Page 18 of Protecting Clove
Anger filled him and he wanted to lash out, but the place had cameras so he turned and stalked out to his truck. He didn’t have money for a hotel, so he found a place to park for the night. It was a little off the beaten path, but at least his truck wouldn’t get towed. He needed food, so he headed to one of the restaurant areas with outside seating and waited until someone abandoned their table, leaving half of their burger uneaten. He moved in fast and picked up the burger before he took off around the corner. It was good, and filling. So many people left food on the table. He’d learned long ago to never pay for food at these expensive restaurants, especially those with outdoor seating.
After finding another half-eaten meal, he walked around for a bit before heading to his vehicle. Sleep was shit, but he found a coffee shop that had drinks and food waiting for mobile orders so he grabbed two bags and a drink that looked good. People were so gullible thinking they could order like that and have their food waiting for them.
He arrived at the culinary school a little after they opened. The person working the front desk didn’t seem to care that he had concerns for his daughter, they wouldn’t give him Clove’s information.
He might have raised his voice but there was no reason for her to lock herself in an office. He pounded on the door, telling her that she was causing problems for his little girl. She kept telling him he needed to leave and to get out. Less than a minute later two security guards stepped into the office. He wasn’t going to hurt the woman, not really. The security guards got a little rough as they marched him to the door and told him never to come back.
It wasn’t fair that no one would help him. He would have to wait for the woman in the office to get off work then follow her to her house. Then he could force her to tell him where Clove was.No matter what else happened, he would get the information from her.
17
Clove missed Bud, but he was busy. She shouldn’t get her hopes up about the man. She may have feelings for him, and him giving her a key might mean something if they were more than friends. He was just the guy who lived next door, nothing more. Other people might want to read something into his actions, but she knew there wasn’t anything to what had happened. If she got too excited about seeing him, it might jinx her. She would play it cool and calm when she saw him instead of acting like a fool.
She had a few more days left teaching before summer started. She was looking forward to spending the summer with Neo, though she really liked her job.
The last of the students had left, and she was finishing set up for the next day when the door opened. “Did you forget something?” she called out without looking up.
“Only how pretty you are.”
Clove spun around, seeing Keith standing in the classroom. His voice sent a chill through her, but seeing him made her stomach turn. How had he found her? She thought he was in Georgia, and now here he was.
“You should have stayed with me. Now you’re going to pay for leaving.”
Clove glanced at the table in front of her. The only knife near her wasn’t sharp since it was a butter knife. If she was in a savory kitchen, she would have loads of knives at her disposal but they rarely needed big pokey knives at the ready in the pastry kitchen.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
Keith shook his head. “No, Clove, you shouldn’t be here. You should have stayed with me.”
“How did you find me?”
His lips curled up into a cruel smile. “It took some convincing, but that woman who worked in the office at the place in Colorado told me where to look.”
Shock coursed through her. She wanted to ask what he’d done, but she knew it couldn’t be good. Keith was especially mean when he wanted to be.
“You’re sick.”
He shook his head. “No, you’re sick leaving me like you did. Our little girl needs a father.”
“No! You had no interest in me sticking around and you had no interest in Neo. You just want to use me and use Neo.”
“Give me some money and I’ll leave.”
It always came back to money with him. He didn’t want her or Neo in his life. “No.”
“I don’t think you’re in any position to turn me down. I’ll just take Neo, and you can pay to get her back.”
Anger rose, and she had to clench her fists. “You’re not getting close to her.”
“Wanna bet? I’ll follow you, and she will be mine.”
Clove froze. She had to do something to keep Keith away from her child. Neo would be destroyed if this bastard got her. He’d never expressed any interest in her and didn’t know how special she was. It pissed her off that Keith could show up hereand think he had any right to Neo. The bastard didn’t even know her.
“No! You won’t come close to Neo because you don’t know her. You will never know her.”
The door opened, and the security guard stepped in. Relief filled her. She’d met Rickey the first day she’d come to work here and spoke to him every day since. Rickey was young and fit. This was his second job because he wanted to save money to open his own boxing gym. The man was intimidating and had been a boxer for over a decade.
“Anything wrong, Miss Cook?” Rickey asked.
