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“Let…me…” Rick is wheezing, grappling at my hand. “Get off…me!”
“So you can take a swing at me? I don’t think so.” I move so I’m between him and the door and push Rick away. He staggers and falls to his knees by Forrest’s feet. “You’re a coward, nothing more. A prick who thinks he can manipulate women into doing what he wants.”
“You have no idea about me.” Rick pushes himself up. His jeans and hands are covered in the mud he just fell in, and he scowls at the mess. “Emma and I were together before. We were getting back together when you got involved.”
“Not from what I saw. And Emma is not going anywhere near you.”
Rick sniggers.
“Are you saying that you’re going to control Emma and tell her what to do? She won’t like it.”
I step towards him, hoping that my anger doesn’t snap. It’s like I’m back on the field with an insolent brat who thinks that they can talk big because they’re a good player. I don’t get very many of them, but none of them fill me with this rage.
I need to think of him like one of the players I have to take charge of, or I’m going to get into serious trouble. Even if Rick deserves more than what I’ve just done.
“You mean you don’t want someone else controlling Emma? Unlike you, I actually care.”
“You think I don’t care?”
“If you’re still harassing her this long after you broke up, no. And you’re a complete and utter disgrace.”
Rick sniggers.
“You don’t scare me. You might think you can control those men in the game, but this is real life. You can’t control me.”
“I’m sure I can ask a few contacts in the courts to start filing a cease and desist to stop you from contacting Emma if you keep harassing her.”
“A few contacts? You think you’re a big man?”
“He’s a barrister,” Forrest answers, and Rick jumps. Did he not know that he was there? “He certainly knows a few people who could make your life a problem. And I recommend that you don’t try and push him, because he really will do it.”
Rick looks momentarily bewildered. Then he narrows his eyes and storms towards me, throwing his arm back. I duck and dodge to the side, which causes Rick to fall when his balance goes due to nothing being there for him to hit. He hits the wall and bounces off it, falling to the ground. I look at him as he lies there, moaning as his hands go to his head.
“You go and check on Emma before you get into more trouble, Mark.” Forrest gets his phone out. “I’ll call the police and let them know about this. This bozo is clearly not going on his own.”
I don’t need to be told twice. If I stay out here, I’m going to do something that will result in me getting arrested. Taking a few deep breaths, I turn to the door and knock.
“Emma? It’s Mark. Are you there?”
“Mark?” There is a scrabbling at the door. A moment later, the door opens and Emma peeks out. “Is he gone?”
“Not yet. But he’s not going to bother you.”
I’m going to make sure of that. Looking slightly unconvinced, Emma steps aside and lets me in, shutting the door as soon as I’m inside. As she turns to me, I pull her into my arms and hug her tightly. Emma gasps, and she clutches at me.
“Shit!” I pull back. “I’m sorry, I forgot about the baby…”
“It’s not the baby you’re squashing, it’s me.” Emma smiles. “Just give me a warning, okay?”
“Okay.” I hold her again, this time more gently. I stroke her hair as she fits nicely against my body, my chin resting on her head. “He didn’t hurt you, did he? You’re not injured?”
“No, he never got inside. But I was scared that he was going to turn up.” I feel Emma shaking her head against my chest. “I can’t believe he thinks he still has control over me. I don’t want him around me anymore, and he just won’t listen.”
“Well, he’s not going to do that again. Not if I have anything to do with it.” I kiss her forehead. “Forrest is going to keep an eye on him until the police get here. You don’t need to worry about him.”
“That’s easier said than done. He’s been turning my friend against me.” Emma sniffs as she looks up at me. “I still don’t know how he managed that.”
“Don’t think about that. He’s not worth your time.” I kiss her forehead. “I’m here now, and I’m not going to let anyone hurt you. I won’t let it happen.”
