Shirtless and shoeless, Scott ran through the village, only stopping when he found a still-open coffee shop he could hide out in.
The middle-aged woman serving eyed his lack of clothes with a frown before tossing him an apron to cover himself.
“Thank you,” he whispered.
He bought a coffee, sat in the furthest, darkest corner and ran through the events of the day, removing the filter of Anthony being flustered by his attractiveness – really, howarrogantcould he get – and seeing the reality.
He’d been set up.
Anthony had been a worried mess all day, whether out of guilt or fear, Scott didn’t know, and he didn’t care. He’d fastened a shock collar around Scott’s neck. He’d been edgy when passing the burly security guards. He’d taken the wrong road on the way to his house – Wait – he’d struggled with the key in the lock and hadn’t been able to tell Scott the location of the sugar.
It wasn’t Anthony’s house.
Was ithishouse instead?
Or had he just rented it?
Like he’d rented the apartment that first time…
The sequins. The goddamn sequins.
Anthony’s hesitant voice.“I…I shouldn’t touch you.”
“He’d been told not to touch me,” Scott murmured to himself. “He’d been told to get me upstairs, naked on the bed with that collar on…”
If that had been in contact with his skin, he wouldn’t have been able to get it off. He would’ve scratched his neck to pieces fighting the clasp, flailing and gritting his teeth in agony.
Scott would’ve been trapped.
Athismercy.
“Your feet are bleeding…”
Scott snapped his head up, pressing back into his chair. The woman who’d served him stood in front of the table with a mop in her hand. She gestured to the bloody footprints he’d left across the floor. Scott blinked, taking them in. He’d left a trail behind.
“I’m sorry.” Scott held his hand out for the mop, but she leaned it away from him.
“It’s fine, I’ll sort it. I just thought you should know.”
Scott still wore socks, but they were bloody and torn.
“Rough night?” she asked.
Her brown eyes bore into him.
“You could say that. Do you have a car?”
She stiffened, taking a step back. “Why?”
“I was wondering if, after your shift has finished, you’d be able to give me a ride?”
The woman didn’t look impressed when she sighed, “Where to?”
Scott braced both hands on the table. “The police station.”
Her expression softened as her mouth popped open with an ‘oh’.
“Yes,” Scott replied. “Oh.”
