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She hesitates before answering. “I’m just waiting for someone.”
Birdie’s reason sounds innocent enough, but her actions give her away. Something more is going on here. She scans the sidewalk again, and my eyes follow as they did before. No one seems to be approaching or even watching us. “Want me to wait with you?”
Her eyes flash alarm, and she refuses a little too quickly. “NO.” Birdie reaches out to touch my arm stiffly, trying to appear calm. “That’s okay. I’m sure you have loads of more interesting things to do.”
She looks around again, and so do I. I still don’t see anything to explain why Birdie altered her appearance or why she’s acting strange. Why she’s acting afraid. The only time I’ve ever seen a woman act like that…
Right then, everything clicks into place. Birdie has to be waiting for a man. Judging by how tense she is, he’s the jealous type. I know because I watched my mother exhibit the same paranoid behavior. My eyes narrow, and my spine stiffens. “Who is he? Does he hurt you?”
Birdie’s eyes shoot back to mine and widen in panic, but only briefly. Then her brows knit together in confusion. “What? No. It’s not like that.”
Her posture doesn’t relax, so I cross my arms over my chest, ready to kick some punk’s ass. “What is it like then?”
Birdie rolls her eyes, the first sign that she’s not as frightened as I thought. It’s also the first time I’ve ever seen her having attitude. The gesture makes my temper flare, so I relax my arms and take a step back. After a deep breath, I ask, “Birdie, are you all right?”
Her beautiful blue eyes soften as they find mine again. “Yes, I’m fine. I’m—”
Engine noise calls her attention away, and she looks behind me. Her eyes bug out, and I barely suppress the urge to turn and study the vehicle. The moment and the car pass without incident, and Birdie sighs and then sags in relief. What the hell is this?
Birdie stands absently and points toward the little garden’s entrance for some strange reason. In a faraway voice, she says, “It was good to see you. I’ll catch you later at work.”
Birdie all but shoves me out of the thinking park then. So, definitely scared of someone. More than a little concerned now, I nod at her and turn to walk away. There’s no way I’m leaving, though.
As I create some distance, I watch Birdie in the side mirror of a minivan parked at the ice cream shop and duck behind it when she’s no longer looking.
Birdie immediately relaxes, though not completely. Even so, she’s no longer the savvy intelligence genius but has transformed into someone else. This new persona is more reminiscent of an awkward teenager. Her face is quickly buried in her phone again, and the rest of the world seems to cease to exist for her.
A few minutes later, a silver coupe rolls down Main Street, parking about a block from the park’s entrance. A man steps out alone and scans the area in a way that says he’s not a casual observer. The guy activates my asshole alarm, and I take note of his features, five-nine, brown hair, average frame. He appears to be about my age.
I expect him to approach the pub on the other side of the street, but he goes in the opposite direction toward the garden area. He could be coming my way for ice cream, but the guy doesn’t look the type. My sixth sense is proven right when he slows and smiles at Birdie.
That’s when I notice something about him that isn’t strictly average, his swaggering self-confidence. Maybe this is the dick she was waiting to meet. For that reason alone, I’m ready to kick his ass.
Birdie hasn’t relaxed further with the guy’s arrival, but nothing I see explains why she’s acting like someone else or is dressed like someone half my age. Unless that’s the guy’s kink.
I dismiss that theory instantly. There’s no way Birdie would be with a guy with a pedo fantasy. She greets the man, still acting like a teenager. I can’t hear what’s said but can pretty much follow the conversation by their body language. The smarmy asshole eye-fucks Birdie, holding one hand behind his back.
There’s nothing in his hand, but he rubs two fingers slowly in a circle against his thumb, a sexual impulse for sure. So, this could be some sort of role-play.
Sickened by the thought of Birdie taking this man’s dick, I start to leave my hiding place when Birdie drops the kid act. In one second flat, she morphs back into her adult self. The man’s demeanor changes in response.
His behavior, which started out as friendly and flirting, quickly becomes agitated. I rise from my crouch behind the van, knowing the pair is too engrossed in their sudden argument to notice as I start in their direction.
My steps are slow and easy, intending not to be threatening. Then, the guy fucks up. He puts his hands on Birdie. No, the fuck you don’t. Birdie fumbles for and then drops her keys, and my feet set into a run before my brain gives the order. Knowing not to leave a mark on the guy, I step up behind him, grab a fistful of his hair, and yank backward until he’s looking up at the darkening sky. “Let the lady go,” I growl.
Smarmy Asshole drops Birdie’s wrist, and I spin him away from her, placing my much bigger body between them. If this dick starts swinging, I want to be his only target.
I shouldn’t have worried. The guy beats feet as soon as I let him go. Seeing him race down the sidewalk confirms him as a threat, making me glad I could prevent god-knows-what from going down.
Meanwhile, Birdie is practically vibrating behind me, either shaken up or pissed at the guy. A conversation is needed between us, but I need a moment to calm down before I deal with her. While breathing deeply, I watch the man jump in his flashy sports car and speed off. Only then do I feel grounded enough to face Birdie.
What the fuck?
Birdie’s gone.
There’s no way she could have snuck past me—except that she did. Spinning in a full circle, I look up and down both sides of the street, but she’s not there. Next, I turn and sprint through the garden, spotting her walking toward her car parked on the road behind it. “Birdie, wait!”
She flinches, and her shoulders fall. Birdie turns as I catch up to her, but she doesn’t speak. “Are you ok? What the hell was that?”
