Page 25 of Fury

“I heard him come in,” I admit. “I left through the back door.”

“He searched the house,” she whispers, wiping more tears on the sleeves of her cardigan. “He was so angry.”

“He knows about us?”

She shakes her head. “He took me by surprise, and I was rattled. He guessed I’d had someone round and lost his mind.” She cries some more. “And then he wouldn’t leave.”

“Did you ask him to?”

She shoves her hands against my chest, putting space between us. “Of course, I did.”

“Sorry,” I mutter, rubbing a hand over my forehead. “So, he just refused?”

“He’s fucking mental,” she hisses. “He was talking like we’d just had a little argument, insisting we’d be fine by the morning. I told him it wasn’t going to work out, and he completely ignored me.”

I stare at the floor, lost for words. I don’t know what to tell her because Donnie never does anything he doesn’t want to do. The more she protests, the more he’ll push her. “I told you this would end badly,” I mutter.

More sobs leave her. “Well, thanks, that really helps.”

“You’re gonna have to tell him about us.”

Her eyes widen. “Are you mad?” she cries. “You didn’t see him last night, Reese. He was crazy mad. He’ll kill you and then me.”

I cup her cheek. “I can handle myself, and he won’t hurt you.”

“I’m not risking it. The way he was talking . . .” She shudders. “He’s not right in the head.”

“So, now what?”

She shrugs. “I don’t know. I’ll ignore his calls, avoid him, and hope he gets bored.”

I scoff. “He has you picked up for work and taken home. He knows your shift pattern. He got into your house last night.”

“The door was unlocked,” she mutters.

“The door wasn’t unlocked,” I snap. “I locked it, Xanth. He got in anyway, and he’ll continue to turn up unannounced.”

Her body shakes with her crying, and she wraps her arms around herself. “I’ll call the police.”

“And say what? He’ll twist it and make you look like the bad person. Plus, he’s got people high up.”

“So, I’m stuck with him?”

I sigh. “I’ll think of something. Have you got somewhere else you can stay?”

“Not really. I don’t want to drag anyone else into it.”

“Leave early for work to avoid him. Send him a text message telling him it’s over. Be clear. Then you have evidence you’ve told him, just in case by some miracle we can get some kind of restraining order.”

“I’m scared,” she whispers.

“He won’t hurt you, Xanth. I’ll kill him before that happens.”

Xanthe

I follow Fury’s advice,leaving work half an hour early. Instead of going straight home, I call Jorja and arrange to meet her for dinner.

The second she lays eyes on me, she’s out of her chair and enveloping me in a hug. “What’s wrong?”

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