chapter 68

 

Colleen thought about texting Jon, but her phone was in the kitchen, and Albert said to stay here.  Slipping from the sofa to the love seat in front of the fireplace she reached over and grabbed the fireplace poker.  She wasn’t going to sit there and let this make her feel week.  “I’m a Irish, I am strong.”

 

Jon sat in the car and wished he had a gun, Matt had tried to get him to get his carry and concealed license.  Here he thought the fan setting the fence on fire at the Somerdale house was the worse he’d ever see, but this knocks that one out of the park. 

 

Just when he thought no one was showing up, his dark street was lit up with choppers and police cars.  It happened so fast, they had him surrounded, and in seconds he was dead.  It seemed he got this close, due to the ankle monitor had been cut off.  Jon looked at his security staff on the other side of the fence, with guns drawn.  He finally got what he deserved. 

 

While Jon and Wilson talked to the police, Tank got the word that the danger was over and brought the house out of lockdown. Colleen was still sitting in front of the fireplace holding the poker like a baseball bat.

 

“It’s safe now Miss Colleen,” Albert told her as he walked in and took the poker from her shaking hands.  “You did great Miss Colleen.”

 

“I don’t feel so great,” Colleen told him.

 

She must’ve been turning green, Albert grabbed the nearest trashcan and put it close to her chin, when she began to retch.  Making sure Colleen had the trashcan, Albert went to the table, and grabbed napkins and a bottle of water that sat unopened by her laptop.  When she finally stopped retching, Albert swapped the napkins and bottle of water, for the trashcan.  He was leaving the family room when the front door burst open and Jon came in calling Colleen’s name.

 

“She’s in the family room,” Albert told him as he ran past him into the family room.

 

He found her sitting in front of the fireplace, he dropped to his knees and looked into her eyes.

 

Colleen’s eyes finally saw Jon at her knees and the tears came and she hurled herself at him.

 

“Oh Jon, I tried to be brave, but,” she started speaking to Jon but he pulled her closer into is arms.

 

“But you were so brave,” whispered as he rocked her as she cried.

 

They sat on the floor till her tears became sniffles.  Jon sent up a prayer thanking God that she was safe.  He heard the front door open and the lockset, Wilson came to the door and looked in at Jon and Colleen.

 

“Is everything alright Mr. Jon” he spoke softly so as not to upset Colleen.

 

“We’re getting there Wilson, thank you for your protection tonight,” Jon said as he got upbringing Colleen with him.  “We’ll meet tomorrow, I’m sure this is all over the news already?”

 

“I would think so,” Wilson smiled when Colleen looked at him.

 

“I need to call Polly, tell them you’ll be out for the rest of the week,” Jon told Colleen.  Who for once didn’t fight him on it, instead she nodded her head. “Wilson, let’s meet tomorrow around noon,” Jon smiled down at Colleen. “The whole security staff.”  Wilson agreed as Jon walked Colleen to the elevator and they went up to their bedroom.

 

Jon and Colleen took a shower and he got to take something so she could get some sleep.  He got her into the bed and cuddled her till she was in a deep sleep.  Getting up he grabbed his cell, and went into her office off the bedroom, in case she woke up scared.  He punched in the code for Max, after giving him the update, he call the dean.  That call made him so upset, if he had his way, Colleen would never go back there.

 

His phone started lighting up with text messages.  The ones from the band wanting to let him know they’d be arriving around noon to move in. They asked about Colleen, he told them she was ok, but it would take a while before she was great.  David said he’d do what he could.  Then the parents called, it hit the national wire. He told them they could talk to Colleen tomorrow, of course, his mother pointed out she knew “that woman”, was bad news.  Soon all he wanted to do was throw the phone in the river and head to bed. The kids wanted to come home for the weekend to check on Camo.  He told them to facetime, till the next weekend, and about the band staying all over the property.

 

Finally after a glass of wine, Jon headed to bed.  He made sure the bathroom light was on and the door cracked, along with the bedroom door locked.  Colleen was where he left her, in the center of the bed.  Getting under the covers he put his phone on the nightstand and moved to the center and pulled Colleen close. He drifted off to sleep.

 

It was somewhere around two in the morning, Colleen sat up in the middle of the bed screaming.  Jon bolted up in the bed and tried to pull her into his arms to calm her down.  She kept screaming as she fought him. He called her name over and over, telling her over and over that she was safe. She finally heard him and the screams turned to loud sobs that broke his heart. He would call Sister Mary tomorrow to see what she thought would help Colleen. 

 

As he sobs turned to sniffles, Jon laid back down and pulled her down to his chest.

 

“Do you want to tell me about it?” Jon asked Colleen as he rubbed her back as he held her close.

 

“I was in my house and I thought it was you at the door, but it was him,” Colleen explained.  “He grabbed me and threw me down on the sofa and he had a knife.”

 

Jon was quiet as she explained the dream.

 

“He was going to cut out my tongue, so I couldn’t tell them what I had witnessed all those years ago,” Colleen's voice was a little whispered. “You broke the door in and shot him.”

 

“He’ll never bother you ever again,” Jon lowered his voice.  “I promise you.”

 

He’d never hurt anyone ever again, as he was in the morgue.  Jon remembers it in flashes.  The thug turned and flashed a big knife and the police shot him.  He noticed her breathing was evening out and her eyes slowly blinking till they finally closed and she was back asleep. Jon watched her and said a prayer, thanking God that her dream had never come to fruition. He slowly fell asleep hold Colleen’s hand.