Chapter Seventeen

Cameron

“Are you sure?” I asked my mom again for the third time during our conversation.

“Yes, Cam. Your father and I want to take her to the zoo in the morning. You need to stay up late and do what you do to get ready for your graveyard tomorrow. Take that pretty neighbor of yours out to dinner or something,” she said smoothly.

“I knew you had an ulterior motive,” I said, scowling.

She laughed and I knew I was right. “Good-bye, son. We’ll see you in a bit.”

“I’ll be over around four. Thanks, Mom. I really appreciate all you do for me and Ella,” I told her, meaning every word I said.

“I know, dear. Bye, now.”

I hung up and packed Ella’s little suitcase for her overnight stay at my parents’. It was a normal occurrence. I tried not to let the guilt take over. It was good for them and good for Ella. She loved spending time with them.

Once I dropped Ella off with them, I drove home and headed straight over to Scarlett’s house.

I could hear music blaring and shook my head. The woman was going to blow her ears out.

I knocked on the door several times. When she didn’t answer, I turned the handle and opened the door a few inches.

“Scarlett!” I yelled.

“Cameron?” she said a split second before the music came to a dead stop.

I pushed the door open and saw her come out of the kitchen.

“I knocked, but you didn’t answer.”

She gave me a sheepish smile. “Are you here to give me that noise pollution ticket we talked about?”

I grinned. “No. I’m here to see if Hannah is coming up for the weekend.”

She shook her head. “Nope. She has to work.”

“Do you want to go out with me? I know a bar that has a live band tonight,” I said, hoping I didn’t sound too eager.

She smiled. “I would love that! Anything to get me out of the house. I’m starting to go a little stir-crazy.”

“All right. Get ready and I’ll be back to pick you up in a couple hours.”

She was still grinning, looking as gorgeous as ever. “I’ll be ready.”

I turned and left her, reminding her to keep the music down so she could hear the door.

When I returned exactly two hours later, she answered the door wearing a pair of tight jeans that hugged her curves and black boots. Her sweater fell to the side, leaving one shoulder exposed.

“I’m going to be the envy of every man in that bar,” I told her, placing my hands on her hips and kissing her.

I knew the stolen kisses here and there were above and beyond the fake engagement lie, but I couldn’t stop myself from touching her. I loved looking at her body and had to fight hard to keep my hands to myself whenever she was around.

“Thank you. You’re looking rather dashing yourself. You better not ditch me for another woman,” she said with a wink.

“Not in a million years,” I vowed.

When we arrived at the bar, it was filling fast. I managed to secure us a small table in the back of the room. We would be able to see and hear the band and still be able to talk to each other. We ordered hot wings and cold beer as we waited for the band to take the stage.

“Is this twangy country stuff?” she asked, looking around at the cowboys milling about.

I shrugged a shoulder. “There’s definitely a little country, but I think it’s more rock. Think along the lines of Florida Georgia Line,” I told her.

Her eyes lit up. “I can’t wait.”

When the band took the stage, the energy in the room transformed. People were shouting and dancing and having a good time in general.

“Let’s dance!” I shouted over the music.

She nodded and took my hand. I led her to the dance floor, where we bumped and grinded and let ourselves get lost in the music. I stared into her eyes, feeling completely in tune with her, and blocked out the rowdy crowd around us.

I heard cat whistles and snapped my attention back to the present. People had spread out around us, leaving us alone on the dance floor, our bodies moving in time to a ballad the band was belting out.

“People are watching,” Scarlett whispered.

I nodded. “Yes, they are.”

I turned to look around the area and saw the singer point his finger at us while he belted out his lyrics about finding love after the rain. We finished the song and headed toward our table, Scarlett leading the way with me close behind her, when a man wearing a baseball hat stepped directly in front of her.

She tensed up and I immediately knew something was wrong.

“Isaac?” Scarlett breathed out, barely loud enough for me to hear.

I immediately stepped beside her, crowding out the smaller man and pushing him out of her personal space.

“Is this him?” Isaac said with an ugly scowl. “This is the guy you’ve been cheating on me with?”

I could feel people watching us and made a move to step around the angry ex. He stepped in my direct path.

I peered down at him. “Move.”

He sneered. “Really, Scarlett? You couldn’t find a bigger guy? Have you fallen for the old bigger-is-better theory?”

“Isaac, please, don’t do this. We’re here to have a good time. You’re drunk. Just leave us alone.” Scarlett’s voice was far too reasonable and controlled for the situation.

I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and steered her past Isaac, making our way back to our table. I hoped once we were away from the dance floor, Isaac would back off. I could tell he was the kind of guy that got off on making a scene. He wanted people to think he was a tough guy. If they only knew what kind of man he really was, their opinions would change.

I waved the waitress over and ordered two beers.

“I can’t believe he’s here,” Scarlett said, her entire demeanor stiff and tense.

“Ignore him. He’s drunk.”

We didn’t get the chance to ignore him. The insolent man grabbed a chair from a nearby table and sat down next to Scarlett.

“Back off, buddy,” I warned him, not hiding the threat in my voice.

“She’s my girlfriend,” Isaac spat out, spittle flying as he spoke.

“We’re not together,” Scarlett said firmly.

“She wants you to leave her alone. In fact, I believe you have been warned several times already, haven’t you?” I growled.

Isaac grinned. “That was all a misunderstanding. Scarlett and I have history together. We love each other. We had a little fight and she ran away. She’ll come back to me—she always does.”

Scarlett shook her head. “That wasn’t a fight, Isaac. You tried to attack me with a baseball bat. What if I hadn’t been in the car?” she said.

My brows shot up, and I could feel the blood boiling in my veins. “You hit her with a bat?” I fumed.

Isaac rolled his eyes. “I didn’t hit her with a bat. I hit the windows.”

“With me inside the car, asshole,” Scarlett said.

I leaned forward a few inches and looked the man dead in the eye. “You need to get the fuck out of here before you really piss me off. I don’t want you calling her again. I don’t want you talking to her or going anywhere near her. Do you understand?”

I knew I could be menacing when I tried. My size alone put most people on guard. Isaac wasn’t most people. He leaned toward me, our noses a couple inches apart.

“She’s mine. She’ll always be mine,” he said in a low, monotone voice that told me all I needed to know.

The man was not right in the head. I would go so far as to say he was a sociopath. That wasn’t something I wanted to mess with without knowing more.

“We’re going now,” I said to Scarlett.

She nodded. I could see the fear in her eyes and immediately felt bad for her. Her terror that first night she had called the police hadn’t been for nothing. She truly feared for her life, and I knew why now. I feared for her life as well.

I grabbed Scarlett’s hand, and we headed for the door.

“This isn’t over!” Isaac shouted from behind us. “This isn’t over, Scarlett!”

“Keep walking,” I told her. “We don’t need to give him the response he wants.”

I stopped at the door and told the doorman there was a man causing problems. He radioed his fellow security personnel to inform him.

I helped Scarlett inside my truck, and we sat there for several minutes, each taking a few deep breaths and composing ourselves.

“I don’t think it’s safe for you to go home,” I said.

She nodded. “I don’t think so either. How did he find us? Do you think he followed us?”

“I don’t know.”

“He had to have followed us, which means he’s been watching me,” she squeaked out.

I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. If Isaac had been watching Scarlett, he had seen me. He would have seen Ella as well. Shit just got real. I drove home, my eyes going to my rearview mirror every few minutes. I didn’t notice a car following us, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t show up later.

When we got back to my house, I took her keys and checked her house while she stayed at mine. It didn’t look like Isaac had broken in. When I got back to my house, Scarlett was pacing.

“I’m so sorry,” she repeated over and over. “I should have known. I’m sorry. I did exactly what you told me you didn’t want to happen. I dragged you into my mess.”

“Let’s go to bed. We’ll worry about everything tomorrow,” I told her, leading her to my bedroom.

“Thank you. Thank you for being there and letting me stay here.”

“It’s no problem. There’s no way I’d let you stay home alone with that creep in town.”

She stripped down to her underwear and crawled between the sheets. I didn’t make a move to touch her. This wasn’t the time for that. She needed comfort and security. I lay beside her, hoping to sleep, but my eyes refused to close.

“You asleep?” I whispered.

When she didn’t answer, I knew she was. I got up, pulled on my jeans, and did a quick walk around outside with my 9 mm in hand. Everything had changed. I really liked Scarlett, and the idea of spending more time with her and getting to know her better appealed to me, but I couldn’t put Ella at risk.

Isaac needed to be dealt with. I wasn’t sure how to do that. The guy was not stable. I had no idea what he was capable of, but after hearing about the baseball bat, I was definitely concerned for Scarlett as well as Ella. This wasn’t my mess. I could walk away. I should walk away in the best interest of my daughter.

I went back inside, locked up tight, and headed back to my bedroom. I stood in the doorway and watched Scarlett sleep. She looked so small in my large bed, so weak.

“What am I going to do with you?” I whispered into the dark.