“Fine, you can just wait to see if this Mr. Franks shows up. In fact, why don’t you give him a call tonight…maybe he can meet you earlier? Just tell him it’s an emergency. You wouldn’t be lying,” Parker replied. “And if you go early enough, I bet he’ll be at that piece of crap diner on Main Street. You can go there in the morning and maybe catch him. You should probably get some sleep, because you’re gonna be up early.”
Chapter Five
It was still dark as hell outside, and the snow was coming down so hard Skye could barely see in front of the SUV. Parker had only given her a few hours to get to town, grab the money, and get back before he shot her dad, then if she wasn’t back after another two hours, he would kill Tyler. Parker told her if he heard sirens they would all die, so she couldn’t go to the cops. She was stuck, and she had to get to town quickly. As she pushed down on the gas, the tires started to slide, but she had the SUV in control. She sped down the snow-covered gravel road as fast as she could. Her heart pounded faster as the speed of the SUV revved. She only looked down for a moment, and when she looked up, a pair of headlights were headed straight for her. She swerved right to avoid the old beat-up truck, barely missed hitting it head on. As she got the SUV to the right side of the road, her tires slid, and she spun around and around again, then her tire hit the ditch, and the SUV went into the air. It flipped and flipped again, finally landing on its top, then she went unconscious.
“Damn it, what the hell?” Cody screamed and pounded his fist on the steering wheel. “Crazy-ass fucking drivers.” Cody looked in the rearview mirror and saw the SUV flip through the air. Slowing his truck down, he quickly turned the truck around and headed back to where he had seen the SUV flip. Grabbing his cell phone, he dialed 911, then headed toward the SUV on foot. As he approached, he noticed sparks flying near the engine. As he got to the SUV, he approached from the passenger side and looked through the windows. Only seeing one occupant, he moved to the driver’s side. Cody attempted to free the woman from the seatbelt, but no luck. Grabbing his Gerber, he cut the belt, and she landed safely into his arms. Pulling her out, he scooped her into his arms as the sparks turned into flames. Squeezing the young woman as tightly as he could, he ran for his truck just as the SUV exploded and smoke and flames filled the cold night air. The snow continued to fall as Cody dropped the gate of his truck and laid the woman down. “Ma’am, the fire department and ambulance will be here any minute. Just hold on. Ma’am, can you hear me?”
Cody checked her breathing by placing his hand on her chest, then he moved her long blonde hair away as the blood streamed down her face. His heart fell into his stomach when he realized it was Skye. She hadn’t changed a bit; she was more beautiful than ever. His heart ached, and he felt sick as he screamed her name.
“Skye! Skye! Stay with me, Skye!” Grabbing a blanket from the cab of his truck, he quickly wrapped her and waited for the ambulance to arrive. Cody crawled up on the tailgate and laid next to her as the snow got thicker. Whispering in her ear, he said, “Skye, can you hear me? Skye.”
Pulling her in closer, he finally heard her voice. “What happened? Where am I? Oh my God, I gotta get outta here. I gotta go now.” She quickly raised up but then grabbed her ribs.
“Whoa there, Skye. You were just in an accident. You need to get checked out,” he said.
“And who are you to tell me what I should and shouldn’t do?” she asked, then the lights and sounds of the ambulance lit up the area, and she saw him. “Cody?” she questioned.
“Yeah, it’s me. How ya doin’, Skye?” Cody said, smiling back at her.
“Cody, I gotta get to the bank, and that ambulance needs to turn off its sirens. If Parker hears them, he’s gonna think I called the cops, and he’ll kill Daddy and Tyler.”
“Wait. Wait. Calm down, Skye. Slow down and tell me what’s going on,” he asked.
“Not until you get that ambulance to turn off its sirens,” she begged.
“All right. Give me a second. Stay right here,” he said as he jumped off the tailgate and motioned to the driver to cut the siren. Then he walked back over to Skye.
“All right, now tell me what’s going on.”
“Daddy and Tyler are being held at gunpoint by Parker, my ex,” she explained.
“Okay, why would he do that, Skye? And what does the bank have to do with all this?” Cody questioned her.
“He’s holding Daddy and our son at gunpoint until I bring him all the money from Daddy’s and my bank accounts, so he can flee the country with Jasmine. And Jasmine is helping me because Parker is a son of a bitch and beats her, and if I don’t get back with the money soon, he’s gonna kill Daddy, then if I’m not back after another two hours, he’s gonna kill Tyler,” she explained.
“Wait—Skye, did you say our son?” he asked. His eyes started to swell and fill. “Why didn’t you tell me? I don’t understand.”
“Cody, can we talk about this later? I gotta get to the bank and get that money,” she begged.
“Yeah, but we will talk about it. I promise you that,” he said as he went to the cab of his truck and retrieved his .09mm and his AR-15, checking the ammunition, then grabbing his vest from behind the seat. Skye watched him as he loaded up his vest with ammo and then strapped his leg holster on as the paramedics worked on Skye. She fought them every step of the way.
“I’m fine. Just tape up the cut on my forehead, please,” she said to the paramedics.
“Are you refusing care, ma’am?” the young paramedic asked.
“Yes, I am—for now, that is.” She turned to Cody. “And what are you doing?” she asked.
“Well, Skye, I’m going to save our son and your daddy from your ex-husband,” he said calmly, slapping the magazine into the .09mm and then sliding it into the holster.
“He’s not my ex-husband.”
“Okay, husband,” he said.
“No, my ex-boyfriend and boss,” she explained.
“Okay then, tell me why he wants to get outta the country. And why does he want to kill your daddy and our son?”
“Well, he wants to kill me because I saw him kill his business partner at the gallery. Then when he realized I saw him, he tried to kill me. So I ran home, grabbed Tyler and some clothes, and drove here. When I got to the house last night, Parker and Jasmine were there waiting. Parker had Daddy handcuffed to the chair in the living room, then he grabbed Tyler and held the gun to his head. Told me that I had to get all of Daddy’s money out of the bank and then clean out my bank account so he and Jasmine could get outta the country. But Jasmine doesn’t want to go.”
“Tell me where everyone was in the house when you left,” Cody said.
“Well, Parker was in the living room on Daddy’s couch, Jasmine was sitting at the dining room table playing with Tyler, and Daddy was still upstairs handcuffed to his bed.”
“Jump in the truck. We’ll get close to the house, then I want you to wait in the truck. Okay?”
“Okay,” she said as Cody drove about a half a mile from the main house, then got out.