The jerk ran his hands over his pants and sneered, as if he were wiping away something dirty. Cy wanted to tell him he was the rotten one, but he kept his mouth shut. There was no reason to engage, not when they wanted the man gone.
“Piece of shit, bitch. Fine, they can keep you.”
Cy pressed his lips together. It was bold of the man to call this woman a piece of shit. She hadn’t caused the problem as far as he could tell. Maybe she had some issues, but who was he to judge?
Robert, the jerk, stomped away, looking like a petulant child. But Cy hazarded a guess that a man like him would be dangerous to women. This guy had to be the one who’d put the bruises on this woman’s face.
He turned to her, trying for a pleasant look on his face, but he might have scowled at her. He didn’t want to scowl, didn’t want to chase her away.
“Are you okay?”
She nodded and glanced at Wave before turning back to him. “Thank you. I’m sorry he hit you.”
“Barely registered it. Does he do that often?”
The skin around her eyes tightened, making her look like exhaustion ran her through. He could guess that she dealt with this kind of thing more than once.
“I moved, I changed everything, even my phone number. I don’t know what else to do.”
“Have you contacted the police about him?”
She snorted, then rolled her eyes. “They weren’t any help.”
“Does he know where you live?”
She shook her head. “No. I don’t think he does.”
“I’m Cy, this is my friend Wave.”
“Interesting names.”
Wave chuckled. “Comes with the territory.”
He wasn’t interested in telling her that he was a SEAL, though it was probably obvious to anyone paying attention. The guys had said it enough times tonight, and he knew this woman had been their server for hours.
“I’m Willa, short for Wilhelmina.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Willa. I’m going to give you my number. If that jerk finds you, call. If I’m out of town, I’ll set my phone up to ring through to one of the guys I trust.”
She shook her head. “That’s not necessary.”
“I won’t feel good if he comes back to hurt you after I embarrassed him.”
Her lips thinned, and he thought she would tell him no again. He wouldn’t blame her. He was a stranger, and she probably had people willing to help her who were close to her.
Here he was again, sticking his nose in where it didn’t belong. He needed to get his head on straight and stop trying to be more than he was.
He was a damn good SEAL, but his ex from the situationship had assured him that whatever excellence he had in his job didn’t transfer over to his personal life. The last thing he wanted to do was give this woman a false sense of expectation. He should say something to her, give her some clue that he couldn’t be more than a friend.
She took the small piece of paper he’d written his number on, and her lips tipped up just a little before they set in a thin line. “Thanks, but I can deal with him. I’ll just run again if I have to.”
Before he could say more, she turned and walked away. It was for the best. He didn’t need her thinking he could offer more because he couldn’t. At best, he was good for a one-night stand, but Willa didn’t seem like she was in the mood to fool around with some random guy.
3
Willa dipped into the supply closet, her body shaking with fear from what had just happened. She wished Robert would just stay away. Years ago, when she’d first gotten involved with him, she should have known there was a catch to having him as a lover.
She’d been impressed, which really amounted to her being stupid. Maybe not stupid, just lost to the thrill of a man who seemed so different from anyone else she’d ever been with.
