Stand (14 page)

Chapter 29

I didn’t kill him.

I shot him, but he was still alive when the EMTs took him to the Trauma Unit at the University Hospital.

Jack and the police arrived moments after I shot the intruder. Jack was on his way to my house when I called him. He had tried calling me. When I didn’t answer he decided to drive by. He explained that if all my lights were out and things looked okay, he would assume all was well. If not, then he would stop and ring the doorbell. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that probably would have scared me half to death. I was too grateful that he was here with me. Normally he would have been at least half an hour away. I was glad he decided to check on me. I guess he got that gut feeling that something wasn’t right, too.

Max had been drugged. Jack and I took him to the Vet Emergency room. They ran a whole series of tests. My attacker crushed approximately two milligrams of Xanax in a cup of vanilla pudding. Max was unconscious, but essentially fine. They gave him IV fluids.

It was so sad to see Max lying on that little stretcher with an IV going. I sat next to him and just pet him. That was when I started to cry. Not great big sobs or anything, those quiet tears that just slip down your cheeks. Jack didn’t say anything about the sudden moisture on my face, he just scooted his chair a little closer until his body was pressed to mine. It helped.

They wanted me to go the ER as well. I refused. I was a little banged up, but honestly I’d been through worse. I will definitely not be skipping any self-defense sessions. They saved my life more than once.

The next day Max and I were home. Jack had called someone for me and there was a new front door and bedroom door waiting when I got there. I didn’t realize it at the time, but the police had to break down the front door to get inside.

Jack and I walked in together with Max at my side. Everything looked the same. I guess I expected chaos. I found Kitty under the bed. She growled and was not about to come out. I talked to her until she calmed enough that I was able to pet her, but she was staying put. I wondered if I was going to have to start putting her food under there.

Jack and I didn’t say much. We didn’t need to. I had needed him and he was there. We sat for a while on the couch. The silence was comfortable.

It was about eight that evening when he asked me. “Do you want me to stay?” The truth was I did. More than anything I wanted him to stay.

“I do, but I need to do this. I need to know that I can be alone.”

“Okay.”

I walked him to the door. The hug he gave me there went bone deep, and he pressed a kiss to my temple. When I shut the door behind him I felt calm. I knew I was going to make it.

______

As for the guy who attacked me, his name is Grant McCairn. He was arrested by the local police for breaking and entering and assault and battery before he was taken into FBI custody. Until he broke into my house I had never heard of him. The only connection I had to him was Georgia. I could only assume that he worked for her or with her. I didn’t know exactly what his relationship to her was. Was he like Lawrence Pheares? Was he her partner? When it came to Georgia it seemed like there were more questions than answers. The one thing I knew for sure was that she was after me, my own personal monster.

I got a call from Jack about a week after the attack. “We got her Char. We got Georgia. Grant is telling us everything.”

Thank you so much for reading Stand. I hope you enjoyed it! Writing has always been deeply personal for me, and Stand was no different. It is empowering to realize the impact our choices can have. Thank you for taking the time to read, rate, and share! The final story in the Georgia arch, Redemption, is slated for release in mid-2015. Check my Facebook page for updates!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Books are Becky’s passion and always have been. She used to get in trouble in school for reading during class!

Becky has Master’s degrees in social work and history, and for her day job she is a social worker. In her writing she tries to answer a question that is important to both social work and history: Why? She always wants to know why people do the things they do or feel the way they feel.

When not reading or writing she enjoys yoga, photography, and cooking, and makes a pretty mean chili!

You can find Becky on her blog, Facebook page, or Goodreads.

www.bjohnsonauthor.blogspot.com

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https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8304350.Becky_Johnson