Compelled (The Secrets of Dragons Book 1) (8 page)

Had Joe been this much of an asshole while she was dating him? Had she really lowered her standards so much she had been with him in the first place? Somehow her memories of Joe were different than the man who was in her bed threatening to make her evict him. He had never called her sugar before. He was right about the residency thing though.

With a heavy sigh, she leaned back into the chair trying to relax. She needed to get up and find out what he had done to the garage door. She also needed to deadbolt it. The garage was an add-on her grandmother had wanted so she wouldn’t get all wet carrying groceries into the house. There had already been a door off the kitchen for the porch, so to access the garage they had put another door, kitty-corner to the first. The outer door was always locked, but she rarely locked the one going into the garage. Obviously it had been a mistake.

Lou gasped and shot to her feet, running back into the house. If Joe wanted to be a complete prick, her keys were on the hook and he could lock her outside and leave her no way to get in. He was still in the bed. “Hey, sugar, what about my coffee?” he called out.

Lou ignored him, taking her keys and her purse back outside with her. Just for good measure, she slammed the door on the way out.

Chapter Seven

When the phone rang, it jarred Lou bolt upright in surprise. She had been sitting outside so long, trying to avoid Joe, the sun had set. She was sound asleep and shivering from the falling temperature. “Hello?” she mumbled into the phone.

“Hey, you okay?” asked Alex. “You sound sleepy.”

“I was sitting outside watching the sunset. It was so peaceful out here, I dozed off.” It sounded better than the truth. She didn’t know if she wanted to tell them about Joe. To tell them the truth would probably send Alex into a rage, and she certainly didn’t want that. Should she say she was letting him stay with her for a few days until he could get his car fixed? It wasn’t a complete lie, but also could be taken she wanted Joe to stay. Lou didn’t want to do anything to hurt Alex or Eric. “How’s Eric feeling?”

“He woke up feeling fine. We were thinking about coming over. We want to talk to you.”

Shit! “Joe’s here.” She couldn’t lie to him.

“Your ex? Why is he there?”

“I don’t want you to get mad. He was here when I got home. His car is in the shop and he has no place to go. He’s staying for a few days, and I don’t feel comfortable leaving him alone in my house.”

Silence on the line, she waited. He was still there; she could hear him breathing. “Alex?”

“My only question is why you’re letting him stay there. I thought you were done with him.”

“I am. I swear it. He did a change of address when he was living here. By law, that means this is his residence, but I never thought it would be a problem. I was going to call the police and have him thrown out, but he doesn’t have to leave. He said he’ll leave as soon as his car is fixed.”

“Do you want him there?”

“No! I came out to sit on the back porch because I didn’t want to deal with him. As I said, I stayed out here so long I fell asleep.”

His breathing was heavy, and it was making her nervous. “Don’t be mad at me. I just don’t want the hassle of trying to kick him out when it’s only for a few days.” Why was she explaining this? It wasn’t as if she were doing anything wrong and needed to feel guilty.

“Did he ever hurt you?”

That was a question she hadn’t expected. “He dumped me for the teenybopper. If you mean physically, no.”

“Did he ever steal from you?”

“No.”

“Then why are you afraid to leave him alone?”

It was a legitimate question. “It’s just a feeling I have. This may sound nuts, but I knew he was here or someone was here the moment I walked in the door. I don’t know why; I just don’t trust him.”

“Do you trust me?”

“Yes. Completely.” It was the truth, she did trust him and Eric. They had never given her a reason not to, and she had never doubted their honesty. “Shouldn’t I?”

“Of course you should. Should we trust you?”

“I almost lied to you because I was afraid you wouldn’t believe me. I didn’t, because I couldn’t. I would never do anything to hurt you or Eric. Telling you the truth was hard, but it was my only option.”

“Thank you for not lying. Did you once trust Joe?”

No was the word that came to mind. “I wanted to trust him.”

“But you never did, right?”

“Honestly I didn’t. It’s weird. I was asking myself earlier if he was the same man I dated because he’s such an asshole. I guess he’s always been that way. I just didn’t want to see it.”

“That happens sometimes. I was going to ask if you want to take a ride over to the house for a few days. Luke called and wants us to approve a few things before he does them. Eric and I were going to take the RV and go riding and such. I guess not, huh?”

Lou wanted desperately to go. She had met Luke on one of their horse riding expeditions, and he was really nice. He was also doing a fantastic job on the house. “When are you leaving?”

“In the morning.”

“Can’t you put it off for a few days until Joe leaves?”

“We could just take the bikes over there for the day and then come back. Unfortunately, then we might have to go back the next day if we don’t get everything resolved. The road leading to the house has got some really rough patches. The RV handles them okay, but it’s tough on the bikes. The contractor who’s doing the road over had an emergency, and he can’t start it until next week.”

“Can’t you hire someone else?” She was grasping at straws to keep them from going. It really wasn’t fair to them or her. It wasn’t like she wanted to stay and keep an eye on Joe.

“We could, but we know this guy and he really needs the work.”

“Oh. There’s not much I can say. I want to go with you, but I just don’t trust Joe to not take my stuff when he leaves. I don’t have much of any real value, but it’s not like what I do have will fit in the car.”

“I understand, Lou. We wouldn’t go if we didn’t have to. If we don’t go, the repairs to the house will be put on hold. We want to move back in at some point.”

She knew that. “What happens when you do?”

“I’m not sure what you’re asking.”

“What happens to us when you move back into your house?”

“Ah. Eric and I want things to continue with us. We were even considering asking you to come stay with us, but then you would have to figure out what to do with your house and your things. You’re obviously very attached to them.”

The comment stung. They were things she could bring with her, she simply had no other place to put them at the moment. “I love this house because it belonged to my grandmother. Once my measly memorabilia is out, I would have no problem renting it. If things between us worked out long term, I would sell it. I didn’t mean to insinuate my stuff is more important than you and Eric. It’s not.”

“Wow. Where did that come from? I wasn’t insulting you. I said I understand. Eric and I have things we would be heartbroken to lose. We did lose some of them. They were damaged or broken by the storm and can’t be replaced.”

That was sad, and she was glad she had taken him wrong, but it had sounded like an insult. “I’m sorry to hear that. I didn’t consider the contents of the house. How much was damaged?”

“A few things. We lost a photo album with pictures of our ancestors. That really sucked. The pictures were water damaged. Unfortunately, we weren’t here, and by the time we got to go through the stuff they were partially disintegrated and moldy. It was painful to throw them out.”

She had pictures around the house that would be hard to lose. “That sounds horrible.”

“It happens and some things can’t be changed. I’m sorry you can’t go with us. Eric and I are going to get a bite to eat, and there’s a new movie we both want to see. Are you sure you can’t leave even for a little while to go with us?”

Lou was torn between a feeling she should say no and a desire to see them. If she didn’t go with them tonight, it might be days before she saw them again. Wednesday seemed so far away. “Okay. I guess a few hours won’t hurt.”

****

Alex sighed as he set the phone down. “I’m trying not to get mad over this.”

“Over what?” asked Eric with a concerned tilt of his head.

Alex inhaled deeply and blew it out before he spoke. “Lou just informed me her ex was at the house when she got home. She’s allowing him to stay for a few days until he gets his car fixed. She’s afraid to take off with us because she doesn’t trust Joe alone in her house. I want to go over there and rip the guy’s head off.”

“I guess that fucks up our plans to take her to the house to talk to her. What did she say about dinner?”

“She said yes, and to give her half an hour or so to pull herself together. I don’t want to discuss things this way. I don’t want to tell her in a situation where she can walk away and not give our reality a chance to sink in. We also can’t show her if we’re in a public setting.”

“Obviously. We’ll just have to wait until Joe leaves. You don’t think she’s still got a thing for him, do you?”

“I don’t get that impression. She just said she’s uneasy about leaving him in her house alone. It almost sounded as if she were having a premonition. I have to wonder if that’s related to the sleeping too much.”

Eric pursed his lips, twitching them from side to side as he considered the question. It was an absolutely adorable habit and made him long to kiss Eric. “Will you stop doing that,” he said with a chuckle.

“Doing what?”

“The gymnastic moves with your lips. I’m watching you, thinking about kissing them, and remembering how good that funky flex of your mouth feels on my cock.”

Eric laughed. “I guess now is a bad time for that. I didn’t do it intentionally. I was wondering if we should bother Yassie again or just wait and try to get a feel if Lou has ever had
feelings
about things before.”

“I’d rather wait.”

“Then we had better get our asses up and get dressed. Where are we going to eat?”

“I have no clue. How about the catfish place by the bridge? I could go for a steak and their buffet is to kill for.”

Eric rose from the sofa. “Sounds good to me.”

****

Lou walked into the house. She could hear the television in the bedroom. Was Joe honestly still crashed in her bed? A glance told her the coffee pot was still off and he always left it turned on. Had he even bothered to get up and make himself a cup? She tiptoed into the bedroom, hoping he was asleep.

Joe looked up as she snuck into the room. “I thought you were making me coffee.”

“That was hours ago, and I told you to make it yourself. I’m not your girlfriend anymore, Joe.” Lou glanced into the mirror, glad she hadn’t completely mussed her hair up during her nap. “I’m going out for a little while.”

“Oh,” he said in a downtrodden tone. “I was hoping you would make me some dinner.”

He was unbelievable. “If you can’t manage to cook for yourself, there’s tuna in the pantry. Have a sandwich.”

“Going out with your new boyfriend?”

His voice held a taunting quality that was extremely childish.

She didn’t want to give him any idea of how long she would be gone. Lou had no problem lying to Joe. He had certainly lied to her enough. “I just want to get out of the house.”

“Maybe you could pick me up some take out?”

“Maybe you can shove it up your ass?”

He rolled his eyes, grunting in a show of dismay. “I have no idea what your problem is. I came back, didn’t I? You’re my home base, Lou. I missed you.”

“I didn’t miss you. You left me flat, Joe. What was I supposed to do, hang around and wait?”

“Obviously you didn’t, so what’s the big deal? We both went our separate ways and had some fun. Now we get it back together.”

Is that what he really thought would happen? He had to be joking. “No. We don’t get back together. You get your ass on the phone and find somewhere else to stay. Listen to me carefully. I don’t want you back. I don’t want you in my house. I’m done with you. I’ve moved on to greener pastures. I expect you to leave in the morning. I’m not putting up with this shit for the next three or so days until you get your car back.” She grabbed clean clothing from the drawer and then spun back toward him. “While you’re at it, pack up the shit you have strewn around my bedroom and take it into the living room. You’re not sleeping in my bed tonight.”

“But, Lou.”

“But nothing. You started this shit of greener pastures and then discovered maybe what you had was better. Now I’m finishing it and what I have
is
better. I want you gone from my life, Joe.”

He stared at her as if he was truly wounded. He wasn’t going to get to her with puppy dog eyes and mournful sighs. It wasn’t happening. She took a clean shirt and a pair of jeans from the closet and walked out of the room. Within ten minutes, she was clean and walking out the door. She had put in a quick call to Alex to tell him she was driving her car down to his RV.

When she got there, she knocked on the door. Eric opened the door, grinning. “Why did you want to drive?”

“I told Joe I was only going for a quick ride and this way he will have to think twice about ripping me off.”

He ushered her in with a wave of his hand. “Do you really fear he will?”

“I don’t know. He never robbed anything before. Of course I made things worse by confronting him.”

“About what?” asked Alex.

“I guess Joe was under the illusion we were taking up where we left off. I informed him it was not happening. I also told him I want him out by morning. I don’t want to do anything to feed into his misbelief of reconciliation.”

“That was probably a good idea, but you’re right, it might make him more tempted to steal something and leave tonight.”

“Yeah, exactly. I do want to go out to dinner. I’m starved and I want to be with the two of you.”

Alex smiled, but she took note his skin had a reddish tint to it. Even odder was the pale sort of lavender hue shadowing Eric’s face. Maybe he was still sick. “Are you feeling okay, Eric?”

“Fine, why?”

It must just be her imagination. “I was just asking.”

“Shall we go?” asked Alex as he grabbed his keys. “Too bad your car is so small and won’t hold all three of us.”