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“Apologize?” Drew’s confusion doesn’t make sense to me. It makes me wonder about his mental stability. Rex tightens his grip on Drew, which causes him to flinch and dip down, leaning into Rex’s grasp. Sweat glistens between his prickly blonde strands.
“Call the police, Raina,” Rex says. “And after you do that, call the owners of the building to file a complaint about this guy.”
Drew tries to shrug free, but Rex shakes him a bit, convincing him to do what he’s been told. Drew looks at me for sympathy, probably wanting me to tell Rex to let him go, but I won’t.
Drew seems to understand that this isn’t going to work for him as he finally says, “Wait, I don’t want to lose my job. Look, I’m sorry, Raina. I swear it. I’m not going to bother you anymore.”
“I’m having cameras put in this afternoon,” Rex tells him. “And motion sensors on the windows and doors. If you step foot in here withoutmypermission, you’ll deal with me. Is that clear?”
“Yeah,” Drew mumbles.
Rex gives him one last shake for good measure before pushing him away from us, forcing Drew to stumble into the wall across from my apartment before scurrying away. He steps into the apartment and closes the door behind him. I’m not sure if he’s upset or not, but when he looks into my eyes, his expression softens.
“Are you okay?” Rex asks, taking the coffee and bag of food from my hand. I don’t realize how hungry I am until I smell the savory aroma of home fries and eggs.
“Yeah, I’m almost finished putting a bag together. Are you really going to put in cameras and motion sensors?” I look over my shoulder at him with so many more questions running around my head.
“Yes. I have a buddy who does locks and security. I can stop by his place and grab some stuff from him. We can get that done and then head to my house real quick before we go to the cabin. I’m going to try to get ahold of Owen at some point. Maybe we can get an update. You need to call out of work for the next few days.”
“Ah, crap.” I huff. “I’ve been trying to get an apprenticeship at the shop. I usually have some lessons after my shift. I don’t want to fall behind.”
“Raina, I’m not here to sabotage your life. Baby girl, I promise I’m only here to take care of you. If it makes things easier, we can swing by the shop today. I’m sure that once I explain the situation, it’s not going to be an issue.”
“Okay. I’m following your lead, Rex. Thank you.”
“No need to thank me. Just let Daddy take care of you.”
5
REX
There’s an ease that washes over me when I’m with Raina. I can’t deny it. We’re in a rhythm every time we get around one another. She doesn’t flinch or turn away when I tell her to let me take care of her, when I hint at her calling me Daddy.
“Is that what you want to do, Daddy?” she asks with a shy grin. Her voice is low and I want to kiss her until she understands that’s all I want to do. We fall into that familiar rhythm, but now it’s far more intimate than it used to be.
I reinforce what I need her to know. “That’s what I’mgoingto do. Once you’ve finished your breakfast, we can make a few stops before we get out of town.”
I pull out my phone and send out a few messages to make sure everyone at the firm knows I’ll be out for a few days. My next call is to my locksmith friend. We haven’t spoken in a while, but I know he hasn’t moved. He picks up on the first ring and tells me he can have everything I need delivered to Raina’s address within the hour.
With that in place, I head into the bedroom where Raina’s visibly deciphering between things to wear.
“It gets cold at night in the mountains, but there’s heat in the cabin and a fireplace. It just might take a few minutes to warm up. So pack something warm. Worst-case scenario, if you get too hot, you can always take your clothes off,” I tell her with a quick glance down to her denim-clad ass.
I want it in my hands again. I want her in my arms. I want this getaway to be something more than us getting out of town for her safety. She tosses a glance over her shoulder as she grabs a few sweaters and some extra pairs of socks.
Once Raina’s ready, we head over to the tattoo shop where she manages the front desk. Our little town of Colwood County is about an hour away from my cabin in the mountains. This shop is on the edge of town where it will add at least an additional twenty minutes to our travels.
I don’t want to be out in the open too long, as I’m not sure where Lorenzo is, but I know Raina has to come back to her life at some point.
A guitar riff plays at a barely audible level when I hold the door open for Raina to walk inside. There are several pieces of hand-drawn artwork in frames on one wall of exposed brick and a huge mural on the wall across from it. A glass counter stands at about waist high with merchandise for the shop. The buff guy behind the counter has tattoos wrapped around his neck that disappear under his shirt and continue down both arms. He peeks up from his phone at the sound of us coming inside and immediately smiles as Raina approaches him.
“It's your day off, Raina,” he says. “Go do something fun.”
He looks at me with the word fun lingering, like he's unsure to include me in that command.
Raina introduces us. “Rex, this is Angel. He owns and runs the shop. That’s his wife, Avery, there. Angel, this is Rex.”
“Nice to meet you, man,” I tell him while shaking his hand.
