Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 62811 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 314(@200wpm)___ 251(@250wpm)___ 209(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62811 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 314(@200wpm)___ 251(@250wpm)___ 209(@300wpm)
“Okay! Okay!” my landlord shouts as he cowers on the floor.
Tristan jerks him up to his feet. I gasp when I see the blood running from his nose and lip. “Touch her again, and I’ll slit your fucking throat,” Tristan growls and pushes him away. “Get the fuck out of here before I change my mind and kill you anyway.”
The landlord scurries out of my bedroom and neither of us moves until the front door slams shut. Tristan’s eyes soften when he looks at me, and it takes me by surprise.
“You okay?” he asks.
The previous abrasiveness he’d displayed in the car is long gone. Now I see the Tristan I remember from all those years ago. I nod, still unable to form words. Silent tears stream down my face and relief washes over me.
He disappears into the living room, probably to lock the door. I hear the water running in the bathroom for a moment before he reappears back in the bedroom with a wet towel.
“Did he hurt you?” he asks.
I sniffle and shrug. “A little, but you stopped what was probably going to be the worst of it,” I murmur.
“Lie back for me.”
I do as he says and lean back, spreading my legs for him. He doesn’t say anything as he cleans me up, his gentle touch bringing fresh tears to my eyes.
“Thank you,” I say, my voice thick.
He pauses for a moment, but I can’t bring myself to look at him. He sighs into the silence and continues what he’s doing. “Do you want to go to the hospital or something?” He puts the damp towel on my nightstand and locks onto my gaze. “Or do you want to call the police and file a report?”
“I don’t want to make things worse,” I murmur.
My answer brings a frown to his lips. “What happened isn’t your fault,” he says, his voice stern. “He tried to take advantage of you, and he should pay for that.”
I chuckle without humor. “Like you did less than an hour ago?”
His hard features soften and I see something close to remorse flicker across his gaze. “I came back to apologize for that. I went a little overboard. I’m sorry.”
His apology catches me off guard and I really don’t know how to answer. Luckily he changes the subject back. “You want me to call the cops and report him?”
“But you can also get in trouble for beating him up.” I rub my forehead as a headache threatens to ignite.
“I can handle myself. I’m asking about you.” He looks me over with concerned eyes. “What do you want to do?”
Today has already been long, tiring, and emotionally exhausting. I don’t want to talk to anyone else, go anywhere else, or see anyone else.
“I just want to go to sleep for a while,” I say, my voice small. He nods and moves to stand, but I hold on to his arm. “Can you…stay with me tonight?”
Something unfamiliar passes over his face as he holds my gaze for a moment, almost as if he’s hesitating. “Are you sure you want that?”
I nod. “Yeah. I think I’d feel safer that way,” I say.
“Safer?” He repeats it like he doesn’t believe I said it. I nod again. A faint smile settles on his lips as he shrugs. “Yeah. I can stay if that’s what you want.”
I slide back in bed and lie down, settling against him when he lies down next to me. And it doesn’t take long for me to finally drift off to sleep in the safety of Tristan’s arms.
TALON
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know where Tristan was last night. I look up from my phone when he walks in, watching him silently as he comes in the living room and sits on the adjacent couch.
“What’s wrong with you?” I ask. I glance down at his hand and notice the light bruising on his knuckles. He follows my line of sight and sighs deeply.
“I didn’t hurt Kitten if that’s what you think,” he mumbles.
“Then who did you hurt?” I ask with a raised brow.
“Her fucking landlord.” He leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees. “I walked in to him trying to rape her.”
“What?!” I exclaim. “Where is she now?”
“At home. Where else?”
“Why the fuck would you leave her there by herself?” I scoff and shake my head. “What makes you think her landlord won’t circle back the moment he saw you leave?”
“If he knows what’s good for him, he won’t try that again,” Tristan replies, his voice sharp.
I shake my head. “I had a feeling he was going to try something. When I first got to her place yesterday, he had her cornered in front of her door. I should’ve had her get a hotel room then.”
“Well, I fucked him up when I saw him yesterday and left him a bloody mess.” Tristan cracks his knuckles. “She can’t stay there.”