Page 133 of Unexpected

My right eye began twitching as the anger pulsing through me threatened to release. It was something that often happened when I was with Valerie—she pushed my buttons like no one else and knew exactly what to say to fire me up.

My stupid eye twitching along with the vein I could feel throbbing in my forehead were the only signs that I was close to losing it. And Valerie didn’t miss either of them. I was twice her size, easy, and could choke her out with one hand, yet she smiled like I was her favorite fucking toy finally being returned to her.

“There he is. There’s my Bear. I was starting to think you’d gone soft on me and that you’d reverted to that scared little teenager who didn’t do shit to help his poor mommy. But I can see the explosion waiting in your eyes. Do you protect the new one like you protected me from all those guys pawing over me? That always really got you going, defending me—your woman. I still think about how you’d claim me in every part of our lives and whisper to me‘mine’like saying it made it even more true.”

There was a thread left of my self-control, holding back the monster she would surely unleash if she kept talking, and she was fucking dancing on it. But I couldn’t. I wouldn’t hit her, and I wouldn’t cause a scene. I was more in control of myself than I ever had been before. And I owed it to Hazel not to let those stupid demons out. My rage didn’t have to control me, and I wouldn’t let it.

If I kept staring at her stupid smirking face, I was going to explode, so whether it was a smart decision or not, I closed my eyes briefly and counted to ten. A technique I hadn’t sincerely needed for years but was helpful, nonetheless. I counted to ten and focused on my breathing. Then I did it again.

Once I felt more in control of myself, I opened my eyes again to find Valerie watching me through narrowed black eyes. My eye was no longer twitching and the throbbing from the vein in my head had dulled.

“I’m going to say this one more time, and let’s hope it gets through your thick fucking skull: I willneverwant youeveragain. I’ve witnessed the blackness of your soul and the way you incinerate everything good you touch. That is not somethingI, or anyone else, will ever want in their life. You look back on our time together with fondness, but it is legitimately the thing of nightmares. You are twisted, deluded and a fucking sociopath. I promise you will get what’s coming for you if it’s the last thing I do. Now, I’m done with the fucking games. Stay away from me, and stay away from anyone else I care about, or so help me God, you will see the goddamn monster. But this time, I’ll make sure you don’t enjoy a single fucking second of it.”

My nails were digging into my palms when I finished speaking, and slowly, I lowered the finger I had been jabbing in her direction.

For a moment, I thought she understood what I was saying and gathered the weight of my words. Her eyes were no longer narrowed but wide and surprised. Her lips were parted, and she was taking in quick breaths. But her expression morphed when I sat back.

The smirk returned and there was a new challenge in her brown, almost black eyes. She licked her bottom lip before she clicked her tongue.

“Wrong move, Bear,” she said, sliding out of the booth and straightening her dress, brushing invisible lint off of her sleeves. “You know how I feel about lying, and you’re lying to yourself right now. And I’ll prove it to you. Picking her over me is the worst decision you could make for either of you. But don’t worry… the games, as you like to call them, are almost over. It’llallbe over soon enough.”

And with that cryptic response, she turned on her heels and strutted out the front door. When the click of her heels faded and the door closed behind her, I finally took a breath and was out of the booth in the next second.

Valerie was sitting in our booth for several minutes, and the fact that Hazel hadn’t returned from the bathroom during that time made a whole new type of fear pulse through me.

I turned down the dimly lit hallway with the “Restrooms” sign hanging above it and broke into a sprint. The fucking boots I was wearing weren’t conducive for running and I skidded to an ungraceful stop in front of the door labeled “Women.” Propped against the doorknob was a dining chair that I had seen plenty of throughout the restaurant.

Memories of walking into Hazel’s bathroom, into my mother’s bathroom, were instant as I ripped the chair away, throwing it to the side. In another breath, I pushed through the door and almost stumbled over a disheveled Hazel.

She was seated on the floor near the door in the fetal position. She lurched, ready to flee, but when she saw it was me barreling through the door, relief washed over her features.

She scrambled to her feet and flung her arms around me before I could even ask her if she was okay. She was shaking and I snaked my arms around her, holding her close and reveling in the warmth of her body. For a minute, we stood in the women’s restroom, clinging to each other like we hadn’t seen each other in years.

Reluctantly, I pulled back and stepped away to get a better look at her. Other than the fact that her hair was spilling out of its updo, she seemed fine. Her eyes were dry as well, so she hadn’t been crying.

“Are you okay? What happened?”

“I’m fine, just shaken up a little.” I smoothed my hands down her arms and closely inspected her from head to toe to make sure she was telling the truth. “I was walking into the bathroom when I saw a flash. Someone shoved me so hard that I lost my balance and fell into the side of the sink,” she pointed to the granite countertop just beside us. “It knocked the air out of me, and by the time I was able to stand back up, the door was locked from the outside. I left my phone and purse at the table, but I figured you’d come looking for me eventually. It took you a while, though. How long do you think it takes me to go to the bathroom?”

I wished I could laugh, but nothing seemed funny at that moment. Even when I did everything in my power to protect her, Hazel was still in danger. Valerie found a way to her, and it could have ended so much worse.

“Valerie paid for our dinner, then made a special trip to our table. I’m sure she’s the one who locked you in here.”

Hazel was stone faced aside from a flash of understanding in her eyes. “She wanted to talk to you alone.”

I nodded and pulled her into me, needing to feel her with me and against me. I was still feeling the effects of the fear I felt for those several minutes of not knowing where she was or if she was okay. “This could have been so much worse, Angel. She could have fucking hurt you, and I was just sitting at our table.”

“Don’t do that,” Hazel said, jerking her head back to look at me. Her small hand landed on my cheek. “Don’t blame yourself for your psychotic ex-wife. It’s not your fucking fault, and I will keep telling you that until you actually believe it.”

“How can you be so calm right now? Neither of us had any idea—”

She cut me off by pressing her lips to mine in a bruising sort of kiss that made me forget everything else. Even in heels, I felt her push onto her toes to meet my mouth and force her tongue between my lips. Her urgent lips against mine felt like coming home.

She pulled back after a minute, panting against my mouth, and gave my lower lip one final lick. In her eyes, I saw her resolve, and I tried to let it steady me.

“You’ve done everything you can, but she’s a loose cannon. Trying to figure out what she’s going to do next isn’t going to work. We can be more careful, but we can’t stop living our lives because of her and you can’t follow me to the bathroom all the time either.”

“We should have been more careful since the beginning,” I muttered. Looking around, I figured it was about time to get the hell out of the restroom.

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