Page 65 of Rain or Shine
"Sorry, kiddo." I loosen marginally. "Come on, we need to get you back home," I tell him while dialing 9-1-1 and lifting the phone to my ear.
My thoughts spiral from Megan's words, and I glance back to find her staring after us, moving at a much slower pace. What the hell is she doing?
"Nine-one-one, what's your emergency?"
"Hi, my name is Delaney Knox. I'm at the park on the corner of Main and Third Street. There's a woman here that I believe you have a warrant for. She claims to be Dash Henderson's mother." I keep my voice low enough in hopes that Dash doesn’thear me, but I have no other choice. I just pray he isn’t paying attention to what I’m saying right now.
"Ma'am, has she confronted you?" the dispatcher on the other end of the line asks.
"Yes, she has. I have Dash with me, and we're heading for my vehicle," I inform them.
"Okay, get to your vehicle and wait for deputies to arrive. Keep your phone to your ear and let me know when you get there."
I agree and hang up not thinking about the fact they told me not to hang up. The phone immediately starts vibrating again, but I ignore it to focus on getting Dash and me to my truck. It’s probably a stupid move on my part. As I shove my phone back in my pocket, pain splinters across the back of my head. I stumble and turn, placing Dash behind me.
"I tried to warn you," Megan snaps. "Figured the way your house burned to the ground, you might receive the message. I won’t let you have them. You can't have what isn't yours."
God, she sounds like a lunatic.
"I haven't tried to take anything of yours," I protest, backing away, doing my best to protect Dash from seeing the woman. Or her seeing him.
"Laney," Dash's voice wavers.
"It's okay, kiddo," I say, doing my best to reassure him. "But I need you to do something for me."
"What's that?" His soft voice causes an ache in my chest.
"Take my keys out of my back pocket and run to my truck, lock yourself in it until I get there. Can you do that for me?" I ask, not taking my eyes off Megan for one second.
Dash doesn't answer me, but I feel him reach into my pocket and grab my keys. Behind me, small feet take off at a run, and I let out a relieved breath, knowing he listened to me and is doing as I ask of him.
"You think calling the cops is going to keep me from getting my son back?" Megan scoffs, lip curling. "Tyler and Dash are mine, bitch. I won't let you nor any of those pigs keep them from me. They’remine. Mine. Mine," she screeches the words, nearly causing me to flinch at the sound of them.
"You need help, Megan," I tell her. "They're not yours."
"They're mine," she snaps, lunging forward.
This time I don't let her get close. I'd been an idiot for turning my back on her earlier, but I did it to get Dash as far from her as possible. Now I just need to stall her until the deputies get here. The sounds of sirens in the distance should make me feel better, but they don’t.
I sidestep Megan's lunge, adrenaline surging through me. The sirens grow louder, but they’re still too far away. My head throbs from where she hit me, but I push through the pain.
I have to protect Dash.
"You know you’re not going to win, Megan. Deputies are on the way. You'll be going back to prison," I say, keeping my voice calm despite my racing heart. "They'll be here any second."
She laughs, a hollow sound that sends chills down my spine. "If I'm going back, I'll be sure Tyler suffers for it." She reaches behind her, the flash of black metal bright with the sunlight.
I hold up both hands, stepping back. "We're in public, Megan, you don't want to do that."
"I don't?" She cocks a brow and aims the gun at my stomach. "You think I don't know you stole my life? That you're pregnant with Tyler's baby? It's all over town that you moved in with him because you're pregnant with his kid. You trapped him. You knew I was coming home to my family and took what belongs to me. And because he is who he is, Tyler moved you right into his house after your house burned down. You should have heeded my warning, bitch, and got out of town altogether," she rants, not making sense.
How could she think I knew she was getting out? I didn’t even know anything about her.
"Why would burning my home down send a warning? I didn't even know you were behind it." Honestly, I thought maybe Philip had been the one to do it.
"I didn't do it with you in the house," she shouts, waving the gun in front of her. "I could have done it with you inside. I told myself to do it while you were asleep, but I waited until later in the day to start it."
I couldn't understand her logic. She's clearly out of her mind.
