Page 71 of Breaking the Rules of Love

Tiffany lunges forward and swings at me. Somehow, I manage to dodge whatever she was throwing—a slap or a punch, I’m not sure, but it goes over my head, and I rush past her out of the way and down the lawn.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Howard calls out. “Ladies, relax! We don’t need all this!”

But Tiffany is still coming after me. Her eyes are red, and she’s practically foaming at the mouth. I don’t know if she’s on something or if this is just some kind of weird pent-up anger that has to do with the fact that Howard used to be with me, but she ispissed.

“What’s the matter, Howard!?” I shout as I dash around the front lawn, evading her attacks. “Can’t control your own woman?”

“Controlme!?” Tiffany snarls.

“Sadie, just give me what you still owe me, and we’ll be out of here,” Howard calls out.

“Still owe you?” I shout back. “I don’t owe youshit!You stole everything from me! My entire life savings!”

I’m ready to freak out. It’s a good thing Tiffany hasn’t been able to get her hands on me too, because then I might actually be getting violent. The rage inside me is about to boil over. I reach into my purse and grab my phone.

“And if you don’t get out of here now, I’m going to call the police!”

Howard sighs. “You know what? I really didn’t want to do this, but…”

He may look weary and ragged, but he still moves like he’s in fantastic shape.

In less than a second, he darts from the edge of my lawn to my side, snatches my wrists with his hands, and pins them behind my back.

I try to scream, but Tiffany clasps her filthy, salty hand over my mouth.

“Don’t do that,” Howard whispers. “Now you’re going to take us inside and transfer us some money. Or I’m going to hurt you. Understand?”

My heart is pounding like a heavy-metal drummer going absolutely crazy. Adrenaline is raging through me. My fingers are tingling. All I can do is nod and pray thatsomeonein this neighborhood is looking out their windows and seeing the insane shit that is happening right now on my front lawn and calling the cops.

Howard applies pressure to my back, and Tiffany keeps her gross hand over my mouth, and we walk up the lawn to my front door. I realize I left the key in the lock when I turned around, which sucks, because I was going to try and stall the whole unlocking process when we got up here, and now I can’t.

Tiffany notices, giggles, and points. “Look, Howard. She left the key in the lock.”

Howard chuckles. “She never was as smart as you, honey,” he says to her. “That’s why I left her for you.”

Oh God, I’m going to vomit.

Tiffany reaches out to twist the key, but just at that instant, I hear the sound of truck tires squealing from behind us. All three of us turn at the same time, but only I’m the one who recognizes Jake’s truck screeching to a stop in front of my house.

“What the…?” Howard mutters. It’s not until Jake leaps out of the passenger seat until he understands. “Shit,” he curses under his breath.

He turns to Tiffany. “Open the door!”

Tiffany turns the key and twists the knob, but it’s too late.

Jake leaps up the steps and drives his elbow into Howard’s neck, sending him sprawling. He lands hard with a grunt on my deck.

Tiffany backs off, but Jake grabs her wrists and does some kind of crazy judo move I could never even pretend to imitate, but it twists her up like Play Dough, and in the end, she ends up lying on her stomach with her hands behind her back the way cops arrest people.

Jake turns to me and nods. “Hold her wrists and keep a knee on her back. Can you do that, baby?”

“Hell yes I can.” I smile. I’m still shaking, and the adrenaline is still coursing through me, but that doesn’t matter. I grab Tiffany’s wrists as hard as I can and push my knee into her back, putting all my weight behind it.

“Bitch,” Tiffany mutters.

“Shut your mouth,” I respond.

I watch as Jake takes control of Howard in a similar hold and takes his phone from his pocket. “You should have stayed away, Howard. Now it’s time to go to jail.”

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