Lillian Duncan - Until Death Do Us Part by Lillian Duncan Page B

seat.
    Reggie slammed the trunk shut and went to help Noah into his seat.
    “Yeah, exactly what I thought. You old busybody. I knew you were involved.”
    She straightened up in time to see Misty’s husband running toward her.

 
    CHAPTER 23
     
    Reggie’s heart skipped several beats. Frank was running straight at her and with amazing speed. His blond ponytail bounced behind him. Reggie yelled from her side. “Misty! Get in the car. He’s coming.”
    Misty screamed and jumped in the backseat and slammed the door. As she ran to the driver’s side, Reggie hit the lock button on her key. A short horn blast told her she’d been successful.
    She got to her door at the same time as Frank. Turning around, she glared at him. “You need to leave or I’ll have you arrested.”
    “Arrested for what? That’s my wife and kids. I have a righ—”
    “You’re right they are your wife and kids, but they aren’t your property. You have no right to stop them from leaving if that’s what they want to do. And that’s what they want to do.”
    His green eyes turned black with anger. “Lady, you have no idea what you’re doing. I’m not the crazy one.” He nodded toward the car. He lowered his voice. “She’s the one with the mental problem, not me. I think she stopped taking her meds a couple of days ago.”
    Meds. Reggie looked at Misty huddled in the back seat crying.
    Frank continued talking, calmly and rationally. “If you want to help her go right ahead. Good luck with that. Maybe, you’ll have better luck than me. Lord knows I’ve tried and tried. But you aren’t taking my kids. I won’t let her put them in danger again. She’s done it enough times with her psychotic delusions.”
    Something in his tone made her wonder if he was telling the truth. Could she have read the signals wrong? Could Misty be the abusive one? She looked back at Misty. Her black eye stood out against her pale face.
    A spark of anger. “How’d she get the black eye?”
    He shrugged. “How should I know? She probably did it herself to make me look bad. It wouldn’t be the first time. I told you she’s crazy.”
    Thinking back to the ruckus he’d caused earlier. “No need to do that. You seem to be able to do that quite well all by yourself.”
    He shook his head, his breath ragged, and his voice intense—almost pleading. “I’m not kidding you. She’s a paranoid schizophrenic. I think she stopped taking her meds. You don’t understand what’s going on.”
    “Why don’t you tell me what’s going on?”
    “Just let me have my kids. If she wants to leave, I won’t stop her.” He took a deep breath. “Besides, it won’t take you long to find out I’m the one telling the truth. Not her.”
    “ He’s a liar. I’m not schizophrenic.”
    Frank shook his head. “They all say that.”
    I’m not leaving my children with you.” Misty clutched her daughter to her breast with the fierceness of a mama bear.
    Frank lunged past Reggie and pounded on the window. “Open that door.”
    God give me wisdom. Her gaze strayed to Noah. He was staring wide-eyed at his father and shaking his head no. His whole little body shook and he rubbed at the scar above his eyes. The little boy was terrified of the man he called Dad.
    Just the way she’d been of the foster father who’d locked her in a closet for three days.
    Husband and wife took turns screaming at each other. She slid her hand behind her back and fumbled with the key until she felt it slide in the lock. She twisted and felt the lock release.
    Misty must have heard the lock because s he looked at Reggie. Their gazes met. As if on cue, she yelled louder and rolled the window down an inch. Frank moved closer trying to reach through the window.
    Just the distraction Reggie needed. She took a deep breath and opened her door. Frank turned toward her and tried to grab the door but she was quicker. She slammed it and hit the lock button.
    Her hands shook as she put the key in the