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“You don’t get to walk away from me, bitch!”
His hand was in the air. He was going to hit her.
Asher had never hit her. Shoved her, grabbed her, shook her… He was always sorry afterward, but never had he struck her.
And he never would.
No sooner had the thought crossed her mind, Rylie’s knee came up, catching Asher in the jewels. She blinked as he fell to the ground, gripping his crotch and groaning.
Dustin gently eased her toward the car, his arm around her shoulder. “I’ll call the sheriff.” She didn’t protest as he pulled his cell out and dialed.
She couldn’t tear her eyes away from Asher rolling around and cursing her while Dustin talked to the dispatcher. When he finally hung up, she murmured, “I told him I was leaving.”
Dustin’s arm tightened around her. “Good. We’ll get your stuff and get you the hell out of here. The sheriff’s on his way.”
She nodded. “That’s probably a good idea.”
Two sheriff cruisers pulled up just as Asher was climbing to his feet several minutes later. They must have been really close to get there that fast. While one of the deputies cuffed him and put him in the back of the car, Deputy Luke Jessup, Marley’s boyfriend, came over. As he passed by the patrol car, his gaze fell on Asher and his expression was rather terrifying.
It made Rylie glad he was on her side.
The big man’s frown was laced with concern as he stopped in front of them. “You okay, Rylie?”
She nodded slowly, watching Asher’s angry face through the patrol car’s window. “I’m okay.”
“I hope you don’t mind that I called Marley,” Luke said.
Rylie winced, just imagining if Asher was still here when Marley arrived. “No, that’s fine. Thanks. I should call Kelly too and let her know I’m not coming back to the office today.”
Dustin shook his head. “I’ll call her and Bill at Short and Sweet Movers. Have them bring over a truck and some boxes.”
Rylie didn’t know what to say. Gone was the smart-ass flirt, or the furious Hulk who had held Asher by the throat.
There were just too many layers to Dustin Kent.
“Thanks.”
Their eyes caught and held, his blue ones so sympathetic that it made her more uncomfortable than his inappropriateness.
Luke broke the spell when he squeezed her shoulder. “I’m going to head back out there. We’ll hold Asher until tomorrow, and it’s up to you on whether you want to press charges.”
“Thanks, Luke.”
He left, and she walked inside, Dustin on her heels, talking on his cell phone. She glanced around the house. There wasn’t much she wanted. Her books, her pictures, her clothes. She had a few things in storage, items from the duplex she’d shared with her dad that Asher hadn’t wanted in the house, but she didn’t even have a bed. And she didn’t have enough money to pay Asher, put down first and last on a new place, and buy furniture. She’d just have to find a rental fully furnished or get used to sleeping on the floor.
Dustin finally got off the phone with the movers, and asked, “You got any trash bags?”
She turned to him, puzzled. “Trash bags? Yeah, in the cupboard, but why?”
“I figured we could at least bag up your clothes until the boxes get here.”
&nbs
p; The realization of all that had happened finally hit her, and her chest tightened as panic set in. “Yeah. Yeah we could. I was just thinking about what I was going to do after I get my stuff. I haven’t even looked into any places, have nothing planned—”
“I’ve got a pool house you can use. Until you find somewhere more permanent.”
Rylie choked on her laughter, until she caught the extremely serious expression on his face.
