Arch disentangled himself from my arms long enough to stick his head into my apartment and see Mitch struggling to rise. “Who the hell is that?”
“My stepbrother, Mitch. Please don’t let him come near me!” Screams trapped in my throat. I didn’t want Arch to let go.
“Go to my apartment and lock up behind you. I’ll take care of Mitch.”
“Don’t hurt him.” I didn’t want Arch to get in any trouble. I didn’t care if he hurt Mitch.
“I won’t. I’m going to call the police to pick him up. He assaulted you?” I nodded my head.
Arguments against calling the police ran through my head but left when Mitch suddenly appeared in the hall. I jumped and ran for Arch’s apartment.
I pressed my ear against the door once I got it locked and tried to listen to what they said. They weren’t speaking loudly—all I heard was muffled talking.
A loud thud rattled the wood against my ear, causing me to jump. I pressed my eye to the peephole, hoping I could see what happened. Arch had Mitch pressed up against the wall with one arm across his chest. Mitch, the pantywaist, didn’t even try to resist. Through the distorted image, I couldn’t tell if he’d given up or if he was overpowered and biding his time.
I didn’t dare open the door. Arch could handle himself fine. Besides, seeing me could put Mitch further into a frenzy. I kept watching as building security ran into view and handcuffed Mitch.
Arch knocked on the door. “Let me in, I want to make sure you’re okay.” I unlocked the door and slammed it shut behind him, re-locking it as fast as I could. He put his arms around me again, and I basked in his warmth. I focused on the smell of his aftershave. Breathe in and out. “Joe, the guard, has him subdued, and if he tries to run, he won’t get far in cuffs. The police should be here any minute. I pressed your panic button on your alarm system. Why didn’t you press it?”
My mind was fuzzy. “I didn’t suspect I was in any danger at first. Then, I got mad at myself for letting him cut off my escape. I spent what feels like a ridiculous amount of time being worried about why I’d never taken the self-defense classes I’ve always wanted to take.” I snuggled in closer to him without consideration for the intimacy of the moment. “My thoughts didn’t make much sense through the whole encounter.”
“That’s understandable.” Arch squeezed me tighter. His arms became my security. He only let me go to answer the door for the police.
“Thank you for coming, officers.” An older male walked in, followed by a younger female.
“No problem. The intruder has been taken to the station. We need some information from you.” I spent the next twenty minutes explaining my convoluted relationship with Mitch and how he’d crossed the line in my apartment.
As I began to describe Mitch’s behavior in my apartment, Todd rushed into the room in a bright floral silk robe and red house slippers. Every eye turned away from me. I appreciated a moment to breathe before recounting the narrative.
Todd sat on one side and Arch on the other. They swathed me in love and security to tell my scary tale. Gray and Wes walked in before I finished and heard the tail end of my fiasco. When I’d said all I could, the lawyers and the officers talked shop in the hall for a moment, and finally left me alone with my friends, new and old.
“What in the world happened?” Wes asked.
“I don’t have the energy to go through it again.” I leaned against Todd, exhausted. “Arch, Todd, you heard me tell it. Can you please fill them in?” I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate on the fact that three gorgeous guys—and gorgeous Todd, of course—were utterly interested in my well-being, and not because I paid them to be. I listened to the murmur of their voices until I drifted to sleep.
Chapter Ten
When I woke, Todd had gone, and I slept alone on the sofa, comfy on a plush pillow. “I can’t believe Todd left, and you put a pillow under my head, and I slept through it all.” I was shaky from a nightmare about Mitch. The nightmare was a barrage of memories, combining this morning’s horror with the pain and bullying of my youth. “Did I talk in my sleep again?”
Gray, nestled into a recliner, watched me wake up with a smile on his face. “Good morning, sleepyhead. You did talk, a little. I sat beside you and rubbed your head, and it seemed to soothe you.” I must’ve slept hard. It meant a lot that he’d stay and care for me.
I sat up and tried to get my brain to wake to a functional level. Glancing around the room, I found it empty. “What time is it? Where did everyone go?” My heavy heart, still reeling from the nightmare thumped painfully in my chest. I rubbed the goose bumps on my arms.
“Arch and Wes went to the office to try to get some work done. Todd left first, mumbling something about too much testosterone. I’m your protector for the day.” He checked his phone. “And it’s eleven.”
“No! I missed my morning class. I need to go email my professor.” What a fantastic way to show my professors how responsible I was before they might have to give a deposition.
“Missing one class isn’t that big of a deal. Don’t sweat it.”
“I do sweat it, considering we’re in a fight for my future and my professors will make up a huge chunk of my case—and, I missed time the other day because of the wreck.” I didn’t mean to sound accusatory, but I didn’t want to give my stepmother any ammo.
“I’m not a civil law expert, of course, but I’d imagine once they present the evidence of your stepbrother’s insanity to the court, this day will only help your case. Your stepmother planned on giving him a position in the company.” He paused, then added, “That’s not legal advice. It’s a guess.”
I nodded along and smiled at his disclaimer. “I’m sure you’re right, but I would’ve preferred almost any other way to discover that.” I shuddered, the remnants of the nightmare still lingering in my brain.
“Do you have any other classes today?” Gray abruptly changed the subject.
“No, I’ve got a light course load this semester.” I threw my head against the pillow and put one arm over my eyes, still overwhelmed.
