Wanting Mr. Barkley (Book 2)

Chapter Seventeen . . . Back To Reality

Chapter Seventeen . . .  Back To Reality

Karen's POV

"Can we talk about this?" Derek asked for the hundredth time, but I ignored him and instead grabbed my car keys.

"No, we can't. I'm going to pick up my son."

"Karen, honey, sweetheart." He tried to soothe me, but I could still hear the worry in his voice.

"Derek, honey, sweetheart. Leave me alone!" I said as I went to the door.

I opened the front door, and went to step out of it when my foot hit a small box.

"Uh . . . Derek?"

Derek came up behind me.

"Listen, I know I'm being overprotective but," He paused and peered down at the ground. "What's in the box?"

I turned and faced him. "Why don't you find out Brad Pitt?"

He stepped around me and bent down and picked up the nicely wrapped box. He stared at it for a minute before ripping out the tag. I watched as his eyes whipped back and fourth reading over it.

"What does it say?" I asked.

> He looked up and looked around outside.

"Get back in the house." He said gently before pushing me back.

As I stumbled in backwards, Derek came in and shut the door. He looked down at the package and stared at it.

>"Well, what is it?"

> He looked up at me, ignored me, and then walked to the kitchen with me hot on his heels.

"Derek."

He set the box on the table and set his hands beside it.

"I swear to God if it's a head."

"It's not a head." Derek said almost like he was trying to tell himself.

"How do you know you didn't even open the box!" I argued.

He sighed before slowly unwrapping the box and pulling up the lid. He put his fist to his mouth in disguist before carrying it out of the room.

"Derek! What the hell is it?" I asked as he went outside to the trash.

"You don't want to know."

I crossed my arms as he tossed it to the trash.

"It's from 'him' isn't it?" I asked already knowing the answer.

"Yeah, but it doesn't mean anything."

He took my hand and led me back into the house. I sat at the table in the kitchen numbly and ran my hands over my face with tiredness and frastration. It was too long of a day, too long of a life, and it was only getting harder and harder to deal with.

"Yeah Dylan, we got a note from the bastard and a present."

He looked over at me before scratching the back of his neck nervously.

"It was a dead rat."

I felt the urge to gag but managed to keep it down.

"Alright, I'll let her know. Thank-you." He hung up his cellphone and put it in his back pocket before walking over and sitting next to me.

He wrapped his arms around me and brought me to his chest where he began kissing the top of my head.

"Dylan is going to pick up Garrett from school and then we're going to go over a plan to keep everyone safe."

> I nodded against his chest before sucking in air.

"I told you he was there, at the mall. How long has he been following me?" I asked.

"I don't know baby. I don't know. We're going to find him." I nodded again and just relaxed.

"I want him dead."

"I promise you, the moment we find him, I'm putting a bullet in his brain." I closed my eyes.

"What if he kills you first?"

"We went over this. He's not going to hurt me."

"Promise me you won't get hurt?" I asked.

I looked up at him and saw the internal debate in his eyes.

"I promise. I won't get hurt." I touched his face.

"Thank you."

"For what?" He asked confused.

"Everything."

He leaned down and kissed me gently before running his hands passed my cheeks and into my hair. The kissing was becoming intense and I grabbed onto his shirt tightly. I wanted him close to me. He pulled away, causing me to whimper breathlessly.

"Not now, baby. Not when you're upset." He kissed my head. "And besides I don't think you want Dylan to see you naked on the table." He teased, and I let out a laugh. "There's the laugh I love." He kissed my cheek before getting up. "I'm going to freshen up before my brother gets here. You okay?"

I nodded silently.

He winked at me with a smile before leaving the room. I got up off the chair deciding that since Dylan was coming over to discuss my safety,again, I better put on the coffee. I began walking over to the coffee machine when I noticed the white piece of paper on the counter. I walked over and picked it up realizing that it was the note that came from my 'present'.

With a hesitant hand, I picked it up and opened it. I read over it and the words shot through my head like a bullet.

Time is running out.

I put the piece of paper down and leaned my back against the counter. Every sense of calmness was thrown out the window and was replaced with fear.

And suddenly, I was back to reality.