Grizzly grinned.“That’s great.Congrats, man.”
“Being a dad is wonderful,” Skeeter assured him.“It doesn’t matter if the kids aren’t even yours.Diane and I adopted two and now we have another one of our own on the way.Both girls belong to my late partner and he died a long time ago.But when those girls found each other, they became real sisters and they are mine.”
Shay nodded, then said, “You guys be careful when you go to the cop shop.Kelly is right, Ray is gonna fight back.I watched him in court yesterday and the man is running on rage and fumes.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Grizzly said as he stood.“We’ll tame that rage and get him parked into a federal cell.No way will he be escaping from one of those..”
Chapter Eight
When they left, Kellywent over to Shay and just hugged him.She rested her ear on his chest and caught the sound of his heartbeat.She closed her eyes and just stood there listening to it.
Shay just hugged her back and set his chin on the top of her head.“It’s gonna be okay, babe.I promise.If they start trouble, I will show them trouble.You, Char and Rosie are gonna be just fine.”
“I hope so.I really don’t want to give birth to this baby inside the joint,” she whispered.“That would just break my heart, knowing I couldn’t keep my child safe.”
Shay growled at her summation.
She looked up at him and raised her forefinger to cover his lips.“You just hush...I admit that I didn’t think about the baby being caught up in this mess.I immediately told Char I would help her.I should have thought about...”She sighed then went on, “You know that all my life, my mom was the only one who ever gave a damn about me.That’s no secret and I’ve come to accept it.Back then, Char was the only real family I had.Until I met the boys and realized there are families that do not have to be blood.I want this baby and I know you do too.That’s already more than I ever had before.I’ve tried and tried to be more than my family ever cared about and I’ve made it.But I am on that video beating that man with a baseball bat so these charges may not just go away.I mean it was still assault.Just please don’t give up on us?That’s all I can ask.”
“Damnit Kelly, you aren’t going to prison.I don’t care what you did.Yeah, you beat a man with a baseball bat but only after he attacked you with his hands around your throat.Then he hit you and that is on tape as well.But like Rosie said, he deserved everything you gave him and so much more.To use her very words, he was nothing but a monster.”
“It still might—” She began but was interrupted by a sudden pounding on the front door.
Shay grabbed his weapon and went to the door, opening it.
Pappy and Trudy stood there.
Pappy rolled his eyes at the sight of Shay holding a weapon pointed at his gut.“Put that away.There’s no one on this side of the fence that’s gonna hurt anyone in this house,” Pappy informed him.
“What the hell do you want me to do, Stone?”Shay growled.“Recent events has this whole house on alert.”
Trudy came in holding a laptop in her hands.“I need to ask your guests some questions again.And I have to show them something that’s very relevant to the case.”
Kelly joined them and asked, “What is it?”
Trudy shook her head.“I’d rather show it to everyone at the same time.I need to see your faces.”
