Page 198

“You’re coming to get me?”
“I’llalwayscome and get you.”
When I hung up, Mollie was rubbing her eyes. “Is something wrong?”
“Very. I’m gonna go get Eric. Waldren drove drunk with him in the car.” I threw my clothes on, trying to keep a handle on the rage I felt.
“What the fuck?” she said, getting up to do the same thing. “Obviously, I’m coming with you.”
“I can’t promise this is gonna be the safest ride you’ve ever been on. I’m not wasting time.”
“You should call Mike,” she said. “I bet he could give you a sheriff’s escort.”
I didn’t want to do anything but get to Eric, but she had a point. Mike sounded annoyed that he’d been woken up, but when I asked, he said he would escort us. He even sounded as angry as I felt when I told him what had happened.
Eric obviously had done what he was told, because the police called me minutes later to tell me he was safely in theircustody, and I needed to come get him. Mollie got in touch with my lawyer to let him know what had happened, and to file for sole custody since Eric had been in danger.
I was seeing red by the time we arrived in Nashville, and neither Mike nor Mollie could stop me from getting to Eric the second I was in the police station. Neither tried, but my heart had been pounding from the second I’d gotten the first phone call, and I needed to see him with my own two eyes.
Eric was in a waiting room, looking downtrodden but otherwise fine. When he saw me, his entire face brightened, and I wrapped him in the tightest hug of his life.
“Are you okay?” I asked, pulling away to check every inch of his skin.
“The police got him. Was what he did bad?”
“Very bad,” I said. “You could have been hurt.”
“Oh my God,” Mollie said. “It’s so good to see you.”
“Mollie’s here?” Eric asked.
I nodded. “And the sheriff from home. He’s the reason I could get here so fast.” I looked over at Mollie. “Where is he?”
“Getting the details from the officers who picked Eric up,” she said. “And asking if he can cuss out Waldren.”
“He can get in fucking line,” I muttered.
“Bad word,” Eric said.
“Yeah, but when someone does something like this to my kid? I can’t hold it back.”
Eric stared for a long time before hugging me tightly again, and I took a second to revel in having him back.
“Dang city cops won’t let me at him,” Mike muttered. “But good news, they called Judge Marlon and he granted temporary sole custody.”
“Temporary?” I growled.
“That’s just what it’s called,” he explained. “But I asked if itwould be made permanent, and more than likely yes. Waldren’s gonna be lucky not to be injail.”
“He should be,” I muttered. “What was going through his mind?”
“He was mad the whole time I was there because his girlfriend did something.”
“Did she dump him?” I asked.
“Yeah, that. He was really mad. He barely even talked to me. He almost left me by myself, but I told him he couldn’t do that.”
It would have been better for him to have been alone, but I didn’t want to make him feel any worse.