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Juliet nodded. She patted down her friend frantically.
“Hey, Juliet, I’m fine,” the woman said soothingly. “I’m fine. I’ve just got some bruises and skinned knees. I’m going to be all right. This idiot didn’t hit me.”
“I’m the idiot? You raced out onto the road in front of me.” She was just lucky that he had good reflexes, or he might have hit her. “What the hell did you think you were doing?”
Juliet leaned into the other woman who put her arms around her, as though Juliet was the one who’d been hurt.
Or as though Juliet needed protection. From him.
His temper, which hadn’t been doing very well, went up another level.
“I’m calling the cops and an ambulance,” he stated.
“Fine. You do that!” the woman said with a sneer. “And you can explain to Ed why you nearly hit me.”
“You skated out in front of me,” he said with exasperation.
“Who the hell are you anyway?” she asked after he’d spoken to the dispatcher. She eyed him suspiciously then turned to Juliet. “Why were you in a vehicle with this asshole? Is he an Uber driver or something? Where’d he come from? Assholeland?”
What the fuck?
“Listen here, lady. You’re the one in the wrong here, not me. Juliet, get back in the truck. I’ll keep an eye on . . .”
“Kiesha,” the other woman said reluctantly. “And Juliet isn’t going anywhere with you. You’re obviously unhinged. Trying to hit helpless women just skating along the road, minding their own business.”
“You skated in front of me!” he yelled, making Juliet jump.
Kiesha actually pushed Juliet partially behind her. Was she seriously trying to protect Juliet? From him?
He stepped forward just as Juliet put her lips close to Kiesha’s ear.
“What? Bodyguard?” Kiesha asked. “Are you serious?”
Juliet was speaking to her. Whispering something to her. She really could speak. There had been a part of him that hadn’t quite believed it when her brother told him that there was no medical reason for her muteness.
Who the hell would choose not to speak? He didn’t get it. But that didn’t matter. Or at least that wasn’t why he was angry. Sure, it was kind of odd and sometimes confusing as fuck not to be able to communicate with her easily. But it wasn’t a big deal.
What pissed him off was the fact that she’d lied to him. When he’d asked her if she couldn’t talk due to a medical reason, she’d nodded.
He couldn’t stand liars.
His ex had been a liar. She’d lied about everything.
That was something he couldn’t forgive.
Best he knew this about Juliet now, though. He was feeling more protective and invested in her than he should.
“So, you do speak,” he said coldly.
Juliet stared up at him. But there was no remorse or anger. She just looked infinitely sad. A siren sounded in the distance as the woman wearing the skates sat up straighter, glaring at him.
“Hey, asshole. Don’t you judge her. You don’t know anything about her.”
He studied the woman. “How badly injured are you?”
“None of your business.” She turned to look at Juliet. “Why the hell have you got a bodyguard? This is because of Reuben, right? What did that asshat do now? Piss off the wrong people with his charming personality?”
Juliet leaned in again.
