“You city girls. One ain’t no different from the other,” he said. “You think you should get treatedspecial. My missus was from the mainland. When times got tough, she fucked off back there.” His footsteps pounded closer. “Good riddance to her.”
My head sank low, but my eyes darted everywhere. I needed an escape. The coffee shop wasn’t far. “I’m s-sorry to hear about your w-wife, Mr. Barnes.” The alley was closer. I could run. I could squeeze through. The dumpster with the big red lid was there. I could hide.
He lunged at me, laughing when I cowered into the wall. “Not so brave without your blonde pit bull—”
Evan’s words choked to silence. The whites of his eyes bugged so wide they looked like they were about to burst like an overblown balloon. A protective wall of red flannel stood between us.
Aiden’s voice was a low growl. “I warned you.”
Evan shoved him away. “You think payin’ a visit to my garage matters?” He spat out every word as he pushed his T-shirt back into his jeans. “You actually think she’s stayin’? She ain’t.”
“She’s staying.”
“You hopin’ for a turn once Hollyoak is through with her? Is that why you keep stickin’ your nose in?” Evan cocked his chin. “What happened to Ruth Wilks? The cripple not good enough for you no more?”
Aiden didn’t say a word, but his fist clenched by his side, his knuckles turning white. I dared to peer around his back, desperate to catch a glimpse of his face to make sure he was okay, but I never got the chance.
Evan’s beady black eyes locked on me. He lunged forward. His grease-covered fingers snatched my arm, twisted, and a short, sharp scream escaped my mouth. I scurried back, diving through the gap to the alley and scrambling to safety wedged beside the dumpster.
The scuffle between the two men swirled like a dance across the parking lot.
Evan reared back his fist and launched blow after blow. Every one missed. Aiden’s eyes narrowed, calculating and timing every move, and at just the right moment, his hand clamped roughly around Evan’s collar.
“You don’t talk to Lola again. You hear me?” Aiden dragged the flailing man closer. “I know where you work. I know where you live. No more warnings.” He shoved Evan hard enough for the mechanic’s body to hit the concrete with a heavy thud. “If I hear you’re still bothering Lola, I’ll be paying you one final visit. Understand?”
Tremors ricocheted through me like bullets bouncing off every muscle. When Evan slunk away, the shaking hadn’t stopped. I squeezed my eyes shut and curled myself into a tiny ball next tothe brick wall. The stench of damp water didn’t even bother me. It was still safer there.
Boots approached on the concrete. Aiden was close. “Lola?”
“I d-don’t want a c-coffee any-anymore.”
“I know.” He crouched on the dusty ground behind me. “Can I…” He scooted a little closer. “Can I touch you?”
My chin trembled as I managed a nod.
Gentle fingers stroked my arm. “It’s okay. See?” Aiden’s body shielded my humiliation from the eyes of anyone passing, and his big arms wrapped around my shoulders and knees. “I won’t hurt you.”
“Evan scares me,” I admitted in a whisper.
“I’m going to take care of him.” The tickly bristles of Aiden’s beard rested against my hair as he sheltered me close to his side. “I promise.”
“Are you going to hurt him?”
The only sound was the steady thump of his heart under my ear.
“Aiden?”
“It goes against everything I believe in, but…” He sighed. “Yes. I am.”
My heart twisted in my chest. After everything I’d been through, I couldn’t let that happen. I’d be a hypocrite—as bad as the person who’d turned his fists on me. Violence was never the answer, was it?
“Please, Aiden. Don’t.”
“Small towns aren’t like the city. Sometimes, you’ve got to take care of things yourself.”
“Maybe you could talk to him?”
“I already have. I stopped by his garage after what happened in the bar. Some folks will tell you he hasn’t dealt with his wife leaving him, but that doesn’t give him an excuse to throw hisweight around. I think he’ll listen more to my fists than any words that come out of my mouth.”
