Betting On Beaumont: A Brooklyn Novel Part 14

Right now I'm in New Orleans on a business trip. I was supposed to fly back to Houston this evening after I wrapped up my work here, but thanks to a tropical storm touching down earlier than expected, I'm stuck here until tomorrow.

My best friend Tank is here with me. He flew to New Orleans to help me do my walk through on the construction of the new building that will be the new spa and gym facility here at the New Orleans Knox Hotel.

It's raining f.u.c.king cats and dogs outside, and the weather alert is calling for it to only intensify overnight. There's tornado warnings for Texas, so I've been glued to the television hanging above the hotel bar. I hate that Brooklyn is in Texas and I'm stuck here. She flew in yesterday, and the plan was to spend the next few days off up at the cabin for a little getaway to destress. We've both been working so much lately it feels like we're apart more than we are together. So, we've been trying to make the most out of the days we do have together.

It's the price we pay to do what we're pa.s.sionate about. It takes hard work and sacrifice to achieve our goals and dreams we are striving to reach. Brooklyn's landed a small role in a new movie and she'll be stuck in Los Angeles for the next few weeks, so I'm hoping to take a week or two off and fly out to L.A. to be with her. Thankfully, I have Tank, Brantley and Greg as Foremen for my construction company, so I know that if I'm away for a week or two, my clients are in good hands. I can work with Kayden right from my computer with Skype meetings. But next month Kayden and I have to fly to Tokyo for a business trip and it of course falls on the same time Brooklyn will be on set filming.

It's all she's talked about for the last few weeks since her agent sent her the script. She's playing the best friend to a woman who finds herself being hired as the wedding planner for her old college crush. I love seeing the excitement in her eyes when she starts rambling on and on endlessly about her part. She becomes so animated and bursting with excitement as we lay in bed snuggled together with our dog, Bailey.

Getting a dog was a huge step for us as a couple and quite challenging. But the way we looked at it is, if we could co-parent a dog together and not murder each other, then one day we could take that big leap and bring a child into the world.

Bailey's still alive and the happiest and most spoiled dog in the world-well in my eyes she is, so the idea of having a baby down the road isn't as scary as it once was.

I would be lying though if I said the thought of a child with half Brooklyn and half me in it terrifies me-even if only a little.

She's got a wild streak a mile wide, and I sure as h.e.l.l haven't been a walk in the park for my parents. The thought of fatherhood scares the living s.h.i.+t out of me. But Savannah and Kayden have made it very clear that we'll be tackling our fears of babies very soon. They asked us to be the G.o.d parents to the twins once they're born, and since they're having twins and it'll be a lot to adjust to even with a nanny, Brooklyn has volunteered us to help babysit when she's in town.

We've had a little bit of practice with my niece, but since my sister lives in Dallas we haven't really had much of a chance to babysit. So with Savannah having the twins soon one things for sure, we'll be getting plenty of practice until we decide to take that next step.

I'd be lying if I said seeing Brooklyn holding Sophia didn't do crazy things to me. I found myself daydreaming about what our children will look like; if they'll have my auburn hair and blue eyes, or her dark chestnut hair and whiskey colored eyes. When the thought of a little girl crosses my mind, I'm hit with a fear I've never felt in my entire life. I've witnessed firsthand just how big of a pig men are when it comes to women. The thought of bringing a daughter into this world makes me want to build a f.u.c.king castle with a big a.s.s mote around it filled with big, mean as f.u.c.k crocodiles who wouldn't think twice to tear a guy into a thousand pieces if he even dared try to come near her.

So all I can hope for is we have a son so I don't end up in prison for snapping some punk's neck when she turns sixteen and wants to go out on a f.u.c.king date. But if we ever do have a son, I'm going to make sure he isn't a little p.r.i.c.k like I was. I regret a lot of the s.h.i.+t I did when I was younger. My parents', along with a lot of my friend's parents', were too busy working to pay attention and care about what kind of trouble we were getting into. Don't get me wrong, I love my mother and father; they've given me an amazing childhood and a privileged life, but I want to do better than that. It's one reason why Brooklyn and I agreed that for now we'll focus on our careers so that later on when we want to take a step back and settle down with kids we can and not have any regrets.

"Want another?" the bartender asks, pulling me from my thoughts and from the weather reporter talking on the flat screen above the bar.

Pus.h.i.+ng my gla.s.s across the polished bar, I nod and reply, "sure," before grabbing my phone and checking my notifications. Brooklyn said she would text me every so often to keep me updated on how the weather is there. I'm just grateful she's at Kayden's so I know she isn't sitting at our house alone riding out this nasty storm.

"You're so f.u.c.kin' whipped," Tank teases, elbowing me before taking another pull from his gla.s.s of beer.

Setting my phone down, I grip my gla.s.s and rub my thumb across it wiping away a few beads of water as they zig zag down my gla.s.s of beer. Leaning back in the bar stool, I take a long chug of my beer. There's nothing else to do since it's storming like a mother f.u.c.ker outside. Right now I should be on my d.a.m.n jet flying back home to see my wife. Instead, I get to sit in a boring a.s.s hotel bar with Tank, who's relaxing beside me as he belches out loud a.s.s beer burps and continues to hit on a girl at the other end of the bar by sending hr wildly inappropriate drinks like s.e.x on the beach. The most recent was a screaming o.r.g.a.s.m. But on the other hand, our bartender is finding it quite comical.

"Call me whipped all you want, a.s.shole. But I'm the one who gets to f.u.c.k the hottest woman in Daytime." I still can't get over that one. They did this Hottest in Daytime poll with some big Soap Opera blog and Brooklyn was voted s.e.xiest Actress in Daytime'. Thank f.u.c.k I put a ring on that finger when I did because now she has all kinds of guys writing her Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook proclaiming their love to her. It makes me want to commit first degree murder, but she simply laughs it off. We attended a fan meet and greet last month in Los Angeles, and I got to meet in person some of these fans' along with the male actors that she works with and let me tell you, I'm glad that I know that I keep my woman satisfied in the bedroom, because if I wasn't as confident in my marriage and with my f.u.c.king d.i.c.k, I'd go all Caveman on her a.s.s and dragging her off of that set.

I thought it was hard watching her kiss a dude for her job...but believe me nothing is harder than having to watch your wife during a f.u.c.king s.e.x scene that the entire world gets to see on their televisions at two in the afternoon. She always laughs it off and says it's no big deal and that there's crew all over, but I know Brooklyn, if I was lying in that bed with some hot chick who's in nothing but her panties and bra and making out with me while pretending to be riding my d.i.c.k-she'd be tryin' to cut a b.i.t.c.h.

On those days, I always ask her why couldn't she be a fricking kindergarten teacher or something. Then I think about all the single dads that'd be strolling into the school every afternoon and I decide no matter what job she ever had, I'd still find a reason to make f.u.c.king heads roll.

Plus, when I watch scenes where she pours her soul into the moment and makes me feel emotions that no man likes to admit he feels, I know without a doubt she's doing exactly what she's supposed to be doing. I may not like certain aspects of her career, but there's no doubt in my mind that she was born to act. I couldn't be more proud of her. I know right now it is only the beginning.

"Holy s.h.i.+t, bro. Look at the news," Tank barks out with his deep timbre booming throughout the small bar. A few people sitting at a table near us look our way, before turning their attention to the breaking news report that's scrolling across the screen. As I watch the words roll across the television, and see a news anchor appear on screen, my phone begins going off.

I feel as if I just swan dived out of an airplane without a f.u.c.king parachute on. My stomach feels as if it's shot up into my throat, and my heart begins slamming like a solid fist repeatedly against my ribcage.

Kayden: Hey, man. I'm not sure if you've seen the news...but Zak somehow managed to escape from Prison. Jax and I are arming up now in case this f.u.c.ker tries to come here. Don't worry. I'll kill him before I allow him to get anywhere near my mother, Savannah, or Brooklyn.

My fingers are shaking as I text back with rapid speed. I f.u.c.k up a few times- making me fl.u.s.tered, but finally, I get the text written and hit send. As I'm sending the text to Kayden, an alert pops-up at the top of my phone saying I got a new text from Brooklyn, too.

"You don't think he'd be stupid enough...?" Tank asks, s.h.i.+fting in his seat to face me, all the while s.h.i.+fting his eyes between me, my fingers that are texting so fast I'm surprised f.u.c.king smoke isn't rolling off of my phone, and the news.

Keeping my eyes on my phone, I answer him honestly, "I hope the a.s.shole is heading straight for the boarder. Maybe we'll get lucky and a f.u.c.king tornado will toss his a.s.s straight off too Oz, or a gator-filled marshland. Either option sounds good to me, but knowing this piece of s.h.i.+t-he's more than likely going straight to my wife and Savannah. He's h.e.l.l bent of getting revenge for his boyfriend's death. He's a f.u.c.king snake. Finding ways to slip past cops, feds, and even our security team. I won't underestimate him for a single second. I just pray that Kayden and Jax stay safe and keep everyone else safe from this f.u.c.king psychopath. If they get a chance to blow his head off, I pray to f.u.c.king G.o.d that they take it. He belongs six foot under the G.o.dd.a.m.n ground."

Hitting send I text Kayden back my response telling him to keep me updated and to stay safe. I let him know Brooklyn was texting me right now. At least if she's texting me, I know everyone's still safe.

Brooklyn: OMG, Dixon. I wish u were here right now. I don't know if they're showing it on the news there...but Zak broke out of prison. Kayden and Jax just sent us upstairs to Savannah's bedroom telling us to lock ourselves inside. I'm scared, baby. It doesn't look good. Power is flickering on and off, and it's storming out really bad. Kayden and Jax are out doing G.o.d knows what with freaking rifles hanging off of their backs. They called 911, but with roads closed thanks to this stupid storm, they don't know when they'll be here.

I can hear Brooklyn's voice in my head as I read her text. I hate that I'm stuck in New Orleans when she needs me.

"You're going to think I lost my mind...but I need to get to Houston, like now." I slide down off of the bar stool and hit send on my response to Brooklyn before pocketing my phone.

Tank gives me a nervous look before climbing down off of his bar stool. Grabbing his beer, he tosses back the rest of his gla.s.s before slamming it onto the bar. Licking his lips, he runs his hands nervously over his face before slipping his hands into the pockets of his coveralls. "I understand why...but how? All planes are grounded? The storm isn't supposed to move back out to sea until tomorrow?"

f.u.c.k.

I need to get to Brooklyn. I won't be able to live with myself if something happens and I never even tried to get to her.

-Brooklyn "This cannot be happening...oh my G.o.d...oh my G.o.d..." Savannah says to herself out loud as she paces back and forth at the foot of the bed.

We're sitting in her bedroom on lock down as we wait to see if Zak will appear and make all of our nightmares a reality.

I thought we had moved past this chapter of our lives. After his trial, when Savannah and I walked out of that court room together, it felt like a weight had been lifted off of our shoulders. He was going to prison and would never be able to hurt us ever again.

Somehow this guy was able to escape. Kayden wouldn't tell us anything, besides that there was a chance he was coming here to finish what he started. Images of him from that night in the parking garage flash before my eyes making panic flow through my veins like ice, and my stomach twists with fear.

I don't scare easily, but when you have a man with nothing left to lose, and vengeance being the only thing he cares about, you can bet your a.s.s I'm scared...not just scared, but f.u.c.king petrified. Not just for myself, Savannah, and her mother-in-law who are held up in this room with me, but for Kayden and Jax, who are out there right now in this storm, in gale force winds, down pouring rain, and complete darkness, trying to find this lunatic.

The only thing we can hope for is Zak came to some kind of sense while in prison, and his only agenda at this moment is avoiding going back. The only way he can guarantee that is to run to the Mexican border.

But I have this sinking feeling deep in my bones that is telling me he's coming for us.

I hate that Dixon isn't here, even though a small part of me is grateful he isn't. At least with him in Louisiana I know he's safe from Zak.

I wish I could text Dixon, but my phone is down in the library where I left it charging while watching Witches of East End with Savannah. I have no idea if the news has gone national or not. So I have no idea if he knows what's happened or not. The phone lines are out thanks to the storm. All I can hope for is that Kayden in the panic of it all, thought to contact Dixon and let him know what's going on. I hate to think about him sitting at his hotel feeling hopeless and not knowing how to reach me or if I'm okay.

Pus.h.i.+ng herself out of the small chair beside the bed, Lorelei approaches Savannah, wrapping her arm around her shoulders. "Why don't you sit down, sweetie? You really shouldn't be on your feet. You've got to look out for the babies." I watch out of the corner of my eye as Savannah reluctantly sits down on the edge of the bed. With her due in less than two weeks and on strict bedrest orders. This is the last thing she needs. It only makes my anger toward Zak intensify.

I keep my eyes focused on the darkness outside of her bedroom window, getting lost in my thoughts as they race through my mind.

"What the h.e.l.l is wrong with this guy? Has he not put us through enough s.h.i.+t already?" I finally ask out loud.

Forcing myself to leave the window and try to relax because me stressing out isn't going to help Savannah or this situation, I approach the bed, and sink down onto it beside Savannah. I bring my head to rest on her shoulder as she takes my hand into hers. We hold on to each other tightly, looking for strength from one another. We've both gone through so much because of this man, and just when we think we can finally put him and all that pain behind us, he comes cras.h.i.+ng back into our lives shaking the foundation beneath our feet.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Savannah says, "I don't know. He's so h.e.l.l bent on seeking revenge on me for killing Jacob; he's not thinking rationally. I hate not knowing what's going on. What if he's here and he does something to Kayden or Jax?" Suddenly, Savannah stops speaking and bends over slightly while holding her stomach. "Oooww!" She screams, causing Lorelei and myself both to jump to our feet and bring our full attention to her.

"Are you okay? Did you just have a contraction?" Lorelei asks, crouching down in front of her.

"I don't know...I think they're just Braxton Hicks?" From the look of fear and panic on Lorelei's face, I think it's safe to guess that she is thinking these contractions are far too strong to simply be practice contractions.

My heart slams to a screeching halt in my chest as the thought of Savannah going into labor right now smacks me like a f.u.c.king brick to the face.

She glances down at her watch. "It's twelve after nine; if you have another contraction, Savannah, you tell me, okay? We need to see how far apart they are."

Roads are closed and we have a bad a.s.s storm system cras.h.i.+ng down on us at the moment flooding roads and making it almost impossible for anyone to get to us. If she's truly in labor, how the h.e.l.l are we going to get her to a hospital?

She's having twins for Christ sake!

It's way too dangerous for her to try and deliver these babies here-not to mention we may have a steroid popping psychopath on the loose and looking for us.

Nodding her head yes, Savannah breathes through the pain. I quickly retrieve her water bottle off of the bedside table and hand it to her to drink. She needs to stay relaxed and hydrated. It's almost impossible to expect her to remain calm with this f.u.c.king situation.

"Here, drink some more water." Feeling overwhelmed with this entire situation, I toss my hands in the air as I take over Savannah's spot in the room and begin pacing back and forth. "d.a.m.n it! Why hasn't anyone come up to tell us what the h.e.l.l is going on!?"

No sooner do the words leave my mouth, we hear gun shots fired. "Oh. My. G.o.d!" We all scream as the gun shots startle us.

Savannah springs to her feet and attempts to run- but it's more like waddles- toward the bedroom door.

"Savannah! Stop!" I shout along with Lorelei, as we try to stop her from leaving the bedroom.

My heart is racing in my chest, and my body is shaking from my head to my toes as I run after her. The sound of that gunshot rings inside of my head on replay, making fear bubble inside of me. I'm trying so hard to stay strong for Savannah, but with every pa.s.sing moment I feel my strength crumbling.

It doesn't take us long to catch up to her; within seconds we're by her side following her down the long staircase and attempting to talk sense into her. She needs to turn around right now and go back to the bedroom. She isn't thinking clearly. Not only is she putting herself in danger, but also her babies.

"Savannah, we need to go back upstairs. Right! Now!" I shout with a panic-laced voice, grabbing her arm as I attempt to stop her from descending the stairs.

Savannah stops beside me gripping the railing with her free hand and whips her head to glare back at me. Yanking her arm out of my grasp, she snaps at me, "I'm going to make sure my husband is okay; you can either come with me, or go back upstairs. It's your choice."

I know she's scared, but she's not thinking clearly at all. I can tell already, there's no talking her out of going after Kayden.

"You've lost your f.u.c.kin' mind, but I'm not letting you go alone." Even though I know it's crazy, I reluctantly follow her down the remaining stairs.

"I'm going back up to the room to call 911. We have no idea if anyone is injured, and Savannah's carrying my twin grandbabies. If I'm right, she's in labor right now. I will not risk her life or the life of my grandbabies by not trying to get help here as soon as possible. Who knows how long it'll take for them to get here since Kayden said police were on their way forever ago, and still not a soul in sight.

"Alright. We need to ammo up. Kayden has guns and ammunition in his game room. Come on, we need to hurry," Savannah orders, taking my hand and pulling me toward his game room, as Lorelei quickly sprints back up the stairs. Realizing the game room is beside the library, I quickly dart inside to retrieve my phone, and text a message to Dixon. I keep it short and to the point, telling him what's happened before shoving it into my back pocket. There's no time to wait for a response. Savannah is already at the gun cabinet and retrieving a hidden key taped underneath it.

Unlocking the cabinet, Savannah grabs a revolver; she quickly opens the chamber, filling it with bullets, before we make our way out the front door in search of where the gun shots came from, and for Kayden and Jax.

We hear the sound of men fighting as we approach the left side of the house. Savannah holds the gun out in front of her as we round the corner of the house. Immediately we spot Zak. It's hard to see him in the dark and the rain in our eyes, but with the lights s.h.i.+ning out of the house it's just enough to make him out. He's fighting Jax, and it's apparent who's kickin' whose a.s.s.

Jax notices us and shouts over his shoulder for us to go back inside the house. Reaching for Savannah's arm, I try to pull her back toward the house. We hear footsteps slos.h.i.+ng through the muddy ground and turn to discover Kayden running toward us; he's soaked to the bone and covered in mud.

"Savannah? What the h.e.l.l? You need to get back inside the house!" His eyes are filled with panic and fear, and his voice booms loudly with anger as he looks from us to Jax and Zak.

Savannah stumbles backwards toward me as the severity of the situation begins to sink in. My body is numb as I try to hold onto Savannah and keep my legs working. I feel as if I'll collapse onto the ground at any moment as fear paralyzes me.

Jax is standing, holding Zak by his collar, landing punch after punch. Kayden, ignoring us now, focuses entirely on them. Suddenly without warning, he charges Zak and tackles him to the ground, landing several punches to Zak's face, "You son of a b.i.t.c.h! When I'm through with you, you'll wish you'd stayed in jail!"

Jax jumps back and hovers above them, holding his gun, ready to take a shot if needed. I suddenly notice red and blue bright lights glowing through the trees as the sound of police sirens fill the air. I feel my stomach drop and my breath rushes out of me as the realization that the police are finally here sinks in.

"Savannah, come on...please." I yank on her arm, trying to get her to start moving, but her feet stay firmly planted on the soggy ground.

Grabbing her stomach, she suddenly curls over her stomach screaming, "Oooowww..." She lifts her eyes up to mine, and I notice them grow wide as her face pales, "My water just broke..."

s.n.a.t.c.hing the revolver from her hand...the last thing I need is her having a contraction and shooting herself in the d.a.m.n foot or one of us by accident. I shove it into the back of my pants. I wrap my arm around her waist while she drapes her arm across my shoulder. "I need you to try and walk, okay?"

Savannah nods her head yes, but before we can even begin to move, Kayden suddenly slips on the muddy gra.s.s, losing his balance.

You hear people tell stories about moments like this where it feels as if time is moving at a snail's pace. No matter how hard you try to get your body to work and react, it's frozen in place as fear takes over. All you can do is stand there and watch as events unfold before your eyes.

That is me at this moment. I have Savannah in my arms, ready to give birth to two babies. Kayden stands before a psychopath, weaponless and vulnerable, as he finds himself struggling to keep his footing due to the heavy rain.

I try to find my voice to scream at Jax to do something, but the words become lodged in my throat as nothing comes out. My screams mix with Savannah's as we watch frozen from shock at what we are watching unfold before our very eyes, as Zak uses this moment to dive toward his gun lying on the ground a few feet away. Rolling onto his back, he points the gun up at Kayden.

Savannah screams, "Kayden!" as gun shots ring out loud and deafening as they echo throughout the dark, storming night.

Kayden falls back onto the wet ground as water splashes up all around him. At the same time, Zak's body goes lifeless as blood pours out of his skull, and he falls back into the mud.

Jax shoves his gun in his holster and runs toward Kayden. The sound of sirens behind me grows louder, as the police cars approach the house driving up the long, winding driveway. The second Jax reaches Kayden's side, Savannah falls to her knees crying out for Kayden. I fall to the ground beside her, wrapping my arms around her shoulder's just as I feel her body grow lifeless as she faints in my arms.

Chapter 17.

-Brooklyn Tossing my now dead phone onto the stand beside my chair, I sink down into the plastic covered seat and close my eyes. I have yet to go to sleep, but with everything that has happened in the last several hours, sleep has been the furthest thing from my mind.

The sound of hospital room doors opening, followed by the sound of boots stomping across the tile floor at a rapid pace, causes my eyes to snap open.

"Brooklyn!" I turn my head at the sound of Dixon's voice calling my name. He looks how I feel-exhausted. His hair is hidden under a ball cap, his eyes look tired, and his shoulders are slumped as he runs across the waiting room toward me.

Jumping to my feet, I gladly welcome his strong arms as they wrap around me and pull me tightly into his chest. I bury my face into his abdomen and inhale the comforting scent that is my husband. Fatigue is weighing down as it's now creeping from night into morning. The rising sun is beginning to s.h.i.+ne through the wall of gla.s.s windows glowing behind Dixon's body. Tilting my head, up I take in his face which looks as exhausted as I feel. He has bags under his eyes and his lids look heavy as he stares down at me with a face filled with worry.

"f.u.c.k, baby. I'm so happy you're okay. I've never been so scared in my entire life." His voice cracks as his hands move to cup my face.

I try to force a smile and show him that everything's okay. I'm still slightly shaken by everything that has happened, but Zak's gone. He can never bring harm to any of us ever again.

For that I am thankful.

"Kayden and Jax did everything they could to keep us safe. Zak didn't go down without a fight, though. For a moment, I thought we lost Kayden-G.o.d, poor Savannah- she was in labor and watching Kayden and Zak fighting in the pouring rain. We heard shots fired and saw both Kayden and Zak go down. For a moment, we thought Kayden had been hit. But thankfully he was wearing a vest. Savannah ended up fainting in my arms. It was terrifying, but the EMT's had arrived and rushed to her side. I know it makes me sound like a bad person...but I'm happy he's dead."

Gripping my face tighter, I watch as Dixon's jaw ticks as he tries to control the emotions coursing through his body. I understand completely how he's feeling because my head is all over the place too. I don't know whether to be angry, relieved, sad, or maybe a mixture of all of them. So much has happened in such a short amount of time. Tragedy and miracles, all in a matter of hours.

"Never feel guilty for that, Brooklyn. That man got what was coming to him. If I was in Kayden's and Jax's shoes, I would've done the same exact thing. I'm just sorry that I wasn't here to keep you safe. The entire ride all I heard on the radio was the breaking news about Zak. It only made me want to get here faster, but of course with all the flooding and closed roads, a six-hour drive took me almost ten. I'm just relieved I made it here and everyone's alright. How's Savannah doing, by the way? She have the babies yet?"

My body instantly relaxes as I think about the two little angels sleeping in Savannah's room. "She had Colton at 1:52 a.m. and then Brayden not long after at 2:08. They are so freaking cute. I can't wait to snuggle them as soon as visiting hours open. But first things first, I need to get home, and shower, and get a few hours of sleep. I feel like a d.a.m.n zombie right now."