Then I waved and rushed back into my bakery.

And luckily I succeeded in making it to my office before the first of the tears fell. Then I let the others fall.

Then I wiped my face and got back to work.

* * * * *

“You got sugar cookies with daisy sprinkles on the menu tomorrow?” Shirleen asked in my ear.

It was seven thirty. I was locking up the shop. Everyone was gone. I was exhausted from working a twelve and a half hour day and I wanted to go to girls’ night in like I wanted someone to drill a hole in my head. I would have begged off if I didn’t think Martha would send the National Guard to collect me and bring me in restraints to her place.

“Uh…” I muttered into the phone, turning out lights in the front, “they can be.”

“Good, ‘cause I’m bringin’ you three nighties tonight. All of them do not say ‘good time with a bad boy’, they scream it.”

I didn’t know Shirleen. Although she’d been given my cell number by someone and I’d received and returned a variety of texts from her, mostly about sugar cookies, nightie requirements and the upcoming girls’ night in, I didn’t know her very well mainly because we’d conversed solely about sugar cookies, nightie requirements and girls’ night in. This could be cool. It could also be scary. But with Shirleen, I was guessing I was in no position to argue.

Therefore, I told her, “Okay, then they are.”

“Okay, then you take your pick or take all three and I’m in your bakery tomorrow to collect the debt.”

“You got it.”

“See you soon.”

“Right, later.”

“Later.”

Then she ended the call.

I slid my phone in my purse then started to pay attention. No one had been shot at for over a week which was good and I hoped this luck continued but that didn’t mean I was going to fall down on Brock’s order to be vigilant.

I scanned the darkness outside, saw my car under its streetlamp, the coast appeared clear then I pulled out my keys, got them ready in my fingers, set the alarm, exited, locked the doors and quickly moved to my car, arm out bleeping the locks.

I had my hand on the door handle when vigilance was foiled.

I knew this when I heard Damian say from behind me, “Tess.”

I closed my eyes as my stomach clenched.

Then I opened them and said to the roof of my car, “You have got to be kidding.”

Then I decided to use the Olivia tactic and ignore him so I opened the door and started to move to enter but I was foiled with that too when he put his hand to my forearm, gently pulled me back and my door was shut in front of me.

But as he did this, I whirled. Twisting my arm to jerk it out of his hold, I took a step back and lifted a hand, palm out.

“Don’t touch me.”

He lifted his hand too, palm up and placating. “Listen to me, Tess. Please.”

“Why would I do that when you being here means you don’t listen to me? ” I asked, dropping my hand.

Before he could answer a voice came out of the shadows.

And it said, “You need to get gone, Heller.”

My eyes went in its direction and Vance Crowe, Brock’s friend from the Hot Guy Club, formed out of the darkness.

Hallelujah.

“Who are you?” Damian asked Vance.

“A friend of Tess’s,” Vance answered. “Now you need to move away from her vehicle and get gone.”

Damian stared at him. Then he looked to me.

Then he announced, “He’s dangerous.”

“Who? Vance?” I asked disbelievingly, not that I didn’t think Vance could be dangerous just that I knew instinctively Vance would never be dangerous to me.

“No,” Damian bit off, “Lucas.”

My body got tight and it got tight not because I believed him just that I didn’t believe he showed up at my bakery after a very bad, very long day to trash talk my boyfriend.

“Man, not gonna tell you again,” Vance warned getting close. “Step away from her vehicle.”

Damian had looked to Vance while he was speaking but he looked back at me and pleaded, “Please, Tess, you have to listen to me. I’m not here to start something, I’m not here to hurt you, I’m not here to get you back. I’m only here to help you. I’m here to stop you from making a grave mistake.”

To help me. Right.

Asshole.

I sighed and said, “Go away, Damian.”

“You don’t understand,” he said, leaning into me, I reared back and Vance was suddenly between Damian and me.

“Seriously, Heller, move the f**k on,” Vance growled, audibly and visually losing patience in a very scary way.

“I need to speak to her,” Damian clipped, ignoring Vance’s scariness.

“I see that, man, but she doesn’t wanna speak to you,” Vance pointed out. “Now, I don’t wanna get physical but I will, no f**kin’ joke, so get the f**k outta here.”

Damian glared at Vance then, being Damian, his eyes moved beyond him to me standing behind him.

“He put a man in the hospital,” he declared. “Was nearly suspended permanently from the Police Force because of it. Beat the hell out of him. He’s known to be –”

I cut him off. “I know, Damian, yeesh, you don’t think Brock would share that with me?”

Damian blinked. “You know?”

“Uh… yeah. The guy beat the crap out of his ex-girlfriend, raped her repeatedly and put her in the hospital for two weeks. Brock wasn’t down with that and I don’t blame him.”

I heard Vance chuckle, his scariness evaporating (kind of) and I saw Damian’s eyes narrow.

Then he stated, “He’s had sexual intercourse with suspects he was investigating.”

“I know that too seeing as I was one of them,” I informed him, Vance chuckled again and Damian’s narrow eyed look turned into a scowl.

Then he shared, “You weren’t the only one.”

“Yeah, her name was Darla and he had his reasons, he shared them with me but I will not be sharing them with you. What I will be doing is hunkering behind hot guy Vance while I call the police and inform them you’re harassing me again if you don’t go away. ”

Damian ignored me too and stated, “He’s not a good man, Tess.”

At that, I burst out laughing, so hard, I bent forward and had to wrap my arms around my belly because my sides were hurting.

I did this for a long time then straightened, wiped tears of hilarity from my cold cheeks and focused on a Vance and Damian who were both looking at me like I was more than a little crazy.