Instead of heading home, I walk the seven blocks to the cemetery and sit on the grass in front of my mother’s grave.
I didn’t get to go to her funeral. Marco at least had the decency to call an ambulance so she could be buried properly. She died from an OD right after I was arrested, but Marco laced her drugs, so technically she was murdered. When I got the news, I nodded at the guard and ashamedly felt relief. Not only for her, but also for me. For the little boy who knew nothing other than drugs and thugs. For the kid who tried his entire life to protect a woman who didn’t want to be protected. For the teenager who learned about life the hard way. And for the adult who lost the only family he ever had.
Mom had run away from her abusive father when she was fifteen. Apparently, he died about ten years ago. I don’t know who my dad is and neither did she. So now, it’s just me.
Footsteps shuffle behind me, and my boss, Jay, pats me on the shoulder. “You get any info last night?”
“No.”
“Ty, I know this is difficult for you, but the faster you get me what I need, the faster you can be out from under his thumb.”
I push myself up and brush the dead grass from my jeans. “No shit? He’s not fuckin’ talking. I told you that years ago. He runs his shit tight. I’m doing the best I can, all right?”
“I know.” Jay holds up his hands in surrender. “I know that. I trust you are, and I don’t want you to be in any more danger than you already are, but time is of the essence.”
Reminding myself he’s just doing his job, I crack my knuckles and give him the only thing I have. “Word on the street is he’s got a big deal going down in three weeks. I don’t know details because I haven’t heard anything concrete. That’s all I’ve got. And honestly, it’s nothing new. He’s always working on something.”
Jay nods. “Keep me posted.”
“Yeah.” My shoulder bumps into his when I walk by.
Once safely inside my apartment, I change clothes and eat a bowl of oatmeal before I head to my day job, which is also part of my cover.
Chapter 10
Jessa
My fingers click the buttons on the mouse as I check my schedule and pull up the details for my last appointment of the day.
“What’s the four thirty?” I ask Kristen when she walks in my office with a stack of charts.
“I dunno.” She shrugs. “He called this morning and said he wanted a consultation.”
“That’s it?”
“Yup. Didn’t give me much info except that he had a dog he was contemplating putting down and wanted to discuss it before he made any decisions.”
I blow out a breath. “I need to see the dog first.”
“That’s what I told him, but he prepaid with a credit card over the phone.”
“Okay. Whatever.”
I bury myself with updating charts and seeing appointments all day. In fact, it’s what I’ve been doing for the past week since Ty left me in bed alone … again.
He’s pissed me off for the last time. I’m done pining over him. I’m done fantasizing about a man who’s gone more than he’s here. Part of it has always been an infatuation with him, then there was the guilt, and of course, the intense connection. But now, all I feel is anger.
Before I know it, it’s the end of the day, and I have Kristen put the consult into an exam room. Since the dog isn’t going to be with the owner, I just walk into the room after a quick knock, and when I see who the client is, I reach for the handle.
His face is burned into my brain. The brutality of what he did that night keeps me awake and haunts my dreams. How his evil eyes stared at me as he allowed Ty to be beaten. The vile words he said about what he wanted to do to me.
“Not so fast there, Dr. Crew.” Marco shakes his head at me.
My palms sweat and my throat dries. “What are you doing here?”
“I seem to have a problem with a dog, you see.” He rises out of the seat and saunters over to me. I back up until I’m pressed into the corner.
“What do you want?” My voice comes off stronger than I feel, but I don’t know how much longer I can pretend I’m not terrified.
“Well, this
dog
of mine. I’m debating whether I should put him down.”
I swallow and nod for him to continue. I figure that if I keep him talking, I have a better chance to get away than if I just start screaming. I’ve seen what this man is capable of and know without a doubt that he’d shut me up. Plus, I don’t want to risk Kristen getting involved.
“He’s been very disobedient, and it would appear he’s been roaming the streets at night to meet up with his bitch.” He leans forward and puts his nose in my hair, inhaling before he steps back again. “Although, she does smell delicious, so I can’t say that I blame him.”
I fight the nausea threatening. “What do you want?”
His eyes roam down to my chest, and I shiver. He steps forward again and runs his nose along my jawline then stops with his mouth right next to my ear. “I want you to give him a message.”
“Okay.” I hope that if I agree, he’ll back off.
“Next time you see him, tell him Marco says hello.”
He steps back and walks out the door without another word.
My breath releases, and a soft whine of fear leaves my throat. I quickly walk out to the front of the building and lock the door. Kristen comes out from the back. “You need anything else?”
“No.” I trip as I walk around the corner and wipe my eyes.
“You okay?”
“Yes. Let me grab my purse then we can go.”
How is this happening? I have no way of getting ahold of Ty. I don’t even know his number or where he lives. Marco didn’t want me to give him a message. He wanted to threaten me. Him. Us. He’s trying to show that he has some kind of power.
The conversation hasn’t come up, but I assumed Ty got away from Marco and his goons when he got out of jail.
In a fog, I walk out to my car with Kristen, then drive home. On the way back, it starts sputtering again, and it’s after I get in my house that I let the tears pour. I debate whether to call the cops, but I remember Ty telling me that they’d be no good to help, so my best bet is to wait for him to show up again.
My dogs come to the couch and comfort me while I contemplate my entire life. I have never felt unsafe in my own home until now. I’m scared for me, I’m scared for my dogs, and I’m scared for Ty.
Marco’s message was a warning. He’s watching. He’s probably been watching. I didn’t think he knew who I was, since I hadn’t heard a peep out of him since that night six years ago.
I was so stupid to think the whole situation from that night would just go away. I’m a smart woman, but right now, I feel like an idiot. But how was I to know? This isn’t a fucking movie. It’s my life. It’s Ty’s life. I wish it could be
our
life, but the fear of Marco making that impossible is stronger now more than ever.
Tonight, I allow my dogs on the bed with me.
* * *
I’m driving to work, still shaky and on edge since Marco’s visit yesterday, when my car makes another loud noise and sputters at the stoplight.
Furious and fed up with everything in life, I drive to the garage that ‘fixed’ it last time, and slam my door as hard as I can. I yank the handle on the front door of the shop so hard the bells crash against the glass, and the man behind the counter, with the name Chip embroidered on his blue shirt, raises an eyebrow at me.
“You guys worked on my car a few weeks ago, and now, it’s doing the same thing as it was before.”
“Okay?” He looks at me confused.
“Okay. And I want you to fix it right this time!” I yell at him and don’t even care that I’ve raised my voice.
“I’d be happy to take a look at it for you, but—”
“No, no buts. You will look at it, and you will fix it. Properly this time,” I add.
“Ma’am, I’ll have to add you to the schedule …”
I tap my foot as he trails off and I huff in irritation. I’m normally not such a bitch. I’m pretty sure I’ll start feeling guilty any second now, since I’m taking out all of my frustration on this guy.
“It looks like we can fit you in tomorrow, if you want to—”
“Tomorrow?” I screech. “How am I supposed to get arou—”
I stop talking when Ty walks out of the back room, looking down at his phone. One that I don’t have a number for. “You!” I yell.
He pauses and looks up from the screen, and his face instantly falls, but he turns it into a look of irritation so fast I almost question if I saw the sadness at all.
“Hey.” He nods at me then turns back around and walks away.
“Hell no,” I shout, as the door hits him in the ass. My feet move before my brain has a chance to decide what it’s doing, and I rush into the room where he went. “What is your problem?” My voice loses its bravado when I get closer to him.
“Talk to Chip about your car, Jessa.” He tucks his phone into his back pocket and wipes his hands on his dirty jeans.
“I don’t give a shit about my car right now. Where have you been?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
My mouth falls open for a second, but I hide the hurt and blink back tears from his blatant disregard for me. “Don’t worry,” I whisper.
He grabs a set of keys off the shelf and nods at me as he begins to leave the room. “Yeah, babe.”
I was just about to push aside my anger toward him and tell him about Marco, but the feminist in me rears her head. “Don’t call me babe.”
His booted feet stop before he steps in my direction. “Excuse me?”
I need to tell him about Marco. “Listen, whatever. Yesterday at work—”
He advances on me even further, and his scent of motor oil and musk overtakes my senses. “I make you come?”
“What?”
His lips rub against my cheek. “If I make you come, I’ll call you whatever I want to.”
The nerve! I push him back and run my fingers through my hair. “You’re such an asshole.”
He smirks and pulls me back to him then runs his nose along mine. There is absolutely no denying the fire between us, but I refuse to allow him to use me anymore. When he licks his lips, I push past him and rush out of the room and to my loud ass car.
I’m so furious over his behavior that I forgot to finish telling him about my visitor yesterday, but he obviously doesn’t give a shit about me anyway. He only cares about getting off whenever it’s convenient for him.
For the rest of the day, I bury myself in work and find a different garage to take my car. Kristen follows me there and drops me off at home. Since it’s Friday, they said it will be ready by the end of Monday, so Kristen is, again, going to be my ride.
My dogs comfort me as I sit and cry. I’m so confused and so freaking scared about Marco’s threat. If I hadn’t been so shocked by seeing Ty, I would have given him the ‘message’ I was supposed to.
I lock all my doors and then head to bed. Unfortunately, I toss and turn for a couple of hours, and just as I’m falling asleep, I hear it.
Footsteps.
Ty.
With how I left him earlier, I should be mad. And I am. But the truth is, more than anger, I’m scared. I don’t know much about him … anything, really. But I do know that when he’s around, I feel safe, and right now, I need his security. Especially with Marco’s threat looming over my head.
My dogs wag their tails when the door opens, already knowing who it is. I don’t lift my head but listen to him usher them out of the room and close the door.
His boots fall to the floor, and his belt unbuckles. The sound of his zipper makes my core tighten. A soft whoosh tells me he’s dropped his shirt, too. I expect the comforter to be pulled off, but instead, he lifts it at the foot of the bed.
The cool tips of his fingers grasp my ankles to flip me to my back. They slide up to my knees and then to my hips before he pulls my boy shorts off. The rough calluses on the palms of his hands flatten against my thighs as he spreads me open.
His breath hits my wet center mere seconds before the scruff on his face does. A low rumble in his throat vibrates against me, and then his tongue spears me without warning. I arch off the bed and grip the comforter draped over our bodies.
He uses his mouth. Everywhere. Sucking, licking, biting. Apologizing. The sound of his arousal mixes with the scent of mine, and just as I feel my stomach begin to quiver, he drops my legs and crawls up my body, his tongue leading the way.
As he reaches my face, he hovers over me and leans down to gently kiss me. My lips melt against his, and tasting myself on him has my pelvis lifting. I squeal when he yanks the blankets off and laugh when he flips us over.
He crosses his arms behind his head and replaces the smile that was on his rugged face two seconds ago with his signature scowl. “You pissed at me?”
“Yeah.” I don’t lie.
“Show me.”
“What?”
He thrusts his hips and I fall forward, grabbing his chest so I don’t topple over. “Show me, Jessa. Take it out on me. Let me feel it.”
I’ve never been one to take control in bed. Before Ty, it was always bland. Boring. I just knew that it’d be a whole new level with him, and I wasn’t wrong. He makes me feel wanton, like a desired woman. The ferocity in his face when we’re together gives me power. It makes me feel beautiful.
I lick my lips as my hair falls forward to curtain my face.
Since I’m looking down, I don’t see it when he moves, but I feel myself being lifted. He scoots himself back to lean against the headboard, resting me on his thighs. When he pushes my hair behind my ears, I finally make eye contact.
God, I could stare at his eyes forever. They tell me so much about him, and right now, they’re soft. Welcoming. Loving.
“Kiss me,” he demands.
I lean down and peck at his lips then press a little harder. My tongue snakes out as he opens his mouth so it can explore. His minty breath and throaty groans turn me on, and I deepen the kiss, tilting my head.
The tip of his cock bobs against my stomach, so I reach down and grab it. So soft and silky, but hard as a rock at the same time. I slide my hand up and down, lightly. Then I grip it harder, and he thrusts his hips again.
I release him, and it slaps against his stomach. “Jessa,” he begs, panting against my mouth.