AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I tighten my grip on his throat. “What was that?”
“Okay,” he chokes out. “Okay!”
I release my grip and shove him away from me. He immediately bends over and starts violently coughing. Meanwhile, the one that I punched manages to get up on his feet, but when he grabs his gun, I snatch his wrist and point the gun in his hand to his head.
“Still want to pull the trigger?” I ask him.
“No,” he squeaks out.
I tear the gun out of his hand and he scrambles away from me.
“Come on!” he yells at his partner. “Let’s get the fuck out of here!”
The driver gives me a wary look as he backs up to the car. I stay where I am, waiting impatiently for them to leave.
“This isn’t over,” the driver says as he climbs into the vehicle
“No, it is,” I say. “Enjoy the rest of your scummy life.”
Leaves fly up into the air as they drive away. But even though they’re gone, I’m still breathing fire. This whole thing is so fucked up. Heidi shouldn’t have to deal with this. Now or ever again.
I turn around and see her standing in the open doorway of the cabin. She looks equal parts scared and relieved. As I approach her, she hurries toward me and jumps into my arms, burying her face against my neck. I wrap my arms around her and press my face into her hair, breathing her in deeply.
“We’re getting out of here,” I say. “Now.”
Two hours into our drive away from the cabin, once the dirt roads have transitioned to long stretches of tree-buffered highways, we come to an intersection where we either have to turn left or right. One signpost in front of us readsPeach Ridge.The other readsHarlow Bay.
“What do you think?” I ask Heidi, nodding at the signs. “You have a good feeling about either?”
We’ve spent the last two hours talking, and while I know her a hell of a lot more than I did when we left the cabin, I can’t guess which direction she’ll want to take.
“Harlow Bay sounds nice,” she says. “But…I don’t know. For some reason, my gut is saying Peach Ridge.”
I make the turn and keep driving. Forty minutes later, while Heidi is in the middle of telling me about the dog she had when she was growing up, I pull off the highway and drive us into the small town that neither of us has ever been to before.
“This place is cute,” Heidi says, leaning forward in her seat as we drive down Main Street. “It’s super cute, actually. This is the sort of place I’ve always dreamed of living in.”
I look over at her. “Yeah? What else have you dreamed about?”
She smiles at me. “I don’t know if I want to tell you. It’s kind of embarrassing.”
“Tell me, Heidi.”
“Well…” She toys with a loose thread on her pants. “Okay. I’ve always just wanted to be a wife and mom. I know that’s not very popular to say these days, but it’s what I want. I want to take care of a home, raise kids, and make my husband happy.”
Warmth sears through my chest. “There’s nothing wrong with that. As long as he’s keeping you happy too.”
“Oh, of course. I wouldn’t stand for an asshole husband.”
I turn onto another block and glance over at her again. “Sounds like you want to marry a real kind-hearted guy, then.”
“I’m not sure if I’d use that word.”
“What word would you use, then?”
“To describe my ideal husband?” she asks. “Loyal. Protective. Thoughtful. But also rough when he needs to be.”
If she’s not being serious right now, it’s going to break my fucking heart. I pull my Jeep over into an empty parking spot and point at the window display of a small boutique. “Come on. Let’s get you some new clothes.”
