It wasn’t so they could hold the special people of the world hostage, the way Perry did. When Perry first joined, he had been nothing but big and mean.
Milla looked him up and down. He hadn’t changed much in the last ten years.
Perry’s brow furrowed as he glanced around. He was attempting to look concerned. After all, the men flanking him were just as big and strong as he was and he was outnumbered. He didn’t know about their secret. If he did, he would find a way to exploit it. “Where’s your truck and trailer?”
Milla closed her eyes and bit her lip. She almost cried at his question. She’d dumped her truck and trailer for nothing. He hadn’t had a tracking device on it. If he had, he would have known that she’d traded them in for the SUV a few states back.
Maybe she should leave. She didn’t have the right to expose the people of this town to Perry and his ways. He wasn’t a model citizen and with the exception of a few short months several years ago, he never had been.
It was difficult to believe that, for a short time, he had been the man of her dreams. He’d been solicitous and seemed to want to please her at every turn. Milla had even begun to think that they could build a life together.
He changed again about two months after they’d been sleeping together. He became the bully again, bossing people around and using his strength to get his way.
Milla had no idea what caused the change in him. Maybe he’d never really changed at all and he’d been using her. Who knew?
“I sold them.” She crossed her arms, in the classic defensive stance. She couldn’t let him in again. She shook her head. She wouldn’t let him in again. He was a bully. He always had been and he always would be. She had to remember that.
“Why on Earth would you do that? Where do you think we’re going to live now?”
She felt Jonas and Mel stiffen, more than she saw it. They shifted their bodies closer to her and Milla relaxed a bit, thankful for their show of support.
“ We aren’t going to live anywhere. I , on the other hand have decided to settle right here in Paradise. You can do whatever you want as long as it’s not within ten miles of me.” She dropped her hands to her sides and fisted them against her legs. “ We are over. I wish we’d never started. But,” she added with a shrug, “everyone makes mistakes.”
How many times had she told him that very same thing? How many more times would he make her repeat it?
She glanced at the sign for the Paradise Lodge down the street and pressed her lips together. She couldn’t stay there. He would find a way to get to her there. She knew it.
“You can’t hide from me forever, you know.” He scowled down at her. “You’ll come back to me. And I won’t have to wait long.”
Milla couldn’t believe the man’s arrogance. “You’ll wait a lifetime if I have anything to say about it.”
“No.” Perry laughed. “I’ll be back in your bed before the week is out. I’m through waiting for you to come around.”
“That sounds like a threat.” Jonas stepped forward, drawing Perry’s attention. “No one threatens a woman in Paradise.”
“She’s not a woman.” Perry laughed and pointed at her. “ She is a freak.”
In a move that must have surprised everyone present, Jonas struck Perry. Fast as lightning, his right fist connected with the other man’s jaw. Perry fell backward, the punch knocking him to the ground.
“You’re going to regret that, friend,” Perry said as he picked himself up off the pavement. “I’m going to sue you for everything you own.”
“Try it, you piece of shit and I’ll have this entire town on the stand insisting that you swung at me first.” Jonas glared at him. “No one insults my woman.”
“So she’s your woman now?” Perry shook his head and rubbed his jaw. “It didn’t take long, did it? That should tell you something.” He turned around and started barking orders at people before Jonas
Milla looked him up and down. He hadn’t changed much in the last ten years.
Perry’s brow furrowed as he glanced around. He was attempting to look concerned. After all, the men flanking him were just as big and strong as he was and he was outnumbered. He didn’t know about their secret. If he did, he would find a way to exploit it. “Where’s your truck and trailer?”
Milla closed her eyes and bit her lip. She almost cried at his question. She’d dumped her truck and trailer for nothing. He hadn’t had a tracking device on it. If he had, he would have known that she’d traded them in for the SUV a few states back.
Maybe she should leave. She didn’t have the right to expose the people of this town to Perry and his ways. He wasn’t a model citizen and with the exception of a few short months several years ago, he never had been.
It was difficult to believe that, for a short time, he had been the man of her dreams. He’d been solicitous and seemed to want to please her at every turn. Milla had even begun to think that they could build a life together.
He changed again about two months after they’d been sleeping together. He became the bully again, bossing people around and using his strength to get his way.
Milla had no idea what caused the change in him. Maybe he’d never really changed at all and he’d been using her. Who knew?
“I sold them.” She crossed her arms, in the classic defensive stance. She couldn’t let him in again. She shook her head. She wouldn’t let him in again. He was a bully. He always had been and he always would be. She had to remember that.
“Why on Earth would you do that? Where do you think we’re going to live now?”
She felt Jonas and Mel stiffen, more than she saw it. They shifted their bodies closer to her and Milla relaxed a bit, thankful for their show of support.
“ We aren’t going to live anywhere. I , on the other hand have decided to settle right here in Paradise. You can do whatever you want as long as it’s not within ten miles of me.” She dropped her hands to her sides and fisted them against her legs. “ We are over. I wish we’d never started. But,” she added with a shrug, “everyone makes mistakes.”
How many times had she told him that very same thing? How many more times would he make her repeat it?
She glanced at the sign for the Paradise Lodge down the street and pressed her lips together. She couldn’t stay there. He would find a way to get to her there. She knew it.
“You can’t hide from me forever, you know.” He scowled down at her. “You’ll come back to me. And I won’t have to wait long.”
Milla couldn’t believe the man’s arrogance. “You’ll wait a lifetime if I have anything to say about it.”
“No.” Perry laughed. “I’ll be back in your bed before the week is out. I’m through waiting for you to come around.”
“That sounds like a threat.” Jonas stepped forward, drawing Perry’s attention. “No one threatens a woman in Paradise.”
“She’s not a woman.” Perry laughed and pointed at her. “ She is a freak.”
In a move that must have surprised everyone present, Jonas struck Perry. Fast as lightning, his right fist connected with the other man’s jaw. Perry fell backward, the punch knocking him to the ground.
“You’re going to regret that, friend,” Perry said as he picked himself up off the pavement. “I’m going to sue you for everything you own.”
“Try it, you piece of shit and I’ll have this entire town on the stand insisting that you swung at me first.” Jonas glared at him. “No one insults my woman.”
“So she’s your woman now?” Perry shook his head and rubbed his jaw. “It didn’t take long, did it? That should tell you something.” He turned around and started barking orders at people before Jonas
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