Warnings and Wildfires

Sully peers at me over her head and smiles as if he can’t believe he got roped into watching this movie again, but there’s nowhere else he’d rather be.

After the movie, Madison sits up and stretches. “Are you staying over, Aubrey?” She glances at her dad. “I’m not a dumb kid. You can stay here if you want. You don’t have to go home because of me.”

I chuckle and sit up, grabbing my shoes. “You’re definitely not dumb. But no, I have to return Celia’s car so she can get to work in the morning.”

“Oh.”

“Do you need a ride in the morning?” Sully asks.

“No, I’ll walk. I have my shift at Busy Beans in the afternoon too.”

“Ooo…Dad can we visit Aubrey? I want one of those mocha frappe thingies.”

“I don’t think we want to bug Aubrey at work.”

“No, it’s fine,” I say, unsure of whether I should contradict him. Maybe he has something else he’d rather do with Maddy before sending her home. “Sunday afternoons are pretty slow if you want to stop in after the gym closes.”

Sully stands and walks into the kitchen.

“Her flight’s at eight,” he calls out. “We can stop by on the way.”

“I’m done at six.”

“Oh! Will you come to the airport with us?” Madison asks.

Whoa. Why is Sully in the kitchen when I need him here? I want to say yes. But what if he prefers to say goodbye to his daughter without me intruding? “Sure,” I answer cautiously. “If you want me to.”

A grin lights up her face before she turns more serious, lowering her voice. “I hate leaving him and saying goodbye. But if you’re there, then he won’t be alone after I go.”

Oh my God. Has a sweeter sentiment ever been uttered?

Spending time with Madison has been one big roller coaster of emotions this weekend. But somehow this sweet, sensitive, firecracker of a kid has totally stolen my heart.

Just like her dad.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Busy Beans was in the middle of a mad rush for pumpkin lattes when I started my shift. Thankfully, it’s calmed down, so I have time to catch up on some of the cleaning.

“Hello, Aubrey.”

Time stops. The air in my lungs freezes.

That voice.

It shouldn’t be invading my space. It should be locked up with the psycho who owns it.

My heart stutters when I look up into his bold blue eyes. Once I’d thought they were beautiful and I couldn’t believe how lucky I was to have them trained on me.

But now I know better.

He snuck into my life and my heart when I was too young to resist him. Too inexperienced to understand the warning signs. I’m not an insecure, love-starved fifteen-year-old teenager. Not anymore.

I steel my spine and will my voice not to betray my fear. “What are you doing here?”

He lifts his shoulders and glances around at the cafe. His gaze returns to me, sweeping over my apron.

“I’m here to see you,” he says as if it makes perfect sense.

My heart drums a terrified, erratic beat. This shouldn’t be happening. He shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t have this reaction to him. Not now. Not after everything I’ve struggled through to get to this point in my life.

I concentrate on calming my ragged breathing. He holds no power over me. Not anymore.

“You’re not supposed to be here.” I wish my voice held more strength. But at least it didn’t crack.

“Where else would I go, Aubrey? I’ve missed you.”

“You’re crazy. You have to go.” My voice takes on a harder edge.

He stares at me as if he didn’t hear a word. His gaze flicks to the pastries and back to me. “I don’t think working here is good for you, darling. You’ve gained a lot of weight.”

Oh hell fucking no, he didn’t.

Planting my hands on the counter, I lean over. “Maybe that’s because I’m a woman now and not a kid you can take advantage of.”

“Take advantage?” He smirks. “That’s rich.”

My cheeks heat up with every memory of the way fifteen-year-old me once loved the attention of this man.

And the way he reeled me in over and over, taking what he wanted and leaving me in pieces.

At least now, I have the mental fortitude to resist. And thanks to Sully’s training, I’m not as afraid as I once was. I may be small, but I can pack a swift kick.

“You look like shit,” I say with a smile. “I’m guessing prison didn’t afford you a lot of outside time.”

A cold smile spreads across his face and he leans in close enough that his breath slips over my skin like poisonous vapor. “I’m going to enjoy wiping that insolence of your face. With my cock.”

He reaches out to twirl a piece of my hair around his finger. “You’ll like that.”

Yanking my hair out of his hold, I pull away and cross my arms over my chest. “Never. Going. To. Happen.”

His jaw ticks and he taps his fingers against the counter.

Pure hatred flares in his eyes. “Four years, Aubrey,” he seethes. “Almost two years in jail waiting for trial before I took the plea.”

“Still not long enough.”

“What happened to the girl who refused to testify against me?”

“She grew up.”

Again, he continues as if he didn’t hear me, leaning in and lowering his voice to a seductive tease. “Thank God you didn’t testify. My lawyer said that’s the reason I skated on the statutory rape charge.”

Shame and anger blaze over my skin. My parents refused to allow me to testify. They were too busy shipping me off to a mental hospital.

My punishment for embarrassing them.

“You have no idea what I went through after you lost your damn mind.” My harshly whispered words force him to retreat.

“Your parents tried to keep us apart. I love you. What was I supposed to do?”

“Not be a psycho? Stay away from me in the first place? Abide by a code of ethics?”

The condescending head shake I remember so well makes an appearance. “Aubrey. We have so much time to make up for. Let’s not spend it arguing.”

Once his manipulative tone and obvious disappointment with me would have had me scrambling to do whatever he wanted.

Not anymore.

He glances at the clock behind me. “What time are you done? We’ll go to dinner and talk this out.”

“No.”

He raises an eyebrow. “No?”

“I’m here until closing.” Why am I making up excuses? No is a complete sentence for fuck’s sake!

He turns, taking a second to read the hours on the front door. “I’ll be back at nine.”

After that announcement, he pivots and walks out the door.

I stand there in a trance, unable to process what just happened.

Being with Sully has made me forget all the mistakes I collected as a teenager.

But now the biggest mistake of my life has returned to collect me. Cold nauseating fear thrums in my veins. Even though I won’t be here when he shows up tonight, I know this won’t be the last I see of Darren.

I glance around, embarrassed anyone could’ve overheard us. But it’s slow now. My manager is outside on a smoke break and the only two customers in the place are wearing earbuds while they bang away at their laptops.

More than that, I want to call the cops. Call someone. I can’t believe no one warned me he was being released. I thought he was supposed to stay away from me. Maybe I should’ve read the paperwork a little closer.

The bell over the door chimes again and this time I pick up the phone under the counter. Fuck this, he does not get to harass me at work.

But it’s Sully and Madison. I’ve never been so happy to see two people in my life.

Shame washes over me. In no way do I want a ghost from my past haunting my present. Or intruding on the future Sully and I might have together.

The urge to spill i

t all to him rises in me, but I don’t even know where to start.

Brantley returns from his smoke break, reeking of peppermint and nicotine. He nods to Sully. “Don’t see you in here often.”

“I’m here to steal Aubrey away.”