Page 82 of Saving The Shortstop

“Gigi,” I say, yanking my truck door open and slamming it shut. “I need you to call 911, okay? I need you to call 911 and tell them everything you know.” I step on the gas pedal so hard my tires burn against the pavement before I speed out of the parking lot. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. Please, just be as quiet as you can.”

“Okay.” Her word comes out as a squeak before she ends the call.

My stomach feels sick, but my heart pounds, sending anger and fear through my veins. I can be there before the police, and I’m not waiting for them to arrive to save her.

I’ll do it myself, even if it means killing Tabor with my bare hands. I’ll do it to keep her safe.

I’d do anything to keep her safe.

I park at the end of Eagle Way, not wanting to pull into the driveway and set Tabor off to make him do something crazy. To most, that probably sounds insane, but after what happened with my birth parents, I’ve seen firsthand that sometimes people just … snap. And if there’s the slightest chance Tabor is going to, I need to be smart.

Running down the sidewalk, The Nest finally comes into view. I run around to the backyard, knowing that there’s a chance he could be looking out the window of Haven’s bedroom, overlooking the whole street out front.

My heart is pounding as I rush around the back of the house before circling back on the other side to the porch, hugging close to the house the entire time to make sure I’m not spotted.

I’m worried the sound of the door opening will send him into high alert. Then again, Gigi came inside, and he never heard her.

I feel sick to my stomach, thinking about the possibility that he hurt her before I could get here.

I’m just about to take the first step up the stairs when a bedroom door opens and I rush to the side, ducking as I hear footsteps coming down the steps.

“Don’t try anything stupid, baby.” Tabor’s voice makes my entire body shake with anger, and I wait the last few seconds to make sure I time this right.

“I won’t,” she whispers weakly, trying to keep her voice strong, but the fear in her tone crushes me.

When they get to the bottom of the stairwell, passing me as I hide against this wall, I’m just about to pounce forward, but that’s when I see it.

The gun. A fucking gun pressed into her back.

I know that I can’t let him leave this house with her. If he gets her in a car, he could purposely crash it to hurt or kill them both. I truly think he’s that far gone that he would. But I also know I need to be careful, because if he sees me, he could fire the gun too. And if he hears sirens coming the way they’re sure to be any minute now … hard to say what he’ll do to her.

They may have a protocol, but I can’t risk Haven getting hurt.

I push up quickly, moving faster than I’ve ever moved before in any stupid fucking game. As he hears something behind him and turns around, I punch him, forcing him to lose his footing in hopes that I can grab the gun from his hand.

“You motherfucker,” he spits, spinning around and throwing one arm around Haven while lifting the gun to the side of her head. “You just don’t know when to fucking quit.”

She screams when he tightens his grip on her, her tear-filled eyes looking huge, her lips quivering. The sound is something that will likely haunt me forever as it echoes in my brain.

What if I can’t save her?

I couldn’t save my mother. If anything, I was one of the reasons she died. I survived losing her, but I won’t survive this. If something happens to Haven, I’m done.

“Let her go, Tabor,” I say, holding my hands up slightly, showing him I have no weapon.

He sneers an evil, twisted smirk at me, keeping the gun snug against her head. I want to tell her it’s all going to be okay, but right now, to save her, I have to save him too.

“Fuck you, Rivers,” he says, keeping his back to the wall. “You already stole her from me once—convinced her to leave me. I’m not letting you get between us again.” He rubs his head against the side of her face, and she looks sick. “I don’t give a fuck how—she will be mine. Forever.”

Everything inside me wants to tackle this guy and beat him to death. I hate him with every fucking part of my being, but he has a gun, so I consider my course of action. Right now, I have to play by his rules.

I flash Haven the shortest look, not wanting him to see and get more upset, but looking at her right now fucking kills me. The fear in her eyes pulls my guts out, sending a pain right through my chest.

“I get it, man,” I say, keeping my voice as even as I can manage. “I get it.”

His eyes narrow, and he glares at me. “Don’t try to be the superhero here, Rivers. She and I could be almost off campus by now, and I would have never hurt her once we got away.”

“I get it,” I say, repeating myself. “You love her. And you think I fucked things up for you.” I keep my tone as soft as I can manage and my eyes off Haven’s because every time I look at her, I lose my composure more. “I’m sorry for that.” I take in a breath, trying to slow my heartbeat because right now, I feel like I’m having a heart attack. “But you’re scaring her, Timmons. And you don’t want that either, do you?”