Page 54 of Beautiful Killer

She bit her lip, but then nodded.

“He did that,” he motioned to her face. “He hit you?”

A tear streaked down her cheek, and she nodded again.

“You want me to get rid of him?” he asked, but going by the expression on his face, the way he was now holding his body, that was about to happen whether Julia wanted Bobby gone or not.

“I . . .” she shook her head. “I don’t want to see him. Please, make him go away.”

“Wait here,” Zeke said to us, then opened the door. Bobby charged forward, but Zeke stopped him with a hand to his chest and shoved him back.

Bobby started swearing and lashing out, screaming for Julia. Zeke had him face first against the wall outside the door in a couple of moves. They were a similar height, both lean, but Zeke was all muscle and strength. He was also an ex-Navy SEAL. Bobby didn’t stand a chance. And I had to admit seeing him like that, being overpowered, made to feel small, made me want to jump up and down and clap my hands. He deserved that and a whole lot more.

“You like to hit women?” Zeke said, low.

“This has nothing to do with you, man,” Bobby said through gritted teeth. “I’m here for my wife. That’s it, then I’m gone.”

“She doesn’t want to go anywhere with you.” Zeke tightened his hold on Bobby. “You’ve got two options. Either you walk away now, or you leave here in an ambulance, understand?”

“Julia!” Bobby yelled again.

Zeke jerked him back then shoved him into the wall.

Bobby gasped. “Who the fuck do you think you are?”

“He’s a badass Navy SEAL, that’s who he is,” I said from the safety of my front door. “He can kick your ass, Bobby, you worthless piece of shit.”

Zeke’s eyes lifted to me, and I thought I actually saw them sparkle with humor. My lower belly fluttered.

Bobby tried to jerk free of Zeke’s hold then pointed to me. “This is all your fault, you rich bitch. Waving all that fucking money in front of us. You cheated Julia out of what was hers . . .”

“That’s enough,” Zeke growled in his face. “What’s it going to be?”

Is that really how Julia felt? She’d said similar things to me over the years, now I wondered if they were her words or his.

“I’ll leave,” Bobby spat.

Zeke shoved him back toward the steps, and Bobby stumbled down them to the sidewalk.

“This isn’t finished,” he said. “You hear me? This isn’t finished.”

Zeke stayed at the door watching until Bobby was gone, and I pulled a sobbing Julia into my arms.

Later that night, I was lying in my bed, Zeke beside me, both of us still breathless from the way he’d just made me come, from the way he’d come, and feeling kind of guilty about it, since Julia was down the hall and more than likely heartbroken. Zeke turned to me in the darkness and I felt his eyes move over my face.

“She going to be okay?”

I nodded. “I’ll make sure of it. I should have known something was up . . .”

“It’s not your fault, Sunny. None of this is. You can be there for her, but it’s up to her now.”

He was right. Didn’t stop me from feeling guilty, though. “She’s worried about him showing up here again. I wish there was somewhere I could take her, somewhere Bobby won’t find her.”

“Not a bad idea. You’ve had enough shit to deal with.”

I sighed. “She needs me. We may not have had the best relationship, but I’m all she has.”

His hand slid over my hip. “Leave it with me. I’ll put some feelers out, see if I can find her somewhere safe.”