I gaped at the sight of Charly holding out her hand. On her palm were three SD cards. They were Carl’s preferred brand. Expensive.
How did she get them?
“I don’t think these stand up well to pressure.” She smirked and dropped to her knees, holding up a rock.
“Don’t you fucking dare,” he snarled, inching forward.
“Or, what? You’ll knock me out and take pictures?” she responded. “You take one more step, and I’ll scream. Holy moly, asshole, the man who will appear from that building will resemble hellfire, and all his anger will be directed at you.”
She narrowed her gaze. “What you did is reprehensible. And now it’s over. You have nothing.”
In the blink of an eye, she smashed the SD cards. Hard and fast, she hit them over and over. The sound of the plastic splintering set Carl off. He howled like a man possessed and rushed forward. Charly screamed and fell back on her ass, then sprang to her feet and turned to run. I sprinted from the barn, grabbing Carl’s arm, screaming for Brett.
Carl turned, pushing at me. I grabbed his jacket, pulling hard. He lifted his arm, the arc high, and I watched as it came toward me, already feeling the pain before his fist hit me.
Except a roar exploded behind us, and in a blur of motion, Carl was pulled away, his fist glancing off me instead of hitting me directly. I stumbled from the impact, watching in horror as Brett dragged Carl away, his fists flying. Over and again, he hit him, cursing and yelling until Carl was a crumpled mass on the ground. Maxx dragged Brett away, holding him back.
“Enough. You’ll kill him.”
“That was my intention.”
“Charly, are you okay?” Maxx asked.
“Yes,” she said, returning to the SD cards. She piled up the plastic bits and ground them down, then dug a hole, burying the little shards. She patted the ground, satisfied. “Job well done, I’d say.” She looked at me and winked. “Good thing he’s so particular about his SD cards. Easy to find that time period. I took the whole month just in case. And his password on his laptop was super simple. His name. What an idiot. All those pictures are gone from his drive now too.”
Then she stood and looked at Carl on the grass. He was moaning and struggling to get up.
“Do we need an ambulance?” she asked dispassionately.
“I-I’m calling the cops,” Carl spat out, groaning loudly, then fell back, blood flowing from his nose and mouth. “And I’m going to sue.”
Charly shrugged, not at all concerned. “Whatever. Maybe I should let Maxx at you next.”
Carl whimpered, curling into a ball.
Maxx shook his head. “Call the ambulance, Red. Kelly, are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I said, my voice shaky.
“Let me go,” Brett said. “I won’t touch him.”
“You better not,” Maxx growled. “Murder charges are hard to get out of.”
I stared at Carl’s balled-up figure. Brett’s furious face. Charly was smug, not at all worried about the man lying on the ground. Maxx was confused and upset.
I couldn’t wrap my mind around everything that had occurred in such a short span of time.
Meeting Garner and getting another job offer. My initial excitement. Brett’s reaction. Our fight. Carl appearing. Charly destroying the SD cards and breaking in to his laptop. Brett beating Carl.
It was too much.
A frantic giggle escaped my mouth. Charly looked at me strangely.
“Kelly?” she asked.
I shook my head, fighting down the hysteria I was feeling.
“Oh no, she is losing it,” Charly muttered, laying her hand on my arm.
“I-I…” A sob burst from my lips, and I shook my head wildly. “I can’t—”
I put my head into my hands, and I began to weep.
“Maxx!” Charly gasped, sounding panicked.
“I got this,” Brett said, his voice floating over me, surrounding me with its warm tone.
I felt Brett’s arms around me. Felt him lifting me.
I turned my face into his shoulder and cried.
I sat on Brett’s lap in the barn, his arms tight around me. I had no idea how long we had been there. Outside, there were voices and sounds I couldn’t identify. I didn’t care. All I needed was right here. I breathed him in, gulping down big lungfuls of his scent, greedy for it. He smelled so good. Like safety. Like home.
The only home I had ever known.
Gasping, I sat up. He cupped my face, stroking the wetness on my cheeks with his thumbs. “Calm, Kelly. I need you to calm down.”
My words were rushed and garbled. “You didn’t give me a chance to finish—to say what I needed to say.”
“I’m sorry. I was angry. Upset. Let’s get through this, and then we can talk.”
I shook my head wildly. This was too important. I had to tell him. But I couldn’t stop crying.
He enfolded me in his arms again. “Calm,” he repeated. “Please calm down.”