Almost Ordinary (The Song Wreckers Book 2) (3 page)

My phone rang the generic ringtone again as I walked. “Damn it,” I whispered. My feet hurt, I wanted to leave, and I had been unable to reach Caleb. I wanted to hit the ignore button, but if my mysterious caller was Adam, I needed to know.

“Hello?” I answered in a bitchy tone.

Nothing for a second, then the sound of something heavy being broken or knocked down with a grunt. Then voices. I froze.

“That’s him!”

Oh God, Caleb’s voice. What was happening?

“Don’t move! Let go of her!” Cooper, Caleb’s boss, said.

I knew that voice well.

“Get out of here!” a third man yelled, much closer to the phone’s speaker. This must be the man who’s been calling me.

I heard shuffling noises and yelled, “Caleb!” into the phone. No one answered me. My heart thumped in my chest.

I ran the rest of the way to the fountain and sat down on its ledge, shaking. Men were yelling at each other in my ear. Caleb. Cooper.

And Adam, the third man.

“Caleb!” I yelled again. Nothing, he couldn’t hear me. I shook from head to toe.

“What did you do to her?” Caleb barked.

“I said ‘Get out of here!’” Adam said again.

“Shit!” Caleb yelled. “Did he hit you?”

“No,” Cooper answered. “Adam, let go of her. Stand up slowly.”

Dead silence.

Two footsteps.

A gunshot.

“No!” Caleb yelled.

I began trembling and crying, barely able to hold onto the phone. “Caleb! Caleb!” I sobbed.

Another gunshot.

The call disconnected.

I shot up, terrified, and my convulsing hands dropped the phone into the fountain. I fell to my knees to fish it out, but tears limited my visibility. I picked it up. It slipped out of my hands and into the water again.

“Damn it.” I wiped my eyes on my shoulder and looked up to see several people crowded around me.

They spoke to me, I thought. I had no idea what they said. I didn’t hear voices, just my brain static and the slosh of water as I fished for my phone again. I grabbed it once more and held on this time. I rose, the front of me wet. Four people regarded me with concern and alarm. One held my clutch purse I must’ve dropped when I ran to the fountain. Their mouths moved, but I still couldn’t hear over the roar in my own head.

Was my husband shot? Was he alive?

What the hell should I do?

I lurched forward and grabbed my purse from the woman who held it out, then ran down the hall and out of the building as fast as I could. The second I dove into my rental car I tried to call Caleb. My stupid phone wouldn’t turn on, ruined from its swim. I tossed it on the back seat.

I didn’t remember driving home, but found myself in Kent’s kitchen. Wet, shaking, sobbing.

I found the landline and dialed Caleb’s number. Five rings then voicemail. I hung up.

I didn’t have Cooper’s number memorized, it was programmed into my cell.

I tried Caleb once more. No answer. I left a voicemail message for him to call me.

Kent’s laptop was set up in a den off the living room. I ran in and searched for flights that could fly us home tonight. It was eleven o’clock. The last flight to Detroit had been three hours ago. I’d have to wait for our scheduled flight in the morning.

I didn’t quite know what to do at the moment, but I needed to see my kids. In my room, I watched the boys sleep until Kent called my name. I left the bedroom and shut the door.

“I’m here,” I said from the top step.

Kent’s eyes grew large as I plodded down stairs, still in my wet dress, and very disheveled. My eyes felt swollen.

“What happened?” he asked.

“I’m not sure.” I began crying again as I told him what I’d overheard.

Kent led me to the kitchen. I sat on a chair, numb, while he found the number for Southgate P.D., where Detective Lindsmere worked. He called. The detective was off duty.

I tried Caleb a few more times. Nothing.

I googled 3D’s number. No answer, of course, at this late hour. The receptionist had left long ago. I’d never called directly into Caleb’s office, and there were no other listings of numbers for 3D.

I knew I wouldn’t sleep tonight, but wanted to clean up and pack as much as possible so there’d be no delays tomorrow.

I hid in a long shower and let myself cry some more. Was my husband dead? Wounded? If so, I’d be contacted by now, right? Someone at 3D would find me.

Was Adam finally caught?

Was my world about to be wrecked? Again?

Chapter 4

At six a.m., fed up with sleeping mere minutes at a time, I woke Franny and told her a scaled down version of what I’d heard on the phone last night, and that I had no idea if anyone suffered injuries, or worse, died. I couldn’t call Caleb again. If something bad happened to him I wouldn’t be able to deal with it and get the twins and Franny to Detroit without breaking down. Until I found out otherwise, I chose to believe Caleb was fine.

So I’d wait. Hell, I would even to try praying.

The sluggish process to exit the plane didn’t help my anxiety. Caleb was supposed to pick the four of us up and take us home, but I had no idea who’d be waiting in the crowd for us.

I stepped off the elevator that took departing passengers who couldn’t ride the escalator. I turned to the right, toward the crowd, with a death grip on the stroller handles. My gaze darted over everyone until I spotted a head of blond hair.

Caleb.

I choked in relief then tried to run to him. With the stroller though, not happening. I made it about three feet. “I got it,” Franny said, “Go.”

I glanced at her thankfully, then ran into Caleb’s arms. He picked me up as he hugged me and I held on for dear life.

“I love you. You’re okay,” I cried. “Where have you been?”

I let go as he set me down on my feet and kissed me. “I tried calling last night, but your cell went straight to voicemail.”

My composure cracked and I became frantic. “I heard it, Caleb. Someone called me. It had to have been Adam, and I heard you and Cooper fighting with him. I heard gun shots. I had no idea if you were alive or dead. I dropped my stupid phone in a fountain and ruined it, then you weren’t answering your phone.”

He grabbed me in a fierce hug and kissed the top of my head. “Princess, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. My phone fell out at the scene and I didn’t get it back until late last night. I assumed you were asleep and turned your phone off when it didn’t even ring.”

“Nope, dead phone.” I raised my chin to look at Caleb. “Who was shot?”

His attention turned somewhere over my head. “Let’s talk about this later. I need to see the boys.”

Damn it. I needed to know, but standing in the middle of a crowd was not the ideal place to have this conversation.

Hand in hand, we weaved through the crowd to Franny and the twins. He kneeled down in front of the stroller to see Alex and Zander.

“Kinda makes you more appreciative of what we have,” I said, half to myself.

“No doubt,” he agreed.

We drove Franny home. I waved good-bye and thanked her. She had no idea how much I appreciated her, and when I wasn’t a complete mess I would do something special for her.

As soon as he pulled out of her driveway, I asked, “Adam, he’s in custody right? Please tell me he didn’t escape again.”

He reached over to hold my hand and gave it a squeeze. “No, they arrested him. I can’t imagine he’ll walk free any time in the near future.”

I couldn’t relax yet. “Caleb, who was shot?”

He let go of my hand and gripped the steering wheel hard. “Cooper. Twice. Once in the leg and once in the chest.”

“Oh my God.” My head swung toward the back seat, then to Caleb. “Is he . . .?”

“He’s alive.”

I put my head down and squeezed my eyes shut. “Is he going to stay that way?”

No answer. I looked up at him. “Caleb?”

His jaw clenched and eyes narrowed. “I think so, I don’t know. He’s been through two surgeries already. One for the wound to his chest and the other to fix his leg. It’s a wait-and-see kind of injury.” He glanced at me for a second then refocused on the road. “It’s bad, Princess.”

“I need to see him.”

He stopped at a red light, drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and exhaled loudly. “Yeah,” he said. “I know. The doctors won’t let you yet. We’ll have to wait to see if he pulls through, then give him some time.”

We didn’t talk any more the rest of the way home, just held hands. I loved the feel of his hand in mine, and how touching him always helped calm me.

Caleb parked in the garage and unhooked the boys from their car seats. I grabbed my one suitcase and dragged it in.

“I’m going to go put the boys down for a nap,” Caleb said.

I nodded, though he couldn’t see me since he was halfway to the stairs, and let my suitcase fall to the floor in the family room.

I sat on the couch. Tears streamed down my face. Caleb could’ve been the one who was shot. The Creep’s identity was known, and I should’ve identified him as Adam a long time ago. Cooper, my God.

I had no idea how long I sat there, stunned that Cooper could’ve died. Might still die.

I jumped when Caleb said, “They’re asleep.” I hadn’t heard him come down the stairs.

I wiped my tears away. He slowly gathered me into his arms, almost as if he were nervous. He held me for several more minutes, then led me to the kitchen and onto a chair. I watched while he fixed a sandwich.

He set the plate of food in front of me. “You want some fruit or something with that? Is milk okay to drink?”

I ate my sandwich in silence while Caleb cleaned some clutter that had accumulated over the last couple of days, checked on the boys sleeping, and his phone for texts or emails.

When I finished, he loaded my plate, bowl, and glass into the dishwasher, then wiped down the table. I watched him. He didn’t look at me. When there was nothing else for him to do, I said, “I wish you would tell me everything. It can’t get any worse, can it?”

Caleb ran both hands through his short, blond hair. Then he scrubbed his hands down his face. “She’s dead. Nord. He killed her.”

I covered my mouth with my hand. I couldn’t believe I’d forgotten about her since last night, and thought I might throw up everything I’d just eaten. I slowed my breathing and held it together. “He killed Belinda, and shot Cooper twice.” God, I’d always hoped that The Creep gave up on me. I never would’ve guess he’d go this far.

Adam. I had to start thinking of him as Adam.

My mind played a quick flashback of Adam in disguise attacking me in the alley behind Brett’s. I survived because Katie and Brett saw him wielding his knife over me on the security monitors, and ran out screaming, causing The Creep—Adam—to run away.

“If Cooper dies . . . Oh God, Caleb. He can’t! The biological father to our twins can’t die!” I began pacing, the one outlet for my nervous energy. “Tell me he’s going to make it.” I stopped to look at Caleb and hear him confirm that Cooper would be fine.

He shook his head. “I can’t promise that. I don’t know.”

More tears fell as my heart pounded so hard I could feel it.

Cooper, the biological father to the twins, might die. That couldn’t happen. I had too many questions for him: How could he walk away from me without a word after getting me pregnant? Did he even care about his two sons? Does his family have any history of illness I need to know about? I thought I’d have plenty of time to discover the answers, or for Caleb to. That might not be possible anymore. I needed to see him soon.

I wanted to rush to the hospital, but my husband stood in front of me: the man that showed me what it was to truly love someone. The only man to ever accept me for everything I was.

I forced a deep breath and stopped the tears. I didn’t want to cry. I wanted my husband. We’d been apart for two days, part of which I’d frantically worried if he’d been hurt or killed.

I placed my forehead on Caleb’s chest. Intertwining our fingers, I felt him relax. His scent calmed me for the moment. “I love you.”

He lifted my chin and kissed me. “I love you too.”

We stared at each other. He pulled his hands from mine and rubbed my back, pulling me tighter to his body. Encouraged by this, I kissed my way up his neck and straight to his mouth.

His hands skimmed up and down my arms as his eyes studied me from head to toe. Completely still, I let him, transfixed by his attention.

Then he reached behind and tugged out my ponytail holder. My hair fell, so he slid his hands up my neck to my head, and shook my hair out.

He smiled. God, those dimples damn near did me in. I couldn’t help it, I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him again.

He bent and put his arms around my backside and lifted me. I wrapped my legs around his waist and pressed myself as hard as I could against him.

“Princess.”

I kissed him once, hard. “I know, me too,” I breathed, then bit his bottom lip.

Holding me solid, he carried me up the stairs and into our bedroom. He bent forward over the bed and unwrapped my legs from his waist. I scurried into the middle of the bed then grabbed his shirt and yanked him to me.

I unbuttoned my jeans and finagled my left leg out along with my panties. Caleb unzipped his pants, and shoved them and his boxers down enough to free his erection. We didn’t bother with foreplay. I was so wet he went in easily, primal and hard. I lifted my hips to deepen his penetration and I came faster than I ever had. I screamed his name as the explosion ripped through my body.

Caleb held out for a while longer, making my orgasm linger. Although I didn’t think it possible, he drove into me harder, then shuddered as he came too.

He stilled and lay over me, holding his weight on his elbows. “That was kinda rough. I’m sorry.” He wiped my hair from my face. “Are you okay?”

I half-smiled and nodded. “Don’t be sorry. I needed that.” I didn’t let him pull out of me. I hugged him, trying to force him to lay on me.

Instead, he shoved his hand under me, onto my lower back, and pressed me to him so he could roll to the side. I threw my leg over him, still not letting him out of me. We lay there, enjoying the reconnection for a few minutes.

I hated to ruin the mood, but said, “Can you tell me what happened?” I needed details of how they caught Adam, and how Belinda Nord ended up dead and Cooper shot.

Gliding himself out of me, Caleb took a deep breath and tucked himself into his pants. I jammed my left leg into my panties and jeans, but the mess he left behind ran down my thigh. Normally I loved the feel, proof of our love-making, but baby noises sounded from the monitor. They hadn’t slept long, probably because travelling messed with their schedules.

“First, can you get the boys?” I asked. “I have to hop in the shower.” I didn’t wait for his answer. I sprung out of bed and stripped down, then headed for the bathroom.

“I’ll meet you downstairs,” he said.

His phone trilled. Whatever he saw on caller ID caused him to squeeze his eyes shut for a second, and I froze.

“Here it is,” he said, so I knew the call was news about Cooper.

I held up two fingers, and whispered, “Two minutes,” then darted to the shower. I needed to clear my head. If Caleb was going to tell me Cooper died, well, I needed a moment to myself.