Page 44 of Mistletoe Missus
I didn’t have time to explain, not a minute to even think, because my mind reeled with new images as envy ruled every thought, and I wanted to end Beau Kingston. Tinsley’s ex-boyfriend was as good as dead.
TWENTY-THREE
Heated Warning
Mitt
Ihailed down the next taxi in the busy city street, and I got into the back of the cab, which had a filthy stench in it. The mixed smell of vomit, a child’s dirty diaper, and a woman’s strong perfume. I would’ve got out and found a different ride, but I needed to get to my wife before everything inside of me erupted.
I might do something bad—something terrible—along the lines of my father’s alleged criminal activity, but if I did, I wouldn’t get to her and stop her from the most awful decision of her life. To leave me and go back to that motherfucking excuse for a man. I won’t have it. Nothing could stop me from getting to Tinsley, not even this slow-ass cabbie himself.
“What the fuck are you waiting for? Next Christmas?” I snarled through clenched teeth. “Step on it!”
“Hey, man. Easy, okay?” the cab driver said as he raised a hand and glanced at me through the rearview mirror. “I’m going the speed limit because I can’t afford another ticket.”
“Pull over,” I barked.
“What?” he asked, puzzled.
“I said...” I answered and hit the back of his seat with my hand out of frustration. “Pull over!”
“Okay, okay...” the driver said as he made a hard right and swerved over to the curve. “What the hell is wrong—”
I didn’t let him finish his sentence and got out of the taxi while the wheels rolled. I wasn’t waiting. My patience had ended, and I had to take control of the situation. Albert would even understand, but this bald-headed cabbie with cigarette breath wouldn’t get it, and I’d have to teach him a lesson. He’d learn quickly. He honked the horn at me as I came around the hood of the car, and I headed straight for the driver’s seat.
“Out. Now,” I barked out each word and flung the door open.
“No way, man! This is illegal, and you can’t just—” I grabbed him by the collar and heaved him out of his seat.
The driver’s eyes went wide with terror and adrenaline rushed through me. The ice in my veins heated until they flicked with flames, and I was on fire. Ready to throw him straight into the street if he denied me what I wanted. I needed this vehicle, and he better let me get behind the wheel without a problem.
I had a place to be, a disobedient wife to stop, and a rich asshole’s grave to dig.
“I’m driving.” I glared as my nostrils flared, and I opened the back door to throw him in the back seat. “Sit the fuck down, buckle up, and enjoy the damn ride.”
“But you can’t—” I slammed the door in his face.
I grunted with annoyance as I sat down in the front seat and adjusted the mirror. My passenger’s shocked face reflected at me as he ran his mouth some more, and I ignored all his reasoning. This was my ride now, not the taxi driver’s, who was as slow as a snail.
The cabbie gabbed on, and I tuned in mid-sentence. “I don’t know what the hell your problem is, man, but I—”
I interrupted before my eardrums bled. “I’ll pay you triple what I owe for you to shut the fuck up and let me drive this repulsive vehicle.”
Money was the word. In my world, big bucks talk, and the short, balding man zipped his trap tight without another syllable coming out. It wouldn’t have shocked me if he ceased breathing altogether.
I stepped on the gas while the tires burned rubber as they gripped the pavement and flung us out into traffic. A couple of angry honks here and a few cusses there, but we were off, faster than five minutes ago, as I zoomed through a red and broke some laws, but it was all in the name of having what belonged to me.
My wife.
This sinful woman made me want to do unacceptable things, inexcusable acts, and be the true grumpy asshole I was. All for her, but she had somehow pried some good out of me. I didn’t have to buy her an expensive wedding ring to choose from or get her a designer wedding dress. She didn’t need a reception, a wedding cake, or our first dance. I could’ve skipped all of that, but I didn’t, and I tried to tell myself I did it to keep up the act. To fake being the charming man I truly wasn’t until we made our introduction to the press. I tried so fucking hard, but I don’t know what happened to me, and there I was, wanting to end all her fears. Shield her from everything that could bring her pain and protect her from all danger while she continued to be a pain in my ass.
“Get the fuck out of the way!” I hollered as I laid on the horn and blared down the street.
The truck swerved over as I passed, and my Grinchy self flew past, heading toward the parking garage where I slowed down, but I didn’t stop, and the tires screamed as the tail end squealed. The cabbie swore as he clung onto a handle for support, and he gripped the back of my seat. His terrified face was in the rearview mirror, and his fear only made me smile.
“Watch it! Watch—”
I made a quick right before we collided with an oncoming car and grumbled, “Shut up. I’m paying you to be quiet back there.”
