AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It’s okay,” Andy squeezed my hand again. “You’re okay. You’re still safe. He’s not going to do anything with all these people around us.”
“You don’t know him like I do,” I said, shaking my head. “He won’t care if we were sitting in the middle of a sold-out football stadium. When he wants something, he’s like a raging bull.”
“Good,” Andy said.
“How is that good?”
“I like a challenge,” he joked.
“This isn’t funny.”
“I’m not trying to be funny,” he smiled. “I just want you to relax. Enjoy the coffee, eat something, and let’s take this step by step, okay?”
I wish.
I looked out the window, scanning the faces that walked past the window for any sign of Dennis. With every car that passed by, I flinched a little, half expecting it to be him. I imagined him parking and jumping out, coming at us with a tire iron, ready to wreak havoc.
I only calmed down when I saw Bobby’s truck pull up next to Andy’s Nissan. My brother quickly jumped out, looked around and then made his way into the coffee shop. Andy gestured him over, and he slipped into the booth beside me, instantly hugging me.
“I’m so sorry,” he whispered, and I shook my head quickly, letting him know that I wasn’t angry anymore. I felt tears well up in my eyes, and I hugged him harder.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m getting asked that a lot lately,” I said, trying to smile.
“I bet,” he said, briefly looking at Andy. “Any problems getting here?”
“We wouldn’t be here if there had been,” Andy said. “So far so good.”
Bobby nodded. “Dennis showed up at the house yesterday.”
“Oh God,” I sighed.
“It’s okay, I took Andy’s advice and ignored him,” Bobby said. “Didn’t make him happy, though. He took it out on the porch swing. Broke it into pieces. I was this close to going out there and beating him with what was left.”
“Good thing you didn’t,” Andy said.
“Yeah,” Bobby sighed. “I called the police, got in touch with Jeremy. He’s got Dennis’s description, and they’ll pick him up if they find him. I think the bastard’s going to be careful now.”
“Let’s hope so,” Andy said.
I held Bobby’s hand, feeling much better now that he and Andy were here together. They still looked like they had their issues to discuss, but for now, that would have to wait. They were both mature enough to set their priorities straight. Something I was eternally grateful for. I knew that my brother could hold a grudge, and Andy seemed just as hotheaded. At least for now, their anger was directed at Dennis and not at each other.
“The restraining order?” I asked.
“I got Jeremy working on it,” Bobby said, patting my hand. “Once that’s in place, we can breathe a little easier.”
“I’ll breathe easier when Dennis disappears from my life completely,” I said.
“This shouldn’t have happened, Andrea,” Bobby said. “I told you, your plan sucks. I could have thrown him off your trail for another week or two at least.”
“You calling him would have brought him here earlier,” I said, knowing that Dennis would have instantly seen through Bobby’s lies.
“What’s done is done,” Andy said. “Let’s just figure out the game plane here, okay?”
“I think she should stay with you,” Bobby said. “Dennis will probably come back to the house. I don’t want her there when that happens.”
“Or all three of us could be there,” Andy suggested. “Then, if he does come by, we could show him a thing or two about what it means to be on the receiving end of a beating.”
