I hobble to my bed as I hear them race through the house and onto the street. A car speeds off, and from the window, I see Tony come out of the house a few moments later.
“Fuck,” he swears loud enough to wake the neighbors.
He looks across the road to a pickup truck that I haven’t seen before. It must be a rental, and I guess he’s considering giving chase. But Paul is long gone, and Tony swears some more before coming into the house.
He obviously didn’t leave this afternoon. Instead, he got a rental pickup and has been watching my place. And I’m so relieved that he did.
4
TONY
Caroline’s shaking when I get back to her bedroom, and my first instinct is to put my arms around her. She doesn’t pull away, but instead leans into me, her body heaving against my chest.
We haven’t been this close in years, and the familiar smell of her sends my insides spinning. My arms tighten around her, never wanting to let go.
“It’s okay, honey. I’m here.”
I murmur soothing words into her hair while inside I’m seething. The fact that Paul broke into the house and creeped into Caroline’s room makes my blood boil. Something could have happened to Caroline, and I squeeze her tighter just to make sure she’s still there.
Eventually her breathing slows and her body calms. She wiggles away from me, and I drop my arms awkwardly.
“You okay?”
“Yeah.” She sits on the bed, and that’s when I notice the baseball bat on the floor by her feet.
“You were going to use that?”
“Yeah, I had it all under control.” She gives a small smile, but this situation is deadly series.
“Did he hurt you?”
She rubs her leg where there’s already the traces of a bruise forming.
“Just a wayward kick. It’s fine.”
I run a hand over my head and pace the room, trying to still my anger.
If I had left like Caroline wanted me to, if I hadn’t been here… I hate to think what would have happened.
There’s one thing that’s certain: Caroline’s not staying here a moment longer.
“Pack your bags.”
Caroline looks up at me with raised eyebrows. If she tries to fight me on this, I swear I’ll throw her over my shoulder and carry her out.
“You’re not staying here, honey. He might come back.”
“I’ve got my baseball bat.”
As she says it, she stands up, her baggy t-shirt riding up her thighs—thick, creamy thighs that used to grip tightly around me.
My dick thickens and I turn away. This is definitely not the time to be getting a hard on.
“I’ve got a spare room you can stay in. My internet’s fast so you can work out of the house…”
I turn around expecting to have to convince her, but Caroline’s already got a bag out of the wardrobe.
She looks sad. She looks defeated.
