“Don’t. Don’t come any closer.”
My phone was plugged in behind the desk. Dammit. I really needed to learn to keep it on me at all times.
The sound of ringing made me jump. I looked back at my phone, but that wasn’t right. That wasn’t my ringtone.
“You don’t mind if I take this, right, Scarlett?” he said as he pulled his phone out of his back pocket.
He answered the phone with a huff. “What?… I’m with a friend…” His voice turned sultry as he spoke. I turned, ready to run out the back door. “Uh-uh-uh… I don’t think so.” He sidestepped in front of me, blocking my path. He was closer now, and I could hear a voice on the other side of the call.
“We’ve got trouble. Where the hell are you?”
“I told you, I’m with a friend.”
“Help!” I yelled. “Call 9-1-1. He’s at Daisy Days Flower Shop. Help me.”
I had no idea who was on the other side of that call, but if Tyler didn’t want them here, then I probably did.
“Fuck. Stay where you are,” I heard the man say.
Tyler pocketed his phone, tsking me with a shake of his head. “That wasn’t very nice, Scarlett. I don’t think you really want to piss me off, do you?”
He advanced on me, making me feel like his prey. Even the way he moved was pure predator. I backed up another step.
“Stay back, Tyler. I don’t know what you want, but stay away from me.”
It wasn’t just me I needed to protect. I had a brand-new life growing inside of me. I couldn’t let anything happen to it.
“You don’t know what I want? I’m surprised. With what a nosy little bitch you are, I would think you would have figured it out.”
He lunged forward, reaching for the broom. I swung it wildly, connecting it with his wrist. A shriek sounded, and I wasn’t sure if it was from him or me. I pulled the broom back and lunged at him, backing him away a few steps.
“Fucking cunt.” In a flash, he pulled something from his pocket. A quiettink, and metal glimmered in his hands from the light of the windows.
He feigned a lunge, causing me to stumble back with a scream.
His laugh could only be described as evil. “You’re so much fun to play with, Scarlett. I should have done this sooner.”
I went to take another step back, only to find that I had backed myself into a corner. The checkout counter was on my right, the display table against the side wall to my back, and Tyler blocked my path in front of me. I couldn’t get around him to the front door or past him to the other side of the counter in order to access the back door.
Fuck.
Noise rose from the back room. I had no idea if it was friend or foe. Someone who’d heard me scream and was going to help or whoever was on the phone with Tyler a minute ago—an ally of his.
“Christ. What are you doing, boy?”
Captain Langston turned from the back room into the showroom, his eyes focused on Tyler. Thank God. Someone must have heard and called the police. I couldn’t lower my guard yet, but just knowing he was here lightened the fear that coiled in my chest.
“Captain, thank God you’re here. This guy is crazy. Keep him away from me.”
He didn’t even look at or acknowledge me. The relief that I had felt a moment ago dissipated when he opened his mouth.
“It’s too late, Tyler. He already knows. We need to get you out of here.”
“What does he know? He can’t know everything. You said you were taking care of it. You said it would be handled,” Tyler yelled back. His deranged eyes no longer focused on me as he shot his venomous stare at Captain.
“I know what I said. I had handled it. They just kept digging. It isn’t just the murder either. They have you linked to the break-ins as well,” Captain griped.
“What is happening right now?” I hadn’t meant to ask the question out loud. I should have just kept my mouth shut because now they were both looking at me. “Captain? Do you know him?”
