29. Sarah
Chapter 29
Sarah
I’d chosen a basic chain restaurant for the date with Jones tonight because the last thing I wanted was to make a scene in a nice establishment where fellow patrons with prying eyes would likely gossip about what they heard or saw between us. News had a way of spreading like wildfire in a small town and it spread even faster when the news involved Mary Lynne Williams’s daughter.
I swore it was like my mother had eyes and ears all over the damn town.
Jones had offered to pick me up at my place. I’d told him I preferred to just meet at the restaurant. I wasn’t too keen on showing the guy exactly where I lived right before I was going to break things off with him.
Right before we’d sat down at the table, I’d sent Ranger a text message letting him know which restaurant we’d be at and that I’d text him toward the end of our meal. He’d replied instantly and said he was already on his way and he didn’t mind waiting in the parking lot for however long it took.
There was no doubt in my mind that I was making the right decision. That didn’t stop me from sweating up a storm and nearly picking my nails to death under the tablecloth. I’d never ended things with a man before and everything was made worse by the fact that I wasn’t only ending things with Jones. I was also ending the agreement I’d made with my mother.
She was going to come for me…I knew it. As much as I’d tried to prepare myself for the fallout, telling myself that I had every right to live my own life, I still feared my mother’s wrath. Mostly because it made me sick to my stomach that my own mother disliked who I’d turned out to be so much that she was desperate enough to strike a bargain with me.
Attempting to calm my nerves and steer my thoughts away from my mother, I slid my sweaty palms along the top of my jeans and urged myself to just breathe . Inhale. Exhale. Inhale.
“I’m really glad you agreed to come out with me again tonight, Sarah. I’ve been enjoying our time together. I think we connect pretty well,” Jones said over the top of his laminated menu. The smile he gave me should have crinkled the side of his eyes, but the skin around them remained perfect. I wondered if he was a Botox user. I wouldn’t put it past the guy.
Heat crept up my neck at his compliment. Thoughts scattered in my mind like a ping pong ball. On one side I thought it would be better to end things right after we ordered our food, so I could get it over with. The more rational and less chaotic side suggested I wait until our food was already out since the guy deserved to at least eat his meal before I let him down.
Now, I was questioning why I decided to tell him in person. This wasn’t exactly the best time for my Southern manners to shine through. Not when I was fairly certain my neck was breaking out in a stress rash.
“Mmhmm,” was all I managed to get out through the thickness in my throat.
He tilted his head slightly, eyes honing in on me. “You wouldn’t agree?”
Okay. I guess we’re doing this now .
“I actually wanted to talk to you about this. About how I’ve been feeling about us moving forward.”
His lips pursed slightly as I squared my shoulders. “I know that our mothers thought we could be a good match for one another and I think you’re a wonderful man, but I’m not feeling the spark to take things any further than being friends.”
Refraining from letting out an obscene sigh, I held my breath. Waiting for him to respond.
A smirk tugged at his lips as he snorted a breath. “You honestly think you can do better than me?”
My mouth popped open in shock. I immediately closed it. Who the hell does this guy think he is?
“Listen, Jones?—”
“No, Sarah,” he interrupted, leaning forward. “You listen to me. Your mother made it very clear that the future of your career is in a precarious place should you disappoint me. I think we both know what that means. I don’t like being disappointed, especially by a stubborn brat like you. So, do us both a favor and plaster another fake smile on your face and go back to doing what your mother told you to do.”
Thoughts emptied from my mind, and then a million came flooding in at once. My mother told him about the deal I made with her? He knew this entire time that we were dating to give my mother what she wanted? None of it was real? Not that I wanted any of it to be real, but at the very least I thought that maybe his desire to go on a date with me was genuine.
But no. His interest in me was feigned. He was only satisfying his own mother’s twisted game of merging our two powerful families. For some reason that hurt even though I had no interest in Jones from the start.
The sound of scraping on plates and patron chatter was growing louder by the second as I took in the scowl on Jones’s face. I needed to get out of here. Fast .
Water splashed over the rim of our glasses as I rose from the table, my thighs bumping into the edge.
Out. I needed to get out.
I’d been to this restaurant hundreds of times, but I was disoriented from the feeling of being trapped. It took me a moment to remember where the front door was. I dashed towards it, throwing it open with so much force it nearly swung back and hit me. Starting toward the parking lot next to the small restaurant, I rounded the side of the brick building .
“Where do you think you’re going?” I heard behind me before a hand clamped over my wrist, dragging me backward.
Jones whipped me around until I was flush against him. He held onto my wrist and his other arm snaked around my waist. He felt…wrong. I hated being this close to him.
“Let me go,” I grunted, trying to pull my wrist free, but he held firm.
He sneered. “I always get what I want, brat. And right now, it’s you. Don’t think I don’t enjoy seeing you squirm.” Bringing his face to my neck, he breathed in deeply. “I fucking love it.”
Dread had my stomach sinking down to the pavement as alarm bells rang out in my mind. All the little moments when he made me feel uncomfortable on our dates had been my intuition telling me this guy was no good. He was rotten to the fucking core and now he had me pressed against him.
“Let me go!” I yelled, stumbling to break free from him, but he only laughed as he wrenched me close again.
A car door slammed from somewhere behind me. “Get your fucking hands off her.”
Ranger .
With Jones’s grip still firm, a sense of comfort came over me. Safe. I was safe with Ranger here. I knew he wouldn’t let anything happen to me.
Craning my neck over my shoulder, I saw Ranger walking toward us with menace in every step. His fists were clenched at his sides. Disdain rippling off him.
“Who the fuck are you?” Jones asked, loosening his grip on me only slightly. “Oh wait,” he chuckled. “You’re that dumb fuck who LeRoy sent to prison for ten years.”
A snarl ripped from my throat. I didn’t care if he still had his body pressed against mine, it pissed me off that he would demean Ranger.
The sound I made grabbed his attention. His ice-blue eyes landed on mine as realization swept over his face. “Ohhh. I see. You’re the kind of little rich girl who likes sleeping around with the trash of society to get a fun thrill. I wonder what your mother would—” A gurgling sound emanated from his throat.
“I said, get your fucking hands off her.” In a single moment that happened too quickly for me to register, Ranger went from standing a few feet behind me to squeezing Jones’s throat until he couldn’t speak. Clawing at Ranger’s hand, he let me go.
As fast as I could, I darted behind Ranger. Every muscle in my body shook with the understanding of what would have happened if I hadn’t asked him to pick me up. I would have been all alone with Jones. Completely at his mercy.
Ranger stepped closer toward Jones, keeping his hand tight around his neck. “I should fucking kill you for touching Sarah. For not letting her go when she told you to.”
Jones’s eyes grew wide as he tried to suck in air. He was panicking. Part of me relished the idea of seeing him struggle.
“I should fucking kill you,” Ranger repeated and I could see the darkness sweeping over him. He would do it if it meant protecting me from harm. Maybe Jones did deserve for something terrible to happen to him. He touched me without my consent, forced me into his body, and wouldn’t let me go. Would he do that to other women? Has he done that to other women? The thought made bile rise in my throat.
Flashes of Ranger’s sorrowful face when he told me about his time in prison had me reaching out to touch his arm. Jones deserved to suffer. But at what cost to Ranger? The last thing he needed was for someone to round the corner and see him pinning Jones to the brick wall with his hand around the guy’s throat. I wanted Jones to pay for how scared he’d made me feel. But not at the expense of Ranger’s freedom. Not at the cost of having him disappear from my life to live behind bars.
“He’s not worth it,” I whispered, drawing closer to his back. I rubbed his bicep up and down, his hand shaking around Jones’s throat. “Don’t let his stupidity take you away from me. I need you, Ranger. I…I don’t want to go through this life without you by my side.” The words were raw in my throat as I spoke the truth.
Ranger kept his grip firm but slowly turned his face to look at me. His blue eyes blazed with fury. Jones was just like LeRoy and this was a chance for Ranger to get his revenge. To protect what was his.
“Please,” I coaxed, running my hand down his arm until it settled over his wrist. “Just take me home.”
Something flashed in his eyes at the word home . His nostrils flared as he closed his eyes for a moment. Opening them, he looked at Jones and pressed him further into the wall. “You’re lucky she was here to stop me. If I see you anywhere near her ever again, I’ll make good on my promise. You won’t see the fucking light of day, I’ll bury your body so fucking deep in the ground no one will be able to find it.” With a final shove, Ranger dropped his hold on Jones who bent over clutching at his neck, gasping for air. Without a second look at us, Jones scrambled away into the parking lot.
Ranger was quiet as he looked down at me.
“Thank you,” I told him before wrapping my arms around his waist, taking in his scent of leather and sweet grass.
His shaking palm found the back of my head, his lips kissed my hair.
“I hate what he did to you, Sarah. I couldn’t stand the fear in your eyes as he held you against him. I shouldn’t have let him go.”
“Shhh,” I crooned, squeezing him tighter to me. I held him close, letting the warmth of his arms draw away the remnants of my fear.
When I leaned back to look at Ranger’s face, his eyebrows were drawn together in a pained expression. I reached up, smoothing his skin until the wrinkles were gone. “You being here with me means more than seeing Jones be punished.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I can’t lose you, Ranger. Not when we haven’t had any time. Not when we’ve just begun.”
Tears hit the back of my eyes as I pressed my cheek against his chest. His large hands splayed against my back. “ You won’t lose me, sugar. I promise I won’t let that happen.”
The cotton of his flannel was soft against my face as I nodded against him. “Okay.”
We stood there, holding one another for a long while. “Take me home?” I finally asked him, my lips grazing a button on his shirt. I wasn’t quite ready to let go of him.
“I like the sound of that.”