“Watch your mouth, bitch,” the man barked.
“Try me, asshole,” she growled, balling up her fist. Due to her height and frame, she’d taken her fair share of self-defense courses. Blocking Jocelyn from his view, she stared him down, waiting for him to make his move.
“You best back the fuck up,” said a masculine voice full of the promise of violence.
She turned and saw Enzo stalking up in jeans, and a T-shirt that showed off his bulging arms. She breathed a sigh of relief. The man held up his hands.
“Why don’t you keep an eye on your kid, bitch? I was just trying to help.”
Her jaw ticked.
“I’m going to give you to the count of three to disappear. One, two—”
The man bolted, and Es’s stomach soured. What if I had been a few minutes later? Turning, she grabbed Jocelyn’s arm.
“Do you have any idea what could’ve happened to you? If you were my daughter, I would tan your ass right now.”
“But you’re not. You’re nothing,” Jocelyn snapped.
The words were a slap to the face. Es literally took a step back.
“You’re out of line, little girl,” Enzo said.
Jocelyn crossed her arms and looked down at the floor.
“Thank you so much for coming, En. I’ll take her from here. I know we need to tell Snake, but I want to wait until he gets back, and let her tell him.”
She looked up. The fear in Joc’s eyes made Es sure she’d chosen the right action.
“Hey, I’m good with not being the one who brings this to him. You need anything else, call, okay? I want to see you both home to make sure psycho doesn’t try to follow you.”
She nodded, unable to speak for fear that she’d let something nasty slip out. She escorted Joc to the car like a
prisoner and watched as she got in and buckled up. She called Jolene once she got into the car.
“Please tell me you found her,” Jolene begged.
“We did, thank God.”
“Okay. Jesus. What was she thinking?”
“I’m not sure she was,” Es said.
“You need me?”
“No, but I’ll be looking forward to tomorrow even more.” She wondered once again if her presence was a hindrance to the bonding process Jocelyn needed with her father. Suddenly she missed her one bedroom and the solitude it offered. Pulling into the driveway, she honked at Enzo who’d pulled up behind them. Silence reigned as they walked to the front door and she opened the door, allowing Jocelyn to enter in front of her.
Enzo beeped and pulled out of the driveway with a wave. She felt completely divided. In so many ways she’d found her place to belong. In others, she felt like the odd man out. There was no way in hell Joc would’ve pulled this if her father had been home. What am I doing wrong? Does she think I’m trying to be her mother? She locked the doors, armed the alarm, and came into the kitchen to find Jocelyn seated at the kitchen island.
“Aren’t you going to call my father and tell him what I did?”
“No, I was serious when I said you were going to do that. But if you call him before he gets back and mention this I will spank your ass, whether it’s my right or not. He needs his wits about him when he’s out there on the road working. It’s dangerous otherwise.”
Jocelyn’s eyes widened.
“There are so many things you didn’t consider when you pulled this stunt tonight. You could’ve been killed! Your father just got you back, what do you think that would do to him, or me? I’m the one responsible for you right now. You’ve completely broken my trust. I won’t believe a word out of your mouth for a long time. All for what? Where did you think you were going?”
“Home.”