Oh no he didn’t.

As quick as I could, I scooped Missy up and ran out the door after him. I couldn’t let him go after Emil. He would get himself killed, and then I’d never be able to forgive myself.

Luckily, he was just starting his car when I got to the parking lot. I sprinted forward, opened the passenger door, and jumped in.

He stared at me like I had completely lost my mind. Maybe he was right. This was insane.

“What are you doing?”

“I can’t let you go after him.”

He ground his teeth, his grip tightening around the wheel. “If I don’t do something about this now, he’s never going to stop tormenting you. I can’t stand seeing you live in constant fear because of that man. Something needs to be done.” He took my hand in his. “Please… let me do this. Trust me.”

I shook my head. “You can’t.”

He was silent for a moment, staring into my eyes. “Stacey… I can handle him. I can make sure he’s punished for everything he has done.”

“Ned… I don’t want you to get hurt.” I squeezed his hand, praying that he would listen to reason. “I can’t lose you too…”

“You won’t. There’s no way I can lose to a coward like him.” His voice shook, and his fingers trembled. Clearly, this had really upset him. Did he care that much about me?

“Well, I’m not leaving this car.”

“Stacey, please.”

“Unless you want to physically kick me out, I’m staying.” I narrowed my eyes in his direction. “Now, I could be wrong, but I don’t think you’d do that.”

He sighed. “Fine. But you aren’t to leave the car at all, got it?”

I nodded.

He looked at me a moment longer before finally pulling out of the parking lot. With ease, he weaved through the traffic, breaking the speed limit.

“Where are we going?” I dared to ask.

“We’re going to drive the rodent out of his hole.”

“What do you mean?”

“I found out where he likes to hide,” Ned explained. “The Old Whiskey.”

My eyes widened. That’s where I had seen Emil the other day. To think, I had been so desperate to see him that I had actually chased him through the busy sidewalks. Now I prayed I would never have to see him again. I guess that prayer was not going to be answered.

I still couldn’t wrap my mind around how much he had changed. He was a totally different person now.

“What are you going to do?” I asked, finding the silence suffocating.

“Teach him a lesson.”

I frowned. “I wish you would just let this go… You really don’t know what he’s capable of. I don’t want you to get hurt because of me.”

“Trust me. I’m stronger than I look.” He flashed me a confident smile. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

Still, I worried. I worried a lot.

When we eventually pulled up to the pub, it felt like my heart would burst out of my chest. Before Ned could get out of the car, I grabbed his wrist, pulling him back. “Wait.”

He looked at me, his brows furrowed with confusion. “What is it?”

Without thinking about it, I leaned forward and kissed him. As soon as our lips collided, a deep, smoldering heat emerged. It wrapped around my body like a blanket that quelled my anxiety. With my free hand, I wrapped my fingers around his hair, pulling him even closer as the kiss intensified. My lungs burned for air, but I ignored them, hungrily kissing the man I had been slowly falling in love with.

Between us, Missy gurgled happily.

Finally, we pulled away, breathing heavily. “Please come back…” I whispered.

He nodded and, without another word, walked away, disappearing into the pub’s back door.

A sense of dread was slowly taking over me, threatening to consume me.

I didn’t like this – not one bit.

* * *

After about fifteen minutes of waiting, I was about to get out of the car and see what was going on.

Just then, the doors burst open.

Out came Ned, followed by Emil and a few of his goons. They looked livid.

Emil threw a punch that clipped Ned in the jaw, throwing him into a nearby wall. I flinched, holding Missy a little bit tighter.

The other men started ganging up on him.

There had to be something I could do, but my body had turned to stone, incapable of movement. So I watched in horror as they threw their punches, some missing and others meeting their mark.

But suddenly, Ned seemed to be overcome by a wave of newfound energy. He tackled the largest guy of the group into the wall. A line of blood followed his descent to the ground.

Emil pointed at Ned with a shaking finger.

Two more goons stepped forward. Ned stood his ground, his hair a mess and his face covered in blood.

Abruptly, I was struck by an idea. Quickly, I jumped into the driver’s seat, put the car into gear, and stepped on the gas. I braced Missy against my body as I flew toward Emil and his henchmen.

With a great thud, they crashed onto the hood before falling to the ground. I reversed quickly, pulling up beside Ned.

He got in.

“Drive!”

I didn’t need to be told twice. I peeled out, leaving my ex-boyfriend in my wake.

A sense of adrenaline washed over me. Oh, that had felt so good. I laughed, the nervous tension bubbling out of my mouth. “I can’t believe I just did that!”

“Now’s not the time to celebrate,” Ned advised. He reached over and grabbed Missy. “We need to go somewhere safe. We’ve only succeeded in pissing them off. They’re just going to come after us.” He looked at me, his blue eyes full of pain. “We aren’t safe.”