a little disagreement,” I start explaining, hardy registering he’s referring to Shawn as Dad. “James took you away from the wedding without our permission. We were worried, sweetheart. Dad is going to take care of it, then we’re going to get out of here. Okay?”

He nods. There’s still confusion in his eyes, and I know my explanation wasn’t that convincing, but I don’t want to scare him any more than he already is at the moment.

The yelling in the other room gets louder, then there’s a loud commotion followed by a huge crash.

I flinch. Please don’t let Shawn be hurt.

I grab Tanner by the hand and drag him behind me as I hurry towards the room he just came out of. I make sure he stays behind me so I’m between him and whatever is happening between the men.

I won’t allow Tanner to get hurt, but I refuse to let him out of my sight.

I round the corner to see Shawn and James slam into a wall. Broken wood and glass are scattered across the floor, indicating what the loud crash earlier was about. The men haven’t been arguing but are engaged in a no holds-barred fight, regardless of what furniture they destroy in the confrontation.

Shawn has pinned James, with his arm pressed against the wall. His other arm was wrapped around his throat.

“You bastard,” Shawn growls. “I should kill you for what you’ve done, what you’ve taken away from me and my family.”

My blood goes cold. I was right. Shawn wants to kill James.

Shawn removes the hand wrapped around James’ throat and clenches it in a fist.

I have to stop this. I need to call the cops. But Shawn mustn’t do anything to James that could get him trouble when the cops arrive.

Shawn lifts his clenched fist and cocks his arm back, ready to punch the shit out of James.

“No!” I scream with all my might.

Both men got startled and looked at me. Shawn makes sure though his grip on James hasn’t loosened.

“Shawn, don’t,” I plead. “You can’t punch him anymore. As much as he fucking deserves it—and a lot worse—you can’t.”

“The hell I can’t. Evelyn, he took our son. He took seven years from us— time we could’ve spent together. I’m going to make him fucking pay.”

“I know you want to make him pay. And he will. It just can’t be the way you want him to. Let me call the cops, and they’ll handle it. Please. Don’t let him cause more damage to our family. Let him be the only one who goes to jail.”

We stare at each other for what feels like an eternity.

Finally, Shawn bows his head slightly in acceptance.

“Call the cops, Evelyn,” he says.

I know he’s not happy with this decision, but he’s smart and knows it’s the right one.