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I wanted nothing more than to have this chapter in my life dead and buried. Stefan and I needed to be face to face for that to happen. Yes, I was terrified, but I wanted my freedom more.
"Let's go before I change my mind. I love you, D. Thank you for being the best person I've ever known and not running from my crazy ass."
We hugged it out and waited in my car for Spencer to show up. I saw him pull up behind us, quickly get out of his car, and jog up to my window. I rolled it down, and he grabbed my face in a searing kiss. I could care less that Dana was whooping and hollering at us, so I let the kiss continue. When Beethoven stepped in and pawed at Spencer's arm, the moment was lost.
"Wow. B really likes to be a cock blocker. We're going to have to work on that. It's okay, buddy. I was just showing your momma how much I like her. Are you okay with that?"
Beethoven licked his face and settled back into his spot in the backseat. That's my boy. Just making sure we both liked this strange man that's come crashing into our lives unexpectedly. I thought we liked him a lot, as a matter of fact. Spencer kissed me again and reminded me that he'd be right behind us.
"If shit gets dicey, I want you girls to head the fuck out. I don't feel like getting arrested for beating up some piece of shit today, but I will. Don't worry, gorgeous. Thanks for being with her, D. You're a keeper."
Dana turned red when Spencer winked at her as he walked back to his car. So the little hussy could get embarrassed! Interesting.
"Do my eyes deceive me? Are you blushing, miss ma'am? Don't get any ideas. You already have Nich. You don't get two heroes, sister."
We made it to where Stefan's been staying in under thirty minutes, parking around the corner, so Spencer was out of sight. Dana wasn't lying. The place was literally right outside of Seaside in our neighboring town of Warrenton. At least he had some smarts to not be smack dab in town, I'd give him that. Hell, I was today years old when I found out he'd been living right under my nose, the sneaky bastard.
I was starting to sweat as we made our way to the house, and low and behold, he was outside. Looked like he was talking to an older couple. Could it possibly be the owners that thought he walked on fucking water? Some people were too blind to see the truth behind lying eyes. I was once one of those people. He spotted me, then saw Dana walking next to me, and grimaced. He obviously remembered his run-in with her in front of my shop and was probably shitting himself that we'd found his hideout.
"Well, if it isn't my old friend, Cynthia. Who is this lovely lady with you? I don't believe I've had the pleasure. I'm Stefan, and you are?"
Dana growled at him, in the nicest way possible, as he put his hand out to her. I mean, if there was a nice way to growl, that is. I grabbed her hand, letting her know we were in this together. The couple excused themselves, saying they needed to get back to work. Lucky for them, they didn’t have to listen to this utter bullshit.
"You better keep that disease-riddled hand to yourself, scumbag, or I'll sic Beethoven on you. Trust me when I say, he has a sixth sense for dipshits, and he's hungry."
Have I mentioned how much I loved this girl? Too busy making fake introductions, Stefan now noticed Beethoven quietly growling next to us. Dana lovingly patted my boy's head, letting him know we were okay, so he stopped growling.
"Let's not pretend we're here for a friendly chat, shall we, and get down to it. I've loved getting all your adolescent love notes, but how about we cut to the chase? What the hell are you doing here, and when are you leaving, Stefan? There's nothing here for you, and as you've probably noticed, I have cop friends that helped me track your pathetic ass down and will protect me with all they have. Is that clear enough for you?"
There was that smug smile I'd missed so much. Not. The guy was so full of himself, I was surprised he wasn’t shitting out of his eyes.
"Oh, my beautiful, Cynthia. I've missed this. You and me, together again, like it was always meant to be. I quite like it here, so I think I'll be staying indefinitely. Do you have a problem with that, my love?"
Jesus. The guy had a death wish. Dana lunged at him, but I managed to hold her back. Damn, girl, and here I thought I was the one who was going to need holding back.
"Keep your dog on a leash, Cynthia, and I don't mean the furry four-legged one. At least he has some damn manners."
Oh, for fuck sake, man.
"Unlike Beethoven, I don't have a problem pissing on your leg. Call me what you want, but we all know who the real mutt is. Nice to finally meet you, you piece of dog shit. Until next time, loser. Oh, and her name is Cindy, fuck stick!"
Dana got her wits back and walked off, so I could chat with Stefan alone for a minute. All I needed was a minute because I could see this wasn’t going anywhere good. I’d kind of figured he'd play the innocent role. Funny thing was, I already felt a sense of relief that I was brave enough to even face him. I'd hid from him for so long, scared of my own shadow, that I was more than proud of myself for no longer cowering to my own private monster. It was a win in my book, and I'd happily take it.
"I'm not scared of you anymore, Stefan. In a strange turn of events, you've finally freed me. I honestly can't thank you enough. You need to move on with your life and stop living in the past. I have, and leaving you was the best thing I've ever done. So, thank you."
I turned to walk away because it was quite clear I was getting nowhere with him. I'd said my peace, and he could do with it as he chose. I really didn’t give two shits about what he had to say, if anything. I didn’t make it far though, and he grabbed me by the arm and whispered in my ear.
"I'm going to kill you for leaving me, you bitch. Just so I can watch your lifeless body twitch. I'll be seeing you real soon, my love."
A little word of advice, ladies. Always hit record on your phone, in case you run across an idiot that says too much. Game on, motherfucker!
Chapter 10
Dana
I knew when I went to bed mad, woke up mad, and just wanted to throat punch someone…the day was not going to go well.
I wasn’t normally a violent person; thankfully I’d grown out of that stage in life. I was the type of woman to tell you to fuck off on occasion. But wanting to physically hurt someone, it wasn’t the person I wanted to be again. Right now though, that was where I was.
