Page 8 of Passion in Bloom

Chapter 3

Heather

Unsurprisingly, I sleptlike shit. Seeing David wreaked that much havoc on me. He’d shown up—proving that my eyes hadn’t been playing tricks on me the other day—and with mere minutes in his presence, I was a mess.

Panic didn’t cut it. Terror was the understatement of the century. I felt a sickening twist of too many ugly emotions, and I had nothing to fight it off.

While I appreciated Roarke showing up when he did and standing up for me, I knew it was ineffective. Likewise with Todd. It seemed that holding a firearm did the trick, even if it wasn’t loaded and the old man wouldn’t be likely to use it on David.

Well, maybe he would’ve fired a shot in warning...

It seemed that old age was a free pass for Todd to act as he pleased. He was generally kind and easygoing, but he sure hadn’t hesitated to step in and intervene alongside Roarke.

If I hadn’t been in the throes of a panic attack and frozen, I would’ve realized in real time how monumental of a moment that was. A local from Burton standing up for me. It was a stark contrast to my childhood here. Even though I was making friends with my coworkers at the bank, Todd stepping in like that was a clear and bold move that showed me I could be protected and included as one of the town’s own. That someone around here gave a shit to stand up for me.

Roarke cared. I saw, and felt, that he did to some degree. While that should’ve comforted me, I couldn’t shake off this need to be cautious and aware.

As I exited my cabin for work, I did so like an owl, damn near rotating my head on my neck in a swivel. David had parked in the distance. That was why I assumed it was Nevaeh walking or biking to my front door. He hadn’t driven up closer to my cabin, perhaps because he premediated that far in advance, thinking of all the variable he could control to ensure catching me off-guard. Because that was the kind of sadistic control freak he was. That was the sort of awful man he could be.

Now that I knew David was around and probably wouldn’t leave until he got what he came for, I had to be on guard even more than I had been. I had to be diligent in being aware of my surroundings.

The waiting game of suspense that came with anticipating him popping up in my life was a terrible sensation to experience. Being caught unawares was even worse.

No one lurked outside, though, but I hurried into my car regardless, eager to just get out of here and be inside a vehicle. Standing in the open made me too exposed.

On the drive to town, to the bank, I worried about what could happen next.

Specifically, with Todd.

Even Roarke.

If David tried to eliminate Roarke as an obstacle to me, he’d have a hell of a fight. As far as I could tell, and based on the gossip I got from Nance and Fergus at the bank, lots of people liked Roarke. He kept to himself mostly, and it seemed lots of ladies in Burton wanted a piece of him, but no one had anything truly bad to say about him.

Todd, though, could be a cranky man when he was in the mood.

What if he presses charges against Todd?

I could see it now. He’d claim that he aimed the gun at him. Hell, he could make up that Todd fired at him. David was too damned good at twisted stories how he needed them to go.

Would Marty stand up to David with his bullshit?

Is there someone higher up in town who’d side with David?

It shouldn’t seem possible, but I knew how these things went with him. I’d experienced firsthand how David could be slick and get away with anything.

When I pulled in at the bank, my worries and questions compounded until I felt that I was on the brink of a migraine. And that wouldn’t do. I had to be alert. On top of watching my surroundings. Bracing for another visit from David.

He found my cabin. Burton was only so large. It wouldn’t take him long to search out where I worked.

If he doesn’t know already.

“Damn, girl.” Nance furrowed her brow and raised her eyebrows. “Bad night?”

I dismissed the irony of Fergus asking me that same question just yesterday when we went to get coffee. He’d mistakenly assumed I looked so sleep deprived because I’d been up all night having a good time.

Not so.

“Yeah.” I shrugged as we walked into the rear door at the bank together.