Page 254 of Duty and Desire

Shit. That was beyond true. Even so, if the guy said anything else, Noah was knocking out his teeth. Maybe just the front ones. No. All of them.

The ex then spoke. “We’ll just have the Hawaiian pizza, sweetheart. And I wanted to check on you. How was anger management?” His voice was low and concerned. Fake as shit, actually. Was he playing a part for his buddies?

The third man, also in his thirties, had thick black hair, intelligent eyes, and a perfectly groomed beard. “I hope you take advantage of the lighter sentence, Abigail. I put my neck on the line.”

“Thanks for that, judge,” Abby said, her teeth audibly grinding.

The sheriff sighed. “Remember that staying employed is part of your probation. If you lose this job, you go to jail.”

She paled. Even from the distance, Noah could see a fine blue vein show along her jawline. “I have a job.”

The judge smiled. “My father is very good friends with the owner.”

“I see. Thanks for letting me know.” She turned on her heel and headed back for the kitchen.

Ivar’s left eyebrow rose, moving his damaged skin. “Her ex, the sheriff, and the judge out for dinner together? Is it just me, or is this a bunch of bullshit?”

Noah nodded, his chest expanding. “It also sounds like she’s about to get fired.” He’d help any woman who needed assistance, but there was something about this one that called to him on a level he so did not want to explore. Not right now.

She strode out of the kitchen with the salads and the pizza on a tray and slid the food onto the table. “Plates and utensils are at the far end.” Her eyes were dull and her voice soft as she began to turn away.

Noah shocked himself by grasping her wrist. “If you need help, I can take care of your problems.” Oh, man. What the hell was he doing?

She paused, and her voice trembled just enough to be noticeable. “You’re sweet, but you can’t help me.”

Oh yeah? That’s what she thought. He released her and cranked his neck to see Monte the Ex staring right at him.

He stared back until the human swallowed tightly. Yeah. Things were about to get interesting.

CHAPTER 5

Thunder rolled outside while rain pounded from an angry sky. Abby trudged into the anger management group meeting, pausing at seeing a guy with bruise marks around his neck rushing for the stairs leading down. “Excuse me. Is the meeting still downstairs?” she asked.

The man, a portly guy dressed in a faded button-down and wrinkled slacks, paused. “Um, which one?”

“Anger-management,” she said.

He winced. “No. Your group is back upstairs. I’m Dr. Meletoni, and I run the Gamblers Anonymous group. We’re downstairs now.” His gaze darted all around the hallway, and then he scurried off like a scared mouse.

Well. That was weird. Abby looked down the hallway with rusting lockers on either side before turning into the first and only open door. “Hi,” she said to Mariana before noting the wide windows looking out at the vacant playground. A swing haphazardly hung from rusted chains and moved mildly in the cold breeze.

“Hi,” Mariana said, setting papers on each large wooden chair already put in a circle. Today the shrink wore a pretty pink suit with turquoise jewelry.

Abby moved for a chair by the window, took the papers, and sat. “How did you get us back upstairs?”

Mariana shrugged and took her seat. “Dr. Meletoni just dropped in and apologized for taking our spot on Tuesday. Maybe he had a change of heart.”

“Hmm.” Abby stacked the papers on her lap. The guy had looked terrified. But who would scare a psychiatrist over a room? It didn’t make sense. Though lately, who the heck knew?

The men in the group had seemed a little prone to action, especially Noah.

It had been an entire day since she’d seen him at the restaurant where she used to work. Yeah, she’d been fired after her shift that night. The manager had blushed and stammered an apology, but there wasn’t much he could do, since he didn’t own the restaurant.

She’d spent the entire day going through the want ads looking for a job. She’d qualified for a couple, but upon making inquiries, she’d been turned down. Instantly.

Monte had powerful friends in town, and there was no way she’d find a job. So she’d started looking online, but nothing had panned out.

Heavy footsteps echoed down the wooden floors outside. She felt him before she saw him. The air somehow changed, becoming heavy and electrified. Noah strode inside with Ivar on his heels.