Page 14 of Gourd Enough To Eat
“Have you called the police?”
I shot him a look. “She’s been missing for a few hours at most. You know they’ll say to wait.”
He acknowledged that with a nod. “Alright, so when’s the last time you saw her?”
I ran through the exercise with him, grateful he drew my panic back from the edge of pure self destruction. I leaned my head back against the wall of her building. “I know nothing about her. I’ve had days to learn something about her past and I never. Fucking. Asked.” I punctuated every word with a rap of the side of my fist against the brickwork. My last hit her door. That creaked open.
I glanced at it, then at Declan. He held my gaze. “Have you checked?—”
I shook my head. “No. Did you?”
“Get up there, sunshine.”
Her staircase was a whole lot narrower and dimmer than mine, with a light out near the top in a high stairwell. This part of the building was older than ours, while the one that Declan and I shared had been renovated when we decided to do up the bakery. But the side that Cadance rented hadn’t been upgraded for a long time and was well overdue.
I reached the door at the top of the stairs, her name on my lips, when a voice reached me. A thin, nasally voice that didn’t match my girl.
A man’s voice.
“—strutting around town in a dress anyone can see through, Look, you’re not even wearing a bra, like a common whore. No wonder he was all over you so fast with your teats tumbling out like a used up cow’s.”
My blood went from regular temperature to boiling in less than half a second. This had to be the ex husband. Not only had she suffered physical abuse at his hand, but this bullshit too. I gritted my teeth, my hands already on the door, prepared to bust it open, but the asshole wasn’t close to done.
“Look at you, his jizz all over you, staining you up. Is that what you’ve become, Charity? A slut who will open her legs to anyone? I watched you last night. Both of you.” My stomach plummeted as he jeered at her.This is my fault.Dammit, I should have turned off the lights, taken her somewhere else. “Watched him like anyone else could have, front row to a live porn show starring my own fuckingwife.”
“I’m not your wife,” Candance spat out. Scuffling noises happened behind the door as I slammed my shoulder into it. Her name jammed in my throat. “I haven't been that for a long time,Bradley.” A hand cracked across skin on the other side of the door. Cadance whimpered and fell quiet.
Her name ripped from my lips as I slammed my body weight against the wood. Something splintered and I stumbled through a gap that hadn’t been there before, mostly the right size for me. I kicked shards out of the way and advanced on a man who I swore shouldn't have been half the size he was. But part of me was okay with the fact he stood at my height. Because now I had no problem with unleashing every inch of the pent up fury I had in me for everything this man had done to hurt the woman who cowered on the floor at his feet.
My stunning glitter bomb. The woman with defiance in her eyes and a flirtatious smile on her lips. Who lived loud and proud and free.
Who should never kneel for a man when she didn't choose that course of action, and sure as hell not outside playtime together.
My fist cracked into the son of a bitch’s face. He stumbled back, something akin to shock or bemusement written there before the pain set in. I wondered if he’d ever discovered true pain before. If not, jail was gonna be one hell of a trip for him. I hoped he enjoyed it for a real long time.
Voices shouted beyond me, and I knelt to crouch over Cadance as police, tailed by Declan who I knew wouldn’t want to miss the action at all, swarmed the small apartment who barely fit us, let alone six other men.
My girl trembled in my arms as I cradled her close to my chest, tucked into my body. “Glitter bomb. Are you able to tell me if he hurt you? Do I need to get you a paramedic?” I kissed her temple as feet rushed around us and the asshole was dragged away.
She shivered in my arms. “He just slapped me a few times.”
Declan crouched beside me. “Hey, beauty girl. I have a space beside a hot oven if you want. There’s also wine in the fridge, and treats. Not that I’m feeding addictions.” He held up his hands in defence at my look. “Just trying to help.”
She hiccuped as the first tears I’d ever seen her shed tumbled down her cheeks. “Thanks, Declan.” My gaze slid across to her. “What?” She shrugged. “I told you I researched my neighbors. He’s the nosy one. You were the pretty gourd boy.”
“Is that right?” I planted my ass on her carpet and pulled her into the circle of my legs. “I think the police are gonna wanna talk to you. Wanna do that in the shop or up here?”
“Here,” she said immediately as I raised an eyebrow. “Then shop with treats?" she asked hopefully. Her mood dropped. “Then I have to go pay for my van.”
I kissed the top of her head. “Gotcha covered, glitter bomb.” Her head snapped up, and she winced. “What did you do, Elijah?"
Declan edged out of the room as I laughed and dipped my head to cover her mouth with mine before she could protest again. We were still kissing indecently on her floor when the first police officer arrived to take her statement.
EPILOGUE
CADANCE
Elijah’s cabin was the perfect size for us. All my fears of not fitting in at the ranch were cast aside the moment I stepped into the found family community who adopted me just as they had adopted Elijah and everyone else who came along. Just like they adopted new rescues. I figured I was one of those, and so I suited the theme.
