“There are witnesses. There have to be witnesses!” Ryan stood and looked around frantically.
Matthieu smirked.
“Witnesses?” Maya cried. “In this neighborhood? You have to be kidding me? The pope could ride through on his pope car and everyone would deny it. There are no witnesses here. So make one complaint about Matthieu and you are going down.”
“Go inside now, Maya. And make sure you put some socks on your feet to warm them up.”
He could feel her watching him. But he didn’t turn.
“Maya. Now.”
There was a huff of breath and he felt her leaving. “Listen to me, you fucking little prick. This is what is going to happen. You are going to go home and tell mommy dearest that you’re leaving town. Then you’re going to pack up your stuff and leave. And you won’t come back. You won’t try to contact or have anything to do with Maya again.”
“Why would I do that?” Ryan attempted a sneer, but it was shaky at best.
“Because otherwise, I will make it my life’s mission to make your life a living hell. Get me? Now go.”
Ryan scrambled into his car and drove off. Matthieu turned and stared at the house.
Right. Time to deal with the spitfire.
22
Maya paced back and forth in the living room.
Shit.
What if Ryan went to the cops? She didn’t really have friends there. Reeves was an okay guy, but they weren’t exactly friends. She had her brother, but they barely knew each other anymore.
When Matthieu came back inside, she spun to him
“Is he gone? What’s going to happen? What if he goes to the police? Will they arrest you for hurting him?”
“You haven’t put any socks on,” he stated.
“Socks?” Why was he talking about socks right now? Socks weren’t important. Him being arrested for assault and thrown in jail was what mattered!
“You’re already in trouble for leaving the house without me, and then you didn’t obey me by going inside, and now you’re still disobeying me?”
“I really don’t think I’m meant to obey you,” she grumbled.
“That’s exactly what you’re supposed to do, little girl.”
Whoa. Okay. There he went with the ‘little girl’ again.
Being called ‘little girl’ should have riled her up. But instead this strange sort of warmth ran through her.
So odd.
Maybe she shouldn’t have waited for him in the living room. Perhaps she should have gotten into bed and cuddled up to Dougie.
And hidden from the frowning man standing in front of her.
“You know, you look upset. Maybe I should give you some space to calm down. It’s time for bed anyway.”
He’d had a bed delivered and installed in the small third bedroom. Which made her feel slightly better now that he didn’t have to sleep on the sofa any longer.
“Stop changing the topic.”
