“It’s only been thirty minutes,” he prompts, and I scowl up at him, trying to figure out what he’s talking about. He runs his finger down my side, over my breast, and trails it down my stomach. “I remember promising you an hour.”
Chapter Sixteen
Storm
“You ready to do this?” I ask Chance as he rounds the truck, and he nods, his expression grim. We both know that the situation we’re about to go into is volatile. Two days ago, we got a call from a woman named Dina who was in the hospital after her husband had beat the shit out of her. One of the nurses gave her our number and even offered to hide her until we could make arrangements for her. But the husband has been sniffing around, and he has enough money that he’ll find her sooner or later. We want to get her out of here before that happens.
“Kodiak and Fuzz are ready at the hotel.”
I nod and climb into the truck, firing it up, and tossing my phone in the cup holder so I’ll hear it if it goes off. Dina’s parents live up in Maryland, and they are coming down to get her but they can’t get here until Wednesday so she’ll have to hang out in the hotel until then. We could leave her where she is for the next three days but the husband is getting a little too close, and Blaze decided we needed to move now. There is such a delicate balance to these situations – when it’s safe to move someone and when it’s not – and I’m kind of glad that it’s not on me to make the call. My phone buzzes, and I grab it.
Ali:
Am I going to see you tonight?
Sighing, I toss it back down and focus on the road. There are so many fucking reasons why I should stay far away from that woman but I can’t do it. I always end up back on her fucking doorstep in the end. I could be putting her in danger but not even that deters me. I’ll do whatever I have to do to protect her, except stay away. I can’t anymore. Every night since I met her, I’ve lain in my bed and thought of her, wondering what she’d feel like pressed up against me and now that I know, I’m fucking toast. My phone buzzes again.
Streak:
I’ve got something you’re going to want to see.
Me:
I’ll swing by later.
My grip on the steering wheel tightens as I think about everything I always keep buried but there is a sense of relief under all the pain, and I’m ready to end this, end him, and put all this pain in my past. For the first time in six years, I see a future in front of me, and I want it more than anything.
“You all right, man?” Chance asks, and I glance over at him before turning back to the road.
“It’s Ian,” I finally admit, his name tasting like acid on my tongue. He straightens up in his seat, staring at me.
“What about him?”
“He started sending me shit, pictures, mostly. He’s had someone following me.”
“Fuck,” he mutters, his tone reflecting the gravity of the situation. He was right there with me when I lost everything, and he knows about the pain I’ve lived with for the past six years – the depths of utter agony that I’ve been pulled into. “You got a plan?”
I nod.
“What is it?”
I glance over at him and shake my head “Don’t worry about it.”
“No, fuck that, Brother. I’m not going to let you handle this by yourself. Tell me what you’re thinkin’ and let’s end this fucker.”
“I said I got this,” I grit out through clenched teeth. I appreciate the sentiment but this is something that I need to do.
“And I said, fuck that. You’re the closest thing I’ve got to family and I’m not gonna let you do this alone.”
“What the fuck is he gonna do? He’s behind bars.”
He stands two fingers to his forehead and twists them. “He’s gonna fuck with your mind. He’s gonna make you dredge up pain that you thought was behind you because that’s what he does. He’s evil incarnate and a master manipulator, and you’re stupid as shit if you go into this without admitting that.”
“Noted,” I snap just as we pull up to the house, and he shakes his head.
“I’m not fucking dropping this.”
I sigh and nod. Chance only has my best interests at heart, I know that, but letting someone see just how fucking broken I still am after all these years isn’t easy. Except, I don’t feel all that broken since I met Ali. “I didn’t expect you to.”
My phone buzzes again, and I grab it, glancing up at the house.
Dina:
I’m ready.
I glance up at the little yellow house, and the curtains in the front window move back into place. I reach for the keys before deciding to leave it running. I’ve got a bad feeling today, and I don’t want to get stuck here.
“Let’s do this,” I say, and we both climb out. Chance scans the street as we walk up the steps. The front door opens, and Dina steps out with a suitcase in her hand and a tentative smile on her face.
“You ready to get out of here, Sweets?” Chance asks, and she nods as she looks down the street.
“You know where Mitch is, Dina?” I ask, and she looks back to me, shaking her head. We usually like to have eyes on the husbands just so we have a warning if he’s headed for us but Dina’s husband is a hard guy to track down. His hours are erratic, and we couldn’t ask around too much without word getting back to him.
“What do you say we get you out of here then?” Chance asks her, and she nods, taking a couple steps toward him. I nod at the woman standing in the doorway who gave Dina our number and gave her shelter.
“Thanks for what you did.”
She shakes her head. “No need. I was happy to help her.”
I nod and hold my hand out to her. She takes it, and I slip the hundred dollar bill into her palm. “For your trouble.”
She looks down at it as Chance starts leading Dina to the truck and shakes her head before trying to hand it back to me. “Oh, I couldn’t take this.”
A car squeals around the corner, and I glance behind me, cursing when I see the blue Mustang we were supposed to watch out for. “Get back inside and lock your doors,” I tell her.
Her eyes widen, and she disappears into the house, slamming the door, and locking it behind her. I turn to Chance. “Get her in the truck!”
He looks up and I hear him curse before he runs to the truck and opens the door for her. She climbs in and locks it, glancing out the back window nervously as the Mustang skids to a stop, and Mitch jumps out, not even bothering to close his door.
“Dina!” he bellows into the quiet neighborhood and tears start falling down her face as she shakes in the passenger seat.
“Get back in your car and leave,” I tell him calmly but inside I’m raging. Fuck this piece of shit, thinking he can show up here and take Dina back by force. I’ll end that little illusion right now.
“Fuck you,” he spits, trying to move around Chance to get to Dina. I move in front of the truck door and let my arms hang loose at my sides.