I crossed my arms. “Ethan. No way. Take it. I’m pretty sure girlfriends pay their own way when couples live together.”
He tucked the money in my pocket. “I’m sure they do when they buy a place together. I already had this place and I can afford it. Get some new nursing scrubs or something with it.”
I pulled at my baggy blue scrubs. “What are you trying to say? You don’t like the ‘extra large on clearance’ look?”
He grinned, using a wrench to tighten a bolt. “You look beautiful in anything. That’s what I was trying to say.”
“Good answer.” I winked. “I’m working after class, so don’t expect me until late.”
He nodded. “Closing? I’ll pick you up at 3AM.”
I knew that picking me up at 3AM and then working at 8AM killed him. “You sure?”
He nodded.
“Alright, see you then. I’ll text you if I’m off early.” I bent down and kissed his cheek before pulling back to head for the door when he yanked me down to the floor with him and captured my mouth in a sexy kiss.
Laughter bubbled out of me. “I’m going to be late!” I lightly smacked his chest, wearing my perma-grin, the one I always had around Ethan.
He released me, but not before smacking my butt lightly and giving me a sexy wink. Coming home to this man every night was my own personal version of heaven.
“Oh, Hailey?” he called out after me.
I looked back at him. “What’s up?”
“The boys and I put that tracker on Bryce’s car. He sure spends a lot of time in this neighborhood driving around, so be safe.”
My stomach dropped. They’d put it on already? I had forgotten to ask. He drove around this neighborhood?
This one?
I patted my bag, feeling the cold steel of the gun I’d stashed there, the one Ethan gave me for Christmas.
“I will.” And with that I stepped outside, unable to shake the feeling that I was being watched. But something else brought me peace, because now Ethan was watching BryceandI had a gun. If that bastard got within five feet of me I wouldn’t hesitate to call the police and pull my weapon.
I was distracted all through class, thinking about Bryce and how he was interfering with my happily-ever-after. By the time my teacher dismissed us, I felt completely out of sorts.
“Wanna get together and start a study group for the NCLEX?” a studious friend Maureen asked as we walked out to the bike racks.
The NCLEX was the state nursing exam we needed to pass in order to become nurses, and although it was over a year away, you could never start studying for it too soon.
“Hell yes. Great idea,” I told her. “Text me what days are good for you.”
We hugged and said goodbye and then I started off on my bike. I had seven minutes to book it to the bus stop or I’d be late for work. I peddled hard through campus and cut down a side alley that would spit me out onto the main road that would lead to my stop. It was crazy how dead downtown got after 5PM. Peddling hard, I was so focused on getting to my bus stop that Bryce’s voice startled me.
“Hailey.” He popped out of the shadows and I swerved to keep from running right into him. Instead my bike slammed into the wall and I crashed. My body lurched forward, throwing me off the bike, and I landed hard on the cement. Pain exploded in my ankle and the entire left side of my body that had hit the wall.
My eyes flicked over to see Bryce walking towards me with something in his hand. Concern pulled at his features. “Shit, are you okay?”
He was sick. So very sick in the head. The entire left side of my leg was bleeding with road rash and my backpack was on my back. The one with my cellphone and gun in it. Now that Bryce was closer, I could see what he was holding.
A Taser.
I quickly slung my arm out of my backpack strap and tried to move the bag to the front so that I could get into the zipper, but realized I’d hurt my left arm.Bad. It might be broken. It was bleeding from road rash and hung there floppily as I cradled it to my chest.
Krav Maga was shit in this scenario. I was fucking hurt and my legs were tangled in my bike. I didn’t know what to do.
“Bryce, please,” I whimpered as panic flushed through me. “I just want you to leave me alone.”
