True Love Cowboy by Jennifer Ryan

Trinity parked the car in a visitor’s spot, got out of the SUV, and noticed Emmy playing alone on the grass. Her heart sank. How could Steph leave her daughter outside alone, unsupervised? Especially after DPHHS warned her about neglecting Emmy.

She was about to call out to Emmy, but Steph’s door opened and a man stepped out and yelled, “Get back in here!”

Emmy ran for the door, trying to dodge the guy, who went out of his way to swat her on the butt. The force of the slap sent her to her hands and knees. Emmy looked over her shoulder, crying. The guy snickered as he left the apartment, slamming the door behind him and walking four doors down and into what she presumed was his place.

Bastard.

Furious to see someone treat Emmy so harshly, Trinity rang the bell. No one answered. She pounded on the door with her fist. “Emmy, sweetheart, it’s Trinity. Open the door.”

The door eased open and Emmy stared up at her with watery eyes and red marks on her bare knees where she’d skinned them on the rug. She flung herself into Trinity’s thighs and wrapped her arms around her waist and held on for dear life.

Trinity rubbed her hand up and down Emmy’s back. “Hey, sweetheart. I’m here. It’s okay.”

“I want Daddy.”

“Okay.” Trinity had no trouble making that happen. But first, she needed to find Steph.

The apartment smelled like cigarettes, cat pee, and something she hadn’t smelled since walking through the senior parking lot after every football game. If she didn’t leave soon, she’d get a contact high. Emmy, too.

“Let’s tell your mom we’re leaving.”

“She’s asleep. She won’t wake up now for a long time.”

“Yeah? How often do you play outside alone?”

“All the time. She won’t let me in the house when he’s here.”

Protect her from one thing while endangering her at the same time. Apparently Steph hadn’t learned her lesson.

Trinity fumed, but brushed a reassuring hand over Emmy’s head. “Let’s go in.”

Emmy let her loose. Trinity followed her into the living space. Steph lay passed out on the couch. She looked like she’d fallen asleep sitting upright and toppled over. Her feet were on the floor, but the rest of her was bent sideways.

On the coffee table sat a huge bong and an open tea tin with a plastic baggy sticking out filled with pot. Bottles of beer stood on the table all lined up like soldiers. Three across and three deep. If they were all from today, it had been one hell of a party for two.

The gray-and-white cat sat on the floor licking something off a discarded paper plate. One of the cats had peed on the pile of mail sitting on the dining room table—right next to Emmy’s breakfast dishes. The leftover milk in the bowl had congealed and left a sour scent in the air barely discernible with all the other pungent odors clogging Trinity’s nose.

The floors were dirty and stained. The kitchen sink overflowed with dishes. The counters were covered in spilled food and crumbs.

Steph probably figured she had time to clean up before DPHHS came back.

“Okay, Emmy, please go get your backpack. Make sure it has everything you need for school. Do you have enough clothes at your dad’s?”

She nodded.

“Great. Hurry up.”

Emmy scrunched her mouth. “Are you going to wake her up?”

“In a minute.” First she wanted to document what she’d found for Jon’s case against Steph. “I need to tell her we’re leaving.” She’d love to just take Emmy and see how Steph reacted when she discovered she was alone in the house and had no idea where Emmy was, but that would be wrong.

But boy did she want to stick it to Steph for once.

“Don’t wake her up. She gets really mad.” Worry filled Emmy’s big blue eyes.

Trinity didn’t care what Steph thought or felt. “Please go get your things and meet me by the door.” She waited for Emmy to run to her room, then she took out her phone and texted Jon.

Then she started taking pictures of the apartment and Steph passed out. In all, she sent Jon eight photos of the gross apartment and Steph’s sick day playdate.

Her phone rang immediately.

She swiped the screen to accept Jon’s call, but didn’t say anything because Steph sat up, rubbed her bloodshot eyes, raked her hair out of her face, and asked, “What are you doing here?”

“I’m taking Emmy to Jon’s. You’re in no shape to keep her tonight.”

“You can’t do that,” she slurred.

“Or I could just call the cops and let them deal with you, but I hate to put Emmy through that. Or Jon.”

Steph laughed under her breath, in a way that held more vengeance than humor. “You think he wants you. You’re so stupid. He’s using you. All he wants is your business. That’s what he does. He comes in and takes over everything.”

Trinity felt that like a punch to the gut. She didn’t want to believe it. Steph was lashing out. But it rang a little true. And she’d make Jon answer for it when she saw him.

“Like I said, I’m taking Emmy to Jon’s.”

“No, you’re not.” Steph smacked her tongue on the roof of her mouth, trying to work up some saliva. It only made her look drunker and more out of it. “You may have taken Jon”—she slurred out the words—“but you’re not taking Emmy away from me, too.”

“You’re drunk. You’re stoned. You left her playing alone outside while you were passed out on the couch. Whoever that guy was partying with you, he hit Emmy on the way out the door just for fun. There’s no fucking way I’m leaving her with you.”

Steph’s gaze went to Trinity’s phone and a burst of energy made her stand up. “What did you tell him? Is he listening to this?”

Emmy stood in the entry with her backpack on. “I’m ready.”

Trinity turned to walk out with Emmy and call the cops because, yeah, it would suck for Emmy and Jon, but Steph and that asshole who hit Emmy should pay for what they’d done. But she was getting Emmy out first.

She held her hand out to Emmy, but she never reached her. Something cracked against the back of her head. Stars burst in her eyes. In slow motion she saw Emmy’s eyes go wide, her mouth open, and a piercing scream echoed through Trinity’s ears before her knees hit the floor and she fell face-first into the disgusting carpet.

Something whacked her head again, and then something even bigger and heavier stomped on her back and slammed into her ribs and side over and over, relentlessly.

Someone screamed again and again. She heard crying.

And in the chaos she heard Emmy yell, “Mommy, no. You’re killing her!”

Trinity fought the pain and rolled over and blocked another blow from Steph’s foot with her arms, but her head spun and flashes went off in her eyes, making it hard to see and focus.

“Daddy!” Emmy yelled.

Steph grabbed Emmy’s arm and spanked her butt. “Shut up! Go to your room.” She spanked her again and shoved her toward the hallway with another hard blow to the back.

Emmy fell, got hit again, scrambled on her hands and knees, then rose to her feet and ran.

Trinity tried to get up, but could barely make it to her hands and knees.

“You are ruining everything!” Steph spat out and hooked her arm under Trinity’s and hauled her up, dragging her toward the entry. Steph was surprisingly strong. Maybe it was all adrenaline. That seemed to be the only thing keeping Trinity from passing out.

“You’re not taking my daughter.” She shoved Trinity into the entry closet. Off-balance, Trinity didn’t turn fast enough to escape and the door slammed shut, leaving her in the dark.

“She’s mine!”

Trinity went from one nightmare to another, her mind taking her back to being locked in the trunk with no escape when she’d been kidnapped. She clawed at the door and tried to turn the handle, but the door wouldn’t budge.

“Let me out! You can’t leave me in here! Please!”

“You can’t take her!” Steph screamed over Trinity begging at the top of her lungs, “Let me out!”

Her nails bit into her palms, and her fists ached from pounding on the door. She clawed and kicked at the wood and banged on the handle. She screamed and screamed and screamed until nothing came out of her dry throat. She could feel the tears gathered in her eyes and streaming down her cheeks, but she couldn’t see anything.

And then the only thing she felt was her heart pounding so hard she thought it might burst out of her chest, and she couldn’t get any air no matter how hard she tried to suck it in. She was suffocating in the dark where there was no escape.

And then the blackness swallowed her whole, and she fell into the nothingness.