“He has a concussion. You could kill him!”
He kicked Gabe in the shoulder and sent him sprawling into the cabinets.
Gabe just sat there, staring at the floor.
Parker loomed over him. “Get up.”
“I’m not going to fight you.” Gabe rubbed his shoulder and stayed where he was.
“I said, get up!”
“Parker, stop it!” Misty demanded. “Leave him alone.”
Julie rounded the corner. “What happened? I heard a crash.”
Misty burst into tears. Julie took her by the shoulders and led her out of the room. “I knew you’d need me.”
“Get up. Let’s finish this,” Parker was saying.
“No!” Misty broke away from Julie. She stopped in the kitchen doorway and held on to the trim. She swayed and felt like she was going to faint.
Gabe jumped to his feet and got to her in time to lower her slowly to the floor. “Are you okay?”
Misty shook her head. “No.” Then she started crying openly.
“Jesus,” Parker muttered. “It’s not bad enough she has some kind of disease, but you had to go and get her pregnant too? You’re a monster.”
“Maybe you can wait until we get her lying down before you finish kicking the shit out of me.” Gabe lifted her and walked into the living room, where Julie stood watching. “Where can I put her?”
“Upstairs. In my bedroom.”
“We’re not done here,” Parker yelled.
* * *
“I’ll be down in a minute,” Gabe snapped. He carried Misty up the stairs, with Julie leading the way. As soon as she opened the bedroom door, he strode in and laid Misty on the bed. “Stay with her,” he said to Julie.
He didn’t wait for any acknowledgment. He stormed back down the stairs and into the kitchen. Parker was sitting at the table with his head in his hands. Gabe sat across from him. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what else to say.”
“Don’t. Don’t say anything.” He took a deep breath and let it out in a whoosh. “I can’t believe it. I asked you to look out for her. I figured she’d probably attract guys who were just trying to get into her pants. I never thought that guy would be you.”
“I didn’t seduce her. She… It just happened.”
Parker jumped up and rushed toward him. “What were you about to say? She started it? She seduced you? Liar!” His fist connected with Gabe’s jaw and knocked him over. “You piece of shit. You’re not good enough for her.”
Gabe stayed down and rubbed his jaw. “You’re right.”
Parker paced back and forth, raking his fingers through his short hair. At last, facing away from him, he said, “Get out.”
Gabe didn’t hesitate to comply.
He stopped halfway down the walk and turned around. He had to know if Misty was okay. Jogging around to the backyard, he inspected the area. It was fenced in, high enough so neighbors couldn’t look right in. It seemed about as private as he was going to get, so he stripped off his clothes and shifted. His six-foot frame shrunk down to about the size of a hawk with long, colorful tail feathers.
Fortunately, there was a mud puddle nearby, and he was able to roll in it until his feathers were dull looking and disguised. He picked out the window that belonged to the room where Misty lay and flew to the nearest branch.
Misty was still lying down, and now Parker was sitting by her side. Julie was just stepping out and closing the door. They must’ve asked for privacy. Gabe doubted Julie would leave voluntarily. Misty’s friend seemed pretty protective.
“Misty, I lost my head. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
