“Get in the car!” Henry shouted, and I jabbed out with all of my fury and punched him as hard as I could in the throat. The gun went off, but my punch had ruined his aim before he pulled the trigger. A second later, I was on the ground with Simon over my body and it was nothing but shouting.
There were voices all around us. Were they all cops? Construction workers? What was it?
“Let me up,” I yelled at Simon. “Let me up.”
He slowly pushed to his feet and hauled me to mine. I wasn’t done. I could see Carver trying to take control of the madness, but I was not near done. Not even close. I jerked out of Simon’s hands and crossed to the handcuffed Henry before anyone could stop me. Officer Welch was kneeling on Henry’s back which made kicking him in the side much easier. He couldn’t squirm away from me.
“You aimed your gun at my baby!” I wasn’t even sure that was my voice or the voice of a psychopath, but whoever it was—damage was going to happen.
“Get her away from me.” Henry tried to squirm and Aaron tumbled off.
I kicked Henry right in the side of his jaw, and before anyone could stop me, in the head.
Simon grabbed me and hauled me back, but it was hard for him since he was laughing. I turned my scowl on Simon and shrieked, “He pointed a gun at my baby!”
Simon hugged me close and whispered into my hair, “I don’t know why I was so worried about our kid. With you for a mom, my kid is as safe as it gets.”
I yanked back. “I’m not sorry.”
He kissed my forehead, his eyes grinning at me as he said, “Of course you aren’t.”
“I wish I hit him harder.”
“Me too,” Simon said trying to hug me again, but I wasn’t having it.
“My hand hurts.” I admitted and then glanced towards the trailer. “Whitey and Zee are tied up.”
“They’re fine,” Carver said with enough of an evil smirk to tell me Zee was still tied up. I winced. Not for Zee but for Carver when she found out that he didn’t rush to free her.
“Kick him again for me,” I told Carver and then straightened my Halloween sweater and necklace. “The jerk. Leaving his murder victims laying around. Molesting my poor pumpkin to hide the body. He probably thought a chick would do that and then did it to implicate Janice. As if. If Janice was going to kill someone, she’d do it like me or Zee.”
I put my hands on my hips and scowled at all the guys in the yard who seemed to be taking my tirade as a joke.
“And how would you kill someone?” Carver asked me.
I grinned evilly, channeling everything I learned from Zee as I answered, “Without getting caught.”
CHAPTER 13
My costume was white pregnant girl leggings and a long-sleeved white t-shirt, with pinned stretches of dirtied up linen. I’d wrapped much of my face in linen while letting my eyes peek through. Then I’d put on a dark smoky eye with black shadow, liner, and mascara and black lipstick on my lips. It was early and Simon had punched the bag in our garage far into the evening and then taken Goliath for a long run.
By the time he’d gotten back, I was already asleep and now he was sleeping through me getting ready. I had plans for the day, and they were very pregnant lady plans. To start with, I was going to have the dark chocolate waffle that Az had made with activated charcoal to make the waffle black. The waffle was going to be topped with molded chocolates, berries because I loved them, and syrup because apparently I was going to be indulging in a sugar coma nap later that day.
After my waffle, I was going to apply Az’s charcoal technique to make a two black layer cakes and two candy corn cakes. One of each would be for the diner. And one of each would be for Herman’s team.
After they’d freed their boss and Zee, they’d let me pace their construction site while I worked out my anxiety and then listened as I told each of them about one hundred times that the man had deserved far worse than he would get for pointing a gun at my baby. Not one of them had reacted when I finished my rage with a good cry and they’d helped Zee put me in a car and drive me to Jane’s. She had to re-wrap my wrist because I had jammed it with my punch. Then I’d gone swimming in her pool with J.J. before Zee took me home and poured me into bed. I’d woken to the sound of Simon punching the bag and fallen asleep to the steady thumping only to wake again when he’d told me they were going for a run.
Simon called as I was walking into the diner.
“Are you ok?”
“Just a couple bruised knuckles.”
“I’m sorry I’ve been crazy. I thought you were safe with Whitey and then Henry showed up.”
“You can’t protect me from life, Simon.”
I laughed as I told him, “It’s a good thing I’m a mummy. I’m good with being wrapped up in things.”
Simon groaned at my joke and then I said, “Kai. That’s the name. Girl or boy. It means sea. And it was the sea that brought me to you.”
Simon cleared a suddenly husky voice and then said, “I like that.”
“Also, you are not nothing without me. I love you more than my life. And I will do whatever I can to be safe. But I won’t live wrapped in cotton. Or linen after today.”
“How do you feel about barbed wire?”
“How do you feel about the doghouse?”
“Will you be there?”
I laughed as I said, “I could never leave you in it for long. I love you back Simon Banks. You and me. Happy Halloweens and happily ever afters. We got this.”
I could hear the love in his voice as he repeated, “We got this.”
The End
Hello there! Another round of The 2nd Chance Diner is through, and it has been a joy. Like Rose, the writing life is my 2nd chance. Like Rose, I used to be a call center slave and love my life so much, so thank you for making it possible! Writing to support my family is not just my second chance but my dream come true! Almost as wonderful are reviews, and indie folks, like myself, need them desperately! If you wouldn’t mind, I would be so grateful for a review.
In case you didn’t know, I have a new 1920s mystery series about Violet Carlyle, a bright young thing! She’s fun and I have wanted to write 1920s mysteries since before I opened my first writing doc. If you’re interested, you can see more about Vi, her brother Victor, and their friends here!
FYI, I write under my real name, Amanda A. Allen, as well. If you like books with a paranormal twist, you’ll find I’ve written plenty! If you want book updates, you could follow me on Facebook by clicking here for Beth Byers. Or here for Amanda A. Allen. Books and updates for both names are available through my newsletter If you’d like to sign up, click here.
Also By Beth Byers
The Violet Carlyle Cozy Historical Mysteries
Murder & The Heir
Murder at Kennington House
Murder at the Folly (Coming October 2018)
A Merry Little Murder (Coming November 2018)
Murder Among the Roses (Coming December 2018)
The 2nd Chance Diner Mysteries
Spaghetti, Meatballs, & Murder
Cookies & Catastrophe
(found in the Christmas boxset, The Three Carols of Cozy Christmas Murder)
Poison & Pie
Double Mocha Murder
Cinnamon Rolls & Cyanide
Tea & Temptation
Scones & Scandal
Lemonade & Loathing
Wedding Cake & Woe
Honeymoons & Honeydew
The Pumpkin Problem
The Brightwater Bay Mysteries
(co-written with Carolyn L. Dean and Angela Blackmoore)
A Little Taste of Murder
(found in the Christmas boxset, The Three Carols of Cozy Christmas Murder)
A Tiny Dash of Death
A Sweet Spoonful of Cyanide
Also By Amanda A. Allen
The Mystic Cove Mommy Mysteries
Bedtimes & Broomsticks
Runes & Roller Skates
Costumes and Cauldrons (found in the anthology Witch or Treat)
Banshees and Babysitters
Spellbooks and Sleepovers: A Mystic Cove Short Story
Hobgoblins and Homework
Gifts and Ghouls (found in the anthology Spells and Jinglebells)
Christmas and Curses
Potions & Passions (found in the anthology Hexes and Ohs)
Valentines & Valkyries
Infants & Incantations (Coming Soon)
The Rue Hallow Mysteries
Hallow Graves
Hungry Graves
Lonely Graves
Sisters and Graves
Yule Graves
Fated Graves
Ruby Graves
The Inept Witches Mysteries (co-written with Auburn Seal)
Inconvenient Murder
Moonlight Murder
Bewitched Murder
Presidium Vignettes (with Rue Hallow)
Prague Murder
Paris Murder
Murder By Degrees
Curses of the Witch Queen
Fairy Tales Re-Imagined
Song of Sorrow: A Prelude to Rapunzel
Snow White
Other Novels
These Lying Eyes
Copyright
Copyright © 2018 by Amanda A. Allen, Beth Byers.
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof
may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever
without the express written permission of the publisher
except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.