Fighting Dirty
Page 70
Instead, constantly glancing at the rearview mirror, she took a turn and headed to her brother’s home. Cannon and Yvette lived closer than Denver and Cherry, and with any luck, Cannon would already be home. If these were men hoping to cause trouble for Armie, Cannon would put an end to it real fast.
But even if Cannon wasn’t home, Yvette would be able to reach him. And given her awful past, Yvette lived in a very secure house with locks on every window and door.
The beep of her phone made Merissa jump. She had missed calls—but at least the cell was now charged enough that she might be able to use it. She was about to do exactly that when the skies opened up and a deluge of rain pounded her small car.
Great. Just freaking great!
Holding tight to the wheel, willing herself to pay attention to her driving and to ignore everything else, she did a hands-free call to Yvette.
“Hey, Rissy.”
“Are you home?”
“Yes. Did you want to come by?”
“I do, see, people are following me. I don’t want to explain it all now, but I’m almost to your house. Can you please unlock your front door and be ready for me to barrel through?”
“Ohmigod.” There was a rustle of sound and Yvette said, “I think I see you.”
“Yeah, I just turned onto your street.” Yvette likely peeked through her front window. “Is that other car still behind me?”
“I don’t see anyone else, but with this rain it’s hard to tell. Come straight in when you get here. I’m going to call Cannon.”
“Thanks.” As soon as Merissa pulled up to the curb in front of her brother’s home, she saw the curtain on the front window drop. The door opened and Yvette stood there, scanning the area and with her cell phone to her ear.
Merissa glanced around but no longer saw the truck. So why did she still feel threatened?
She unplugged her phone, snatched up her purse and ran through the downpour. She was barely in the door when Yvette slammed it and turned several locks.
“You’re soaked.” Yvette disappeared down the hall, returning a second later with a big towel. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” Merissa stepped out of her shoes as she dried her face and quickly peeked out the window. Nothing.
Was she overreacting again?
And why did these things keep happening to her?
Emotion welled up, fear and rage and it overwhelmed her.
“What happened?” Yvette led her to the couch. “Do you want anything?”
“You called Cannon?”
“He’s on his way. He said he’d get hold of Armie.”
Merissa put her head in her hands. “I feel like an idiot.”
“Why?”
“Because there’s no one there.”
“Now,” Yvette said. “But I know you, Merissa. If you say you were being followed, you were. So why don’t you just tell me what happened?”
Maybe talking would help to clarify it. “I think I was set up. This lady—she said she was an interviewer but then she asked these awful questions about Armie and when I turned to leave, she laughed. Like...she was taunting me. Or maybe that she was pleased that she’d upset me because that’s what she’d meant to do.”
“An interviewer?” Yvette asked.
“A fake interviewer.” As briefly as possible, Merissa explained. She wasn’t sure if Cannon had told Yvette about the rape accusations, so she didn’t dare mention them. What to do? Armie would be so upset. She folded her arms around herself and damn it, she knew she was going to cry.
Alarmed, Yvette touched her arm. “You’re shaking.”
“I know. I’m sorry.” The first tear tracked down her cheek and she angrily slapped it away.
“It’s okay.” Yvette sat beside her, one hand still on her shoulder. “I’ve never seen you cry.”
Humiliated, Merissa used the towel to scrub over her face, removing what little makeup she had left.
“Cannon will be here soon,” Yvette said soothingly, as if she didn’t know what else to say.
Merissa tried a breath that thankfully didn’t strangle in her throat. “I never cry.”
“Never?” Yvette teased, her hand now stroking Merissa’s back. “You’re better than me, then. Shoot, every month around my period I got so weepy, it drove me nuts. And honestly, at the beginning of my pregnancy, it was even worse.”
Merissa went still. Everything seemed to slow down. Her tears, her thoughts, even her fear.
Her overblown fear.
Her overblown emotions.
She turned to stare at Yvette.
Yvette stared back. “What?”
Covering her mouth with a shaking hand, Merissa whispered, “Oh no.”
“Rissy.” Yvette took both her hands. “You’re scaring me.”
Biting her lip, Merissa tried to do some quick math. She stared at Yvette again. “Oh no.”
Suddenly Yvette’s eyes widened. “Do you think...?”
“I haven’t had a period.” How the heck had she missed that? Merissa swallowed hard and said again, “Oh no.”
“So you’re overdue?”
Bobbing her head, Merissa repeated, “Overdue. By at least three weeks.”
“Wow.” Yvette did some quick thinking. “Okay, let’s don’t jump to conclusions here. You’ve had a lot going on, right? That could mess up anyone. Are you usually regular?”
“Like clockwork.”
“Your birth control doesn’t inhibit your monthly—”
“No.” Merissa pulled in a shuddering breath. She couldn’t seem to get her brain wrapped around it. When it occurred to her, she blurted, “My boobs hurt!”
Yvette choked on a laugh.
Merissa scowled at her. “If you weren’t knocked up, I’d shove you off the couch.” Instead she dropped back and closed her eyes. “But I already love my niece or nephew and I don’t want him or her to think I’m violent.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to laugh, I promise. You just surprised me.” Yvette sat back, too, her head turned toward Merissa. “Being tender could be a sign. Or maybe it’s just Armie’s—” she arched a brow “—enthusiasm?”
“No. That is, he’s definitely enthusiastic.” Very much so. “But he’s never hurt me.”
“Of course he wouldn’t. I didn’t mean that.” Yvette smoothed Merissa’s hair. “Would a baby be a terrible thing?”
Armie’s baby? No, never would that be terrible. Even the mere possibility had her heart ready to burst with love. But the timing... “Armie’s heading into his first fight.”
“If ever there was a man who could multitask, it’s Armie.”
True. Merissa bit her lip. “He’s never said how he really feels about me.”
“But you know,” Yvette insisted. “Everyone knows.”
God, Merissa hoped that he cared for her. “Maybe he doesn’t know. And even if he didn’t already have so much on his plate, I would never want to pressure him.”
Yvette considered that. “The fight isn’t that far away. Would you wait to tell him?”
But even if Cannon wasn’t home, Yvette would be able to reach him. And given her awful past, Yvette lived in a very secure house with locks on every window and door.
The beep of her phone made Merissa jump. She had missed calls—but at least the cell was now charged enough that she might be able to use it. She was about to do exactly that when the skies opened up and a deluge of rain pounded her small car.
Great. Just freaking great!
Holding tight to the wheel, willing herself to pay attention to her driving and to ignore everything else, she did a hands-free call to Yvette.
“Hey, Rissy.”
“Are you home?”
“Yes. Did you want to come by?”
“I do, see, people are following me. I don’t want to explain it all now, but I’m almost to your house. Can you please unlock your front door and be ready for me to barrel through?”
“Ohmigod.” There was a rustle of sound and Yvette said, “I think I see you.”
“Yeah, I just turned onto your street.” Yvette likely peeked through her front window. “Is that other car still behind me?”
“I don’t see anyone else, but with this rain it’s hard to tell. Come straight in when you get here. I’m going to call Cannon.”
“Thanks.” As soon as Merissa pulled up to the curb in front of her brother’s home, she saw the curtain on the front window drop. The door opened and Yvette stood there, scanning the area and with her cell phone to her ear.
Merissa glanced around but no longer saw the truck. So why did she still feel threatened?
She unplugged her phone, snatched up her purse and ran through the downpour. She was barely in the door when Yvette slammed it and turned several locks.
“You’re soaked.” Yvette disappeared down the hall, returning a second later with a big towel. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” Merissa stepped out of her shoes as she dried her face and quickly peeked out the window. Nothing.
Was she overreacting again?
And why did these things keep happening to her?
Emotion welled up, fear and rage and it overwhelmed her.
“What happened?” Yvette led her to the couch. “Do you want anything?”
“You called Cannon?”
“He’s on his way. He said he’d get hold of Armie.”
Merissa put her head in her hands. “I feel like an idiot.”
“Why?”
“Because there’s no one there.”
“Now,” Yvette said. “But I know you, Merissa. If you say you were being followed, you were. So why don’t you just tell me what happened?”
Maybe talking would help to clarify it. “I think I was set up. This lady—she said she was an interviewer but then she asked these awful questions about Armie and when I turned to leave, she laughed. Like...she was taunting me. Or maybe that she was pleased that she’d upset me because that’s what she’d meant to do.”
“An interviewer?” Yvette asked.
“A fake interviewer.” As briefly as possible, Merissa explained. She wasn’t sure if Cannon had told Yvette about the rape accusations, so she didn’t dare mention them. What to do? Armie would be so upset. She folded her arms around herself and damn it, she knew she was going to cry.
Alarmed, Yvette touched her arm. “You’re shaking.”
“I know. I’m sorry.” The first tear tracked down her cheek and she angrily slapped it away.
“It’s okay.” Yvette sat beside her, one hand still on her shoulder. “I’ve never seen you cry.”
Humiliated, Merissa used the towel to scrub over her face, removing what little makeup she had left.
“Cannon will be here soon,” Yvette said soothingly, as if she didn’t know what else to say.
Merissa tried a breath that thankfully didn’t strangle in her throat. “I never cry.”
“Never?” Yvette teased, her hand now stroking Merissa’s back. “You’re better than me, then. Shoot, every month around my period I got so weepy, it drove me nuts. And honestly, at the beginning of my pregnancy, it was even worse.”
Merissa went still. Everything seemed to slow down. Her tears, her thoughts, even her fear.
Her overblown fear.
Her overblown emotions.
She turned to stare at Yvette.
Yvette stared back. “What?”
Covering her mouth with a shaking hand, Merissa whispered, “Oh no.”
“Rissy.” Yvette took both her hands. “You’re scaring me.”
Biting her lip, Merissa tried to do some quick math. She stared at Yvette again. “Oh no.”
Suddenly Yvette’s eyes widened. “Do you think...?”
“I haven’t had a period.” How the heck had she missed that? Merissa swallowed hard and said again, “Oh no.”
“So you’re overdue?”
Bobbing her head, Merissa repeated, “Overdue. By at least three weeks.”
“Wow.” Yvette did some quick thinking. “Okay, let’s don’t jump to conclusions here. You’ve had a lot going on, right? That could mess up anyone. Are you usually regular?”
“Like clockwork.”
“Your birth control doesn’t inhibit your monthly—”
“No.” Merissa pulled in a shuddering breath. She couldn’t seem to get her brain wrapped around it. When it occurred to her, she blurted, “My boobs hurt!”
Yvette choked on a laugh.
Merissa scowled at her. “If you weren’t knocked up, I’d shove you off the couch.” Instead she dropped back and closed her eyes. “But I already love my niece or nephew and I don’t want him or her to think I’m violent.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to laugh, I promise. You just surprised me.” Yvette sat back, too, her head turned toward Merissa. “Being tender could be a sign. Or maybe it’s just Armie’s—” she arched a brow “—enthusiasm?”
“No. That is, he’s definitely enthusiastic.” Very much so. “But he’s never hurt me.”
“Of course he wouldn’t. I didn’t mean that.” Yvette smoothed Merissa’s hair. “Would a baby be a terrible thing?”
Armie’s baby? No, never would that be terrible. Even the mere possibility had her heart ready to burst with love. But the timing... “Armie’s heading into his first fight.”
“If ever there was a man who could multitask, it’s Armie.”
True. Merissa bit her lip. “He’s never said how he really feels about me.”
“But you know,” Yvette insisted. “Everyone knows.”
God, Merissa hoped that he cared for her. “Maybe he doesn’t know. And even if he didn’t already have so much on his plate, I would never want to pressure him.”
Yvette considered that. “The fight isn’t that far away. Would you wait to tell him?”
