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“Just following a hunch. Did she say how she knows?”
I’m already shaking my head. “No. She just yelled at me to get the fuck out. Shane, she looked terrified.”
Shane meets my eyes and we stare at each other in silence for a long minute. He looks worried, and I imagine the look on my face isn’t helping matters.
His phone buzzes on his desk. Breaking our stare off, he turns his attention to it, moving fast to unlock it before swearing to himself.
“I knew it.”—He looks up from his phone to meet my gaze—”Dale’s back.”
The information lands like a tonne of bricks and I jump out of my seat to pace.
“How do you know?” I join him at the desk to see he has his phone open to a text message.
“Tray contacted me just before you got here. He told me he dropped by to notify the hospital we would be covering Annie’s medical bills. He went back to make sure everything was in place for her treatment and the nurse on staff mentioned someone else had been asking about Annie earlier. I sent him a photo of Dale to show her and she confirmed it was him.”
“We need to talk to Willow.” An odd feeling settles into my stomach. We have Willow, but with her comes the fear that we can now lose her, and I’ve never felt panic like this before.
Shane points to the chair in front of his desk, telling me to sit my ass down as he lifts his phone to his ear and waits for a few seconds before—
“Willow—yes, he’s with me—I’m sorry, I won’t do that—” He pauses to let her speak and I wish I could hear Willow’s response on the other end. “No—you don’t understand—nothing has changed.” His approach with her is slowly shifting from understanding to controlling.
Shane holds up his index finger and it looks like he’s letting her get whatever she wants to say off her chest.
I know he’s about to take over when his face morphs from his calm demeanor.
“Stay there. Alex and I are coming over.” Another pause and Shane’s jaw ticks as he listens before raising his voice a little louder “Let me be clear. You will stay there and wait for us. Do you understand, Kitten?”
Even I gulp at his tone, but it’s exactly what Willow needs to hear. Dale is back in the picture and she’s spiraling.
Between the two of us, Shane is more in touch with his dominant side. I’m comfortable enough in my own skin to know I provide more care and comfort and my strengths will be needed.
Just not right now.
Shane’s keys rattling in his hand catch my attention and he’s halfway to the door before I take my first step following him outside to his car. He starts it up in silence and tears out of the parking lot.
“I’ll fucking kill him myself if he hurt her.” Shane keeps his eyes on the road.
He means what he says and he’s preparing me in case it comes to that.
I’ll always have his back, and Willow’s too.
My nerves settle a fraction when we turn the corner and the lights to her shop are still on.
Without a word, Shane parks in front of her door and turns off his engine. I follow him out, glancing up and down the street for anything that looks out of place.
Reaching for the front door, Shane pauses, expecting the door to be locked. The ghost of a smirk covers his face when it opens easily. It wouldn’t have gone well for Willow if she denied us access to her now, not after she’s already given herself to us.
Willow stiffly stands behind the counter. Her eyes are wide, and her face is a deeper shade of red since I’ve seen her last as she wrings a dish towel between her fists.
My focus lands on a large knife sitting on the counter just out of reach and I wonder if it was just forgotten there or if she felt enough fear to keep it close by.
“Kitten.” Shane slows his steps, but continues to move toward her and her gaze skits around the room.
“Just stay there. We can talk like this.” Shane stops moving.
“What happened, Willow?” I step out from behind Shane to ask but I make a point of not approaching her further.
Willow looks between us, then around her shop.
