His fingers twist in my hair. “Well, she’s not really my type. But I suppose if I close my eyes while I do it…”
Panic makes my heart crawl into my throat, choking me. “Fine,” I gasp. “I’ll sign the papers, okay?”
“Well, here’s the thing,” he drawls slowly. “I can’t actually serve them to you in Canada. Something about international laws.” He shrugs. “So, I need you to come with me. Charlie will go free, and we’ll head back to the States and get this all sorted.”
I swallow, my breaths shallow, and he crowds me closer to the building, pushing his body against mine. He presses his nose into my hair and sniffs. “Well?” he whispers as if he’s giving me a choice.
Hot tears trickle down my cheeks, but I inch my hand down into my purse, my fingers grasping for something—anything—to defend myself. Hope blooms in my chest when I find my keys, and I slide them tightly between my fingers. I tense my core and swing my fist backward toward Dennis’s face.
He grunts in surprise as I strike him. Two of the keys shift, pinching my fingers, but the tip of the third digs into his left cheek. His hold loosens, and I duck out of his grasp, turn, and drive my knee right into his dick. He doubles over with a curse.
Just then, the door behind me bursts open, and Seb steps into the alley, his eyes blazing, but he stops short when he sees Dennis dancing around, one hand clutching his crotch.
Seb’s gaze slides to mine. “What the fuck?”
I shrug, trying to calm my racing heart.
Dennis’s head snaps up, and I smile when I see the trail of blood dripping into his mustache. He spots Seb and immediately starts backpedaling to the street. Seb lunges toward him, but Dennis jumps back, stumbling onto the sidewalk.
I grab Seb’s forearm. “No, you can’t.” My voice shakes. “He said he has Charlie. You have to check on her.”
His face drains of color, and he pulls out his cellphone.
I hear police sirens.
“How did you know?” I ask quietly while Seb starts pacing with his phone to his ear.
He nods above the door, and I spot a camera. Dennis was literally caught on camera assaulting me. Glee tickles my chest. That can’t be good for his will contest case.
“No answer.” Seb starts scrolling furiously, hits another contact, and puts the call on speaker.
“Hey, Seb.” Lincoln Evans’s gruff voice echoes over the line. He sounds normal to me.
Seb raises the phone closer to his face, glancing at me. “Lincoln, is Charlie with you? Or have you talked to her?”
“She’s right here. She’s not leaving for another hour to meet Flowers?—”
“Thank fuck.” Hot relief floods my limbs.
“Seb?” Link asks. “What’s going on?”
“It’s nothing,” Seb says quickly. “I need Fi here late today, so I’m just sorting through some scheduling conflicts, and Charlie wasn’t answering her phone.”
“Oookaaay…” Link draws out the word like he doesn’t really believe him.
“Anyway, Fi has to cancel lunch today.”
“Sure, I’ll let Charlie know.” Lincoln still sounds skeptical, but he seems to buy it.
Seb hangs up, drops his phone in his pocket, and walks up to me, gripping my shoulders and looking me over. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.”
We’re so close together that I can’t breathe as his hands continue to flutter over my cheeks and in my hair, checking for injuries.
His touch so soon is too much after what just happened, so I step away, and despite the anxious energy tightening my muscles and the dull ache in my head, I smile.
“I’m really fine, Seb. I swear.” He eyes me doubtfully, so I give him something. “Actually, my head hurts a little. Do you have some Tylenol?”
