Page 43

Mindy

I dust my face with one last bit of powder and then take out the setting spray. Mom’s ability to cover anything has come in handy this morning.

You can’t tell I have lingering bruises on my face or neck. The rest I covered with a thick sweater and a pair of pants.

It’s as if nothing ever happened, yet my body still aches.

“Breakfast is ready,” Maddox shouts from the other side of the bathroom door.

He hasn’t moved from sleeping on the couch, and I don’t seem to have the willpower to ask him to go. Maybe he’s politely waiting for me to move out.

That would be such a Maddox thing to do. “Coming.”

I hurry out of the bathroom, grabbing my purse on the way. Then a wave of dizziness hits.

“You, okay? Maybe you shouldn’t do this today.” Maddox rushes over to me. “I’m going to call Barb.”

“No. I’m fine. My body just isn’t used to moving quickly—” Or at a close to normal pace “—anymore.”

“Are you sure?” Maddox doesn’t look like he believes me.

I’m not sure I believe myself. “Positive. What’s for breakfast?” There, sitting on the bar, is a bowl of oatmeal. Ugh!

“Your egg sandwich just needs to be assembled. I didn’t want your egg to get cold.” Maddox walks over and slides an egg onto a toasted slice of bread that already has bacon and cheese on it.

“Thank you.” I haven’t ever had someone make breakfast for me before I went to work. It feels positively decadent. “I have to hurry, or I’ll miss my train.”

“No, you don’t. I’ll drive you to work.”

What? “You don’t have to do that.”

He lifts the bowl of oatmeal up. “I know.”

“Thank you.” That’s all I keep saying to him.

***

Maddox’s SUV comes to a stop in front of the police station, which is also where the 911 call center is. It’s probably the safest location in the world. Why am I terrified of getting out of the car?

Peters’ women aren’t afraid of men. It’s not like is going to attack me inside the police station.

“You know you don’t have to go in.”

Huh? “Of course, I need to go inside. I work here.”

“You can quit this job. Money—”

“—is always an issue.” Women who rely on men to take care of them always live on the edge. I reach over and open the door. “Thank you.”

“Call me if you need a ride home earlier.”

That won’t happen. “Thanks. I will.”

One man doesn’t determine your life.

Ignoring the aches and pains, I stride into work like nothing ever happened.

Dahlia gives me a huge smile and a wave as I step onto the floor. She nods towards the empty chair next to her.

When I sit down, she whispers, “How are you feeling? I missed you so much. Work wasn’t the same without you.”

Everything will be just fine. “Thanks. I’m doing much better.” Pretending is definitely the way to do it. Mom was right. I’d be turning my life into a nightmare for no reason.

steps onto the floor and scans the room. He doesn’t even blink when our eyes meet. Maybe he doesn’t remember what happened.

All of this build-up in my head could be for absolutely nothing. I log in to the system and get to work.

A few hours later, walks over and taps me on the shoulder. “My office.”

What does that mean? He has the same friendly smile on his face.

I log out. He probably doesn’t remember a thing and is going to ask, like everyone else has today, how I am and when I’m moving back in.

Not that I’d ever move back in. But we can do this all nice and civil. There won’t be any mess or backlash. I bring my purse because it’s not too long until I need to leave. Half days should feel really short, but I’m completely exhausted.

A nap sounds good.

Maddox will probably shuffle me into bed, anyway.

I follow into his fishbowl of an office.

He closes the door and waits for me to sit down, the smile firmly in place. “I’m glad to see that you weren’t that much of an idiot to run straight to Human Resources.”

What? He remembers?

“I assume you’ll be moving out.”

“Yes.”

“Good. Don’t decide to grow a backbone now, because I can promise you, no one will believe you.”

What?

“There are no witnesses and no evidence. People around here have known me and my family for generations. If you say a word, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”

What?

"Copy your friend and keep your mouth shut. Don’t be stupid. That’s all. You can go.”

Automatically, I stand up and walk to the door.

As soon as it’s open, says loudly, “We’re all so glad you’re feeling better. Take all the time you need to get up to speed.”

Hypocrite.

That two-faced hypocrite abuser.

I can’t believe he just said that…did that.

The nerve of that man.

Before I know it, I’m sliding into Maddox’s car.

“What’s wrong?” He twists his body until he’s facing me.

“Nothing. Can we just go home, please?”

“I’ll let you get away with that lie until we’re home, but then you’re telling me. No more games.”

“Games. You think I’m playing a game? This is my life. Mine. No one else’s. I need to do what’s right for me. So you don’t get to tell me what to do, nor does anyone else. Nobody gets to tell me to shut up and keep quiet.” I burst into tears.

One second, I’m in my seat. The next, I’m in Maddox’s lap with his arms wrapped around me.

“He told me to shut up. He told me not to be stupid and shut up. The thing was, I wasn’t going to say anything. But he told me to shut up.” I cry into Maddox’s henley. “I was going to let him get away with hurting me and sexually assaulting one of my friends because I didn’t want to make waves. I thought it would just all go away.”

“It will.” He strokes my back. “This will all go away. You won’t ever have to see that man again.”

“But it won’t. When I go to HR and the police, it’ll just get bigger and bigger until it takes over my life. People will take sides. People will whisper behind my back. I’ll have to quit.”

A finger touches my chin, gently pushing it up until I’m staring into Maddox’s eyes.

His rough thumb brushes away my tears. “Nothing is going to happen to you. There will be no talk. No whispers. No taking sides. Because you aren’t going to HR or the police.”

“I’m not?”

“No. You’re going to tell me his name and then trust me to take care of you.”

“I am?”

“Yes, you are.”

“You can do that?” Maddox promised to protect Everett, and I believed him wholeheartedly. That sounded pretty scary.

“I can make it all go away. Do you trust me?”

With my life…Wow! How did that happen?

“Tell me his name.”

“.”

“Thank you for trusting me.” He leans over and kisses my forehead.

I trust a man.

He pulls me closer, careful not to press on my ribs. “This is all over for you. I want you to take a few more days off of work. Then you can go back if you want.”

Why wouldn’t I want to go back? “Okay.”

“Do you need to cry some more, or do you think we can go home?”

I laugh into his shirt, even though I kind of want to cry some more. Maddox is too sweet. “Home. I want to go home.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do. You’ll take a nap and I’ll take care of this little inconvenience.”