Sniffling, he thrusts his phone at the officer but keeps one arm around me. I keep him tight against me with my arm around his shoulders as an anchor as the entire scene plays out on the screen. I hate that you can hear all the shit Jacob was spewing about Lana.
“I’m going to send this to myself; would that be all right?” the officer asks Beck, and I notice belatedly that they’re not from Blackstone Falls but the next town over. He nods and the officer types into the phone before handing it back.
We go through the basic information and then he asks for me to call Lana, which Ireallydidn’t want to do. She answers on the first ring.
“Beck? You okay, buddy?” she asks as laughter floats through the line.
“Lana, it’s me,” I say with a sigh. “I’m with the police.”
38
LANA
“You’rewhat?” I screech, the room going silent around me as my stomach threatens to throw up the three things I’ve eaten since getting here.
“Jacob showed up and?—”
“Is everyone okay? Are you okay? Jesus, Mason, what happened?”
“Ma’am?” a deep voice says on the other side of the phone, and I swallow the sob that tries to escape as Bea wraps her arm around me, Cal and Ellison coming to stand in front of me.
“Yes, I’m here.” The man introduces himself and asks me to do the same, and it takes everything in me not to shout at him to tell me what happened.
“Can you tell me who should be at your house today?”
“My boyfriend, Mason Amato, and my kids, Beck and Holland. God, are they okay?”
“They’re fine, ma’am. What about Jacob Richards?”
“He shouldn’t be there. We’re divorced and I bought that house after we were no longer together. We have a custody agreement through the court, and while I know that’s civil, it’s not his weekend anyway.”
There’s a commotion and then his deep voice is back on the line.
“At this time, Ms. Richards, your ex-husband has several charges including resisting arrest.”
“But my kids are okay?”
I practically weep, my body shaking. “Yes, ma’am. Your son got the fight on video.”Your son got the fight on video.“I’m gonna leave my card with Mr. Amato if you have any questions or concerns.”
“Thank you,” I choke out, my phone falling into my lap as the call ends.
“I’ll drive,” Ellison says as she hands my keys to Cal. “Follow us in her car so she has it.”
“It’s going to be okay,” Bea soothes, grabbing my hand and my purse and leading me toward the door, my body in a state of shock as I let them lead me outside.
MASON: We’re all okay
MASON: Cops left with Jacob
LANA: I’ll be there soon
Ellison keeps lookingat me from the driver’s seat, obviously trying to determine whether I’m about to break.
But I’m not.
I can’t.
And the longer we drive, the more pissed I become. That bastard came tomyhouse and terrorizedmyfamily—and for what?
