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“Stop, you guys. It’s just dinner and the John Wick movies.”
“Steak and shoot ’em up movies?” Finch clutches his chest. “A woman after my own heart. How attached are you to my brother, because I’m tempted to steal you away.” He flirts harmlessly.
I roll my eyes again. “I’m going now. You boys have fun with your shopping.”
Audra’s stroller turns as I push away and head toward the back of the store where the meat counter is, chuckling along the way. Those freaking guys. I swear. They crack me up every time.
I turn the corner away from them and start to eye the steaks in the glass case. The butcher is busy in the back with something, so I pull my phone out to wait a few minutes before I get the last thing on my list.
Mentally, I put together a bag for Audra as I scroll through my email. Plans for tonight unfurl, and I can’t wait to have Harlan to myself. Maybe I can sneak into Giselle’s on my way back and pick up some racy lingerie to surprise Harlan with. There was a lace teddy in the display earlier this week that I bet would make him swallow his whole tongue.
Pulling up our text exchange, I type out a message to Harlan.
What time do you think you’ll be finished tonight?”
The three dots dance for a second before his reply pops up.
Probably around four, should be home by five at the latest.
Perfect. Bring your appetite.
*Selfie standing in the grocery store.*
You got it, Sunshine. Love you.
Love you too.
Typing the words makes me even more giddy. There’s a light in me that’s been slowly coming back during my time in Everette, and now it feels like a lighthouse beacon, calling the ships home.
Home.
Everette and Harlan are my home.
“Not a fucking word.” A hand grabs my arm and squeezes painfully as ice shards shoot through me.
The bottom of my stomach drops in dread.
I whip around. The man in the cap from the deli.
“Well if it isn’t my traitorous cunt of a woman.”
Sean.
Terror and panic collide and coil through me as I try to tug my arm away. Sean tightens his hold until I can feel each of his fingers pressing ruthlessly into my skin and a short whimper gasps out of me.
“Stop struggling. You’re gonna act real natural and we’re going to go somewhere private so we can talk.” The threat in his tone is unmistakable.
Fear has my breath backing up in my lungs and my heart beating a drum against my breastbone, stealing my air, my voice, until tears from the pain of his fingers digging into me pool in my eyes. He pulls against my arm, steering me away from the deli counter, and my feet stumble forward.
“Can’t say I expected to find you in some Podunk town.” He glances at the stroller and leers at me. “Keeping fucking secrets again, are we?”
“Sean,” I gasp out, the word watery in dread as he stares at the stroller in disgust.
“Shut up,” he hisses. “This is what’s going to happen. You’re going to walk out of here with me and get into my fucking truck, and then when we’re nice and alone, we’ll talk about you skipping town on me and that fucking thing.” He nods to Audra and my fear turns to rage.
Without thinking about it, I lift my foot and stomp my heel onto the tip of his sneaker and shove him with my shoulder. He lets out a muffled curse but doesn’t let go of my arm. I shift to put myself between him and my daughter and yell, “Let me go.” I don’t let go of the stroller with my other arm. I can’t let go of it. Of Audra, not even to push this asshole away.
He shakes me. “Shut the fuck up, bitch.”
