Page 3 of Ruthless Protector

“I’ll give you this week to sort out childcare or whatever, but starting next Saturday, you’re here until closing or you’re out.”

I opened my mouth to say something, to plead my case, but he turned his back on me and got back to filling drinks orders. Conversation over.

What the hell am I going to do?

Quickly making my way to the break room, I grabbed my bag, slung it over my shoulder, and left out the back way, not wanting to look at Cindy’s smug damn face again, and out to the bus stop.

Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait long.

I rented a brownstone in Brooklyn. The place was real nice, nicer than I ever thought I could afford; well, right now, I couldn’t afford shit. But the house was way cheaper than anything else I could find in a neighborhood like that. It was the kind of place that young couples moved to when they were ready to have kids and settle down. There were also older people who had been there their whole lives. Like my neighbor, Fay. She reminded me a lot of Mrs. Jones, back in Ashwood Falls. Sweet, but also no pushover. Accept Fay Esposito wasn’t some sweet, cardigan-wearing old lady. She was in her early sixties, with long wavy gray streaked black hair, and the figure of a woman half her age. She told it like it was, but she always meant well and she loved Tilly. We’d become friends and I appreciated that friendship more than she’d ever know.

Which is why I refused to take advantage. I paid her for her time as was only fair. What I couldn’t do, was afford to leave Tilly there overnight, four nights a week, and that’s what I’d have to do if I worked until closing. The bar closed when the customers left; some nights, that wasn’t until two or three in the morning.

My phone buzzed in my bag, and I quickly pulled it out and checked the screen. I’d missed five calls and a text. Three calls from Fay. The rest from an unknown number.

Shit. My heart plummeted to my feet as I hit reply. I usually kept my phone with me when I worked, but Alf had been cracking down and he’d made me leave it in the break room.

“Is everything all right? Is Tilly hurt?” I asked as soon as Fay answered.

“She’s fine. Tils is fine,” she said quickly. There was a pause. “But a man came by earlier. He was knocking on your door. Stayed for a long time.”

Maybe it was Evan? Maybe he wanted to talk…maybe he’d changed his mind? I gritted my teeth. Well, too bad. I had nothing to say to that asshole. Not one damn thing. He’d made the right noises when Rebecca died, played the doting boyfriend, pretended he gave a shit, then left me as soon as soon as he realized I’d be raising Tilly.

I clutched the phone tighter. “Did you get a good look at him?”

“Brown hair, average build. Couldn’t see much else. It was dark outside.”

Trent had brown hair as well.

“You know who it could be?” Fay asked.

“Maybe.”

Silence. “You okay, honey?”

I ignored the nervous flurry that started up in my belly. “Yeah, of course. I’m fine.”

“I’ve got your back, you know that. Do we need to be worried about this guy?”

I bit my lip when it started trembling. “Really, it’s fine, nothing to worry about. I’ll be home in a few minutes.”

I disconnected and stared at the unknown number on my phone. If it was Trent, how the hell had he gotten my number, my address? The asshole wasn’t that clever. My heart was hammering as I clicked open the text. Please let it be Evan. At least he was predictable.

You have something of mine. You want to keep her, answer your damn phone when I call tomorrow.

I shoved my phone back in my bag and stared out the window. Trent. God, what if he’d gone next door to ask after me? What if he’d seen Tilly? What if she’d seen him? I was shaking by the time I’d walked home from the bus stop. I rushed up the stairs to Fay’s house, stumbling on the last, and going down on my knees hard. There was a burning pain as my skin scraped against concrete.

I hissed. “Shit.” Stumbling to my feet, I ignored the sting and knocked softly, in case Tilly was asleep. She usually was when I came to pick her up.

The door opened and Fay motioned me in silently. “She’s only been out for a few minutes.” She grabbed my arm when I started toward Tilly. “What happened to your knees, girl?”

“It’s nothing, I tripped.”

Her fingers curled around my mine, keeping me where I was. “Willa, honey, are you okay?”

She was watching me closely. I was positive the woman could read minds; she always seemed to know when I was hiding something, if I was having a bad day or whatever, and called me on it. “Yeah,” I lied. “All good.”

She frowned, lips thinning. “Willa…”