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I nodded, satisfied, and then got up to leave.
“Oh, by the way, Vinny said you ended up buying the Waldorf place.”
I nodded again. “Yeah.”
The Waldorf place was the home we currently live in, a nice duplex that was in a peaceful part of town, surrounded by nature. Vinny initially let us live there rent-free, but what Kayla didn’t know was that Vinny and I already had discussions about me buying the place since I was planning on staying in Gracetown long term. I finally decided to do it after Kayla expressed how much she liked the place. Of course, I had bought it in her name, so no matter what, it would be hers, even if I left. I knew she would need that security since, despite everything, she still didn’t trust me all that much yet.
She would, though. I would make sure of it.
I soon left Santiago and started toward Vinny and Faith’s home to pick Kayla up. When I got there, I unstrapped Hunter from his seat and carried him as I walked over to knock on the front door.
Faith greeted me at the door with a frown. “Hey, Monty. Um, Kayla already left. She said she was walking home today.”
Alarm instantly lit through me. Why on earth would she do that? Didn’t she listen to any of my warnings? That stubborn woman. “Do you know which way she went?”
She nodded and pointed down the path, giving me a clue of the likely route she had taken. I thanked Faith and began on my way to find her.That stubborn woman. Why on earth had she picked today of all days, when my spidey senses were tingling, and my paranoia was at an all-time high, to take a damn walk?
I tried to calm myself with reason. Whoever was watching us had not made their move yet, and they might not do so today. I just had to find her, and everything would be okay.
But then I eventually found her, and to my horror, everything was not okay.
I watched in increasing alarm as Kayla struggled in the arms of a man twice her size.
Before I even formulated a thought, my body leaped into action. I raced out of the truck, charging at the masked man with a snarl.
His face came up to me, and his eyes widened in horror right as I hit him the first time. He stumbled back, trying to steady himself as I delivered the next blow, knocking him off his feet. Despite his size, I easily subdued him, getting him on the ground in a chokehold. He made a choking sound and threw an elbow jab at my side, but I absorbed the movement, barely feeling it as rage clouded my vision until I couldn’t think straight. He had dared to touch my woman, dared to hurt what was mine. I was going to kill him.
“Monty.” Kayla’s watery desperate voice pierced my consciousness. “Please.”
I turned to her, and the bastard took the opportunity to deliver a blow to my chin, breaking my hold and escaping. It was a smooth move, and he was fast, but I could catch up to him easily if I wanted to.
The problem was that I would then have to leave Kayla behind, and there was no way in hell I was doing that, especially since Hunter was still in the car.
Suppressing the blood lust coursing through my veins, I went to her. She had her head in her arms, and she jerked back from my hands until she realized it was me. I quickly but gently analyzed her body to make sure she was fine.
“Are you okay?” I asked. I realized it was a dumb question even as I asked it, even before she shook her head.
Kayla stared up at me, fear still in her eyes, and it had the rage pulsing through me once again. Rage and no small amount of fear. Shit, she could have been hurt. If I had just been a second slower, taken another route, delayed at Santiago’s…
God.God.
“We should go to the hospital,” I said, fighting back the terror. I didn’t note any open wounds, but the bastard could have caused internal damage. “Get you checked out.”
“No. No hospitals, not again.” Her eyes looked up at me, pleading. “Please, Monty, I just want to go home.”
“Kayla—”
“Please,” she pleaded, and despite myself, I couldn’t deny her.
I nodded, carrying her into the truck and driving her home. I called Vinny on the way there, letting him know what happened. The whole time, my body remained charged, nearly shaking with excess adrenaline and wrath. I wanted nothing more than to find the guy and make him pay, but I had to take care of her now. No matter how much I felt like finding a new punching bag, I had to be gentle for her sake. She was most important.
When we got home, Kayla was still quiet. I first checked the footage to make sure no one had entered our home, then carried Hunter in and placed him in the crib. After which, I returned for Kayla, carrying her into the house. She still didn’t say anything as I did. She was most likely still in shock, and I didn’t blame her after everything she had just been through.
I got her inside and sat on the couch, wrapping my hands around her.
All of a sudden, her hand squeezed my forearm. “Hunter!”
“Is safe.” Hunter had thankfully not woken up through the whole ordeal. “He’s fine.”
She nodded, her throat squeezing in a swallow, but she didn’t loosen her grip.
Instead, she suddenly burst into tears.
