Reclaim Me (The Jaded Series Book 2) (29 page)

My head rears back at the name. What in the fuck does Shady have to do with this? I never even knew that Shady and Tessa really knew each other. Yes, there were some parties when we were younger that we all happened to be at the same time, but Shady is four years older than us and normally didn’t hang out with the younger crowd.

“Are you sure it’s Shady?” I need to make sure that he’s right and not mistaken.

“Yeah, Dad. He’s been coming around for a few years now. He really scares me.”

“What did they say to you?” I ask through gritted teeth.

“They just said they wanted me to do some things for them. I didn’t want to, Dad. I swear I didn’t. They said that if I didn’t, then they would hurt you and me.”

Shame laces his teary voice, and I can’t hold back any more. Knowing that Trent didn’t want to hurt Mia, that he was only doing it to protect himself and me, lifts a huge weight off my chest. Also knowing that we now know the person that’s been helping Tessa eases some of my worry. At least we know who we’re looking for.

I pull T into my arms and squeeze him tight. The fear he must have felt guts me. I should have protected him better. I should have made sure he knew without a doubt that he could come to me with something like this. No child should ever fear for his life, and it pisses me off that my child did.

“I’m so sorry, dad. I didn’t want to hurt Mia, but I was so scared,” he cried against my shoulder.

My heart squeezes at the anguish in his voice. “I know, T. It’s okay.” I pull back from him and meet his frightful gaze. “Everything is going to be okay. I understand why you did what you did, and so will Mia and everyone else. When was the last time you talked to your mom?”

“Yesterday while you were out in the barn taking care of the horses. She made me go to the kitchen and look under the sink for chemicals. I named off some kind of bug spray, and that’s what she told me to put in Mia’s food.”

“So she’s contacted you since she disappeared? Has she told you where she is?”

I hate to involve T even more in this because she is his mother, and I know that he loves her. But I have no choice. She needs to be found. I’m hoping that once Shady gets called in, he’ll turn on her and tell us where she is.

“I’ve talked to her a couple of times,” he says while looking down at his lap. I know that he feels bad for the part that he played. I also know that he wouldn’t have if he felt like he had another choice. “She hasn’t said where she is though.”

A noise off to the left has me turning my head. Jaxon and Bailey come rushing in. When they spot us, they quickly head in our direction. Bailey’s face loses all color when she sees mine and T’s expression, thinking the worst.

I get up to meet them and let them know that Mia is in the back getting tests and treatment.

“I’m still waiting on someone to come tell me how she is.”

“Oh, thank God.” Bailey says. “I thought…” She doesn’t get the chance to continue before Jaxon drags her into his arms.

“Tell me what the fuck happened,” Jaxon growls over Bailey’s head.

“Bailey, do you mind sitting with T while I speak with Jaxon? After I explain everything to him, he can tell you.”

Bailey pulls her head away from Jaxon’s chest. “Yes, of course.” She takes a seat next to T and takes his hand. “How are you holding up, Trent?”

Trent quietly answers her question with, “Okay, I guess,” and looks to me with scared eyes.

I reach over and squeeze his shoulder, “Don’t worry, son, everything’s going to be okay.

At his nod, I gesture for Jaxon to follow me. We stop just outside the double doors leading to the back where Mia is, and I turn to face him. I tell him what Trent told me about Tessa and Shady and that he felt he had no choice but to do what they said.

“Are you fucking telling me that Trent poisoned Mia because Tessa, his own fucking mother, and Shady threatened him?” Jaxon hisses out, barely holding onto his control. I know how he feels. The only reason I’m not out hunting down the bastard is because Mia’s here, barely holding onto her life.

“Yes. As soon as we’re done talking, I’m calling the station to have someone bring the fucker in.”

“Not if I get to him first. I’ll kill the bastard. What the fuck does he have against Mia? And why in the hell has your ex hooked up with him?”

I ignore the comment about Jaxon killing Shady, because I know damn good and well that if I see him, I don’t know that I’ll be able to hold myself back, let alone Jaxon.

“I have no idea, but I intend to find out,” I tell him.

“How’s Trent doing?” Jaxon asks.

“To be honest, I think he’s terrified. Terrified that Tessa and Shady will hurt him or me and terrified that we’re going to blame him. He’s been acting so weird lately, and now I know why.”

“That bastard Shady and your bitch of an ex-wife are going to pay for what they’ve done to Mia and Trent. Mark my words, Mac.”

Before I get a chance to reply, the double doors open and out walks a doctor. Jaxon and I both turn to face him. Bailey and Trent come up beside us.

“Are you the family of Miss Walker?” the older doctor asks.

Jaxon and I both say “yes” at the same time.

“I’m Dr. Scott, the one that treated Miss Walker. She’s going to be just fine. We were able to get her heart rate up to speed. After running some tests, we confirmed that there was indeed Cyanide in her system. We’ve pumped her stomach and given her the antidotes and some oxygen. We’ll keep her overnight to monitor her. She should be waking up soon. We’ll send someone down when she can have visitors.”

“Thank God,” Bailey murmurs and sags against Jaxon.

“Will there be any lasting affects?” I ask the doctor.

He turns my way when he answers. “I don’t believe so. The amount found in her system was minimal. But just to be safe, I want her to go see a neurologist to rule out any potential delayed-onset problems with the brain or nervous system.”

After we thank the doctor, he leaves. We all take a seat and wait for a nurse to come get us. Jaxon pulls Bailey aside and explains to her what happened. I see Bailey throw her hand up to her mouth and glance at T with sympathy and sadness. When they’re done talking, Jaxon steps in front of Trent and kneels down. He grips his shoulder and pulls him in for a hug. I can’t hear what he says, but he murmurs something in his ear. T nods and pulls back. Bailey steps up next and reaches down to give T a hug as well.

A few minutes later, a nurse comes out and tells us that Mia is awake and can see visitors. She tries to tell us only two at a time, but when I pull my badge out, she relents and lets us all back.

I ask Jaxon if he minds me going in first so I can explain what happened with Trent. He nods, and I push through the door. Mia has her head facing the window when I step through the door, but turns it my way when she hears me enter. She looks a hell of a lot better than what she did when I brought her in, though there are dark rings around her eyes and her cheeks are still red.

“Hey,” she says in a low voice.

I walk up to the bed and grab her hand to bring her wrist to my mouth. At her wrist, I murmur, “Hey. How are you feeling?”

“Not too bad. I have a slight headache and I’m tired.”

I lean down, rest my forehead against hers, and close my eyes. “I’ve never been so fucking scared in my life when I saw you on the floor. You’re whole body was convulsing, Mia. Shit!”

I feel her put her hand on my cheek. “I’m okay, Mac.”

“I know you are, but there for a minute, when you stopped breathing…fuck… Mia, I thought I was going to lose you.”

“What happened?”

I pull back from her and sit on the edge of the bed, still gripping her hand. I explain to her what I told Jaxon earlier. Surprise and some other emotion enter her face when I mention Shady’s name. Her face turns hard with anger when I tell her that he and Tessa threatened T and myself.

“Who in the fuck does that to their own child?” She asks angrily.

“Someone that’s completely fucked in the head,” I tell her honestly. There’s obviously something mentally wrong with Tess. “I’ve got someone heading over to Shady’s place right now to pick him up. With any luck, he’ll be there, and we can get to the bottom of this.”

She looks at me skeptically, as if she doesn’t believe that it’ll be that easy. I don’t blame her. Nothing’s ever that easy.

“Trent, Jaxon, and Bailey are outside waiting. I wanted to talk to you first. T’s really scared and worried about what he did.”

Mia grabs my hand and gives it a squeeze, before saying, “I hope you know that I don’t blame him. I could never blame him for trying to protect himself and you.”

I give her a tender smile, not surprised at her words in the least.

“I know you don’t. That’s just one of the reasons why I love you.”

After bending down and giving her a lingering kiss that has my blood pumping and my cock twitching, I get up from the bed to let the others in. Jaxon and Bailey quickly step through the door and immediately go straight to Mia’s side. T’s steps are slower, like he’s unsure he’s welcome. The uncertainty in his movements have me angry all over again. Tessa did this to our son. She’s made him scared and feel unwanted. That woman better pray to God that I have the strength to hold back from killing her when I get my hands on her. Shady as well.

“Trent,” comes Mia’s sweet voice.

T’s frightened gaze flickers to me, and I smile and nod my head in encouragement. He takes a tentative step towards the bed. I watch as Mia gives him a smile and holds out her hand to him.

“It’s alright, Trent. Come here,” Mia says.

T walks the rest of the way to the bed and places his shaky hand in Mia’s. Mia sits up in bed and pulls him into her arms. I see T shut his eyes, tears leaking out the corners. She pulls back and puts her hands on both of his cheeks, wiping away the tears.

My heart swells even more with love for this woman as she says, “Please don’t be scared or worried. I understand. We all understand, okay? I don’t know you that well, yet, but I’ve heard a lot about you. I know that you would never hurt anyone unless you felt you had to.”

“I’m so sorry, Mia. I didn’t want to do it,” T says, his voice breaking at the end.

“I know you didn’t, sweetie.” She pulls him forward and kisses his forehead.

Fuck. How in the world did I live the last ten years without this woman in my life?

I have no answer to that question. But the one thing that I do know is that I will do whatever it takes, take out who ever I need to, before I let anyone take her away from me again.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Mia

Her hands…

Mac’s parents are due to arrive any minute now, and I’m a nervous wreck. Although this is Mac’s house, not my own, and was pretty much cleaned all the way through, I still went on a cleaning binge. I scrubbed from top to bottom, side to side, even tackling Mac’s gym in the basement. I want everything to be perfect. I know that it’s irrational to be so nervous, but I can’t seem to help it. His parents already know me very well and have adored me in the past. Nothing’s to say that would change, but I still feel the need to impress them.

It’s been two days since I was released from the hospital and things have been going well. Ever since Trent finally opened up about what his mother and Shady were doing, he’s changed dramatically. He’s been such a sweet boy, always asking me if I need any help with anything or offering to get me things. I keep telling him he doesn’t need to do anything for me, that he doesn’t need to try and win me over. He’s had me from the beginning. I harbor no ill feelings toward him. Any decent person would know that any eleven-year old child would have reacted the same way.

Mac explained to Trent that if he heard from his mother again that he needed to tell him. So far, there’s been nothing. I don’t know if that’s good news or bad. Of course, I don’t want Tessa to try and rope Trent into doing anything else, but it’s also worrisome that she hasn’t contacted him again to find out the outcome of my poisoning. You would think she would be chomping at the bit to discover if it worked or not.

Mac sat down with Trent and had a more in-depth conversation with him about what his mother asked him to do. It was then that we found out Tessa knew about mine and Mac’s horseback riding and picnic the other day. The night Tessa had left Trent at Taekwondo, she had told him to call his dad and tell him she forgot him there. The whole thing was planned. Trent was to go to Mac’s house, and he was to call her the first time Mia came over. He called her when we left for our picnic the next day, and she came rushing over to Mac’s house. That’s when she got the spare key to my house out of my purse and was able to go in without breaking in and decimate the walls.

More disturbing news is that when the deputy went to Shady’s house to bring him in for questioning, he wasn’t there, and it looked like he hadn’t been there for quite a while. We’ve asked several trusted people in the community to keep an eye out for both Shady and Tessa and that if they see them to contact Mac or someone at the station. Again, nothing so far.

While I was in the hospital, Mac had the same deputy that finger printed my house come in so I could make a formal statement. It was hard to witness, but Trent gave his statement as well. After we got home, Mac had Andrew come stay with me while he went to the courthouse to obtain warrants for both Tessa and Shady. I argued, telling him Trent and I would be fine, but he refused to leave us by ourselves. I relented when I saw the deep worry in his eyes. I didn’t want him to worry more than what he needed to. Needless to say, with mine and Trent’s statements, the judge agreed to the warrants.

It’s been nice to see this different side of Trent. We’ve grown closer, and I cherish every minute of it. Mac and Trent have also grown closer, the bond they once shared back in place and stronger than ever. Trent may still have a lot of feelings to work through regarding his mother, but with the help of Mac, and hopefully me, he’ll get through them fine.

I’m in the kitchen making a peach cobbler. Mac’s in his office going over paperwork for the station, and Trent’s in the living room playing a video game. I’m pulling the cobbler out of the oven when I hear a door slam from outside. I quickly put the hot pan on a dishtowel on the counter and nervously smooth down the front of my deep purple sundress. I don’t wear dresses often, but felt the need to wear one today. I want to look pretty and proper for Mac’s parents. When I came out of the spare room earlier, Mac just shook his head at me. He knows what I’m doing. He’s tried talking to me about my nerves, but nothing he says helps. Only time will tell if I’m truly accepted by his parents again. And that time is now.

I grab a bottle of water out of the fridge and take a few mouthfuls to wet my dry mouth, before walking out of the kitchen. The front door is open, and I hear Trent yelling, “Grandma and Grandpa!” Trent tries so hard to act older than his age at times, but underneath it all, he’s still a child.

I smile at his excitement at the same time Mac walks out of his office wearing a pair of beat up jeans with holes in the knees and a dark grey Nirvana shirt. I meet him at the door, and we both step out onto the porch as we watch Trent hug Maryann and then Sam.

They break apart and make their way towards us. I glance down at my white flip-flops, not able to look them in the eyes yet. Mac wraps his arm around me and squeezes my shoulder. I feel him kiss the top of my head. “Stop stressing so much, Pix,” he murmurs against my hair. “Everything is going to be okay.”

I glance up at him and see him smiling at me. It helps a bit.

Mac releases my shoulders and meets his parents at the top of the steps. He pulls his mom in for a hug. When he takes a step back, she grabs his face and pulls him down so she can kiss his cheeks.

“Oh, my baby. It’s been too long. I’ve missed you so much.” Her eyes glisten with tears as she looks at her only son.

“Hey, Mom. How are you?” Mac asks her.

“Much better now that we’re here.”

She takes a step away so Sam can shake hands with Mac. Mac grabs his hand, but Sam yanks him forward and gives him a man hug with a thump on the back.

“It’s good to see you, Son,” Sam says when they pull apart.

“Yeah, Dad, you too.”

The whole time Mac and his father greet each other, Maryann has her eyes on me, tears still in their depths. I start fidgeting, shifting from one foot to the other.

“Hey, Mrs. Weston,” I greet her quietly.

I’m taken aback when she launches herself at me and puts her arms around me. As with almost everyone, she’s taller than me by a few inches, so I can easily lay my head on her shoulder, and that’s just what I do.

God! I’ve missed this woman so much.

She takes a step back from me, but keeps her hands on my arms when she gazes at me. “Don’t you dare start that Mrs. Weston crap with me, young lady. You know it’s Maryann and Sam to you. That hasn’t changed.”

My body relaxes at her words. Why I ever doubted this woman is beyond me. I should have known all along that she would welcome me back into her arms. That’s just the type of woman she is.

I smile at her and lean up slightly so I can kiss her soft cheek. “Thank you,” I say in her ear.

Sam steps up next and pulls me in for a tight hug. “It’s about damn time y’all got back together. Welcome back to the family, Mia,” he says when he pulls back.

I laugh at him, and the tense feelings I’ve been having since knowing they were coming, melts away. This right here is why I love Mac’s family so much. Although they have every right to have hard feelings for me for damning their son, they don’t.

Later that evening, I’m out on the porch sitting on the swing. I told Mac I was coming out to get some fresh air, but the truth is, I wanted to give Mac’s parents some alone time with Mac and Trent. It’s been awhile since they’ve seen them, and I’m sure they have a lot to catch up on.

Earlier, while Trent was outside, Mac informed Maryann and Sam of everything that’s been going on with Tessa and Shady. Maryann, of course, was devastated and couldn’t understand how someone could do that. To say that Sam was pissed was an understatement. They both wanted to know what was being done. Mac explained they were both currently in hiding, but warrants were out for their arrest. Now, it’s just a waiting game. Waiting for them either to show themselves or to make a mistake. I hated waiting.

I hear the screen door open and glance over to see Maryann walking my way. I smile at her as she takes a seat beside me. We both sit in silence for a few minutes.

“Mac told me you were worried that we wouldn’t accept you back into our lives,” she says softly into the darkness.

“Yeah, I had this irrational thought that you and Sam would hate me for not being there for Mac when he needed me. It’s stupid now when I think about it. I should have known you wouldn’t do that. You and Sam are some of the best people I know.”

She reaches over and grabs my hand in hers. “From the very start we understood, Mia. It must have hurt seeing Mac in that position. There’s no way you could have known that he was drugged and not acting of his own free will. Mac tells me that he knows you still feel guilt. You need to let that go, Mia. Just like he needs to let go of his guilt as well.”

Is it any wonder why I love this woman so much? Besides my mother, she’s the one woman that I would always run to if I ever needed advice. She always knew what to say to make me feel better. Just as she is doing right now.

I rest my head on her shoulder and tell her quietly, “I’m sorry I stayed away.”

She pats my hand with her other one. “And we understood that as well. We knew that it would hurt to see us, and we accepted the fact that you needed to find your own way to cope. Don’t get me wrong, we missed you so much, Mia, but we knew you would come around in your own time.”

Tears prick my eyes with what she said. I have no idea if what she said is the truth, but I want to think that it is. Until Tessa showed up pregnant, that is. Once that happened, there was no way I could be around them because I knew that Mac, Trent, and Tessa would be around as a family, and that I couldn’t handle.

“I knew that once Tessa showed up pregnant that we had seen the last of you,” Maryann continues. “It broke my heart, but I knew that being around Trent, and then Tessa, was something no woman would be able to handle. Especially with a love like you and Mac had.”

“It hurt so much to know that Tessa had not only taken something that was always meant to be mine, but she also took away my dream of having a baby with Mac. Trent was just an innocent baby, and I’m so ashamed to admit that I feared I would look at him and see Mac and Tessa and resent him. I know that makes me a bad person.”

“That does not make you a bad person,” Maryann says vehemently. “It makes you a real person.” She’s quiet for a minute before she asks, “You know that I got pregnant when I was sixteen and gave the baby up for adoption, right?”

Yes, I knew. Mac doesn’t talk about his older sibling much, but he has mentioned it a few times. I don’t know many details, but I can tell it’s a painful subject for him.

At my nod, she continues.

“What you may not know is why I gave him up for adoption.” I look at her with a puzzled expression. I had assumed it was because she was so young and couldn’t care for a baby on her own. Mac’s grandparents didn’t have Maryann until they were in their mid-forties, so they were getting on in their years. Their health wasn’t the best and wouldn’t be able to handle much when it came to caring for a newborn.

“This all happened before Sam and I started dating. I was a rebellious child, if you can imagine that.” She chuckles, and I laugh with her. “I blamed it on my parents. They were so much older than the other parents were and never wanted to join in on the fun and games the other kids and parents were doing. So, I decided to have fun on my own. When I was sixteen and in tenth grade, there was this bad boy that intrigued me. He was a senior and very popular. He noticed my appreciation of him, and we started dating. Two weeks after we started dating, he started pressuring me into sleeping with him. I wasn’t ready.”