How I managed to not go absolutely bat-shit crazy was beyond me. I never had been the type to have a lot of restraint. But I managed, somehow.
Nate’s mouth bobbed open and closed like a fish gasping for air. “I…Chey…I—”
The girl’s horrified expression said everything I needed to know. She had no idea this wasn’t his trailer. “You weren’t expectin’ me, were ya?” I asked, meeting her gaze.
She moved in a flurry of motion, shoving Nate off her and trying and failing to cover herself with her shirt that she still wore. Tears shone in her eyes. I almost felt sorry for her. Almost.
“Get out of my trailer.” My voice held a steely resolve to it. “Now.”
Funny… On the inside I trembled with rage—pure, fucking rage. But on the outside, I was cold. Numb. My muscles felt frozen, or like someone had poured cement on me and it had started to dry.
“Chey…” Nate fumbled with his jeans, trying to pull them up around his hips. “It’s not what it looks like.”
Something snapped in me. One minute I was cool, the next, I was seeing red. Violent, blood red. I pressed the button on the cattle prod, letting it crackle and spark. The brunette let out a shriek, followed by a string of curses, something about me being a crazy bitch.
Right then, Ifeltcrazy. But it also felt good—good to let it out.
A low, wicked chuckle rumbled in my chest. “Oh, I know exactly what it looks like. You have thirty seconds to get out of my fuckin’ trailer before I shove this cattle prod so far up your ass it’ll come out your mouth.”
His eyes widened, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he stopped fussing over his pants and stumbled for the doorway. He nearly knocked over the brunette, who looked just as terrified. They scurried past me and down the steps of my trailer as I moved out of the way. Brandy snapped at Nate’s heels for good measure—she never had really liked him.
I smirked, taking three slow steps down the stairs and onto the concrete slab outside my trailer space.
“Cheyenne. Come on, let’s…let’s talk about this.”
“Fuck off, Nate,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest once more. “I ain’t playin’.”
“At least give me all my shit back!” he whined, buttoning up his pants. He was still shirtless. He must’ve left it somewhere in the trailer.
As if he deserved any of it. But after what he’d just done, I didn’t want a single thing of his in my space. Didn’t want any reminders of him. I doubted he’d like the way he got his things back though.
With a shrug, I stomped up the stairs, grabbing up anything that was his before tossing it all out onto the ground. A crowd of nosy neighbors had gathered, Mr. and Mrs. Perkins from the spot next door right there with a front-row view. They’d been nosy from the minute I’d pulled in beside them, but I didn’t mind much. Theywere sweet, and Mrs. Perkins made the most delicious fried chicken I’d ever tasted.
“Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Perkins.” I grinned, waving from my doorway.
“Everythin’ goin’ alright, sweetie?” Mrs. Perkins asked, her brows raised so high they disappeared beneath her grey bangs.
“Oh, you know, just takin’ out the trash,” I said sweetly, cattle prod still in hand.
Nate picked his clothes up off the floor while spewing out curses under his breath. The brunette had already gotten into her car, leaving his sorry ass behind as she all but peeled out of the trailer park.
“Cheyenne,” Nate huffed, a look of regret on his face.
Nope, it was too little too late for that. Way too damn late.
Tears pricked in my eyes. Not of devastation or sadness. No… can’t say I was surprised this had happened. A part of me was impressed that he’d gone this long without me catching him in the act. No, these were tears of rage. Of embarrassment. My anger coiled tight like a snake in my chest, making it hard to breathe.
Dear God, why did I have to be an angry crier? I hated that about myself. People never took you seriously when you cried.
I took a couple steps his way, pressing the button on the cattle prod once more. “Last chance, dickhead. Get your shit and leave.” I even went so far as to aim the prod his way. Not close enough to let it touch him, but enough to make shock and terror shine in his shit-brown eyes.
He let out the most pathetic yelp that stopped my tears in their unshed tracks, a laugh escaping me. “Maybe next time you’ll think before you sleep around in someone’s home.”
By the time he’d scrounged up the last of his things most of the trailer park watched from the street. Mrs. Perkins had settled at my side, fussing over me like a mother hen. I let her do it, smiling and thanking her for her kindness the whole time, but the truth was, I just wanted to be alone. With each minute that passed, the adrenaline pumping through my veins trickled out. I didn’t want anyone around when there was none left.
“You sure you’re okay, sweetie?” she asked, rubbing my shoulders reassuringly when Nate finally drove away.
I nodded. Truth is, I was fine. Okay, notfine—the betrayal stung even if we weren’t official—but I wasn’t going to go sob myself into a pile of mush either. To be honest, I was mad more than anything. Mad at him, but mostly mad at myself for being stupid enough to expect anything more from him.
