Avery was about to climb in when Jamie’s voice stopped her.
“No. I wantSadiebehind the passenger seat.” She looked at Sadie. “I’m not taking any chances with you behind me.”
With gritted teeth, Sadie climbed in first, shifting to the far side of the backseat and helping Avery into the middle. She made sure her seat belt was firmly on before latching her own.
Jamie slid behind the wheel and started the engine. Before putting the car in drive, she massaged her temple. How much had the woman drunk? She looked about ready to pass out, and now she was going to drive her daughter somewhere?
Sadie’s jaw dropped when Jamie lifted a bottle of bourbon and took a big drink. Jesus, this woman was insane!
As the car began to move, Sadie’s heart pounded, and she curved an arm around Avery’s shoulders, wishing she could do more to protect her. She didn’t care about herself, just that she kept Avery safe.
Jamie pulled onto the main road, but her turn was wide, the tires squealing when she tried to correct herself. Her gun sat on her lap, her fingers wrapped around the grip.
Maybe they’d get lucky and someone would report Jamie for reckless driving. Sadie just had to hope that if a deputydidtry to pull her over, she didn’t do anything crazy like speed off. God, even the thought made Sadie feel sick.
Avery’s chest began to heave with her rapid breaths, the smallest tremble shaking her limbs.
Sadie lowered her head and kept her voice quiet as she whispered, “It’ll be okay, baby girl. You’ll be okay.” She didn’t care that she had no right to promise Avery anything. Right now, she just needed to ease her fear.
“Stop whispering!” Jamie shouted.
Sadie looked at the other woman, anger spewing through her veins like lava. “Why are you doing this? I thought you were hiring a lawyer.”
Jamie laughed but the sound was almost manic. “I tried. All the ones I could afford wouldn’t represent me. Took one look at those fucking claims Eastern and the school made against me,saw he was a veteran and the town sheriff, and they turned me down.”
“So this is your solution?” Sadie asked. “To get drunk and take her at gunpoint?”
That wasn’t love. None of what Jamie did to her daughter was love.
“What other choice do I have?”
Was she serious? “Your choice was to do better. To make amends for past mistakes. To stay in town and be the best person you could be. To earn back everyone’s trust.”
Jamie’s hand on the wheel visibly tightened. “Always so fucking moral, aren’t you, Sadie? I used to like that about you…until I realized it made my kid loveyoumore than me.”
That wasn’t why Avery loved her more, and Jamie knew it. “Where are you taking us?”
“I don’t know. Somewhere I can get rid of you quietly and take Avery with me.”
Avery’s fingers wrapped around Sadie’s leg, and she inched closer. Sadie placed her hand on top of Avery’s and stroked her skin, hoping the gesture offered her some small semblance of calm.
Her phone vibrated in her pocket.
God, her phone! How had she forgotten about it?
Slowly, she reached into her back pocket and tugged it out, trying not to lift her hips too much so Jamie didn’t notice what she was doing. Once it was out, she kept it between her thigh and the door, raising her leg slightly to keep it hidden from Jamie.
Eastern. He’d tried to call.
Quickly, she unlocked her phone and called him, switching it to silent. She waited until he answered before she spoke.
“Jamie, you can’t just take me and Avery at gunpoint in a blue Honda and drive us to God knows where.”
“I can do whatever the hell I want,” Jamie growled.
“Stop here at the library and let us out. No one has to know.”
She needed to give Eastern an idea of where they were.
