“Yes, Tom, I know all about the lies you told me. I know that you haven’t worked at the hotel as a night clerk for at least a year. And I know they sell drugs at that place. For all I know, you’re a drug dealer yourself. Why else would you run when the police came asking about you at the hotel? And is your real name Tom Patterson, or is it Olsen? And is Tom your name at all?”
Shock shook through Brad. It didn’t surprise him that a low-life, lying scumbag like Tom would be a drug-dealer, but it surprised him that Tyger would actually tell him what she knew. Brad would definitely have to protect her now. Who knows what the idiot would do to someone who knew the truth about his dealings?
Brad could see her trembling, but he was still proud of her for finally releasing her anger.
Tom grasped her shoulders and jerked her off the couch to stand in front of him. “How dare you talk to me that way and treat me with such disrespect? You owe me, lady. Don’t forget it was I who took pity on you, started dating you, and made you feel like a woman.”
“Ha,” she snipped. “You havenevermade me feel like a woman. You’ve only made me feel like a timid mouse that was afraid of her own shadow. You tried to make me believe that you were the only man for me, and that I wasn’t good enough to have anyone else. You made me feel like it was a sin to touch and kiss me, but now I know better. I now know that the feelings I thought I had for you weren’t real.Youwere the problem with our relationship, Tom. Not me!”
Fire practically shot out of Tom’s eyes. “Thereisanother man. Who is he? Who is the man that you think loves you and makes you feel better than I do?” In a split second, he raised his hand and slapped her across the face. Tyger screamed and placed her hand on her cheek.
Brad jumped into action. He pushed past the bushes and rammed his shoulder into her door, opening it. Tom’s hand lifted as if he was ready to strike her again. When Tyger’s gaze landed on Brad, she sobbed.
Brad headed right for Tom. He gripped the jerk by the shirt, yanking him away from Tyger before slamming his fist into Tom’s face. The man fell to the ground. Brad knelt and hit the jerk again, and again, and again...
The anger inside of him was out of control. He couldn’t stand men like Tom who beat women – either physically or verbally. Men like this needed to be taught a lesson, and Brad didn’t mind being the teacher who presented Tom with this particular message.
“Hey scumbag. Hw does it feel to be hit by someone bigger than you?” Brad asked in between hits. He wasn’t sure if he knocked Tom out, but the man’s weak body wasn’t moving. Blood spilled from his nose and his mouth.
“Brad, stop.”
Tyger touched his shoulder, and the softness of her hand brought him out of his temper. He looked up at her. Tears streamed down her face and reddened cheeks. He quickly rose and gathered her in his arms. “Tyger, honey? Are you all right?”
“I am now.” She pressed her face against his chest. “But how did you know?”
He kissed the top of her head. “I don’t trust him. From the stories Amanda and Pat have told me, not to mention what he’s done to you, I wasn’t going to stay away in case he became angry.” Brad glanced down at Tom. He wasn’t unconscious, but he moaned in pain as he tried to curl up into the fetal position. Good! The man deserved that and more.
Brad met Tyger’s watery stare and gave her a wink. “I was outside the whole time, waiting for the right moment to rescue you.”
“My hero,” she sighed.
“Sweetie, I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to call the police. If they were looking for him before, I’m sure they’re still looking for him. And if he does sell drugs as you suspect, I’m sure they’ll lock him away for a very long time.”
“Okay,” she said softly.
It took the police exactly ten minutes to arrive, and ten more minutes to cuff Tom and drag him into the police car. One of the officers asked Tyger some questions. Within minutes, another officer entered the apartment and walked directly to her.
“Miss Loveland, I need permission to search your shed.”
Her forehead creased. “Why?”
“Because we think he was storing drugs inside the shed.”
Closing her eyes, she shook her head. “Yes, you have my permission.”
“Oh, and Miss Loveland.”
She looked at him again.
“We discovered your boyfriend’s alias is Tom Patterson, but his real name is Howard Olsen.”
Brad’s gasp overrode Breanna’s. When her gaze met his, he arched an eyebrow. “Howard... as in the man who was in charge the theft last night at the warehouse?”
“Oh, no.” She placed a hand over her mouth.
“Did you tell him nobody was going to be at the warehouse last night?” Brad asked.
She shook her head. “I told him about Rita’s wedding shower and that we were all throwing her a party.”
