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“Why?”
“So I can deal with him,” August growled.
“A man who would hurt one woman will likely hurt the next. We’ll keep an eye on him, and if he tries anything, we’ll make sure he can’t hurt anyone else,” Brynn clarified.
I finally looked over my shoulder at August, and my stomach clenched.
The look on his face… it was complete and utter fury.
If I gave him Dickwad’s name, he was going to kill the bastard. And as much as Dickwad deserved it, I didn’t want his death on my hands.
But Brynn had a point about keeping an eye on him. I also didn’t want another woman’s pain on my hands, let alone her life.
So I had to tell Brynn, but couldn’t tell August.
I’d have to text it to her later, when I was away from him.
“I don’t want you getting involved,” I said, my gaze still locked with August’s. Seeing the fire in his eyes was really damn weird.
Before he could growl at me again, another vehicle pulled up. This one was a gigantic truck with the name of a furniture store on the side.
I took a seat on the porch again, out of the way of the supernatural guys as they worked with the delivery crew to unload the furniture. August must’ve decided to let other people in the cabin for the time being, because all of them headed in with the stuff.
While they were all inside, and Brynn was directing them, I sent her a quick message with Dickwad’s name. I added a warning for her not to give it to August, too.
She winked at me the next time she stepped back out, and lifted a finger to her lips, telling me she’d keep the secret.
When the guys put a big porch swing a few feet away from me, I couldn’t resist the urge to make myself at home on it. I grabbed my bag and took a seat. Though the soreness in my muscles was shitty, I ignored it as I opened my laptop and tried to focus on my project again.
I got distracted every now and then—mostly by the feeling of August’s gaze on me as he headed toward or walked away from the house. But for the most part, I managed to get things done.
A grocery delivery van came while they were still unloading the furniture, and Brynn took over organizing those. I offered to help her, but she waved her hand and told me to keep working, so I did.
Another truck showed up with more furniture around the time they finished with the first, and we said goodbye to the grocery delivery people.
It seemed like way too much furniture to me, but I hadn’t actually walked around to see the whole cabin, so I didn’t know how big it was. And I noticed a few rugs and fake plants being carried in during my moments of distraction, so it seemed safe to assume they weren’t just furnishing it—they were decorating it, too.
I just stayed on the porch swing and kept working.
five
ELODIE
Eventually, the last furniture truck drove away.
I could faintly hear Brynn and Bash talking as they did something inside the house. I wasn’t sure where August was, but he wasn’t outside, so I was finally alone.
Or aloneish.
The ache in my muscles was still getting worse, though.
And I was definitely sweating.
I kept hoping that focusing on my project would distract me from heat’s magic, but it hadn’t.
Vi and Randa showed up again after a bit longer, with all of my stuff. They’d packed it in the set of pink rolling suitcases and matching duffel bag I’d picked out before my freshman year in college. The suitcases had seen better days, but they’d survived years of flying back home for all of the major holidays.
I didn’t talk with my older brother and sister much, but I was close with my parents. My mom, mainly. We chatted on the phone a few times a week, and she was definitely one of my closest friends.
