Asher POV
My body feels numb as I watch Baylor rock her mother in her arms while sobbing. Her hands are now covered in blood as she continues to hold her in her arms. She hunches over her mother's body, hugging her as she continues to rock back and forth whispering to her.
My glossy eyes look up from the devastation in front of me to the cops who are all watching Baylor with guilt and sympathy. Baylor looks up from her mother and to the cops with a red, tear stricken face.
"Why! She didn't deserve that! She didn't do anything!" Baylor screams in complete anguish. A woman officer lowers her gun and slowly walks towards Baylor. Baylor's eyes lock onto her mother's gun and before I get the chance to talk her out of it she has it in her blood stained hands pointing it at the officer. Her hands go up in the air as all other officers point there gun to Bay. My heart stops in my chest and I go to take a step towards Bay but guns get pointed at me as well. I put my hands up in surrender and stop moving as I watch Baylor sob as she holds her dead mother in one arm and a gun in the other.
"You don't want to do this sweetie. Just lower the weapon." The cop tried to reason with her.
"Bay, put the gun down she's right." I finally speak and she shakes her head as a sob erupts from her trembling lips.
"They killed her! They framed me! Who knows if they were paid this time!" Baylor tells me and I take a small step towards her with my hands still up in surrender. The cops allow me to move towards her.
"I am so sorry about your Mom Baylor. But think about Mia! You're her mom! She needs you here not dead or in prison. Just put the gun down Bay." I plead. The girl cop looks at Baylor as she takes a small step forward and bay pushes the gun in her direction.
"I don't know what happened. But I can promise you I will find out. But if you pull that trigger there's nothing I can do for you after that. Please don't make me watch another person die today." The cop says as she takes another step towards Baylor. Slowly the cop reaches forward and takes the gun from Baylor's shaking hand and allows Bay to fall into her arms as she holds her.
"It's okay. It's over now. Everything will be okay." The woman says soothingly as she runs her hand down Baylor's hair while she sobs into her chest. The cop lifts Baylor off the ground and begins walking her back towards the cop car. The other cops rush forward grabbing the weapon off the ground and checking the pulse of the dead woman on the red grass.
"Are you okay?" Someone asks beside me, I stop staring at Bays mother to notice a cop.
"Uh. Yea." I say dumbly, barely able to say anything else.
"If it matters, I think he deserved to die." The cop says and I slowly turn my head in his direction as I stare at him in disbelief.
"Excuse me?"
"The man she killed. Her husband? Turns out he wasn't a good guy. Found all sorts of evidence linking him to manslaughter, kidnappings, and bribery." The cop says and I look back at her mother being placed in a bag a few feet away. She killed him. She killed Gary.
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The cops wrapped a blanket around Baylor and put her in the cop car so she didn't have to ride in the squad with her mother's body bag. As the cops clear out I'm left standing here beside the red puddle unable to comprehend what just happened. I blink for a moment trying to make my brain function properly. Then I look towards Cams door where Leah stands with her hand over her mouth as tears stream down her face. She awakens me from my trance and I walk towards her and wrap her up in my arms. She gratefully wraps her arms back around me. I can feel her shaking legs as they struggle to let her stand.
"I- how- wh-" she stutters unable to create words and I hold her tighter.
"Shh. I know. I know." I say, unable to say anything else as we both stare at the spot in the yard. The front door opens and Cam walks outside. He looks between the two of us confused before Leah let's go of me and throws herself in Cams arms. My eyes meet his confused ones and my heart shatters for him.
"Did I hear gunshots or was I just dreaming? What's wrong?" Cam asks Leah and she looks at me pleading to tell him. My eyes grow wide as he looks at me next for an answer. There's no okay way to tell him what just happened.
"Guys what just happened?" As he says this his eyes lock onto the red grass a few feet away and he looks around the yard.
"Where is my sister. Where's my fucking sister." He begins to panic and so I grab both of his arms and look him straight in the eyes.
"She's fine. . .It was your mom. . . She's dead. I'm so sorry Cam." I say and he stumbles back, his eyebrows furrow together as tears begin to form.
"No. No she's in Arizona." He says frantically and I begin to tear up with him. His eyes search between mine and Leahs and realization hits him. Tears begin to flow down his face as anger morphs onto his features.
"FUCK!" He screams causing Leah to jump. He wraps his hands in his hair and pulls. Then the tears stop and he wipes them away disgustedly. He walks back inside and grabs his keys before storming to his truck. Leah looks at me in fear and I go after him while she stays with Mia. I jump in his truck and he revs out of the driveway before I even get my door closed.
He doesn't say anything, just races down the road. I don't talk as he furiously drives to our destination. Ten minutes later he screeches into the hospital. By the time we arrive he had caught up to the squad carrying his mother and he opens the car door and gets out before even putting it in park. I jump into the driver seat and park the car and then follow after him as he runs to the squad.
"What happened! What happened to her!" He screams at the guard blocking the door. The man tells him to calm down and I see the guards hand move towards his gun so I grab Cams shoulders and pull him away.
"You have to calm down. Let's find Baylor." I reason with him. His breathing becomes ragged as he nods his head and takes a fumbling step back. My eyes search the parking lot for the cop car but it's not here. I lead Cameron to the passenger seat of his truck and I get in the drivers seat. I look over at him about to ask for directions but when I see him I stop. His hand is over his eyes as his shoulders shake vigorously in silence. I look up directions on my phone and drive to the police station.
When we arrive Cam runs inside not bothering to wait for the truck to be parked once again. When I get inside Cameron and Baylor are already hugging each other as they sob. I leave them alone and walk up to the front desk.
"Is there a reason you took her? What's going on?" I ask pointing to Baylor. The woman at the desk looks at me solemnly before telling me to wait a moment. She goes to the door that says captain and retrieves him. He looks at her as they speak and then he looks to us and walks over.
"Would you three follow me to my office please." He asks kindly, I look back at Bay and Cam who have settled down. When we get in his office he shuts the door and closes the blinds. I let Baylor and Cam take the two seats in front of his desk and I stand between them. Baylor looks up at me with a look that says 'thank you for being here' and I rest my hand on her shoulder and she wraps her hand back around mine.
The captain pushes a box of tissues towards Baylor and she looks at him uneasily before taking one.
"When was the last time you spoke with Darla Campbell." He asks them.
"Almost six years ago." Cameron says numbly. The room stays quiet for a moment.
"I'm sorry." He states and neither Bay nor Cam make any sign of acknowledgment.
"What about your step father. Gary Perkins." The captain asks as he opens a file on his desk. Baylor looks at me in confusion and then back at the captain.
"The same. Almost six years." Baylor manages to say as she looks at Cams blank unwavering numbness that has taken over his facial expressions. The same look Baylor had when it happened. Complete disbelief.
"What was the reason for your falling out?" He asks and I realize what he's doing. He's trying to figure out if the papers Darla found were true.
"Tell him the full story Bay. I promise, it'll be okay." I tell her. She looks at me uneasily but after a moment she nods and begins to tell our story.
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A/N ; HEY GUYSSS!!! How were those two chapters?! Anyone see that coming???
We are now half way through book two! I really hope y'all are still enjoying this! Thank you for all the votes and comments❤️
I love you guys thank you so much for all the support!