“I’m sorry, ma’am, he must come with us.”
“No.” I step between them and Coal. “He didn’t do it. He was protecting me. Please,” I beg.
“Kiera, they need to take him. With the holidays and court not being in session for a few days, the judge decided the military could have jurisdiction. He has to go with them.” Sheriff Kullen pulls me out of between everyone.
“He was saving me. Please, don’t take him. He’s the only person that’s ever loved me.” I plea with everything in me.
“Be strong, pixie. You can do this. I love you.”
“No, Coal, I need you.” I crumple as I watch them cuff him.
“I love you,” he says again.
“Don’t go, I have no one else. Nothing left.” I pull away from the sheriff. “I love you too.” One of the guards pushes me back.
“Get your hands off her. She’s carrying my baby,” Coal yells at them and fights against the cuffs.
Sheriff Kullen grabs me again and holds me back tighter. “I got her, Coal,” he says, and I watch and scream until I lose my voice as they take him away from me. I cry so hard I black out.
❖
Coal
“Happy fucking birthday to me. Merry fucking Christmas,” I say to the quiet of the room. I’ve been on lockdown in a barrack room since they brought me back to base yesterday. I haven’t seen Kiera in two days, but I’ve dreamt of her every night. I’ve had nightmares as I watched that knife plunging toward her chest.
I don’t know if she’s pregnant with my child or not, but I told the SFs she was to keep them from hurting her. I can still hear her voice as she screamed for me. She said I was the only person to love her. I think of the weekend I spent making love to her. Every time we did, I was telling her without words how I felt about her. It’s a torture I’ll hold onto until they figure out what my punishment is.
A knock sounds on my door.
“Enter.”
The door opens and Lee steps inside.
“I hope you know I’m charging you not only for travel expenses but double time for working on the holiday.”
“Whatever. None of it matters.”
“The sheriff dropped the charges after Kiera told them the whole story. They found the knife on Leon at the hospital. So stop the pity party and take whatever punishment the military has in store for you. You’re a free man, according to the civilian government.”
“Thank God.”
“But you’re still charged with conduct unbecoming for continuing to hit Leon after you disarmed him.”
“He was going to kill her.” I rip my hands through my hair. “How is she?”
“I don’t know.” His words cut through me.
“What do you mean?”
“She’s been missing ever since she broke out of the hospital again yesterday.”
“You need to find her, Lee.”
“I’ll try, but I’m trying to help you here.”
“I don’t care, they can take away everything from me, but I can’t lose her. Is she in Chicago? Go there.” That’s where she was planning to move.
“She blamed herself for you being taken into custody. She cleared out her bank account to pay the bond before I could intervene, and the bail bondsman won’t refund the money even though charges have been dropped.” Something passes across his eyes before he looks down. And again, his words are like a knife to my soul.
“Find her. Give her everything. She’ll have a place to stay at least, until I can get back to her if she ever forgives me. Find her and take care of her. I’ll take whatever punishment they determine for me here.” I look up at him and see the sorrow in his eyes.
“Coal, the will is still in probate. I can’t give her the house. The only thing in your name is the gallery.”
“How is that in my name and not the house?”
“Your father put it in your name right after you left.”
“Give it to her.”
“But it’s all you have from your mother.”
“I don’t care. She needs to be safe. She gave everything for me, I’ll do the same for her.”
“Coal, they arrested Leon. She’ll be safe.” He tries to assure me.
I shake my head. “She’ll never be safe in that town as long as they believe what Leon said. What really happened to her mother?”
“I’ll find out.” He assures me and leaves me alone.
I spend the rest of Christmas in my room, waiting until they decide what they are going to do to me.
Chapter 6
Kiera
It’s been more than a week since I last saw Coal, since they took him away from me. Lee found me a couple days after Christmas hiding in the old cabin Earl had lived in. I skipped work and cried for days, eating very little. By the time he found me, I was dehydrated. and again ended up in the hospital. He told the doctors there was a high likelihood I was pregnant, but they said it was too early to tell. They treated me as such anyway, just in case. I was given fluids and spent the night in the hospital. The next day Lee showed up and told me I could stay at Coal’s mom’s gallery.
“There is a small apartment upstairs you can stay in,” Lee says as we pull up in front of the gallery. “It’s yours to do with as you please. Coal wanted you to have it.” His words hurt because that means Coal isn’t coming back. For the first Christmas ever, I actually felt loved, until this moment. I nod at him and take the keys before stepping out of the car.
Now I’m sitting here watching as the town celebrates the new year around me. Fireworks will go off over the lake at midnight. I need to make it to the store to buy eggs and milk. I slip on my tennis shoes and my coat. It’s cooler today and the snow is sticking. I step out of the gallery’s back door and lock it behind me. I’m careful across the parking lot, I don’t want to slip and fall. I still don’t know if I’m pregnant, but if I am, I’m going to give this baby everything I didn’t have.
Stepping into the warm interior of the grocery store, I grab a cart and walk down the aisles. I found out I still have my job cleaning the cabins and I start again the day after tomorrow. All my bruises from Leon’s attack have faded to yellow. Leon is in jail, and Sheriff Kullen said he won’t get out for a long time. I’m sad to say I’m actually hurt I caused all this strife.
“Freak. Murderer,” is hissed from behind me, and I turn to see Barbie, my old manager from the country club, standing at the end of the aisle. “You ruined that poor man’s life with your filth.”
“No, I didn’t.” I cry.
“Yes, you did.”
“My life isn’t ruined.” Coal’s voice comes from behind me, and I twist so fast I lose my footing. He rushes to me and catches me. “Pixie, be careful.”
“Coal.” I cry.
“Just a second.” He pulls me into him, and I hold on with everything in me as he looks over my head to Barbie. “You’re fired. I run that country club now, and I don’t want people that bully others working for me. Besides, Kiera didn’t kill anyone. Leon killed his own wife when he didn’t take her to the hospital when she started hemorrhaging. Kiera was only a newborn at the time.”