Page 44 of Breaking Conviction
He backed away as he frantically nodded as he followed her to the driver’s side. “Okay... okay. But call me if you need me before I can get to you, okay?”
“Okay.” She swallowed before opening the door and hopping into the seat. When she reached to close it, Wes took her face in his hands and kissed her on the forehead. Hot tears filled her eyes. She wasn’t ready to leave this safety, this security. Thisman.
She’d just had him for a split second. What if that was all she’d ever get? Was a split second of freedom worth the rest of her life?
When his warm lips left her forehead, she withdrew and sat up in her seat, sighing.
“Goodbye, Wes.”
She closed the door.
As soon as she looked out of her rearview mirror to back up, the garage door opened. Wes must’ve had some fancy way of opening it. She looked to him one last time, memorizing his face. It was stark white and worry was etched over his features. His arms were crossed, his back straight, and she blinked back her own stress.
“It’s gonna be fine,” she whispered to herself, ignoring the light lilt at the end.
Chapter Seventeen
“Sweets.”
Dean’s voice was emotionless, but Naomi’s back straightened to the point of pain as she closed the inside garage door. He lounged at the breakfast table in the kitchen directly in front of her. To anyone else, he looked relaxed, but the subtle rage in his eyes was easy for her to see.
“H-Hi Dean. Where’s Thea?” She waited in the tiny laundry room for his answer, afraid to leave the safety of the door and potential escape.
“It’s always about that damn kid.” His fingers paused from their tapping on the table and formed into a fist.
“Dean… where is—”
“Still at day care!” Spit flew from his mouth and he wiped it with the back of his hand. “We have some things to work out. We can pick her up after.”
“D-day care? Really?” She paused a moment before daring to yell. “Thea!”
“Don’t fuckingquestionme.” His scream made her jump and tighten her grip on the handle, but the silence in the house brought her so much relief she almost collapsed.
She’s safe. Oh, thank God.
“Honestly, sweets. She’s the least of your concerns right now.”
She needed to get out of the tiny laundry room. Flee to the day care, grab Thea, and never come back. But her legs were shaky with relief and refused to move, trapping her.
Just as she’d about gotten the strength to leave, Dean suddenly appeared right beside her, slamming his hand just above her head against her exit. His breath reeked of alcohol and his eyes were crazed.
Liquor… not beer … liquor….The man was a sleepy nuisance on grocery store beer, but a fucking nightmare on bourbon.Not good. Not good. Not good.
Shit.
This was going to be worse than she thought. Dean hardly ever drank. The last time she’d met him drunk in the kitchen, he’d been docile enough, almost sweet. But even then, she’d been scared to death. He didn’t need alcohol to be mean as a snake, but it was almost a given that he’d strike if he had liquor in him.
“Where the fuck have you been, Naomi?” His voice had changed again to light and airy, as if he’d asked her how her day was or to pass the butter. That voice was the soft breeze stilling to a halt before the gusts of a storm tore everything apart. She swallowed and tried her best to hide her tells.
“I-I told you I was volunteering with Sasha Saves.”
He tilted his head like a predator analyzing its attack strategy before forcing her to switch places with him. Now leaning against the door, he crossed his arms with a smile.
“Don’t fuckin’ lie to me, sweets. I know you weren’t there.” Watching her with his dead eyes, he used his thumb to scratch his five o’clock shadow before pointing at her with a wagging finger. “Hell, the cashier said she didn’t even know who you were. You fooled me, Naomi, I’ll give you that. All those times I saw you there, who knew you were such a connivin’ little bitch?”
Naomi’s heart stuttered as she realized Sasha Saves’s secrecy policy to keep everyone safe was about to screw her over.
She tried to casually walk backward into the kitchen, putting the breakfast table between them. If she could entice him away from the laundry room, she’d be able to get what she needed and flee. Hell, at this point, she almost didn’t even care if she didn’t have time to follow through with her emergency plans.
