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I could tell as soon as the words were out of my mouth she’d taken them as a personal affront.
“My God. Well, it wasn’t me who issued the threat and I had nothing to do with his heart attack, but I can certainly see why you’d be at the receiving end of a hefty warning. I might be many things, including a walking talking disaster, but I would never stoop to something that low.” She lifted her gaze, fighting the tears in her eyes, her anger for me returning in full force.
I had zero experience with handling any emotion beyond rage, which was one reason I couldn’t find a goddamn thing to say to her that would matter in the least. “I’m sorry.” And I was, although I had no clue how to say it more than issuing the two little words.
“Aren’t you going to answer the door? I’m sure it’s one of your many fans since you’re such a nice person.” She offered a venomous glare that could burn any normal man into the ground. Only I wasn’t normal by anyone’s standards.
Backing away, I took long strides into the living room, throwing open the door with enough anger that it hit the wall with a brutal thud. Whoever had ventured out early was already leaving, their face hidden behind the smoked glass of the dark sedan. However, a love note had been left taped to the door.
Just like the threat had been.
Bristling, I snatched the single piece of paper into my hand, ripping it open. Fuck me. After closing the door, I headed back to the kitchen, Jessie attempting to skirt around me.
“Don’t worry, Mr. Cawthorne. As I said before, Megan should be here any minute now. I’ll stay out of your hair. For the rest of your life.”
“Jessie. Wait.”
“Not a chance, buster. I won’t be treated like trash. I’m finished with allowing any man to do so.”
I grabbed her arm, yanking her a little too hard, a single yelp pushing past her lips. The hurt in her eyes nearly destroyed me. I was going to crush the bastard with my bare hands for what he’d done and was planning on doing to her.
“Wait. This was left for you.” The last thing I wanted was for her to see the harm that the bastard was planning, but she needed to know.
Her initial glare shifted into a worried gaze as she glanced down at what was held in my hand. After taking it from me, she turned away before reading it. Two seconds later, her shoulders slumped.
“He did it. He actually did it.”
The subpoena was for full custody of Britta. “You expected this to happen?”
She nodded, although she didn’t turn around to face me. “My attorney called. She knew it was coming, which is why I had a feeling he’d show up in Colorado. There’s not going to be anything I can do about it. Nothing. He always gets what he wants. Why my daughter? I have no other choice but to leave. I just don’t know where I’ll go.”
“You mean to run.”
Her reaction was swift, her anger more prevalent than before. “How could you possibly understand the love I have for her? How could you? There’s no way you could love anyone but yourself.”
The second knock on the door forced a hiss from my throat. I moved past her quickly, ready to throw a punch if the guy who’d served the legal piece of paper had returned.
The girl on the other side seemed shocked at my expression, even taking a step backward. “I’m sorry. I was told my friend Jessie was here. I’m Megan.”
“Yeah, I’m here. I’m done. So very done. Let me get our things,” Jessie said from behind me.
“You can’t go anywhere. James is going to return and when he does, he won’t take no for an answer. We can’t allow that to happen.”
“We?” Jessie snapped. “There is no we. You made that perfectly clear. Don’t try and pretend you give a shit. I won’t buy into that again.”
“I do care. About you. And about Britta.” I was trying to choose my words carefully, resigned to the fact I sucked at finding the right ones. “It won’t be enough he’s going after custody and you know it. Whatever his intentions, there’s more to it. We need to find out what that is.”
“Well, he’s not going to get the chance. Just stay away from me, Sebastian. This is my life, not yours. I will do whatever it takes to protect my daughter. Again, nothing that you would understand.”
“I do understand, Jessie. I’m not the monster you think I am.”
The look of sadness in her eyes deepened. “No, you’re worse. But it’s my fault I opened that emotional door even a crack.” She took off once again.
“I’m going to contact my attorney and see what he can do. From what you’ve told me, James will not be allowed to follow through with this. I will see to it.”
She stopped in her tracks, taking her time to turn around. While her friend remained standing behind me, she threw Megan a quick glance before closing the distance. “I guess I need to make this very clear to you. Stop. Just fucking stop. Besides, I don’t know why you want to help me, Sebastian. While I want to believe you are honest in your desire to provide me with assistance, what you said a few minutes ago hurt me deeply. I’ve had enough of being called names, treated like garbage from James, and I have enough self-respect for myself to politely say no, thank you very much for the offer. I think I need to do what is necessary to keep him from touching Britta. If you don’t understand then I honestly don’t care. Please just leave me alone.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that, Jessie.”
