Page 38 of Petty's Crime

“She’s a fuckin’ woman. She’ll do what she’s told.”

Misogynistic dick,I think to myself, and spare a moment’s thought for his wife.

Is that why she stayed away so long?

CHAPTERTHIRTEEN

Petty

I’d love RoseLyn’s fucking ex to appear just so I have something to vent my rage on, but like all the other evenings I’ve been her bodyguard, he’s not put in an appearance. After an uneventful evening, I drive the SUV while Cobra provides an escort and take her back to the hotel.

Sarge is already waiting in the adjacent suite, and Hammer’s already in the parking lot. Although Cobra and I are pretty certain we weren’t followed, Hammer’s going to be hanging around for a while to make sure.

On the homeward journey, I follow Cobra for a short distance before he heads off in one direction and me in another. I envy him like hell, for the fact he’s on his bike and not in a cage, and that unlike me, he’s returning to the club and to the company of our brothers. If it were my choice, I’d rather sleep on the floor in my old room than go back to the apartment I now share with my wife.

Why the fuck didn’t I try and divorce her without her agreement? Why did I let it ride? Why did she have to come back into my life? Hadn’t she done enough damage previously? And why am I letting it start all over again?

Because I’m just as she delights in telling me, weak as fuck.Hell, if my brothers knew who I really am, I wouldn’t be a Satan’s Devil very long.

Disgusted at the man Britney turns me into, I put off the inevitable, stopping off at a local bar to get a drink, needing to fortify myself before facing her.

RoseLyn had very rightly pulled me up on my distracted state of mind, and with that sharp reminder and how I’d definitely lose my patch if I let something happen to her, I’d put Britney out of my head and concentrated on what I should be doing. As the evening had gone on, I’d more or less successfully put my troubles to the back of my mind. Now, knowing I’ll be facing the woman I no longer love and have started to actively hate, they come full frontal once more.

I’ve been unable to forget that this morning Britney had taken advantage of me.

I finish my first drink and ask the bartender for one more.

What if I made her pregnant, and she’s tied us together?Could life be so cruel as to punish me for just one mistake? Why hadn’t I stopped? Why had I allowed my body to come inside her?

And why the fuck should fate look favourably on me now? It sent her back to me. With my luck, she’s probably already with my child. And fuck knows that means I could never leave her. Or leave a child with someone like her.

On the chance that the gods aren’t all against me, I can’t let myself get into that position again. Two drinks are all I allow myself. I need to sleep lightly so any attempt by Britney to touch me will wake me. As I stare into the bottom of my glass, I wonder whether I can attach a bell to my belt or padlock my zipper. I regret not stopping off to get a cock cage.

The thought that we might have made a baby makes me sick to my stomach. The thought of Britney as a mom, impossible to consider.

Exiting the bar, I go to the SUV and reluctantly turn it in the direction of the apartment. I coast in through the entrance to try to keep the noise down, then on my tiptoes walk up the steps. I take it as a good sign that the lights are off. Not wanting to risk waking her up, I use the flashlight on my phone and remove my boots.

I’d pissed at the bar so all I need do is brush my teeth. I go into the bathroom and do that as quietly as I can, then I pause by the door to the bedroom, holding my breath. But from within comes no sound.

In my socks, I step back into the main room and go to the couch, seeing immediately the fucking bitch has removed the blanket and pillow. She’s trying to force me into her bed, but she’s not going to be successful.

Laying myself down, I rest my head on the arm, and fully clothed, close my eyes and try to sleep.

It’s hard to relax when I’m expecting someone to come in and start molesting me.

While I’ve always been disgusted to hear of any child that’s been assaulted by an adult they should be able to trust, or a woman who’s been ignored when she’s said no, I’ve never been in the position of actually being able to feel empathy with them before. Now, lying here, unable to sleep with my ears on high alert for any sound that might indicate her approach, my eyes unable to shut in case she creeps up on me unawares, I understand only too well how horrific such situations are. I’m actually scared in ways I’ve never been before, even when patrolling areas in foreign territory peppered with insurgent snipers.

I’m a fucking man. This shouldn’t be me. In the dark, I clench my jaw, unable to believe that everything I thought was behind me is catching up with me. I thought I’d escaped my past, thought serendipity had taken my nightmare away. Now, due to my own stupidity and a case of letting sleeping dogs lie, it’s caught up to me.

Eventually I must fall into an exhausted sleep, as I wake with a start when I hear the curtains being ripped back. Opening my eyes just a crack, I inwardly sigh with relief when I see Britney’s fully clothed and not dressed to seduce.

“You going to lie there all fucking day?”

I reach into the pocket of my jeans and extract my phone. It’s six in the morning, and I’ve only been sleeping a couple of hours.

“Give me a break, Brit. I was working last night.”

She places her hands on her hips. “Oh yeah, yourbodyguardingduties. You get up close and personal with this singer then?”

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