10
Anna
I threw open the door. “Well, well, well. Hello, Doctor Charles McCheaterpants of the House Montgomery, First of His name, The Turdface, King of the Assholes and the Worst Men, Assgrabber of the Great Stars Crossing Hospital, Breaker of Promises and Father of, of, of—damn it!” I stomped my foot and resisted shoving him off the porch. “Fuck you, Charlie. What in the frickety-fracking hell shit do you want? Why are you here? Huh?” My hands itched to grab the shotgun hanging above the door. Now I had two reasons to need it. Having two reasons to shoot people was not good. I was seriously stressed out. “Well? What the fuck?” I screeched, not giving him a chance to speak.
“Calm down, Anna. I’m here to apologize and make sure you’re okay.” He held his hands up, as if I were a danger to him. “That’s it.”
Loosening my white-knuckled grip on the fireplace poker, I snorted and leaned into his face. “I do not accept. Get off my property.”
“Come on, Anna. How are you gonna do me like that? After all we went through?”
What we went through?What we went through was a few lame dates at the Stars Crossing Cafe and some awkward over the clothes pawing. He got off just fine but left me high and dry. I was too old to waste my time on guys like that. I played that disappointment game plenty in high school and college.
“You can leave now or get a poker where the sun don’t shine.” I slammed the tip to the deck.
“You’re acting crazy.”
“I’ll show you crazy.”
“You’re so funny. All bark and no bite.” He smiled at me like I was the runt of the pack that couldn’t stop chasing its tail.
“I’ll show—“
He craned his neck to look inside behind me. I pulled the door closer to my body. “I noticed you’re the only one for miles with any power. Lights are off all over town due to the storm. Did you know that?” he asked.
I did not know that. But he didn’t need to know that I didn’t know that. My power or lack thereof was none of his gosh damn business.
Before I had a chance to respond, his hands moved to my shoulders and firmly gripped. He stepped forward, causing me to stumble back slightly into the house. “I’m freezing out here. Aren’t you gonna let me in so we can talk?” His gaze flicked behind me like he was scoping out the place.
Okay. I was annoyed before, but now I was pissed. Nobody comes to my home and pushes me around. My fists balled at my sides.
“That’s it—“
But he wasn’t listening. He pushed me into the house, sticking his nose around my business. He looked to the decorated Christmas tree, then frowned.
Tremors shot through my body at the thought of him discovering that Sam was here on the property. A sudden urge to find him, to protect him, sharpened my focus until I could think of nothing else.
Sam was mine . . .
I had to get rid of Charlie.
As if on a mission, I forced myself to relax. Letting the fireplace poker go slack, I balanced the tip near my foot as I surreptitiously eyeballed the shotgun above the door, wondering if I were fast enough to grab it before—
I’ve lost my mind.
Charlie was just a cheating asshole. Someone with whom I would exchange uncomfortable looks with around town someday.
He wouldn’t hurt me.Would he?
“Charlie, this is your final warning to get off my property. You cheated on me. Obviously, we are over.”
He turned around to find me holding the shot gun instead of the poker. I didn’t point it at him. Not yet. But I wouldn’t need another reason. His head tilted to the side and he grinned at me. It was the same charmer’s grin he shot all over town, probably charming the panties off unsuspecting ladies wherever he went.
But this time, his eyes did not match his expression. They flashed from his normal brown to serpentine yellow—cold, like snake eyes. I flinched as the malevolence in his gaze covered me, chilling me to the bone. I blinked rapidly, trying to clear my vision, unable to comprehend what I had just seen. What, apparently, he hadn’t realized I had caught in his eyes. He was still playing nice with me as if his eyeballs hadn’t justchangedfor a second.
“That’s not very nice now, is it?” he scoffed and took one step toward me. His heavy boot echoed loudly on the old wooden floors. “Are you all alone out here, Anna?”
A different sort of chill ran down my neck. Sam was gone. Charlie wasn’t as big as he was, but he was sure as hell bigger than me. Years of feminine training taught me the best way to deal with violent men was to stroke their ego.
