Page 100 of Detour

Opening my door, Joe relaxes, thinking I’m going inside—just like I wanted him to. I find the banged-up Easton we keep next to the door and swing around just as Joe takes another step forward. The aluminum tings against her doorjamb, halting his advance. Angela jumps back but keeps her hold on the door steady, not backing down.

“I believe she said bye. That means it’s time for you to go.” Speaking low next to his tilted head, his eyes stay glued to Angela and I really, really want him looking at me instead.

Make a move. Make a fucking move. I dare you.

His eyes finally meet mine and I lick my lip with anticipation. The promise of violence sits heavy in the air, light on my limbs. I’ve been waiting to get my hands on this asshole and my fingers twitch on the cool metal. My only concern is keeping Angela out of the way so when this bat starts flying, she’s not in its path. She’s a smart girl though. I can already see her inching backward in preparation, making me smile internally. Above everything, she knows I’ll always protect her. My chest swells with the need to do just that as I press in closer. Joe releases the door suddenly, shuffling back, away from me, away from my everything.

I pivot so I’m now standing at the threshold, facing Joe’s overly sweaty figure. Angela, behind me, settles her hand on my lower back and it takes everything in me not to lean into her touch. I’m starved for her affection but not enough to take advantage when she’s scared shitless and vulnerable.

Locking my muscles, I point the bat directly at Joe, aiming for his bloated face. He stares down the cylinder at me but takes the hint, walking backward, toward the stairs.

“Let this be your one and only warning, stay the fuck away. If you have something to say to Angela, you say it to her at work and only at work. You speak to her with someone else in the room or you don’t speak to her at all. You keep your hands to yourself and far away from Angela. No means no, motherfucker. Got it?”

His beady eyes shift over my shoulder but I nudge his jaw with the bat, firmly keeping his attention where it belongs. He’ll probably try to use this against her all over again but fuck it, I already have a plan for that. He needs to learn a lesson and I’ve got some steam to blow off.

“Angela will see you tomorrow for her shift.”

I have no idea if she’s scheduled or not, but it sounds like she needs the hours anyway. He can deal.

Joe spins to go but Angela calls him back, making him pause. Pushing past me, she stands to my side while addressing him.

“I heard what you told detailing about me.” His shoulders tense as do mine. “You’ll never get so much as a look at what’s under my clothes, and neither will they, so stop spreading lies about me or I’ll start telling the truth about you.”

Her shaky hands go to her hips and I’ve never seen anything sexier. Holy shit, this woman owns me.

Joe’s jaw ticks but wisely remains quiet.

We wait until the sound of his engine flares, interrupting the labored silence before facing each other. I reach for her—I can’t stop myself—but she dodges, still not ready to give in. Angela’s like an injured bird that can still fly—not desperate enough to accept help yet, but in need of it all the same.

Her face drops, whispering softly, “I thought it was you.” My stomach tightens and I prop the bat against the wall before wrapping my arm around her waist. She stiffens but allows the contact. “I opened the door because I thought it was you.”

She did? She was going to open her door for me? All week I’ve been begging, praying for her to open that door and the one time she finally does, I wasn’t even here.

“I’m sorry it wasn’t.” More than she knows. “I’m just glad I got back in time. Did he hurt you?”

She shakes her head, making her long hair cascade around her worried face. “He wasn’t here long enough. He showed up just before you did. I didn’t think he would actually come here.”

I did. I knew he was sniffing around and hate that I didn’t do something sooner. She should’ve been safe. She should’ve been with me.

Her hazel eyes find mine. “I don’t want to be alone.”

Aw, babe, if it was up to me, you’d never be alone again.

It’s the closest I’ve heard her come to asking for help and it breaks my heart a little. Still cradling my helmet in the crook of my elbow, I drop the arm around her waist to take her hand. “You can stay in my room. I’ll lock up here and come check on you when I’m done.”

I’ll take the couch and fill the guys in when they get home. She’ll never have to worry about anyone hurting her with us around. We’d willingly give our lives to protect her—as any good family would.

She nods solemnly then passes through my partially open door. I watch as her pajama-clad body walks dejectedly down the hall. Bare feet pad across the carpet, leaving a hint of her ever-present strawberry scent as she goes. Baggy black pajama pants held up by a drawstring cover her long legs that have kept me awake in more ways than one. A matching cropped tank showing her toned abdomen flutters as she moves.

I see a beautifully broken girl that life is trying to smash but who refuses to fall to pieces. Regardless, I’ll be there to help put her back together again, should she ever need it.

Tonight came close. The droop of her shoulders tells me what she won’t. She was rattled. So was I. I don’t know what I would’ve done if he succeeded in whatever his rotted brain had concocted. The thought of his hands on her has my temperature rising all over again. I wanted blood. Shit, I still do. A bat wouldn’t have been enough. Not for a lowlife like that. If he’s willing to prey on someone as strong as Angela, I can’t imagine how he is with others, using his laughable title to make girls bend to his will. Dude deserves worse than what he got tonight. I’m not stupid enough to think a single threat will keep him honest but I can’t worry about that right now. Angela’s in my bed, upset. I can’t take away her pain, as much as I wish I could, but I can be there for her like nobody else ever has. I can hold her as she cries. I can listen while she rants. I can help form a new plan of action. I can love her the way she’s never been shown but deserves nonetheless.

I work on getting everything settled so I can finally relax knowing she’s safe in my world again. And for now, that’s enough. I’ll figure out how to keep her there later, because there’s no other choice. I’ve never been more certain. She’s mine as much as I’m hers.

CHAPTER 35

Angela