12
Endless worry kept Mike pacing around the midsize house. Far from the swankiest place he’d ever been, it was clean but outdated.
The maiden aunt decor was atrocious, enough to turn his stomach, but at least it wasn’t the dive motel room he’d had to suffer
in Hoker.
Plus renting the house outside of town helped ensure that no one could easily find him. Pending traffic, he could still be
back in the small town in ten minutes. He knew because he drove through there every day, hoping he’d run into Glory. He’d
see her, she would see him, they would laugh, and he’d finally know that she was okay.
Or at least he’d get a glimpse of her, enough to be reassured that she was up and about, not lying broken in a hospital bed.
That vision consumed him, gnawing on his peace of mind, keeping him on the edge. She’s mine. That would never change. If she was hurt, he should be with her.
It displeased him that she still held on to her snit. Not at all the trait of a perfect woman. It had to be Kam’s influence. That no-good trespasser should find his own woman instead of trying to steal Mike’s.
Once he reunited with her, she’d learn not to act out so impetuously.
Thinking of all the ways he’d school her deepened his breathing. Jenn had let him down. Her perfection had only been skin-deep,
and once she was pitifully begging, even that was gone.
Glory was different, pure through and through, and smart enough to learn what was expected of her. They were meant to be together;
she’d understand that soon enough.
The sudden ring of his phone jarred him from that favorite fantasy. He didn’t want to talk to anyone. He didn’t want to have
to be social. He wanted Glory, back with him where she belonged.
Out of sheer habit, he glanced at the screen, and his heart nearly stopped. Hands fumbling, he grabbed up the phone, dropped
it, then fell to his knees to snatch it up. He swiped his thumb over the screen and, at almost the same time, shouted, “Glory!
Oh, thank God. Do you know how worried I’ve been? I didn’t know what happened or how badly you were hurt, and no one would
tell me anything because I’m not a member of this godforsaken town.”
When she didn’t reply, his excitement died. “Glory?”
“Um . . . Mike?”
That uncertain voice took the strength from his bones, and he sat back on his ass with a raspy laugh. “Of course, it’s me,
sweetheart. I’m so glad to hear from you.”
More seconds ticked by before she asked, “You said you were worried. Does that mean you know I was in a wreck?”
“Yes, and I’ve been going insane worrying about you.” Dropping his voice, he rebuked her. “You shouldn’t have blocked me.
You can’t know how hard that was for me.”
“How,” she interrupted, her own tone sharpening, “did you know?”
“Everyone knows. Apparently, nothing happens in this town that isn’t reported and shared and gossiped about. I’ve been so
frantic I’ve barely been able to sleep. I called different hospitals in the area, but no one would tell me a thing.”
Again, she took her time in replying. “So you overheard something?”
Hadn’t he just said so? Her distinct lack of concern for him, especially after he’d worried himself sick over her, left him
peevish. “I was in a . . .” No, he wasn’t about to tell her he’d been in a bar. She might frown on it because they both held
such high standards, plus it was where he met Shara. God knew that woman had been a disappointment. She hadn’t been able to
make any headway yet with Kam. He’d be happy just to be done with her—and he would be, soon.
Amending his explanation, he continued with, “I was in a store and overheard people talking. I don’t know of any other woman
driving a cherry-red Mustang in this town, so I was immediately concerned and started listening in.”
“You eavesdropped?”
“Believe me, the ramblings of quaint country people normally bore me, but I felt sure it was about you. When they said a blonde
woman had been taken away in an ambulance, I almost died.”
Bypassing any concern for his mental anguish, she asked, “Was it you following me when it happened?”
Immediate rage washed through him, clenching his heart—and his fists. How dare she blame him? How dare she be so cold? “You’re
accusing me?” The words snarled from his throat, but he couldn’t help that.
“Are you denying it?” she countered.
Oh, she’d definitely be reprimanded for her impertinence. Breathing hard, he came to his feet and gave her a hard dose of truth. “I would absolutely follow you if I thought you needed me. I would dog you day and night to keep you safe.”
Her voice emerged, equally low and mean. “I don’t need you.”
“And I didn’t follow you.” Knowing he had to get control, he stiffly paced—from one end of the room to the other, then back again. I don’t need you. The hell she didn’t!
Now more than ever, she needed him. She was straying off the path, becoming embroiled with hillbillies, and growing far too
lippy. “I thought you had been hurt. I feared you might have died.”
Deadpan, she quipped, “Well, obviously, I’m not dead.”
Blood thundered in his ears and heat scorched up the back of his neck. “Don’t even say that.” Rasped out around the constriction
in his suddenly tight throat, the words were faint, scratchy. “Don’t you ever say that. I couldn’t live without you. You’re
a part of me.”
“No, I’m not—and I never will be.”
She was wrong, and he’d prove it to her. She’d beg for him. He only hoped she wouldn’t wait until it was too late.
He heard a faint grumbling before she continued. “I was hurt, Mike. I have two fractured ribs, a torn rotator cuff, and a
lot of colorful bruises.”
There went his legs again. “Jesus.” Macabre scenes filled his imagination. His Glory, broken and bruised. “Baby, what can
I do? How can I help?”
Without thanking him for the offer, she said, “I don’t need your help. I only called because I wanted to know if it was you
following me. That’s why I went off the road. I was spooked by a car tailing me. I was watching the rearview mirror and then
a dog ran in front of me, and when I tried to swerve, I lost control.”
“No,” he breathed. Hearing it from her was even worse than hearing it from Kirby.
“I hit a tree.”
And she could have died. “Glory . . .”
“The person following me—you, I assumed—took off.”
New rage coalesced, cinching his muscles and burning his eyes. It was a good thing the little witch wasn’t here right now
to suffer his temper. How dare she malign him like that? “You actually think I would do that?” He sounded pissed and didn’t
care. “You think I would watch you crash into a tree and then just drive away? Do you fucking know me at all?”
“Don’t curse at me.”
Emotion exploded from him. “I love you! I would never leave you like that. You’re my life, Glory, a part of me. My soulmate.
We belong together.”
Oddly, his anger worked to calm hers, leaving her tone flat. “We’re nothing to each other. I’ve told you that numerous times
now. We were never together and we never will be.”
Shaking his head didn’t clear away the fog of her denial. “You don’t mean that. We’re meant to be. You’re mine.”
The sound of two slow, strained inhales came through the line. “I mean every word. Go back to your life and forget about me.
As soon as I end this call, I’m blocking you again and that’s the end of it.”
“Don’t you dare—”
But she’d already disconnected.
It took everything he had not to smash the phone against the wall. Only the very strong belief that she would come to her
senses and call again kept him from the violence. Glory needed him, whether she realized it or not.
Forcing his hand to slowly loosen, each finger peeling away, he was finally able to drop the phone to the table.
He knew what he had to do. Kirby, the one who left her there broken and bleeding, would have to die. He’d take pleasure in killing him, so that Glory would understand: He would always protect her.
Shara might have to go as well. She’d proven herself useless.
But first, before he disposed of them, he’d make use of them one last time. It was the least they owed him.
And then he’d stop playing with Glory.
Taking her with broken ribs might be difficult—for her. It’d be a warning not to waste what little patience he had left. He’d
indulged her long enough. Too long.
It was past time for her to come to grips with reality.
Never would he let her go. Not for any reason.
She’d learn her first lesson soon enough.
“I don’t want to leave you.” Kam hadn’t stopped stewing since that fateful call.
Mike was certifiably unhinged, so he’d insisted on calling the local cops. It wasn’t something he did often, not after the
way they’d hassled Tanner when he was younger, as if he’d been responsible for his father’s death.
But that was years ago, and now, with a lunatic on the loose, he wouldn’t take chances with Glory’s safety.
Not that they’d been able to help much. They promised to keep an eye out, and someone would attempt to contact Mike, to ask
him pertinent questions.
Good luck with that, Kam thought. They hadn’t been able to reach him after the wreck, and odds were they wouldn’t get ahold of him now.
Glory gave Kam a smile. “I’ll be fine.”
If that were true, why did he feel like things were unraveling around him? “I know you wanted less company, but Callie insisted she would be by.” Something he’d encouraged. No way did he want Glory to be alone. He’d prefer she had a houseful of people, but he also understood her need for privacy.
At least Callie would have PB with her. “When they can find the time, Nell and Liam will stop by long enough to get a run
set up for the dog.”
“I have it all planned out,” Glory enthused. “I’ll call PB up on the couch with me, hook the leash to the collar, so I don’t
have to bend, and then we can step outside for a bit. The fresh air will be nice.”
I love you. The words burned in his throat and in his heart. If she hadn’t harked on yesterday about his apartment, he might have given
in and said them.
Then again, he’d spent a long time last night thinking about how to proceed. It seemed to him that he had to show Glory a
few things.