Page 34 of A Little Christmas Jericho
I froze, my breath catching in my throat as I turned to face him.
He lookedawful. His hair was greasy, dark circles hollowed his eyes, and there was a twitchy, wild edge to his expression that made my stomach twist. He smelled like alcohol and the cigarettes I used to hate that he smoked.
"Oscar," I said carefully, my voice barely steady. "You shouldn't be here. The cops—"
"Oh, thecops." He laughed, the sound high-pitched and off somehow. "Like they care. Likeanyonecares about you. You're a fucked up runt, Jericho. Fuck knows what that vet is doing with you. Probably just using you for a good old Christmas shag."
I took a slow step backward, my pulse hammering in my ears. Daisy let out a low whine, moving instinctively closer to my leg.
"Oscar, I don't want to do this. I just came to get some of my things."
"You were supposed to choose me," he snapped as if I hadn't just spoken. "You were supposed to give up the damn pests, start freshwith me. But no... you had to keep them, didn't you? Because you never listen. You don't know what's good for you. But I do! I know exactly what you need and how to get you to listen to me."
He's full on ranting now, hardly paying attention to me as he runs his hands though his hair making them even more messy.
"I could have made you special, Jericho!" he called out. "I could havefixedyou."
Something inside me snapped, a mix of fear and red, roaring rage. "You don't get to talk to me like that anymore, Oscar! I'm not something for you tomakeinto anything. Not something to be fixed. Now, you've said your piece. It's time for you to get going."
He moved fast. Faster than I thought he was capable of. Grabbing my arm in a bruising grip, he drew me closer to him. "Don't tell me what to do!" he spat, his eyes wild. "You ruined everything!"
And then out of nowhere, Daisy lunged.
She didn't bite him. She barreled into his legs with the full force of a solid sixty pounds of anxious animal. Oscar went sprawling backward, letting go of my arm in his shock, hitting the floor with a startled curse.
The shock gave me the opening I needed. I grabbed my bag and bolted for the door.
"Daisy,come!" I shouted. She scrambled after me, her claws skidding on the tile as we burst outside into the sunlight. My lungs burned, my heart slamming against my ribs as I first opened the back door, letting Daisy jump in, and then threw my bag into the passenger seat and fumbled with the keys.
The engine quickly roared to life, my hands were shaking so hard I could barely keep them on the wheel. But that didn't matter. All that mattered was me, getting away.
I didn't look back, not even in the rearview mirror. I couldn't. Because I was terrified I'd see him there. The only thing I could focus on was getting home, and then calling my Daddy.
He'd know what to do.
Chapter 21
By the time I pulled into Colter's driveway, my heart was still thundering in my chest. I hadn’t stopped shaking since I’d left my old home, and I barely remembered most of the drive, as short as it might have been. My hands were welded to the steering wheel, my fingers aching from how hard I’d been gripping it. It was only when Daisy whined softly from the passenger seat that I realized I’d been sitting there with the engine still running.
I killed the ignition, forcing a deep breath that did nothing to calm the tremors running through me. The world outside looked normal on the quiet street, a kid’s bike tipped over in the neighbor’s yard, sunlight catching on frost.
Colter’s car wasn’t in the driveway. I’d known it wouldn’t be, but the empty space hit me like a punch anyway. I wanted him. Needed him. His calm voice, his solid arms. Someone to tell me it was over, that I was safe.
My legs carried me on autopilot up the path and through the door. The moment I stepped inside, the house came alive. I was overwhelmed by Murphy’s frantic yipping and Finch’s low meowas he twined between my legs. Daisy pressed against me like she could hold me up with sheer willpower, her breath coming in hot pants from our mad dash from the car.
I shut the door, locked it, and pressed my back against it like I could hold the world out. Then the adrenaline cracked. My vision blurred, my chest caved in, and I slid down the door until I was sitting on the floor, shaking. The first sob tore out of me before I even realized I was crying.
I didn’t know how long I stayed like that. It might have been minutes, maybe even hours. The house was quiet except for the sound of Murphy pacing and Daisy’s soft huffs. I was vaguely aware of Finch curling up beside me, his tail flicking against my leg, grounding me in the smallest way.
Then my phone started ringing. The sound made me flinch so hard I almost dropped it. Colter’s name lit up the screen, and for one terrifying second, I thought it might be Oscar again, somehow calling from a different number. My breath came shallow and fast as I forced myself to swipe the screen.
“Hey, baby, I’m on my way home—” Colter’s voice cut off instantly when a broken sob escaped me.
“Jericho, what’s wrong, baby boy?”
I tried to answer, but all that came out was a choked sound, halfway between a breath and a whimper.
“Jericho.” His tone changed instantly. Gone was the easy warmth. Now his voice was all command and control, that deep, steady calm that managed to cut through the panic. “Talk to me, buddy. Are you hurt?”
