Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 106346 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 532(@200wpm)___ 425(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106346 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 532(@200wpm)___ 425(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
“How can I help you?” Justin says, and his eyes fly to mine. My heart starts to beat faster than normal, and I think I’m going to have a heart attack. Dylan runs from beside me to stand next to Justin.
“We are sorry to be doing this,” one of the cops says, “but we have no choice.”
“Do what?” Cooper asks, and if I thought I was going to die before, nothing prepares me for what is about to happen.
“Justin Stone, there is a warrant for your arrest for the assault on Andrew Woods,” the officer says, and I feel like the floor is moving. My head is spinning, and I can’t control it. “We are going to have to cuff you,” the officer says.
“Seriously?” Matthew says. “In front of his kid.” Dylan stands in front of him crying, and there is suddenly screaming. Someone is screaming, and the floor is coming closer and closer to me as my knees suddenly buckle, and I hear Justin yell.
“Matthew, Caroline,” he says, and Matthew catches me right before I hit the floor, and the screaming stops. I suddenly realize that the screaming was coming from me.
“You can’t take him!” I say to the officers, trying to get out of Matthew’s hold. “Get off me!” I scream at him. “You can’t take him!”
“Don’t say a fucking word,” Cooper says to Justin. “Not a peep.”
“I want my lawyer,” Justin says right before the clicking of the handcuffs fills the room. “Sweetheart, I’ll be back.”
“You can’t take him!” I yell at them and fight to get free. “You can’t take him! He didn’t do anything!” I sob and fight to get to him, to hold him, to kiss him one last time. “Please,” I plead with everyone around me. “Please don’t take him.” I finally collapse in Matthew’s arms while Parker holds Dylan, whose sobs now echo mine.
“Justin!” Dylan yells his name.
“It’s going to be okay, buddy.” He looks at Dylan. “I need you to be strong for your mom,” he says, and Dylan breaks free from Parker and throws himself at Justin, hugging him around the waist. “It’s going to be okay.”
“Don’t let them take you,” Dylan pleads while he sobs and shakes. “Don’t take him.” He pleads with the officer who just looks down.
Cooper makes his way over to Dylan and has to peel him off Justin, who just yells for Justin as he’s pulled away and led out of the apartment. Cooper hands Dylan to Parker.
“Get over here now.” I hear Matthew say to someone as he holds the phone to his ear, and Cooper runs out of the apartment, following Justin as he is led off.
“I ruined him,” I say to Matthew. “Everything is my fault.”
“No, it’s not,” he says. “You have to be strong for Dylan.” I look over at my son as Parker whispers to him, and he sobs out, calling for Justin.
“Baby,” I say to Dylan, and he comes over to me. Matthew finally lets go of me, and Dylan crashes into me and the both of us sob in each other’s arms. Matthew is on the phone nonstop. The front door opens, and both of us look, hoping it’s Justin, but it’s just Max and Allison, who has her own tears running down her face.
“Go,” she tells Matthew. “Take Mom.” Parker gets up and looks over at me, her eyes with her own tears, and I swear I can almost hear her say she’s sorry. She rushes out of the apartment with Matthew at her side.
“Where is he?” I ask them, and Max comes to sit beside us, and the door opens again, and this time, Viktor walks in.
“They are taking him in,” Max says. “We just heard it on SportsCenter.”
“Oh my God,” I say, putting my hand to my stomach. “I’m going to be sick,” I say, turning and running into the bathroom. Whatever is left inside me comes out, and I close my eyes and vow to make it better for him. It’s my turn to protect him, even if it means breaking my heart in the process.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Justin
I sit in the lock-up cell the whole night, not once closing my eyes because when I close them, all I see is Dylan rushing to me and calling out my name.
When they placed me in the car and pulled away, I looked out the window. “We just want you to know that we had no choice,” one of the officers said.
I didn’t say a word the whole time, and my lawyer arrived five minutes after me, and I got my hands out of the cuffs. “You know this is a bullshit case. I have seven eyewitnesses who say Mr. Woods threatened my client.”
He pushed and pushed, but the law was the law, and they couldn’t do anything until I saw a judge, and that was only happening at eight this morning.