Page 55 of Malicious Marriage
“Bullshit.”
“Not like that.” The sounds of fabric ruffling rush past the speaker. “You pay me to protect you, which includes being your shadow!”
“I’m not paying you. I fired you, remember?”
“You know what I mean!”
“Look, you need rest. I’m literally just going to the bakery and then I’m going to see Dean. I’ll be fine.”
“That’s not that—” Bobby groans. “Just, wait for me, okay?”
“No!” His caring is welcomed, but I care for him too, and I don’t need him to drive me to buy dessert and then possibly go and break Dean’s heart. “Listen, Bobby. I’m going to Dean so I’ll be fine. You know I will be. Just please, rest. You’ve done so much for me for so long, and I can’t even pay you, so let me pay you in time off.”
“I hate you.” Bobby also mutters something else I don’t quite catch. “Clover?—”
“See you when I get back!” Ending the call to Bobby’s indignant grumbling makes me feel a little guilty, but it’s for the best. He’s been by my side for so long, put up with so much from me and Ryan and everything else. I’ve never had a more loyal friend, but each time he’s there for me, my fear of taking advantage grows. I have so few ways to show my appreciation for him, so this is the least I can do. Bobby does call me back, but Iignore it and crank up the music, humming along while I drive to my favorite bakery.
If I’m going to be delivering such bad news to Dean, then I want to at least cushion the blow with something nice and sweet. I’m not a hundred percent sure on what Dean actually likes in terms of sweets but at the gala, I noticed he favored the sweeter entrees over the savory ones. Best bet is I get a bunch of donuts and a cream cake and hope one of them is to his liking.
It doesn’t take me much longer to reach the bakery, although I get stuck in traffic for about ten minutes due to someone stalling at the lights and causing a whole host of brief chaos. Not that I mind. As much as I want to tell Dean the truth, I’m happy for it to take some time because I’m also sort of terrified.
We’ve only known each other for a few weeks, so I don’t know him well enough to gauge how he might react to this kind of news. Maybe the calm, gentle giant will suddenly explode, and I’ll find out firsthand why everyone is so cautious around the Savoys.
The bakery comes into sight so I speed up a little. I don’t want to miss out on the freshest of cakes so I pull up to the sidewalk right outside the front of the bakery.
Suddenly, as I bring my car to a stop, something crashes into the back of my car with alarming force. I’m thrown back against my seat, then my head snaps forward as I jolt against the steering wheel with a cry of fright.
My car shunts forward a good few inches as metal crunches and screams behind me. I slam both feet down on the brakes as panic and fright surge through me, sending my heart into frantic overdrive. Deep muscle pain blooms across my shoulders and settles into the back of my neck as my car comes to a stop.
Holy shit. Did someonehitme?
My thoughts bounce around between making sure I’m okay while worrying about whoever it was who crashed into me. Are they okay? Was it my fault? Did I not signal clearly enough?
Are they as desperate for cake as I am?
My hands shake as I fight with my seatbelt. As soon as it unclips, I reach for the door handle and dull pain radiates across my chest. I’m dizzy but all in all, nothing feels broken or torn. Just bruised.
No sooner am I climbing out of the car than hands grab me by the shoulders and drag me backward, then slam me up against the rear door of my car. My face hits the glass then I’m flipped around.
“Ahh! What the—” I’m wrenched about, and nausea pulls through my gut at the sudden motion, then bile rises in the back of my throat as I’m now face to face with Ryan. “Ryan? What the fuck?”
Behind Ryan’s head, I glimpse a man inside the bakery watching us with a worried look while his phone pressed to his ear. To my right, a black car with its front door hanging open is rammed right up into the back of my car. Windshield wipers dart back and forth while metal subtly creaks and groans.
“You fucking bitch! I swear to God I’m going to kill you!”
“What? What the—” Ryan keeps me pinned with both hands gripping painfully at my shoulders. I try to push him away, but his grip is like iron and my head swims. For a moment, there are two of him weaving back and forth in front of me so I shake my head and blink repeatedly to try and clear my vision. “Ryan?”
“Yeah, forget me already?” he snaps angrily. “Did you think I’d been taken care of already, is that it?”
“I… what?” I taste iron across my tongue and hot pain tightens around my chest like an ever increasing band. “Ryan, what are you talking about?”
He pulls me briefly away from the car only to slam me right back against the door. “Don’t act dumb! I know when someone is trying to get to me, you fucker. You and your rich boyfriend, huh? You think you can pay me off and then kill me?”
I get one arm between Ryan and me to try and push him off, but he’s much stronger than me and I can’t gain any leverage by twisting away from him. “Ryan, please!”
“No, I’m done with this fucking bullshit. I covered for you foryearsbecause you seemed like a good person and I thought sure, we fucked enough times that even if we weren’t together, I was happy to help you out. And this is how you repay me?” He bats my hand away from his chest and grabs my chin. “Does your rich boyfriend even know the truth? He doesn't, does he? That’s why you had Bobby drag me out of that party.”
I try to pull my head out of his grasp but he clings on even when I slap both hands against his chest and shove at him. “I haven’t done anything!”