Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22359 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 89(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22359 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 89(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
I chuckle and go back to my cutting. “Well, I always realized how nice yours was. Why do you think I kept my distance?” I shouldn’t have said that, and I regret it the instant the words leave my mouth. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have brought that up—”
“It’s okay,” she replies, shaking her head. “Just promise me you’ll never do it again.”
Leaving the onions, I go over to her and drop to my knees. “You think I’m ever walking away from you again? That’s never happening.”
It takes her a second to look at me, but when she does, I see acceptance. I see joy. She nods, and I kiss her on both knees. Warmth begins to pool in my core…unfinished business. But just then, the microwave dings.
“Soup’s ready!”
I hop up and take the cup to the counter, then top the noodles with the finely cut scallions. Grabbing a pair of chopsticks, I bring the soup over and set it in front of her.
“Thank you,” she whispers, running her pinky under the bracelet she gave me for my birthday. “You’re sweet.”
“I know,” I tease, winking back at her. She peels back the paper and gets ready to take her first bite, but that’s when I see them—blue and red lights flashing across her beautiful face.
“Shit,” I growl.
“What?”
“That son of a bitch, Tony. He called the cops.”
8
ELIZA
The blue and lights flashing across Caleb’s muscles send a shiver through me. His tenderness and the soup he prepared had me starting to come down from the adrenaline of the fight, but now it’s spiking again.
He fought for me. He put his life on the line against a man with a knife. And now what if they arrest him for it? They’ll take him away, and after all that’s happened, we won’t be together.
“Christ, I have to put some clothes on,” he says, quickly getting to his feet. He races upstairs as I look out the window and see a police cruiser pull up. My heart is pounding. Seconds later, Caleb comes back down, now wearing a pair of jeans and a white Henley.
“What are we gonna do!?” I hiss, throwing myself into his arms. “This wasn’t your fault. They can’t arrest you—”
“It’ll be okay,” he tells me, kissing me on the head. I want to believe him, but he did a number on those guys.
There’s a knock, and I nearly throw up. All I can do is watch as Caleb leaves my side and slowly opens the door to reveal a uniformed officer.
“Good evening, I’m Officer Kevin Brown. Are you Caleb Miller?”
Just the formality of the officer’s words make me brace myself against the wall.
“I am,” Caleb replies, his voice strong and unwavering.
“We received a report of an assault here by several witnesses who claim they were here for a…discussion…and that you—unprovoked—attacked them.”
My pulse spikes, and my stomach flips. Unprovoked? Attacked? So not only is Tony a violent pervert, he’s also a liar with absolutely no shame.
Caleb sighs, running his fingers through his hair. “Let me guess. Tony Morelli is the one who made this report?”
Kevin nods. “That’s right. Him and three of his friends.”
Just hearing Tony’s name suddenly sends me back to the club—to his hands on me, dragging me from the dance floor and out the door to that van. Who knows what would have happened to me had he gotten me in there? Had Caleb not stepped in and saved me.
“Well, Officer, what Tony is saying is not exactly accurate—”
My heart feels like it’s about to explode. I can’t just stand by and watch him be interrogated like this.
“That’s not what happened at all,” I interject, stepping forward out of the kitchen. Officer Brown looks up as I take Caleb’s side. “As you can see, Tony kicked in our door, and he and his friends attacked him. One of them even had a knife!”
Waving my arms around, I actually see the knife lying on the floor and point to it. “See? Right there!”
To my surprise, the officer actually stops pressing Caleb and kneels down to examine the knife. Then he goes to the door and sees the lock and the frame where it was broken in.
“And you’re saying Tony and his friends are responsible for this?” he asks. “Why?”
“Because he tried picking me up at the club a few days ago,” I snap. “And by picking up, I mean kidnapping. He tried to drag me into a van, and Caleb…stopped him.”
“And so you’re saying they came back here for what…revenge?”
“Or me!” I reply, trying not to shout. “He was shouting for me when he came in.”
“And then they broke the door down, and your…”
“Step-brother,” Caleb says.
“Your step-brother took matters into his own hands and defended you and the house by breaking one man’s ankle and another man’s nose?”
I feel like I’m on trial. “Yes. That’s what happened.”