No, she decided. There was no such thing as too much when it came to cocktails and cupcakes. Rolling with the idea, she noted a few more options. The sound of a door slamming niggled at the edge of her consciousness. When a square of light zipped across her notebook, she looked over her shoulder just as the sun glinted off Charles’s designer watch, and her heart stopped. She froze like a possum in the headlights of an oncoming truck, so terrified her feet became rooted to the ground. Her lungs seized and ice trailed down her spine.
Charles.
He was immaculate as ever in a stylish navy suit, and the breeze didn’t dare ruffle his sleek brown hair. His eyes met hers, and if not for the slight flaring of his nostrils, she’d think he hadn’t seen her at all. He could be very controlled when he wanted to be. Nevertheless, cold fury lit his eyes, along with the promise of retribution.
She glanced around, searching desperately for some sign of Trevor, but he seemed to have run off while she’d been engrossed. Her chest pounded, pressure building up in it so tightly she felt like it might explode, and she gasped, realizing she’d forgotten to breathe. The small sound filled the air between them, and seemed to jerk them both into motion. Dropping her notebook, she clambered to her feet and stumbled away—there was no way she’d turn her back on him, not even to run. At the same time, he shot forward and grabbed her arm, his fingers closing around her so firmly that she cried out. She wrenched away from him, but overbalanced and fell, landing on her knees. Before she had a chance to move, two hands slid beneath her armpits and yanked her to her feet.
“I found you, Megan,” he spat, his face so close to hers that she could smell his minty breath. Her stomach rolled, and threatened to empty itself all over him. She tried to break free, but he gripped her tightly and lifted her until her toes barely touched the ground. “Did you really think you could leave me?”
She didn’t reply. She couldn’t. The sight of his cruel eyes and sneering mouth had paralyzed her. Her worst nightmare in the flesh.
“You’ve had your fun,” he growled, his voice far too loud considering how close he was. “You made a fool of me. Threatened my promotion. Was that what you wanted?”
“No,” she whispered. In truth, she didn’t want anything when it came to Charles, except for him to be out of her life.
“Of course it fucking was,” he said, and she knew he honestly believed it. In Charles’s eyes, everything she did was intended to have an effect on him. He couldn’t comprehend that she might ever do anything for a reason other than impressing, hurting, or humiliating him. He was the most self-centered person she’d ever known. “And now it’s time to come home and fix the mess you made.” He let her go, and when her legs gave out, he turned away in disgust.
She got to her feet and threw her shoulders back. “I’m not coming with you.”
He raised a hand, and she flinched instinctively. His lip curled. “You will, Meggie. You’ll do exactly as I say.”
“I won’t.” She hid her trembling hands behind her back and tried to act like someone stronger than herself. Someone like her sister, Mikayla, or any of the women she’d met here. “You can’t hit me. We’re in public.”
He glanced around. “Who’s going to stop me? That granny over there who’s pretending not to watch you make a scene? Give me a break.”
Megan didn’t look where he’d gestured. She wasn’t stupid enough to take her attention off him. Raising her chin, she repeated, “I’m not coming with you.”
He advanced, and her head spun so dizzyingly she feared she’d faint. He didn’t stop until they stood chest to chest. He wasn’t a bulky guy, but he was larger than her, and they both knew it.
“Don’t be ridiculous. Get in the car. We’re going home. You have a fuck ton of damage to repair.”
“No.” Her heart was a butterfly fluttering against the inside of her ribcage. She’d never been so frightened in her life, but it was time to make a stand. She wouldn’t let this bastard control her anymore. “Go away, Charles. I’m not coming back with you. Leave me the hell alone.”
* * *
When his cell phone rang,Tione set down the vegetable peeler, dried his hands, and answered. “Kia ora.”
“Tione,” a voice hissed down the line. “It’s Nell.”
He frowned. He hadn’t even known Nell—another of the local retirees—had his number. “What do you need?”
“Come down to the beach immediately.” Her tone was urgent, and he responded without thinking, covering the vegetables with a napkin and striding to the exit. “There’s an angry guy in a suit talking to your lady friend,” she continued. “I think he’s threatening her. Trying to get her to go with him.”
Motherfucker.
Shoving his phone into his pocket, he broke into a run. In a matter of seconds, the beach came into sight, and so did the tall asshole who was dragging Megan over the sand while she flailed, trying to break free. Her face was twisted in pain, and deathly pale, which highlighted the fading bruises left by the monster who had her in his grip.
Tione’s vision tunneled until all he could see was the man’s crushing hold on Megan’s forearm. He wanted to smash the fucker’s face. To beat him until he apologized for every ounce of pain he’d ever caused her. But he checked himself. She was frightened enough. She didn’t need him adding fuel to the fire. She needed him to stay calm. She needed a hero, even if he was undeserving of the title.
The man caught sight of him, and his lips curled into a smirk. Tione knew his type. Expensive suit, expensive watch, probably had a car worth six figures to overcompensate for his tiny dick and shitty personality.
He halted, blocking the man’s way. “Get your hands off her, and back the fuck away.”
The man’s eyes narrowed, and Tione didn’t like the coldness in them. “Mind your own business, buddy. My girlfriend and I have private matters to discuss.”
Megan shot him a look full of desperation and fear. He wished he could tear the man to shreds so she never had to worry about him again. “Doesn’t look like she wants to talk,buddy, and if you’re the bastard who hurt her, you’d better leave before I call for reinforcements.” His hands fisted at his sides. “My friends don’t like men who hit women.”
The man jerked Megan’s arm, and she yelped. He reeled her into his side and put an arm around her shoulders. She immediately shrugged out of his embrace, but he didn’t release her.