Page 93 of That One Night
“She’s. A. Whore,” Trenton said slowly, his eyes dancing.
It was like watching a train crash in slow motion, knowing that the worst thing in the world was about to happen. Knowing she couldn’t stop it, but still trying anyway.
“Hendrix…”
His hand was already curled into a fist.
“Let him hit me. I look forward to calling the cops,” Trenton goaded.
But she couldn’t do that. “Please.” She looked at Hendrix with soulful eyes. This had to stop.
She reached for his arm, her touch gentle as she curled her fingers around his wrist. “Hendrix, please. Stop. I’m okay, it’s okay.”
She could feel the fury vibrating from him. His muscles were tight, his jaw tense. She wasn’t sure if he could even hear her.
“Hendrix?” she said again. This time he brought his eyes to hers, blinking at her like he’d just realized where they were, what was happening. “Let me talk to Trenton,” she said, her voice low. “Go back to your place. I promise I’ll call you later.”
“Emery?”
Oh God no. She wanted to scream. Her mom’s voice was the last thing she needed to hear in this mess.
“Is that Trenton?”
For a second, all she could do was close her eyes and wish she could disappear into the ground. “Yes.” Somehow, she got the word out. It still felt like it was strangled, though.
“Aren’t you going to invite him in? I’ll pour some sweet tea.”
“I’d love some of your sweet tea, Alice,” Trenton called back to her. “But I thought Emery and I might take a drive. I haven’t seen her for weeks. I just want to be alone with her.”
Hendrix’s eyes narrowed.
“Oh, of course,” Her mom said. “I’ll leave you to it.”
Emery looked over her shoulder to see her mom hovering at the front door. Her gaze landed on her daughter, then on the two men in front of her. “Is everything okay?” her mom asked.
“Everything’s fine, Mom. Just go back inside.”
For the first time in forever, her mom actually did what Emery asked. Maybe she was tired from the emotion of today, or maybe she sensed that Emery needed her to disappear right now.
There was only so much a woman could deal with at once.
Trenton pulled his keys from his pocket, unlocking his car. “Get inside,” he told Emery, his voice icy cold.
“You don’t have to do this,” Hendrix told her. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”
Her eyes caught his. She could see the anger still inside them, coupled with something softer. It looked like worry. Emery forced a smile onto her face. “It’s fine. I’ll be okay. I’ll call you later, all right?”
Trenton was already striding to the driver’s side, ignoring Hendrix completely as he yanked open the door.
“Emery?” Hendrix murmured.
“Yes?”
“If he lays one finger on you, if he hurts you…”
“He won’t,” she promised. Yes, Trenton was a controlling ass who’d broken his promises. But he’d never hurt her. Not physically at least. And she wasn’t the woman she used to be – she wasn’t going to let this man walk all over her anymore.
“Call me if he does. I’ll be there so fast he won’t know what hit him.”
