Page 13 of Property of Yak

“It’s my friend. She wants to know where I went,” she says quietly. “I don’t know what to tell her.”

“Tell her you didn’t feel well and went home,” I tell her.

She frowns. “She will come check on me.”

She thinks a moment before she types out a response.

“What did you tell her?” I ask, curiosity overriding her privacy.

“The truth. Well, a version of it.”

I clear my throat. “Should I be prepared for the cops to come find me?”

“What?” she asks.

I stay silent as I glance over as her eyes widen.

“No. No, I didn’t tell her that truth. I told her that her boyfriend’s friend is a creep and I wasn’t feeling it, so I left so they could have a good time without me.”

“What’s his name? I’ll take care of that too,” I joke with her.

She pales, making me wish I kept my mouth shut.

“Cliff isn’t worth it. He’s an asshole, but not the kind you need to worry about. I won’t see him again. This boyfriend of hers won’t last long enough for her to guilt me into going out with them again.”

I don’t say anything, letting the silence take over.

When we pull up to her house, I help her out of the truck and walk her to the door. She hesitates after she opens the door.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

She looks up at me, tears in her eyes. “What if someone is in there?”

I hate that those men stole the safety she once felt from her.

Pulling her inside the door, I shut it behind me. Then I pull my gun and my flashlight out. “Stay here.”

She swallows hard but nods. Then I make my way through her house, clearing it one room at a time. As I do, I check every window, making sure they are locked tight. No one will be getting to this woman tonight.

In her bedroom, I jump when a tabby cat stretches from her perch on the bed. Damn cat almost got shot, but I’m glad I have better reflexes than that. This girl doesn’t need to see her cat killed. Ignoring the cat, I finish my sweep.

When I make it back to the front room, she is exactly where I left her, but she looks dead on her feet.

“It’s clear. Let’s get you a shower, then get you tucked into bed,” I say gently.

When I get close enough, she collapses in my arms. I pick her up bridal style and carry her into the bathroom I cleared minutes before. Sitting her on the counter, I push my way between her thighs before cupping her cheeks. “You need to shower.”

She nods, the tears still falling. I hate how she looks so scared. Especially with the dried blood on her face and in her hair.

Leaving her on the counter, I move to turn on the shower. Once it’s warm enough, I turn to her. “I’ll go get you some clothes. Those will need to be burned.”

She nods. “Can you…”

“What is it, Angel? Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you.”

My words reassure her, “I don’t want to be alone. Will you sit in here while I shower?”

Fuck. I hate that she’s so scared she doesn’t even want to be alone. I knew it would happen, though. Especially as the shock wears off. It’s why I killed those men. She might have thought she could live with knowing they were out there, but I know she wouldn’t have slept easy. She would have always wondered where they were. She deserved better than that.