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“Don’t give this guy a chance to do worse. If he tries to contact you, ignore it and document it. If he hurts you, report it. Don’t be nice. Don’t even argue with him. He wants your attention, good or bad. Don’t give it to him.”

She nodded that she understood.

He looked around her place again. “Give me some time to take pictures of the damage and get some prints. I’ll need yours to exclude you from whatever I find.”

“I’ll take some pictures, too, while you do that.”

“Go for it.”

She took several of the main space, and a couple of the bathroom that wasn’t hit as bad as the living room and kitchen area.

M said he wouldn’t be in touch, but she texted him a pic of the living space and a message anyway.

LYRIC:Your day was definitely better than mine.?

She tucked her phone in her jeans back pocket and searched the mess on the floor for a notebook. She found one, then spent ten minutes looking for a pen to make a list of what needed to be replaced.

It dawned on her that she’d left her purse in the kitchen downstairs. “I’ll be right back,” she told Officer Bowers as she headed out the door and down the steps.

She wasn’t surprised to find Rick lurking on the patio area. “Go back to wherever you came from, and never contact me again,” she ordered, not stopping on her trek to the back door.

“I didn’t do this.”

She spun around to confront him, even though the officer had just told her not to engage. She’d make herself clear one last time. “I don’t believe you. And even if you didn’t, I don’t want you anywhere near me ever again. I’m tired of you lurking in my life, showing up unexpectedly all the time, telling me how I feel and what I should do. Every time I try to be nice to you, you bite me in the ass with your assertion that you know what I want. I’m done. Is that clear enough for you?”

His gaze went soft with sympathy she didn’t believe at all. “You’re upset. I get it. I would be, too.”

Frustration was ice in her veins. “You were upset last night and threatened me. You said you’d make it hurt. Well done. It’s not just that you destroyed my place, it’s that you tainted it.”

“I didn’t do it,” he snapped.

“Right. Like you didn’t break into that other place and take things.”

His eyes went wide. “How do you know about that?”

“My cousin is a cop. You should think about that next time you think about coming after me.” She turned and headed to the kitchen door.

“Lyric, you need to listen to me.”

She spun back around. “That right there. You telling me what to do. I don’t need to do anything where you’re concerned.” She glared hard at him. “Leave me alone. That’s the last time I’m telling you. Next time, I’ll get a restraining order. Pack up your stuff and go. You are not welcome at the ranch or the bar anymore. I mean it. Don’t. Come. Back.” She walked into the kitchen and pulled the door shut behind her, locking him out. She breathed hard, her emotions so raw and overwhelming she didn’t know what to do with all her anger and disappointment and frustration mixed with sadness.

“Lyric, you okay?” Aria asked from across the room.

“I will be.” But right now, she really hated that her place was a wreck and M wasn’t here. One made her mad, the other sad, and it piled onto everything else.

“What can I do?” Aria asked.

“Nothing. I’ve got it. I just came down to get my purse. I should probably grab the toolbox from the office. I need to repair the door the best I can until I can get it fixed properly.”

“I’ll get it and bring it up.”

“Thank you.”

Aria rubbed her hand up and down Lyric’s arm. “Did you call him and tell him what happened?”

“I texted him, but he told me before he left that he’dbe out of touch, so I don’t expect to hear from him anytime soon.”

“I’m sorry. I know at times like this, it’s nice to have your guy around.”