Page 7 of Secret Sins

"Who the fuck are you?" Yeah, Larry was good and pissed. Fine. So was I.

"Nobody."

Larry looked back and forth between me and Andrea. "This is who you're screwing behind my back?"

"So what if I am? You're an asshole, and I broke up with you!" Andrea's upper arms were still in Larry's grasp, and she struggled to free herself. I recognized the panic in her eyes, the fear dilating her pupils. She had nowhere to go.

"I'm only going to say this once." Sweat popped out on my forehead. I'd vowed not to be this guy once I moved, but these were extenuating circumstances. "Let go of her. Now."

Taunting me, Larry squeezed her harder, and she yelped. Heidi had turned up the volume of her growls and was showing her teeth, clearly warning the man to step off.

It didn't take much, not for a stupid man such as Larry. With a quick whip of the leash around his neck and an elbow to the throat, I had him pinned to the tree. Heidi hunkered between my legs, always my backup in any situation. "How do you like it, Larry? Huh? Does this feel good?"

"Let me go!" he shouted in my face.

"Apologize to her, and promise to never go near her again." When he hesitated, I applied more pressure to his windpipe. "We're waiting."

"Sorry!" he yelled.

"And?" I prompted. Andrea stood next to us, massaging the red places on her arms. That was when I noticed she had a bruise forming under one eye. Red mist washed over my vision, but I forced it back down.

"And I'll stay away! Fuck, man!"

Backing up an inch, I stared dead into his eyes. "Make sure we never cross paths again, you hear me?"

Releasing the end of the leash, I purposely dragged it off his neck slower than necessary. Wincing and bitching the entire time, Larry rubbed his skin and stepped toward me.

He changed his mind when Heidi growled once more, the loud rumble coming from deep inside her chest. Instead, he walked away, muttering under his breath the whole way.

"God, I don't know how to thank you."

Facing Andrea, I glanced at her bruised arms. "Thank me by reporting him to the police."

With that, I walked off, hoping I didn't just fuck everything up. It wasn't until I hit the far corner of the park that I slumped against a tree, resting against the rough bark and catching my breath. My adrenaline was high; my throat dry as dust. The breeze picked up, sending brine to my nostrils and leaves whipping past.

"You're a good girl, Heidi," I said as I crouched, scratching her behind the ears. She flopped onto her back, and I sat on the grass to rub her belly.

"She really is a good girl."

Whipping my head up, I had to squint under the brim of my cap to see the face clearly. Which was entirely unnecessary, considering that I already knew her voice by now. "Thanks."

"What was all that?" Bailey asked.

"I don't like men putting their hands roughly on a woman."

"No, I get that. Most people pretend they see nothing and hear nothing." Crossing her arms over her breasts, she looked down on me.

"Yeah, well. I'm not most people."

Finally, she squatted on the other side of my dog and met my gaze. "I've noticed."

I didn't want her to notice anything. I didn't want any of the people in town to notice me, or anything I did or said. Anonymity was my only friend. Shrugging, I broke eye contact to study Heidi rolling around.

"Have you gotten anything to put on those knuckles?" she asked abruptly. "I sell it, but so do a few other stores."

"No." I didn't give her anything else, simultaneously wishing I could . . . what? I couldn't articulate what, but the answer was no. It was always no.

Chapter 4