Page 128 of Forgot to Tell You Something

“I don’t need to do shit. You tell me where Marla is right now, or you’re going to be sorry.”

“You think taking a swing at me is going to help your cause? The cops are en route, so the best thing you can do is walk away. Right. Now.”

I plant my feet, prepared for the drunkard’s onslaught. His inebriated state throws him off balance, and when he lunges, he goes down. This only infuriates him further as he stumbles to his feet.

“Get out of my way, man,” he bellows.

“Get out of this house,” I repeat, stretching to my full height. I have him by at least four inches, but he’s got forty pounds of fat on me. Then I hear the sirens in the distance. Thankfully, the cops set a new speed record today.

If the man hears the sirens, he doesn’t let on. Instead, his glare fixes on something past me, and I know intrinsically that Tally has disobeyed my direct order to stay in the kitchen. “You! I should have known you were behind this.”

I have to hand it to Tally. If she’s afraid, she isn’t letting on. She marches right past me; her finger only inches underneath the man’s nose. “Get out, Earl. You know the rules. You want to go back to the slammer again?”

“Fucking bitch,” he mutters, as I grab Tally, pushing her behind me.

“I told you to stay put,” I hiss, turning just in time for Earl’s fist to connect with my face.

Getting punched sucks, and trust me when I say that it doesn’t get any easier the older you get. Getting punched because one petite punk princess opted not to stay put sucks even worse. Lucky for her luscious ass, I love her.

Twenty minutes later, the cops have come and gone, hauling off the piece of trash named Earl. Now, I’m in the kitchen, a bag of frozen peas on my face and a panic-stricken Tally flitting all around me.

I wonder how many sexual favors I can garner from taking a hit for her? I know I’m a dog, but seriously; I wonder. “Darlin, sit down. I’m okay.”

“I’m so sorry,” Tally pulls the bag from my face, pressing gingerly on my jaw. “He was aiming for me.”

“I know, which is why I’m glad I got you out of harm’s way.”

She stands in front of me, wringing her hands, her gaze focused on the ground as she gnaws her lower lip. “This is all my fault.”

“Think you might listen to me once in a while? Just every so often, for kicks?”

“I’ll make it up to you. Promise.”

I smile, despite the soreness in my face. I’m lucky Earl was so inebriated. He didn’t throw with the full force of his body weight behind him. Otherwise, the fat bastard might have broken my jaw. As it stands, I’m walking away with a bruise and a hell of a story.

“Don’t worry, I have a long list of favors I plan on calling in over the next week. All sexual in nature, of course.”

“I can’t believe you’re joking at a time like this,” she murmurs, but I see the blush skitter across her cheeks. It’s almost worth the punch to see my old Tally again.

“Trust me, I’m not joking.”

Tally giggles, placing a fresh bag of frozen vegetables against my face. If Tally is distraught, Marla is beside herself with worry.

“I’m so sorry, Dr. Stevens,” Marla whispers, clutching my forearm.

The poor woman. She wears a multitude of scars from years of abuse. “Marla, I’m glad it was me who took that punch and not one of you. You’ve endured enough.”

“I’m worried he’ll come back,” Marla states, her hands trembling. “That restraining order isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on.”

Tally puts an arm around her, soothing her nerves. “Beth and I are working on finding you a new home. Somewhere far away, where he can’t hurt you again.”

“I don’t think I can move far enough away to satisfy that man.” Marla hangs her head, dejected.

That’s when I realize why Marla seems familiar. She’s the woman Tally examined in the emergency department—a sexual assault case. No wonder Earl seemed so hellbent to hurt both women; he views Tally as the reason Marla is no longer his personal punching bag. That realization settles one thing for me—Tally is moving in, and I don’t care what argument she presents.

If Earl found Marla this easily, he can no doubt apply those sleuthing skills to the woman I love.

That’s not a chance I’m willing to take.

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