Page 68 of The Confidant

Another enraged voice comes as my struggles increase.

“Addie!”

My head twists to the side, and my eyes widen at Poe’s running approach. He’s furious and totally focused on William. His lips are peeled back to reveal clenched teeth.

I blink, and he’s next to me, throwing a punch into the side of William’s face full-throttle.

William never looked to see who was calling out to me. It likely saved his nose. I don’t think his cheek is going to forgive him for it.

Poe’s hand clamps over William’s wrist before he has a chance to fall. Whatever pressure he uses makes his fingers spasm open for me to stumble away. Poe uses the grip to keep William upright so that he can keep punching his ribs. The same spot multiple times. Like he’s digging for gold and needs to break ground first.

I’m yelling in Cajun, begging him to stop. I grab onto his arm and shake him, my words blurring together until they make no sense to me, either.

Poe shakes his head like he’s waking up and looks at me. The transition from rage to concern happens so quickly that it shuts my mouth.

“Tell me you’re ok, siren.” He looks me over for wounds. It helps my panic come back into focus.

“You fool man!You’rehurt!” I grab his punching hand and hold it up to blow across his knuckles while I grumble. They’re red and slightly swollen but not torn open.

“Crazy. No more of this.” I start pulling him back toward the shop. I’m disoriented, and it’s the safest spot I can think of.

“I don’t understand you,” he protests, willingly following along like a dog on a leash. “What language is that?”

I ignore him, cursing under my breath. I thought I was speaking English.

He turns things around in a snap. Suddenly, I’m the one being dragged away. His arm wraps tight around my waist as he hurries us along. It isn’t until he opens the door to a fancy white BMW with a black stripe up the hood that I realize he’s taking me further away. He even leans in and buckles me up.

“Qui?” I try to ask, but the door gets closed before I can finish the word. I watch him pace around the front of the car to get in on the driver’s side. The way he slams the door shut has me glaring.

“You be nice. This is an expensive beast, yeah?” I cross my arms, ready to go after him for beating a defenseless car.

“ThatI understood,” he mutters, starting the car and speeding away.

“You fool man,” I breathe in wonder. “You could have been hurt. What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking that guy has his hands on my woman, and I’m going to break him into pieces for it.” His eyes slide to me as I gape.

I’d be lying if I said my heart didn’t swan dive into my stomach with glee over it. To cover it up, I start cursing under my breath again.

William deserved a good beating for multiple reasons. I don’t want Poe going to jail over it, though.

A few minutes later, we pull into the driveway of a home and straight into a garage. I barely have a chance to see the white house with a large black door. A single floor spread wider than it should be, with a walkway and green grass. Then, it’s the white walls of a garage, big enough for two cars.

“Where are we?” I look at the boxes stashed to the side with clear labels that read ‘lighting’, ‘old ideas’, and ‘pieces’.

“Our place.”

I look at him in disbelief as he gets out, the garage door closing with a soft whump. He circles the front, watching my face as he gets to the passenger side and opens my door.

“We’re about to fight, yappy dog,” I warn him as I pass.

“Thanks for the heads up, trash panda.”

He smiles like he thinks I’m joking.

I step into a clean laundry room and pass into the living room. I’m struck by what I see and stop at that point.

The entire living room is filled with plush raccoons in various poses doing random things. Three are on the couch, with just enough space for Poe to fit in between them. Leaning against the wall, and two holding up a third with cheerleader skirts on. In the corner, there’s a display stand filled with random movies and books. Sitting in front is a raccoon holding a book open with a pair of glasses perched on its nose. Next to that is one climbing a stepladder to support the one on top, holding some lighting equipment. The raccoon posing at the center of the light has a purple wig and bracelets on its wrists.

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