Forgive or Forget

Chapter 28

-Reed-

I take my wife's hand and leave the Baltimore Police Station and look around for Todd's car. I have a terrible feeling deep within me and know Todd will stop at nothing till he's killed Cheryl. I'll do anything to protect my wife and child. Anything!

Cheryl senses my mood. "Are you okay, Babe?"

I look over at Cheryl and change my scowl into a smile. "I'm fine, Sweetheart. I have a lot on my mind."

She nods. "I understand. I know that this whole thing is very overwhelming."

I take a deep breath, and my voice cracks with emotion. "Cheryl. I NEED to protect you and our baby. I can't live without you."

Cheryl stops beside our car and pulls me into her arms. I'm beyond impressed with this woman's strength. She was able to do what sixteen other women were not capable of doing; she escaped from the grasp of the devil himself.

I feel myself relaxing into her embrace. I quickly change the subject. "How about we grab some lunch to take into your office."

Her face brightens at the mention of food. "I like that idea. Let me call Kandi to see if she wants us to pick her up something."

I reluctantly release my wife and open her car door. She gets in, and I shut her door before heading to the driver's side.

We pick up lunch and go to her office. I grab my computer bag, Cheryl grabs lunch, and we enter the building.

Kandie is waiting at the door when we arrive. "Yay! Lunch!"

I chuckle at the two pregnant women. "You and Kandie go ahead. I'm going to set up my stuff in the meeting room."

"Okay, let me know if you need anything," Cheryl says before the two pregnant ladies leave to enjoy their feast.

I'm pleased that I can work remotely anywhere because there is no way I am letting Cheryl go anywhere without me. I pull my laptop out of its case and set it up at the end of the conference room table closest to the door. This way, if need be, I can quickly leave the room or see right away when someone enters.

Reaching into my computer case, I grab the cords, and my hand brushes against the hard metal of my gun. When I say that I'll do anything to protect my wife, I mean it.

After setting up my workstation, I join the ladies in the break room. I can hear their laughter as I approach. I smile to myself as I think this is how Cheryl deserves to live, with joy, not afraid that fucking Todd could be around any corner.

I missed a good joke. "What's so funny?"

Kandie laughs as she explains, "I was telling Cheryl how big and strong Tank was scared of a spider in the shower this morning. He refused to get in. Instead, Tank used the sink and a washcloth for bathing this morning. When he came down for breakfast, he told me about the spider. I tramped right into our bathroom and took care of the big, bad spider."

By the end of her story, we were all laughing so hard that tears began streaming down my face.

After lunch, we all returned to our workplaces. Several hours later, Cheryl popped her head in the door.

I look away from my work to see my beautiful woman's face. "Hey, Babe. I have to run to a job and check on a delivery."

"Okay, let me finish this email, and we'll go," I reply.

Cheryl smiles. "Sounds good. Just come get me when you're ready."

I complete my email and hit send, shut my laptop, and went to leave the room when I stopped myself. I turned back around and retrieved my gun from my computer bag and place it in the inside pocket of my suit coat. Better safe than sorry.