Chapter Twenty-Seven
The sun glinted in his eyes as he dialed Jade. He was installing the new alarm system at the cottage with Trent and Tyson while she was at his place keeping an eye on Mia.
“Hello?” she practically gasped into the phone.
He frowned while fidgeting with the front door. “Why are you out of breath?”
“We’re outside twirling. It’s snowing!” She laughed, the sound mingling with his daughter’s giggles in the background.
“I thought the snow wasn’t supposed to come for a few more days.” He squinted into the cloudy December sky and cursed. Snow was definitely on its way.
“I think we’re supposed to get a blizzard or something early next week. I don’t think this is it. This is just flurries. It’s not sticking.”
“It’s just cloudy here.” She was as free spirited as a kid at times. How could a little precipitation make someone over the age of twelve so happy?
“Is that Daddy? Ask him where my sled is!” Mia yelled in the background.
“Mia, sweetie, I don’t think there’s enough snow to actually go sledding.”
“Please,” Mia begged.
Jade laughed. “Mia wants to know where her sled is.”
“It’s in the shed. Tell her I’ll get it out when I get home.”
“And when will that be?”
He looked toward the other guys to see how things were coming along. “Well, we’re wrapping up with the locks now. Trent’s installing your alarm sensors and Ty’s wiring your motion detector lights. I’d say I should be home by dinner. Is that okay?”
“That’s fine. I told Mia we’d make Christmas cookies. I stopped on the way over and grabbed a tub of the frozen kind you slice and decorate.”
“The frozen kind? That’s cheating!”
“It counts! Besides, if I made them from scratch no one would eat them. This is really better for everyone.”
“Kiki, come on!” Mia yelled. “We can play Beauty and the Beast and dance in the snow.”
“Sounds like you’re being summoned. I’ll let you go. I should be home by five. How’s pizza for dinner?”
“Great. I’ll see you then.”
“Love you.” He snuck in the sentiment before she hung up.
She giggled and whispered, “Me too.”
Grinning, he headed back inside the cottage.
Trent screwed a tiny sensor to the top of Jade’s back door. Jeremy returned to installing the night latch on the front door. “I told the girls I’d be back by five. You think that’s doable?”
“I’d say definitely doable. Ty’s halfway done. He just needs to get up in the attic to run some wire to the other end of the house and set the timers to test the bulbs. After this, I gotta hit all of the windows and install the main control panel. Once that’s done, you gotta run all your codes and shit to activate the system. I’d say another three hours tops.”
Two and a half hours later they were right on schedule as Jeremy was screwing the last sensor on Jade’s bedroom window. It had snowed briefly, but not enough to interfere with their work.
Tyson came through the front door and a piercing beep filled the house. It stopped as soon as the door shut. “We’re good out back. The two front bulbs should wrap the house enough to cover all angles, but we won’t be sure until it gets dark. I’ll test them out tonight.”
Jeremy’s phone rang and the screen said HOME. Jade was probably getting hungry. “Hello?”
“Daddy?”
“Hey, baby. You making cookies with Kiki? I hope you saved some—”
“Daddy, something’s wrong with Kiki,” Mia interrupted, panic in her voice.
Holding a hand up to tell the guys to quiet down, he covered his other ear. “What’s wrong?” She hadn’t had morning sickness in a few days.
“I don’t know. She won’t come out of the bathroom.”
“Okay, princess. Where are you now?” He tried to remain calm, not wanting to upset Mia further. Ty stepped closer.
“I’m in the kitchen. What should I do?”
“Stay calm. Can you go to the bathroom door?”
“Okay.”
He listened as Mia stomped up the steps. Tyson and Trent gave him questioning glances, but he couldn’t take his ear away from the phone until he knew what was going on. They thought she was past the puking stage, but the book said it sometimes returned.
He heard Mia knock. “Kiki? Kiki, Daddy’s on the phone. He wants to talk to you.” Her breath echoed in the phone as she knocked again. “She’s not answering, Daddy.”
“Does it sound like she’s sick, Mia? Did she say she had a belly ache?”
“She said her back hurt.”
“Put your ear to the door. Tell me what you hear. Does it sound like she’s throwing up?”
Mia shuffled the phone against her clothing. “It sounds like she’s crying.”
He silently cursed. “I’ll be right there. Wait for me on the steps by the bathroom in case Jade calls for you. Keep the phone with you. Call me if anything happens. I’ll be there in ten minutes, okay?”
“Okay, Daddy.”
He hung up the phone. “Something’s wrong with Jade. I gotta go.”
Tyson grabbed his keys. “I’ll follow you and get Mia,”
“I’ll stay here and lock up. Hope everything’s all right,” Trent said, as they left the house in a rush.
As soon as Jeremy got in his car he dialed Jade’s cell phone. It rang four times then went to voice mail. He dialed again only to have the same result. As he turned onto a straight run of road, he texted, Call me.
Too impatient to wait for a reply, he called her phone again.
“Fuck!” he yelled, as it went to voicemail.
As he stopped at a light Tyson pulled behind him, talking on his phone. He was probably speaking to Kat, telling her something was up. The light changed and Jeremy sped through the weekend traffic. About six minutes later he peeled into his driveway and ran into the house.
“Mia!”
“I’m here, Daddy.” She stood at the top of the stairs holding the cordless phone in her tiny hands, her eyes huge in her pudgy face.
“Did she come out yet?” he asked, taking the steps two at a time.
“No.”
Jeremy quickly pulled her into his arms. “Listen to me. Sometimes grown-ups get sick, that’s all. You did the right thing by calling me. Now, I have to check on Jade. Tyson’s on his way here. I want you to go sit at the kitchen table until he gets here. Okay?”
“Okay.” She sniffled and he kissed her on the cheek, waiting until she turned down the hall to speak to Jade.
“I’m here, Jer.”
Jeremy thought quickly. Whatever was going on with Jade, he didn’t want Mia around. His daughter was already upset and he had to focus on Jade at the moment. “Take Mia home. I’ll call you.”
“You got it,” Tyson yelled.
Jeremy jiggled the bathroom handle, which was obviously locked. “Jade?”
He listened but heard no reply. “Jade, baby, it’s me, please open the door.” Pressing his ear to the door, he listened again but only heard silence.
“Jade? Honey, I’m going to count to ten and then I’m coming in. One…two…” He heard nothing, not the running of water, or the sound of her breathing—no crying. When he reached ten he yelled, “I’m coming in, so move away from the door.”
He took a step back and kicked at the knob. The door splintered from the frame and the knob hung loosely in its spot. He shouldered forward and the lock broke free. A chill raced through his body.
She sat on the toilet, hunched over, her arms wrapped around her middle, her face wracked with tears. She faced him and her mouth opened in a silent roar of agony. Her legs were buckled around the seat and her pants bunched around her knees.
He didn’t understand. “Jade?”
That was when he saw it. Blood. It coated her hands and thighs like dark, horrifying oil. It was everywhere. Jesus Christ, the baby.
He staggered to her and fell to his knees. His hands pulled at her face, trying to get her to see him. She didn’t seem to register his presence. “Baby. Baby, look at me.”
Her torso and lap were smeared with crimson. There was just so much. His eyes prickled with tears as he pulled her into his arms, holding her as tightly as he could.
A brutal sob escaped her throat, taking him back to memories on the battlefield. Tremors shook her body as she moaned in agony. He rocked her back and forth as they huddled on the floor, his own tears mingling with hers.
“I’ve got you. I’ve got you…”
In a tortured wail, she moaned, “Why…”