Nikki squeezed my forearm and flashed a smile as she stepped inside and shrugged out of her coat. I caught Dylan’s eyes as he scanned the empty hallway behind me. Nikki turned to look back at Dylan, who lingered outside the front door.
“Are you coming, darling?” she called out sweetly. “It’s r
ude to sit at someone’s doorway like that.”
I was tempted to slam the door in the prick’s face. I didn’t like the look he gave me, one full of thinly veiled contempt. He stepped inside, though, before I could shut the door to lock him out of everyone’s lives.
“Where’s my Penny at?” Nikki asked. “She just hopped into the shower,” I said. “Alyssa has gone out to do some shopping. We can have some coffee in the living room while we wait for Penny to come out.”
Nikki smiled. “That sounds lovely, Gabriel. I could use some coffee.”
I left the two of them to wander about the living room while I made a pot of coffee. I could still hear the shower pipes running down the hallway as I walked into the living room with a pot and three mugs. Nikki stood next to Dylan in front of the living room windows that overlooked the entire city of Chicago. The sight of her arm looped through Dylan’s made my heart seethe with contempt. They both turned as I set the items down on the coffee table.
“It’s beautiful here in Chicago,” Nikki said with a wistful sigh. “I loved living here. I’ve thought about returning several times, but I just fell in love with New York over the years. And in my line of work, that’s where the action is.”
“I can’t ever venture far from here,” I said, pouring everyone a cup. “It’s a nice place to live year-round, and it’s just home to Alyssa and me.”
“Cheers to that,” Nikki said, picking up her coffee and lifting it.
Dylan didn’t pick up his mug of coffee. He smoothed his hands over the front of his dark colored sweater as he looked over at Nikki.
“Is there a bathroom open by any chance?” he asked. “I’ve already had two cups of coffee this morning.”
“Down the hallway,” Nikki said. “Right, Gabriel?”
“There’s one right before you hit the bedrooms,” I replied tightly.
Unease filled me when Dylan left the living room. I turned to look at Nikki, who sipped at her coffee with a happy smile, blissfully unaware of the tension I was feeling.
“Nikki,” I said. “I’ve been talking to Penny about what is bothering her, and why she didn’t want to come home for the holidays. It might be difficult to hear, but I think it’s important that you know.”
Nikki set her coffee cup down immediately on the table. “What is it? What did she tell you? That’s the only reason why I came out here to Chicago. To—”
“Leave me alone!”
The sound of Penny’s terrified scream echoed through the living room. My coffee cup slipped through my fingers, and I rushed down the hallway to the guestroom. I passed the hallway bathroom door, the one I had told Dylan to go to, and the lights were off. Dylan was nowhere to be found.
The door to Penny’s room was slightly ajar. I pushed the door open all the way and saw Dylan quickly scrambling back from Penny, who was huddled on the edge of her bed, trembling. She clutched her towel around her body tightly, with fear shining in her eyes.
Blood filled my vision, and I lunged forward to grab Dylan by the collar of his shirt. I threw him back into the hallway, out of Penny’s room, and he slammed against the wall so hard, he fell to the floor. He scrambled back to his feet with a flushed face, staring at me angrily.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I shouted, shoving him in the chest so his back collided with the wall again. “What are you trying to do, you sick fuck?”
“What is going on?” Nikki cried, rushing down the hallway, too. “Dylan? What happened?”
“He was in Penny’s room,” I told Nikki while Dylan stumbled back away from us. “I saw him. He was trying to take advantage of Penny when she got out of the shower.”
Nikki glanced over her shoulder in horror as Penny emerged from the guest room, still clothed in only a towel. Tears streamed down her face as she nodded at Nikki.
“He came into my room,” she said, her voice shaking. “He’s been calling me from your phone. He’s been sending me all these messages, Mom. He won’t leave me alone. That’s why I didn’t come home for Christmas.”
“You bastard,” Nikki said flatly. “You were only getting close to me to get close to my daughter. Weren’t you?”
Dylan stared silently at Nikki, his eyes dark. I strode forward with every intention of punching the piece of shit in the face. It was Nikki who held me back before I could follow through.
“Get out,” I said. “Get the fuck out of my home. Don’t ever let me hear about you bothering Penny ever again, or I swear to God you’ll regret it.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN – PENNY