| Chapter Sixteen "You" she gasped when she found her voice. "Yes me. You know you've caused me an awful lot of trouble" Jeffery Parker said as he motioned for her to take a seat. Sara swallowed the lump that had risen in her throat and moved to obey his command. "W..Why are you doing this?" she stuttered. Jeffery sneered and laughed evilly before answering, "Because I need, no I want the money." "I don't understand, Grandpa didn't leave me enough money to warrent all of this" she said, waving her hand around in a gesture to encompass all that had happened. "My dear, you simply have no idea. You see, my brother has stocks and bonds that can be sold or cashed in. They are worth more than you or he even knew. Once you are out of my way, everything comes to me and I can obtain the money I need for my own interests" he snarled as he stood. He crossed the room and jerked Sara to her feet by her hair. "Because of you, I've missed out on quite a few opportunities and it all ends here and now" he hissed as he pulled a knife and put it to her throat. ~~***~~ AJ screeched to a stop in front of the house and slammed the car into park. 'Please God', he prayed, 'let me be on time.' He ran up the yard and peered into the front window. He stopped cold when he noticed Sara standing in front of an elderly man. The man had a fierce grip on her upper arm and a knife to her throat. "What's going on in there?" Detective Moran asked as he came up behind AJ. AJ jumped and spun around taking a defensive position. "Good Lord! Don't sneak up on me like that" he said as he dropped his fists to his sides. "He's in there with her and he has a knife to her throat. We have to stop him" AJ pleaded. They confered quickly about the layout of the house and moved to get into position. ~~****~~ 'Please God send AJ' she prayed. Deciding to take a different approach, and hoping to stall for time she said, "Uncle Jeffery, you really don't want to do this. If its the stocks and bonds you want, I'll give them to you. I don't need or want them." Evil laughter spewed forth from Jeffery as he tightened his grip on Sara's arm. "Can't do that my dear niece. You see, I want it all, the house, the grounds, the stocks, bonds, everything that Jonathon left. I'm very greedy you might say" he said in a tone that scared her badly. He was crazy, derainged. He sounded as if he was having a pleasent chat there at the end. "Take it, take it all, just leave me alone" she pleaded. "You can't be that stupid" he mocked, "You know entirely to much. And you must pay for all the trouble you've put me through." Sara whimpered as she felt the tip of the knife blade slide from her throat down to hover above her heart. Slowly he applied pressure to the knife, pricking the shirt and the fragile skin that lay underneath. "Drop the knife, Parker" Detective Moran yelled as he stepped into the room, gun in hand. Jeffery glanced over his shoulder and saw all of his efforts go flying out the window. No matter what happened now, he would never gain control over Jonathon's estate. With a maniacal glint in his eye, he swung his attention back to Sara and raised the knife above his head. As he brought the knife down in a vicious arc, a loud shot rang out. Sara screamed as Jeffery's grip fell from her arm and he began to fall. AJ rushed to her side and pulled her to him, holding her tightly. "Oh God he was going to kill me" she whispered through the tears that fell down her face. "It's okay baby, he can't hurt you anymore" AJ crooned as he led her out of the room. Detective Moran removed the knife from Jeffery's reach and they could hear sirens in the distance. The next hour flew by, with EMT's working on Jeffery, police swarming the house, asking the same questions over and over. "Mrs. Bixby found the real will in your grandfather's safe and contacted Detective Anderson. He in turn called me and we began working on it here. I'm just sorry we didn't get here in time to stop this" Detective Moran explained after the house cleared out. Sara smiled softly and said, "Its alright, its all over now and most importantly, no one got hurt." Detective Moran left and Kathy, Sara and AJ sat quietly. "I think I'll leave you two alone. I need to go back to the store" Kathy said as she stood to leave. AJ waited until the door closed, and then he turned to Sara. "I was so scared when Detective Moran told me everything this morning. Then when I got here, and I saw you through the window, my heart dropped. I thought I was going to lose you." AJ took a deep breath and placed his hands in hers. He looked deep into her eyes and spoke. "The thought of losing you tore me up Sara. I realized in that moment how much I loved you. I knew then that if anything happened to you..." his voice broke and tears slid down his face. Sara wiped the tears off hers and AJ's faces and she leaned to kiss him gently. "I kept praying that you'd come. When I looked up and saw you standing there, I was so happy to see you but I was so afraid that you'd get hurt." She looked down at their entwined hands noticing how tightly they were holding each other. She lifted her eyes to his and whispered, "I love you AJ." AJ released the breath that he'd been holding and pulled her to him. Their lips met in a gentle kiss, that conveyed their feelings to one another. EPILOGUE ONE YEAR LATER: Sara stood on the beach, knowing that AJ was due home at any moment. She looked out to the horizon and thought about all that had happened this past year. Jeffery had been tried and sentenced. With his age and his health, she seriously doubted he'd ever get out. His hired man had also been sentenced, but his sentence was lighter due to the fact that he had turned states evidence against Jeffery. She and AJ had married three months after the trials. They had been married for five months, five of the happiest months of her life. Strong arms wrapped around her waist and soft lips nuzzled her neck. "What are you doing out here?" AJ asked as he nibbled her ear. "Waiting for you" she replied as she turned in his arms and tenderly kissed him. After they broke the kiss, Sara looked into AJ's eyes and smiled. "I have something for you." "What is it?" he asked. She bent down and picked up a package that had rested on the sand. "Open it." AJ tore the paper off and lifted the lid off the box. Inside, resting in the blue and pink tissue paper was a baby name book, a baby blanket that had once been his, and a bottle. AJ lifted his eyes to Sara's. "Does this mean what I think it means?" Sara nodded and AJ gasped. "We're going to have a baby? You're pregnant?" he asked, not quite sure he could believe it. "Yes baby, in seven months you're going to be a daddy and I'll be a mommy" Sara said as she placed her hands on either side of his face. He leaned in and kissed her tenderly. 'Life is wonderful' Sara thought as AJ pulled her to him. They stood there on the beach watching the sun sink into the ocean. |