Page 13 of Pretend You Love Me
Now my anger is bubbling over.
“Come with me, Ginger.” I stand up and grab her good arm.
“We haven’t paid,” she squeaks.
I pull a fifty out of my wallet and throw it on the table. “Okay, follow me.”
She does a double take.
“I’ll pay you back.” She stumbles after me.
“No you won’t,” I say as we exit the restaurant.
She stops walking right outside the entrance. Everyone in the restaurant is watching us through the windows.Fucking hell.
“Yes, I will.”
“No, cupcake, you won’t,” I say. “Now come on.”
I’m marching her down the sidewalk. Dammit, I’m going to do what I really didn’t want to do. I’m taking her to Hawk. He’ll take care of this. I’ll hand her over and go back to my simple, pleasant, drama free life.
“Where are we going?” she asks.
I don’t answer.
“Hey Grumpasaurus, you’re hurting me.”
I freeze and immediately drop her wrist.
“Sorry.”
“It’s fine,” she says, rubbing her wrist. “Your grip was a little tight.”
My heart is pounding. “Ginger, let me see.”
“You didn’t really hurt me.” She pulls her arm close to her body.
“You sure?” I’m trying to see if I left a mark. Goddamn it. I wasn’t trying to hurt her.
“It’s fine, but I’d like to know where I’m going. Is this the part where you murder me?”
“In the middle of the day in front of all of these witnesses?”
“I didn’t say you were going to get away with it.”
“I’m taking you to the police station.”
She’s the one who freezes now. Panic spreads across her face. Those blinky eyes return.
“What?” she says, lashes furiously blinking.
“The police station,” I say. “You know, law enforcement.”
“Why would you do that?” She’s backing away from me.
“That rental. It’s a scam. It’s not the first time they’ve scammed someone with that same house. We need to report it.”
“No,” she says. Her voice is firm, but also painfully fragile. “I...I can’t.”
