“I tried to give you an out. You should have taken it.”
“Fuck you! I’m going to kill you!”
Sighing, I check my watch. I don’t want to leave Hallie any longer than is necessary.
“If this is how you want this to go, can I suggest we step around the corner?”
“Fine,” he spits.
I follow him around the corner of a building and into a darkened alleyway. I signal back at the dark SUV parked curbside for Denver to stay put.
Rory’s all mine.
He stomps down the alleyway, then spins to glare at me. “You’re too old for her.”
“I love her.”
His eyes bug at my calm admission.
“You can’t love her!” He jabs a finger into his temple. “You’re going senile if you think she wants you.”
I take my time removing my jacket and finding the cleanest looking part of a dumpster lid to place it down onto.
“I know what you did in Vegas, Rory,” I say calmly.
“You mean when she asked me to marry her?” He laughs, waiting for me to react.
I fold one sleeve up to my elbow meticulously, keeping the cotton neat.
“I mean when you spiked her drinks.”
“I never drugged her,” he spits. “I don’t drug women.”
“I said spiked, not drugged.” I sigh at having to explain this to someone not worth my breath. “Putting extra shots into a person’s drink is spiking. You got her drunk so she wouldn’t know what she was doing. So she’d go along with your suggestions.You took away her choice.”
Choice. Something we should always have. Yet, I’ve lived much of my life having mine dictated by other people. My parents, Elaina’s parents.
Hallie will never have her choice taken away from her again. I’ll die before I let that happen.
“There’s evidence. You’re looking at a potential jail sentence should those videos come out,” I tell him.
Someone won big in Caesars that night. It’s the only reason Denver’s buddy was able to get copies of the CCTV for us. We were lucky they kept them.
Rory won’t be so lucky.
His eyes widen before he shrugs. “Halliday would love that. Going to court, the whole world knowing we were married.”
“Say her name again and I’ll cut out your tongue,” I say simply.
I fold up my other sleeve with the same care as the first.
Rory’s gaze drops to my forearm, and he recoils. “Are you deformed?”
“What I am, is done acting like a gentleman toward a man who doesn’t know how to treat a lady. This will be the last time you ever hurt her.”
He stares at me for a beat, then strides forward, drawing back his fist.
“Hope you’re ready for your nursing home, old man.”
