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“The hell you don’t,” I growl.
He shrugs. “I don’t. All I can say is that a man who steals from another man should expect some consequences,” he muses. “Especially when he steals another man’s woman. Hypothetically speaking, of course.”
I grab the front of his shirt, gripping it tighter as my anger flares. “Emily isn’t your woman, so you’d best stay the hell away from her.”
He gives me a smarmy smirk. I’m sorely tempted to smack it right off his face. But I hold myself back, knowing it will only cause me more trouble than I want right now. I’ve already got too much shit on my plate to deal with as it is. But oh, is he tempting me.
“You should probably let go of me,” he grins, as if reading my thoughts. “You don’t want to call undue attention to yourself, do you?”
I don’t loosen my grip on him. Instead, I pitch my voice low and make it as intimidating as I possibly can.
“Listen to me, because I’m only going to say this once,” I fume. “You stay the fuck away from Emily. You don’t call her, you don’t show up anywhere she is, you don’t even think about her. Do you understand me?”
“Hey, I didn’t know you guys were in there. I just stopped in for something to eat,” he chirps. “I’m being a good boy and abiding by the terms of the restraining order she took out on me for some strange reason I don’t understand.”
“If you don’t stay away from her, there’s nothing the cops will be able to do to keep you safe from me,” I hiss. “Do you understand me?”
He chuckles low. Despite the fact that I’m bigger and stronger than this man, he acts like he can take me in a fight. I think he actually believes it. Still staring daggers through him, I let go of his shirt and take a step back, done with him.
He flashes me that smirk again. It’s all I can do to keep from punching him in the face. I know he’s going to continue to be a problem. He knows I can beat his ass, but he’s going to keep coming. I can feel it all the way down to my bones. Which means I’m going to need to find a solution to this problem. Sooner rather than later.
“Are you hearing me, Robert? You do not come anywhere near Emily again. You fucking forget you ever knew her. Am I, in any way, being unclear?”
“Sure, I hear you,” he blows me off. “We done here??
I stare at him a moment longer. “Yeah. We’re done.”
I turn and walk back to the restaurant to find Emily standing outside, waiting for me, a swirling mess of emotion on her face.
“I thought I told you to wait inside,” I admonish her.
“I don’t need you to fight my battles,” she replies, her irritation outweighing her fear.
“Ever since he trashed my place, it’s my battle, too,” I snap at her. “Come on, let’s go.”
* * * * *
Half an hour later, we’re standing inside Emily’s condo. She’s standing there, hands planted on her hips, an expression that’s gone from irritated to outright hostile on her face.
“No, I’m not doing this,” she practically yells at me. “I told you I don’t need you to protect me.”
“Yeah, you do,” I tell her. “That guy is batshit crazy and –”
“You think I don’t know that? I’ve been living with that hanging over my head for a long time now.”
“Good, then you know he’s not going to give this up,” I press. “If anything, given the fact that he’s gone from being a simple nuisance to committing an act of violence by trying to burn my place down, it’s more than likely he’s only going to get worse, Emily. We have no idea what this piece of shit is capable of.”
“Aaron –”
“No, this is not up for debate. I am moving you to one of the corporate condos and you are going to stay there until we figure out how we’re going to handle this situation.”
“I can take care of myself,” she snaps and glowers at me.
I stare at her for a long moment, knowing that her stubbornness is coming directly from the unresolved issues between the two of us. She doesn’t think I’m going to be around for the baby, so she’s already trying to prepare herself for life without me – for a life where she’ll be left fending for herself. Given how up in the air everything is right now, I suppose I can’t blame her all that much for taking that position.
That doesn’t mean I have to be willing to accept it – nor will I.
“Emily, you are carrying my child and I am not willing to take any chances with your safety – or the baby’s,” I state. “This is not a debate, nor is it negotiable. You are going to the condo. It’s better to get you someplace safe, someplace he doesn’t know about – where he can’t find you.”
