Page 33 of Viktor

Viktor watched her as she strode into the house and then turned to Andy. “Time to go.”

“You can’t tell me…”

“I don’t have time for your bullshit. You go back and tell your BFF if he so much as comes near Sara, Delia, or her mother again, he’s in for a world of hurt. Now get your ass gone.”

“Her mother?” Andy frowned, irritating Viktor further by not getting into his truck. “He did something to Mrs. G?”

Viktor snarled and stalked toward Andy. The man had the good sense to back up. “What did I just fucking say?”

“Look, man, Mrs. G. is like a second mother to me. What’s going on?”

“Motherfucker, I will punch you in the fucking face if you don’t get in that truck and get your ass gone.” It was the same tone he’d used on those he’d needed to handle in the military, and it worked on Andy as well as it did those assholes. The man got into the truck without another word and backed out of the driveway.

Damn straight.

He fished his keys out of his pocket and hopped into his Jeep. Sue Anne said she was only a few miles from the house heading into town. If the bastard so much as laid a finger on her, he’d pay.

It took him ten minutes to find her white Corolla sitting on the side of the road. Viktor pulled in behind her and got out, half afraid of what he’d find. If a man had no qualms about hitting a defenseless child, an elderly woman stood no chance against him.

She was slumped against the steering wheel, her shoulders shaking. Anger sparked hot and hard at the sight. He forced it back and gently tapped on the window. She jumped, a scream slipping free. When she saw it was him, her relief was palpable. He wanted to beat Roger.

She rolled down the window and wiped the tears away. “Thank God.”

“What happened?” Viktor reached in and unlocked the door so he could open it. She tumbled out of the car, and Viktor caught her, being as gentle as he could. She looked so frail and scared.

“Roger pulled up behind me and started honking his horn and flashing his lights. I pulled over, afraid he’d hit me. He…he…” She broke off and sobbed.

“Did he hurt you?” The deadly note in his voice must have penetrated Sue Anne’s own fear, because she glanced up, her eyes wide. Yes, he wasn’t as dark as Conner, but if he wanted to, he could be. A form of that same darkness his twin embraced lived in Viktor, thanks to his time in the military. Normally, he kept it tightly caged, but today it was harder to keep it under lock and key.

“I…”

“I don’t mean to frighten you, ma’am.” He held out his hand to her. “I’m not going to hurt you. I promise.”

Her eyes flicked from his outstretched hand to his face for a long moment. Tentatively, she placed her hand in his and allowed him to lead her to the Jeep. He went back to her car, rolled up the window, and locked it. He’d send Gabe and Mason to collect it.

Once he’d gotten Sue Anne settled into the Jeep and his emotions under control, he slid into the driver’s seat, but he made no move to start the SUV.

“What happened when you pulled over?”

She hugged her arms around herself and looked out the window. Her shoulders still shook, and it pissed him off. The fucker wasn’t getting away with this.

“He pulled me out of the car and got right up in my face, demanding to know where Delia was.”

“Why would he do that?” Viktor asked. “He had to know she was at the farm.”

“I don’t know.” Sue Anne shivered. “He wasn’t himself. He was acting crazy.”

It was probably the phone call he got from his mother telling him about Sara and an unknown man in the grocery store. If he showed up at the house while Viktor was gone, Mason and Gabe would handle him.

“Did he hurt you?”

She shook her head. “No, not physically. He just…he…it was the sound of his voice, the way he said we couldn’t keep Delia from him. It scared me.Hescared me.”

“I’m sorry this happened to you, Mrs. Grafton.” Viktor ran a hand through his hair, trying to figure out if there was anyone else he could pull to watch over Sara’s mother.

“Roger is going to hurt my daughter.” Sue Anne reached out and grabbed Viktor’s hand. “He wants her dead. I saw it today. It was how he talked about her. Please, Viktor, keep my baby safe.”

“He won’t touch her.” Viktor squeezed her hand. “I swear it on my own mother’s life. He will not touch a hair on Sara’s head.”

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