Chapter 21
Twenty-One
Pacing through her kitchen, morning sunlight streaming through the window, she stared down at her cellphone in her hand.
Freeman’s contact was pulled up, but her finger hovered over the call button, hesitating.
She’d had her finger hovering over that call button for fifteen minutes, working on the courage to begin what was going to be a difficult conversation.
Sighing heavily, she squeezed her eyes shut, letting her head roll to the back of her neck so that her face pointed up toward the ceiling.
Her head still ached, and her entire body hurt like hell.
Standing naked in front of the full-length mirror in her bedroom this morning, she’d catalogued every bruise and mark on her body.
Her face was an abysmal sight to behold.
Glancing at the screen again, she leaned her hips against the counter and looked around her small home.
Birds chirped outside, the open window allowing a warm breeze to enter.
She didn’t want to go. She didn’t want to leave her home.
She loved Texas, loved Melody Hills. She would miss Natalie, her job, her friends. Travis.
And she was angry that Neal had brought her to this.
To running away, scared for her safety, if not her life.
She knew she couldn’t stay; last night had made it clear he wasn’t going to back off.
She knew the statistics; he was only going to get more volatile until it came to a head…
whether it ended with him in jail, or her potentially in a body bag.
Chills rushed over her at the thought. The look in his eyes last night had been pure evil, sinister and cold. He wasn’t going to stop until he had her… or until he killed her. She was sure of it.
So what choice did she have? He had already made it obvious he could get in and out of her house without being detected, her locks did little to deter him. And if he was deranged enough to attack her in a public parking lot… what else was he willing to do?
She would have to be careful though, since he was still out there.
She had to assume he was watching her, always watching her.
If she made it obvious that she was planning on leaving, he would stop her, or follow her.
She could have a go bag packed in an hour.
Should she leave everything else behind, or take the chance of him catching wind of her plan by renting a U-Haul?
Her entire life was in this small house, not that it mattered when it was her life that was in danger.
Should she fly? Or drive? She would need a vehicle once she got to northern Michigan, so driving was the obvious choice…
but also dangerous. She’d be utterly alone and vulnerable, on the road, for days at a time…
Fear skittered across her and she leaned against the countertop on her hands, phone still clutched in one hand.
If she wasn’t careful enough, and he did follow her…
traveling across the country alone was already unfairly dangerous for a woman, but with Neal on the loose, if he found her alone… she was as good as dead.
Because she would never go back to him, that was for sure. And if Neal couldn’t get what he wanted from her, she had no doubts of what lengths he would go to keep her from anyone else.
Panic clogged her throat. Even if she did manage to sneak away, get across the country and start over in Petoskey close to Freeman and Jodi, what was stopping Neal from tracking her there?
Resuming the stalking and breaking and entering, just in a different location?
He already hated Freeman with a passion…
would he try to hurt him or Jodi just to get to her?
She conceded that she wouldn’t put it past him.
The police had documented everything from the night before.
Photographs were taken of her battered face, her statement was taken down, and everything was added to the current Restraining Order she had against him…
if they could ever find him to serve him the order.
Not that it did any good. It was just a flimsy piece of paper. It hadn’t stopped him so far.
Taking a deep, restorative breath in, she exhaled and picked up the phone again, hitting the call button before she could talk herself out of it.
Setting it to speaker, she held it in her hand in front of her mouth, about chest level.
It rang several times and then she nearly burst into tears when Freeman’s heavy Texas twang greeted her through the line.
“Hiya, Red. What’s got you callin’ so early? ”
Tears clogged her throat, but she swallowed around them and said quietly, “Free. Is that offer still open?”
She could sense the change in him even over the phone. She could hear Jodi’s soft voice and then Free growled, “Is he back?”
“Yes,” she whispered miserably. He swore on the other end of the line, crudely. Jodi’s panicked voice met her ears, and he murmured to her gently. “Free, I don’t want to put you and Jodi in danger—”
“You get here as quickly and quietly as you can, you hear me?” he said firmly. “Fuck. Red, do I need to come down there and get you?”
“No,” Roxy said, shaking her head. “You need to stay there with Jodi, in her condition… I just have to figure out how to get out without him realizing I’m leaving.”
“Roxy,” she heard Jodi’s soft voice, as if she’d taken the phone from Free’s hands, though it sounded like they too had their phone on speaker. “I’m okay. I would much rather Free come get you than to let you travel alone—”
“And I won’t take your husband away from you while you’re pregnant, Jodi,” Roxy said gently, smiling.
It had taken a while, but she and Jodi had a solid friendship now.
She was fortunate to have them both. “I’m a big girl, I can make it there.
I just needed to know if that offer was still on the table. ”
“Always,” Jodi said softly, and Roxy could sense the sincerity in her voice. “You’re family, now. We take care of our own. So you just do what you need to do and get up here, we’ll have everything ready when you get here. Are you driving or flying?”
“I don’t know,” Roxy said and shook her head, leaning her head back to stare at the ceiling again. “Flying would be faster, but I need a car once I get there. And driving is risky, too…”
Footsteps sounded and she turned, swallowing hard when Travis appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, looking sleep rumpled and far too attractive for so early in the morning.
He wore the same clothes as he’d been in the night before, and his long, light brown hair that was streaked with silver fell around his face and shoulders in slight waves.
Free spoke. “Red, I’m gonna send Bobby over—”
“No,” Roxy said, tearing her gaze away from Travis.
She nodded in greeting and gestured toward the coffee pot that was filled with strong black coffee.
Travis moved into the kitchen, his hulking frame seeming to shrink the already small space.
It was strange to have him in her home, but she’d admittedly slept better than she had in months knowing he was just a room away.
He plucked a coffee mug off the mug carousel on the counter and poured himself a steaming cup, leaning his hips against the counter across from her.
She lowered her eyes from his intense gaze, returning her attention to the conversation at hand.
“No, if Neal is watching and sees Bobby, he will know something is going on. I already had the locks changed. Bobby can’t know until after—”
“Dammit, Red, I can’t just fucking sit here and let you do this alone,” Free bit out, and she hated the fear she could hear in his voice. It almost made it worse, because if he was scared… it drove home that the fear she was feeling was really and truly justified. Shit.
“She’s not alone,” Travis said then, his deep, sleep husky voice cutting through the quiet.
Roxy groaned internally as Jodi’s gasp cut through the air with a curious, “Ooooh,” at the same time Free grumbled darkly, “Uhh, who the hell are you, buddy?”
Roxy wanted to laugh out loud when she heard a light thwack, a low grunt, and then Jodi’s hushed, “Freeman! Be nice!”
“Well who the fuck is this guy—”
“Guys—”
“—oooh, maybe he’s her boyfriend,” she heard Jodi whisper and mortification flushed over her hotly. She glanced up at Travis, who was smirking down at her.
Roxy flushed darker red when she heard Free mutter sourly, “—oh, like hell he is—"
“Oh my god, you guys, stop!” Roxy called loudly over them. Holding the phone close to her face and turning away from Travis slightly, she whisper shouted, “He’s not my boyfriend!”
Travis plucked the phone out of her hand from over her shoulder and she attempted to snatch it back, but he chuckled lightly and spoke directly into it, “Name’s Travis. Roxy is in my kickboxing class. I stayed to keep an eye on her after last night.”
Roxy waved her hands frantically, silently begging him to stop, but it was too late. She groaned out loud and buried her face in her hands when Free’s angry voice boomed, “What the fuck happened last night, Red?”
“Thanks for that,” Roxy muttered sourly to Travis, who just smirked and refused to hand the phone back to her. “Free, I’m fine—”
“She has a fresh black eye and potentially a concussion,” Travis said over her. Free’s colorful expletives sounded from the phone and she groaned again.
“Let me guess, she wouldn’t go get checked out?” Free asked sourly.
“You may know her well,” Travis said with a light chuckle, leaning his hips against the counter and crossing his arms over his chest. She stood in front of him, her foot tapping out a beat in annoyance, her eyes narrowed on his face.
“How bad?” Free asked.
“It’s fine—”
“It’s not pretty,” Travis interrupted, glaring down at her. Speaking directly to her, he muttered, “You’re not going to play this off like you’re not in pain, Roxy. As someone who’s made a living off being hit and doing the hitting, I know for a fact how much pain you’re in. Don’t lie to us.”
Jodi’s quiet gasp sounded through the phone and Roxy could hear her whispering to Free. “Who did you say you are?” Free asked, wariness coming through his voice.
“My name is Travis Hayes,” Travis said softly, his eyes never leaving hers as she stared up at him. “I’m a former MMA fighter. I teach a kickboxing class at the gym that Roxy goes to. She’s in my class.”
“What happened last night?” Free asked gruffly.
Travis stared down at her. “Can I trust you to tell the truth or do I need to recap?” Roxy glared up at him.
“You’re a bully,” she whisper hissed, but he just smirked again, handing her the phone. “You don’t get to yell at me, Free.”
“Not a good way to start, Red,” she heard his grumble through the phone. She sighed wearily, and he murmured, “I promise not to yell at you. What happened, Red?”
“Neal sent me flowers the week after I got home from Colorado. That’s when it started again.
” She recounted the events from the last few months, leading up to the night before, skimming some details and earning a disgruntled interruption from Travis.
By the time she’d reached the end of the night, her head was pounding.
She pressed her fingers into her right temple and squeezed her eyes shut.
“You’ll let me know when you’re hitting the road?” Free asked. She hated the fear she could hear in his voice. She’d thought she was free of Neal. It was laughable now. “I really hate the idea of you traveling alone, Red.”
She sighed quietly. “I’ll be fine, Free—”
“I’ll drive her.”
Her eyes snapped open, her gaze flying to meet Travis’s, her mouth slack in shock. Roxy shook her head and said, “No, that’s not necessary—”
“I like that idea,” Free said, the damned traitor. She glared down at the phone screen and then raised her eyes back to Travis’s. “Travis, take my phone number down.”
Travis pulled his own phone out of his pocket, typing in the numbers as Free rattled them off. He saved the contact, then slid the phone back into his pocket.
“You’re all bullies,” Roxy muttered grumpily. “I don’t need—"
“Bullies who care,” Jodi called softly, interrupting her, and Roxy inhaled deeply to try and restore some semblance of calm to her system at being railroaded by all three of them. “We just want to make sure you’re okay.”
“She’s with me, I won’t let this coward near her,” Travis said thickly, his brows dipping low over his eyes intensely. “You have my word.”
“I’ll call you later, Free,” Roxy snapped, hanging up the phone and slamming it down onto the counter next to them.
Fire lit through her as she glared up at him.
“Look, Travis, I appreciate your help last night, but I don’t need you to drive me to Michigan.
” He simply stared at her, silent in that way of his that unnerved her.
“I have been on my own since I was sixteen, okay? I don’t need a babysitter; I don’t need you swooping in and trying out that newly fitted superhero cape. I’m not a damsel in distress—”
“I beg to differ,” Travis muttered darkly, crossing his thickly muscled arms over his chest. She pulled her lips in through her teeth and closed her eyes, counting to ten in her head and letting out a long, heavy exhale in an attempt to keep herself calm.
When she opened her eyes, he nodded toward her face, indicating her cheek, and said, “I’m no hero, Red, and I’m not here to save you.
But I’ve seen firsthand what men like Neal are capable of when they get it in their minds, and I’ll be damned if I sit back and watch it happen again.
Until I get you to Petoskey safely, baby girl, you’re fucking stuck with me, so you better get over this temper tantrum quick. ”