Page 8 of Midnight Dream

“That doesn’t count, Dream. And I’m not the only one that came if memory serves me correctly. Besides, you can’t throw me out.“

My heart began to race. “Why not?”

“I already told you. You’re mine now, I own you.”

“Is that what happened? Did Jake tell you to leave me alone?”

Dustin rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fuck it. You’re not going to shut up about this, are you?”

I stared at him.

“Fine. Jake and I had a couple of beers, and that’s it. He took me to Jaded, talked most of the evening, and then I left. That’s it.”

“How’d you get back here?”

“I walked, Dream. This town isn’t very big, you know?”

“Then how did Jake wind up in the hospital? Why did you leave ifyoudidn’t do it?”

“I told you, Dream. I don’t like being interrogated by the woman I fuck. You’re starting to annoy me.”

“And I don’t like being lied to.”

Dustin leapt from his seat with such quickness, the chair he sat in scattered to the floor in a loud crash. I stepped back and held my breath.

He narrowed his eyes and spoke in a low tone. “I left, Dream, because I saw two of Victor’s men in the crowd. Two guys that were here with him the other day. I decided it best to remove myself before somethingbadhappened.”

“Victor’s men?”

“They came over to the table while Jake was running his mouth and told me to get out of town. I told them, I’d leave when I damn well chose to. Anyone tries to make me leave, I’ll kick their ass, Victor included. Now get out.”

“This is my shop. You work forme.”

“Get...thefuck...out.”

The tone in his voice made my knees lock. My leg muscles stiffened and my body howled at me to run. I grabbed my clutch and my keys and went out the front door, hearing the bell above it chime as I exited.

I exhaled when I was in Daisy, backing away from the café with the front of the store lit up by her headlights, and the silhouette of Dustin standing as he watched me drive off.

#

DREAM MOORE

I can’t believe how stupid I was being. This entire thing was all my fault. As I sped down the road, I wondered how I would ever be able to look those kids in their eyes and explain to them the reason their dad was laid up in the hospital? Me and my foolishness. Jake repaid the stupid debt I said Jeanette owed me for coming in late by taking Dustin to Jaded for a beer.

I’m so stupid.

Dustin told me when they were there, he saw a couple of people he recognized. Both were men who’d came into the café the other day. With Victor. He said they’d been eye-balling him, so he decided to leave and that’s when he came to me. He left Jake there by himself to finish his beer, and now my fears were realized. One of the men had to have been Carl, my ex-boyfriend from high school. Ever since I came back to Arley he’d been trying to get in my pants, but I slammed those doors shut the moment I found out he worked for Victor. Any man with a relationship with him wasnotfucking me. Of course, Carl was pissed when I rebuffed him, and why shouldn’t he be? Carl could have any single lady in Arley, and he knew it. He had movie star good looks and country boy charm. But I’d been there, and done that. I wasn’t even sure why he wanted me again other than the fact I’d left the town an innocent girl from a small-town and returned an experienced woman who made something of herself in the city. He stepped to me, and I sent him a very clear message. You work for Victor, after everything he did to my family, and you’re not welcome. And now, Victor was sending a message tomethrough Jake. His men beat him within an inch of his life to get to me.

This is all my fault.

Jake would have been home with his loving wife, and Jeanette would be home with her husband and kids right now if I hadn’t been playing this game.

I sighed and whipped Daisy’s steering wheel, turning the corner.

Instead of me putting on my big girl panties and dealing with Dustin myself, I put Jake in harm’s way, let Dustin rip off my panties, and now everything had backfired. I still hadn’t dealt with Dustin the way I needed to, and Victor was becoming more aggressive. And now, poor Jake was laid up in the hospital, fighting for his life, Jeanette was there with him away from her kids, and I have to go take care of them. I’m being fucked seven times sideways and it’s all because of me.

My thoughts traveled back to Dustin as I pulled Daisy into the driveway.

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