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I slipped back into the apartment and leaned against the door. I wanted to grab Jesse and run away with the guys. I wanted to do anything except sit around while Taylor existed in my home like he belonged in it.
The sound of shooting came from the living room and I walked over to see people being shot on the screen while Taylor cheered and pointed his controller at it. Jesse sat next to him, looking more than a little green.
I hurried over and scooped Jesse up. “Time for your bath and bed, bud. Say goodnight to your dad.”
Jesse wrapped his arms around my neck and buried his face against me. He mumbled something and it was good enough for me. I walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind us. I leaned against it and held Jesse tight.
“You okay, Jess?”
He clung to me tighter so I stayed there and held him, waiting for him to either talk to me or fall asleep. He fell asleep first. My stomach was in knots about what had upset him. I didn’t know if it was the violent video game or if Taylor had said something while I stepped outside. Guilt ate at me as I imagined that scenario.
Instead of taking Jesse to his own bed, I carried him to mine and tucked him in. I grabbed his favorite stuffed animal, a seal that Lydie got for him, and tucked it in with him before going back to put everything away.
I nearly screamed when I stepped in the kitchen and Taylor was there, leaning against a counter with a pack of ice against his throat. “What the hell are you doing? You need to leave.”
He smiled. “I think I pegged you all wrong. Why don’t you give me a chance, Olive?”
“Do you want another punch to your throat?”
“You played hard to get the first time, too.” He walked up to me and dropped the bag of ice in my hands. “We all know how that turned out.”
I stood there, angry and shaking, until I heard him walk out the front door and close it. I immediately rushed to the door, locked it, and slid to the floor with a pit in my stomach growing deeper and deeper.
30
***Jack***
IstraightenedwhenIsaw Taylor walk out of Olive’s apartment. Instead of leaving and going back home, the three of us had decided to make sure we were there in case Olive needed us. None of us had felt right leaving her shaking like a leaf.
Taylor was rubbing his throat and didn’t notice us until he was right on top of us. He jerked to a stop and looked up with wide eyes. When he saw that it was us, he smirked and laughed. “This is just pathetic.”
Caleb leaned in. “What happened to your voice? And your throat?”
Andrew pushed off of Taylor’s truck and moved to stand in front of him. “You know she doesn’t want you there, yet you keep showing up. What kind of man doesn’t take no for an answer, Taylor?”
Taylor’s smirk widened and he reached into his pocket. “One who knows what a woman really wants.”
I saw red when he held up a pair of panties and twirled them around his finger. “Did you fucking steal her panties?”
Andrew shifted so he was slightly in front of me. “You’re a fucking joke.”
“She’s just as snug as I remember. No blood this time, though.” Taylor barely got the words out before Caleb’s fist slammed into his mouth and nose. He stumbled into his truck and smeared his own blood across the hood as he gripped it to pull himself upright.
Andrew growled at Caleb while holding me back. “Alright.”
“There’s your blood, asshole.” Caleb cracked his neck and lowered his voice. “If you touch her, your family will spend the rest of their lives looking for your body.”
Taylor shoved past us and climbed into his truck without another word. He pulled out recklessly and left twin streaks of burnt rubber as he sped away.
I looked over at Caleb and raised my eyebrows. “His family will spend the rest of their lives looking for his body? What the hell? That was dark, even for you.”
Andrew sighed. “I didn’t want to go into criminal law. With the two of you, I’m not going to have a choice. What are the chances that he isn’t going to the cops right now?”
Caleb shrugged. “I don’t care. Let him. And that line sounds crazy enough to be unbelievable, doesn’t it? And you guys didn’t hear it. So it’s my word against Taylor’s and last time I checked, my rich father is best buds with a lot of the local law around here.”
“You play up the rich asshole thing too good sometimes.” I shook my head and looked over at Olive’s door. “Do we check on her or leave her alone tonight?”
Andrew shook his head. “We should go in case the cops do show up. She doesn’t need to see us being questioned by the cops.”
