Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 66134 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 331(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66134 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 331(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 220(@300wpm)
“What the fuck, man?” a deep, intimidating voice called out, clearly talking to Mark.
Random people walked past me without helping, and I glanced up to see a burly man heading toward me after witnessing what had just happened. His gaze narrowed on Mark as that chicken shit darted toward the curb, hailed a cab, and quickly got inside before my rescuer could stop him. Good thing, because the guy was solid muscle and was built like an MMA fighter.
The guy crouched in front of me, genuine concern on his face. “Are you okay?”
Tears sprang to my eyes. Not because I thought I was seriously injured, but the embarrassment of the situation was starting to sink in. I swallowed back the lump in my throat, trying to speak, but unable to.
“Jesus,” the man said upon seeing my distress. Very gently, he grabbed my arm to assist me back to my feet, holding me steady until my heels stopped wobbling. “What can I do to help? Do you need an EMT?”
I shook my head. I was scraped up for sure, and my wrist hurt like hell, but nothing was seriously broken that I could tell. “You’ve already helped by stepping in,” I said gratefully. “I work in this building, so I’m going to go back inside and up to my office.”
The man frowned. “Are you sure you’re okay on your own?”
I managed a small smile, appreciating his concern. “I am. Thank you for your help.”
The guy made sure I was safely in the lobby before he continued on his way, and just as I reached the elevators, one of them opened and Jack and Valerie stepped off the lift, my sister laughing at something Jack had just said. As soon as she saw me, cradling my left hand and my palms and knees bloodied, all her amusement died.
“What happened?” she asked, her eyes wide with worry. “Did you trip and fall?”
I hated to have to tell her the truth. “Not on my own. Mark was waiting outside when I walked out of the building and he cornered me, then demanded to know where to find you,” I said, watching as panic immediately transformed Valerie’s expression. “I managed to push past him, but he shoved me from behind and I, well, as you can see, I didn’t fall gracefully,” I said, attempting to inject some humor into the situation to calm my sister down, which didn’t help.
“What the fuck,” Jack said, his eyes blazing with fury. “Tell me where I can find this prick so I can knock some sense into him.”
I shook my head. “You’re not getting involved, Jack,” I said, even though I honestly didn’t know how it was going to end with Mark, who had no issues violating his restraining order. But I also knew I needed to report this assault, to show how his harassment was escalating.
My sister grabbed my hands to check my scraped palms, and I sucked in a sharp breath as I felt another jolt of pain in my wrist. At Valerie’s worried look, I quickly tried to reassure her. “I’m fine.”
“Clearly, you’re not.” Jack frowned at me. “There’s an urgent care right up the street. Let’s go,” he said, taking charge.
I knew it was the smart thing to do considering the throb in my wrist was increasing, so I didn’t argue further. “I was supposed to have dinner with Caleb and Owen tonight. I need to let him know I’m not going to make it.”
“I’ll text him and tell him you had an accident and we’re taking you to urgent care,” Valerie said, rummaging in my purse and retrieving my cellphone to do just that.
I settled into the back of the cab Jack managed to hail for us, too exhausted to argue.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Caleb
I’d just gotten home and relieved Tillie from watching Owen for the afternoon when I received a text message on my phone.
This is Valerie. Stevie had an accident and Jack and I are taking her to urgent care to make sure she’s okay. She wanted to let you know that she won’t be able to make it for dinner tonight.
What the hell? What kind of accident? My heart seemed to slam against my chest, and I immediately called Stevie’s phone because I didn’t have the patience to get information through texts, and it was Valerie who picked up.
“What do you mean she had an accident, and why does she need to go to urgent care?” I demanded to know more harshly than I’d intended. I wasn’t a man prone to panic, but then again, the word “accident” was too damn vague for me and worst-case scenarios were filling up my mind faster than I could sort through them.
“She had an altercation with my ex just outside of work,” Valerie said, sounding upset. “She’s mostly okay. Scraped hands and knees and she says her wrist hurts, so we just want to make sure it’s not broken.”