Page 64 of Beautiful Killer

I shoved it back out.

There was no way I was making it to work, no way I could face it. I’d just have to leave the shop shut.

Five hours later, I was sitting on the couch, watching terrible daytime TV. I felt a lot better, but still off, not well enough to risk going into work and humiliating myself in front of another customer. I’d called Julia. She was doing great, and so far Bobby hadn’t been able to find her. It was nice to hear real happiness in her voice and I hoped I got to hear more of it.

I’d been thinking of hiring her to help out at the store for a while. Working alone was hard at times. Especially when it was busy or if I had other things I needed to do. It would also give me more time to create. I could work out the back while Julia manned the counter.

Could it work? Could I really be Julia’s boss after everything—

Someone knocked at the door.

I frowned and climbed off the couch. My belly lurched a little, but thankfully the leftover soup I’d eaten stayed where it was supposed to. I peeked through the peephole.

Crap.

Bobby stood there, staring back. He smiled on the other side of the door, like he knew I was there, eyes softer than I’d ever seen them, which meant I didn’t trust it one bit.

“Sunny?” he called. “Look, can you please let me in? I just . . .” He held up a bag. “I know Julia doesn’t have a lot of her things. I just . . . I thought you could give this to her?”

I wanted to tell him to get lost, permanently, but I knew Julia wanted her things. I took a closer look at him. He looked sober at least. He’d never been physically violent to me, and after the way Zeke sent him on his way, I doubted he’d try anything. He also knew I wouldn’t think twice about calling the police on his ass if he did.

I sighed, unlocked the door, and pulled it open. “Fine, then I want you gone.” He had two big bags of stuff, too big for me to carry. “Put them there.” I motioned to a spot just inside the door.

“Can we talk?” he asked.

The timer went off in the kitchen. I’d finally felt like eating, so I’d thrown a frozen pizza in the oven. I hustled down the hall and Bobby followed me into the kitchen. “There’s nothing to talk about,” I said, pulling the pizza out and dumping it on top of the oven.

Crap.

I just remembered I hadn’t told Zeke what I was doing today. I’d kind of been occupied with feeling like death to remember calling him with my whereabouts.

I turned back and Bobby had moved closer, all fake softness gone from his eyes.

“I need to speak to Julia,” he said. “You need to tell me where she is.”

I took a step back. “You know I can’t tell you that . . .”

“Yes, you can,” he gritted out. “And you will.”

I didn’t know what to say. He was frightening me and I sure as hell didn’t want to make him angrier, but there was no way I’d tell him were Julia was.

He took another step closer, and I retreated, until I bumped into the oven at my back. “I think you should leave.”

“I’m not the type of man you can play games with, Sunny. You think that asshole boyfriend of yours will stop me from getting to my wife? You think I’m scared of him?” He reached over and tapped the side of my head, hard enough to hurt. “Come on now, don’t be stupid. You know me better than that.”

I flinched and jerked back.

“She’s my wife, she belongs to me. I won’t let her take it all away from me.” He shook his head. “You have no idea who you’re dealing with or what I’m capable of, but if you continue to keep me from my wife, I promise you, you’ll find out.”

The hair on the back of my neck lifted.

I was more than frightened now. I was terrified.

My phone started ringing and I jolted, yanking it out of my pocket and checking the screen. I quickly answered it. “Hello.”

“Sunny,” Zeke barked. “I told you to let me know where you were today.”

“Bobby’s here, dropping some things off for Julia,” I said.