Page 17 of Outplayed

Chapter Five

Travis

She was likely to kill me for being here, but I knew she’d had a rough day. The good news had reached me that Zara and the kids were alive. But I still wanted to make sure Violet was okay.

I stood outside her door and knocked.

There were no footsteps, no sounds on the inside, so I looked behind me and caught sight of her car. She had to be home.

I knocked again.

“Go away, Travis,” I heard from just behind the door.

“Violet, let me in.”

“No. Go away.”

“Violet, please. I’ve heard Zara and the kids are okay. I just had to check on you.”

I heard a noise; it sounded like a sob. “Go. Away.”

Reaching out, I touched her door. “Open the door, Lettie,” I said, using the nickname I had given her back in university.

The door abruptly opened. Her eyes were filled with tears, her cheeks stained from previous ones and her running make-up. Her hair a mess, but to me, she was still beautiful.

“Don’t you dare call me that,” she snapped, then wiped her nose using the back of her hand. “Leave me alone, Travis. If you think that kiss meant something, you’re wrong. It was nothing. Just a moment and that moment ended when I walked away.” She sniffed. “Go away.” Violet went to slam the door in my face. I pushed it back and grabbed her wrist, hauling her into my arms.

“Don’t,” she cried.

“Zara will heal,” I told her.

“I know,” she yelled, pushing at my chest. She was tired, weakened in her state, or else I would have been on my arse.

“You’re fine. Talon is, the kids are. Everything worked out,” I told her, holding her tightly to me. Gradually, her struggling stopped and she slumped into me, her forehead hitting my chest.

“He shot her.”

“I know.”

“He beat her.”

“I know,” I whispered.

“How can someone be so cruel?” she asked, her voice cracking at the end. “In my line of work, I’ve seen some pigs, some mean bastards… but nothing like that.”

“He will pay.”

“He will, but Zara, the kids, they’ll need time to heal, time to get past what he did to them.”

“And they will. They’ll have all the support in the world. Your brother will make sure of it.”

She nodded against me, then stiffened. Pulling away, she glared up at me. I fought my smile. There’s my woman. Rather than sharing my thoughts, I asked, “Can I come in for a coffee?”

“No,” she bit out. Her body swayed, and she cursed under her breath. “However, I am going to use you. So you can come in and sit in the living room while I go to my room and sleep. Knowing someone else is in the house will help me. Can I use you, Travis?”

My lips twitched, causing her eyes to narrow even more.

“Yes.” I nodded.

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