Page 6 of Sugar Pie
I stared out at the parking lot, where a group of men standing by their pickup trucks all laughed loudly enough for me to hear them on the second floor. “I don’t need any anxiety pills to keep me drugged enough to be your wife.”
“Yes, you do. We both know you can’t survive on your own.”
My hair stood on end. It was time I stopped pretending we had ever been okay. I lifted my chin. “I can.”
Glass broke in the next room, and the couple yelled.
Romeo asked, “Is that screaming?”
The sound didn’t exactly prove I was stable. I cringed. “Not me. It’s someone down the hall.”
“You’re in danger. I can send someone to get you right now.”
I sucked in my breath. If his people came to get me, I would end up back where I started and never see Warren again. The second part of the thought was silly, and I shrugged it off. “I’m fine. I’ll file for divorce soon, so you’ll never see me again.”
“That’s a mistake. I won’t give you a dime, and you’ll be penniless and in need of mental health care.”
“I was fine before I married you three years ago. I don’t need your kind of help, and I’ll be happy once we never speak again.”
Someone knocked on my door, and I jumped and hung up on Romeo.
I cringed as the door shook.
More screaming came from the hallway. I absolutely would not be involved with whatever was going on down the hall.
Then someone pushed on my door. I couldn’t stay there. I almost dropped my phone in my rush but dialed the one man who’d been nice to me.
I’d said no to his original offer because staring at him made my body hum. I could control myself, though. He answered on the second ring as people screamed outside the door again. I whispered, “Warren…”
“You okay?”
My door rattled again. The brawl was too much, and I refused to die. My heart pounded. “I can’t sleep. They’ve been screaming for hours, and now they are at my door.”
“On my way. Want to stay with me?”
I nodded and said a silent prayer of thanks. He was big and strong, and no one would mess with him. I swallowed. “It’s just temporary until I get my own place and a better job. I’m in room two-seventeen. Please hurry.”
“I’m not far. Be ready when I get there.”
Good. Soon, I would be out of there. I rushed to gather my underwear and found a plastic bag to put them in. Then I tugged my pants on and paced.
A few minutes later, Warren knocked then announced himself, and whoever was in the hall stopped their fighting.
“Thank you,” I said as I opened the door and followed him into the hallway.
“Let’s get to the truck.”
Absolutely.A good night’s sleep without fear would help immensely.
At the front desk, he got my money back for me with a few short words.
I stayed near the door, ready to run. As we left, he handed me forty dollars. “You have no idea how you’re saving me,” I whispered.
He held my door for me then let me slide into his truck. “Let’s get home and in my place. It’s not much, but it’s quiet.”
“That’s what I need.” I ignored how I tingled in new places because he was close.
Warren offered a small moment of sanity when I trusted him for temporary respite. I had no idea what my future held, but I hoped that for once, I’d made the right decision.
