AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I get out of my car and scan the horizon as I stand. Closing the door behind me, I walk around the front of my vehicle and make my way up the path leading to her front door. Cameron is watching me with a sly, evil smile as I approach, but I ignore him and interrupt their conversation.
“How are you today, Zoe?”
I can see the please help me look in her eyes and I absolutely have every intention of getting her away from him.
“Well, I was doing great, and then...” She gestures at Cameron, who arches an eyebrow at both of us.
Everything about the situation tells me he's not welcome in her life, but he's not getting the hint. But it's time for him to leave. I am ready to grab him by the collar and the back of his pants and toss him into the street, though, if he's not going to pay attention and respect her wants and wishes.
“But maybe you can take out the trash, because this is too heavy for me to lift.” She makes her none too covert gesture at Cameron, who seems offended by her words.
“I thought we were having a pleasant conversation,” he says.
I don't believe him for a second and the way her eyebrows lift tells me she’s been clear with him. “Generally, if someone tells you you're not welcome, it means you're not welcome. There is no way for me to be more clear than I do not want you here. I am not interested in your company. I do not want you to show up unannounced and uninvited at my home. So if you misunderstood, then you might need to brush up on your communication skills.”
I absolutely love the way she puts him in his place every time she talks to him, but it does make me worried that he might lash out in the worst possible ways.
If he hurt her, I don't know what I'd do to him. Zoe makes her way over to me without so much as looking at Cameron.
“He won't leave. I don't know what to do. I was going to call the cops.” There's an urgency in her voice that tells me she doesn't feel safe and my anger increases. I have never wanted to hurt someone as much as I want to hurt him now. She has a right to feel safe in her home, and the fact that he stole that from her infuriates me.
“If it's really such a problem, I guess I'll go.” The way Cameron says the words and ambles toward the street leave Zoe stunned. Her mouth opens into an expression of confusion.
“He's trying to get you off balance and gaslight you into thinking that you were the problem. You're not. He's doing this on purpose to confuse you. Don't let him win.” I've had far too much experience with people exactly like him to let her fall victim to his tactics.
“I'm so glad you're here.” She throws her arms around me and squeezes me tight. I give her a gentle hug and press my lips to the top of her head. The sensation of her silken hair and the sweet smell of her fills my senses.
“I'm glad to be here.” I want to tell her how excited I am to spend more time with her. “So how was work today?” I ask.
She told me all about her job as a vet tech, and I can't help but hold the utmost respect for her, that she dedicates her life to work that helps animals.
“It was good... until he showed up.” She gestures the direction Cameron had walked, and I scan looking for him, but he’s gone.
“Just try to remember he's delusional. No matter how many times you tell him you're not interested, he takes it as a challenge and assumes you are. I'm not sure very many people have told him no in his whole life.”
She nods her head and releases me, taking a step back. “I am certain you are correct about that. It's really scary that he doesn't take no for an answer.”
I can't help but wonder if I'm going to have to get a security detail to help keep her safe from him. The guy is an absolute menace and I'll never forgive myself if he does something to hurt her. But if he does, I'll definitely have a life sentence in jail after murdering him.
“Are you ready to go?” I ask and she nods. We fall into step beside one another while making our way to my car. We hadn't made any concrete plans about how we would spend our time together, just that we wanted to spend some time together today.
I want to ask her if she's heard from Jake, but I'm afraid to bring him up. I don't want her thoughts on him while we’re together. But he is certainly on my mind.
He's on my mind for one reason and one reason only - he'd called me yesterday. I open the passenger door for Zoe, and she drops into the seat with a grateful glance at me. Closing it behind her, I walk around to the front of the car toward the driver's seat, thinking about my conversation with Jake.
“Is everything okay?” she asks, and I glance over at her with a warm smile.
“Yes. Are you okay?” I reach out and take her hand in mine, squeezing her fingers gently.
She nods her head, and I let her go, turning over the engine. I had been a bit surprised, receiving a call from the police department. At first I thought that maybe somebody had had a change of heart and was going to give me information about my dad's death. Oh boy had I been wrong.
The second I heard Jake’s voice on the other end of the line, I knew exactly who I was talking to. The man sounded exactly like I expected, and not in a good way. In an embarrassing way for him, to be honest.
I’m still proud of myself for tipping off the police to his whereabouts and getting him put away. The guy is a menace to society and women and he’s where he belongs. But his call had still surprised me.
Somehow he found out that I was the reason he was in jail. He also seemed to know that I am involved with Zoe. He'd vowed to get vengeance on both of us when he gets out. It was really a stupid move for him to make, given all of those calls are recorded. Of course, I’d reported him after I hung up, just because I want a paper trail in case and because it would likely help the current case, given he’s proving he hasn’t changed and plans violence not only against another woman, but the man that woman - Zoe - is seeing - me.
He certainly is a character, and I mean that in the most disrespectful way possible. I have no idea what made him think it was a good idea to not only call me, but to call me and tell me his plans of vengeance against me and Zoe.
