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Max took a threatening step towards her. To her shame, she moved back. This was not the boy she used to know. He’d grown harder. Meaner.

Almost...evil.

She couldn’t believe he thought she would do that to Kent. That she could do that to anyone.

“Just do it, Abby. Pretend to go along with his sick games. Get him all hot for you and then we’ll work out a way for you to get your hands on his cash. Hell, we can always blackmail the sick bastard.”

This couldn’t be happening. She would never do that, especially not to Kent. The best thing she could do was get rid of Max. “Listen, I have a little cash I could give you.”

“I’m on the run, Abby. I need a lot of fucking cash. At least until I can cash in on what I have.”

What did that mean?

“These people that are after you, they’re going to notice you’re here eventually.”

“Not if you keep your fucking mouth shut,” he told her threateningly.

“You know I won’t say anything.” She didn’t ask him what happened in two days time when that man came back. She was terrified of the answer. Max flopped back onto the couch. He turned on a program about these people who drag-raced cars for money. She bit her lip, wanting to tell him that it was her T.V. and that he wasn’t welcome here.

That she had no intention of using Kent Jensen to extort money from him.

But the throbbing in her hand and head prevented her from saying anything more. There was no point in making him angry. Not when she’d end up worse off for it. She just needed to sort out what the hell she was going to do.

This was just all too much for her. And she really wished her biggest problem was the fact that she now seemed to have a bedtime.

Kent used his credit card to pay for the pile of items in his cart. Shopping wasn’t really his thing. But Clint had given him the name of this website, and well, he’d seen so many cute things for Abby, he’d gone slightly overboard.

He tapped his fingers against his desk as he remembered their conversation earlier today. He hoped he hadn’t pushed her too far too fast. It was why he’d stepped back and agreed to give her some time. He’d seen the shock on her face. Still, he hadn’t been able to resist instituting a few rules.

Parts of this were new to him too. But other parts weren’t. Abby was unlike anyone he’d been with before. He couldn’t stop thinking about her. Her scent, her smile, the way her eyes lit up when she saw him.

Abby was everything.

And she had needs she might not even know about. Needs he was determined to meet. Now that he’d decided he was all in, he felt impatient. He wanted to push.

Instead, he took a deep breath. His shopping would take a few days to arrive. He could at least give her that long before he turned up on her doorstep. His phone alarm went off. Time to call his girl. He’d received a text from her about fifteen minutes after he’d left her place. All she had said was hi.

She was shy. Careful and quiet. He didn’t mind that. And when she got into his arms and let go, she was wildfire.

He picked up his phone and called her. One ring. Two. He frowned. She wouldn’t ignore his call, would she?

Well, maybe she would if she decided you were a crazy asshole who had no right to dictate what time she went to bed.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

On the fifth ring, she picked up.

Thank fuck.

“H-hello?” Abby held the phone tight in her hand. She’d had to fight her way out of the blankets to grab it and she’d cursed herself for not thinking to bring it under with her.

In the end, she hadn’t needed to worry about some stupid bedtime since she’d decided to hide in her bedroom soon after Kent left. She’d only left to go to the bathroom or to get something to eat. Max had taken over the living room entirely. She’d glanced in briefly to find empty bags of chips and cans of beer lying on the floor and a haze of cigarette smoke polluting the air. With a pointed cough, which she knew he wouldn’t pay any attention to, she’d retreated to her bedroom, gotten into her PJs, grabbed her baton and climbed into bed with a flashlight and book.

Okay, so maybe it was a little silly to think that hiding under the bed covers gave her some modicum of protection. But it made her feel better. She had Bun-bun on one side and her baton on the other. She’d actually slipped off into sleep at one stage, but it had been a fitful one, she’d kept waking up with her heart racing and a feeling of impending doom coming down on her.

And then she’d remember that doom had his ass currently planted on her sofa.

What was she going to do? She couldn’t agree to anything with Kent. She had to protect him from Max. From this mess he’d brought to her doorstep. And yet...he was the only good thing in her life right now and she was reluctant to let him go. When the phone rang, she told herself not to answer. To leave it. That it was for the best if he gave up on her.