Chapter 9

Haisley heard the shower running while she checked the windows to make sure they were locked. The last thing she wanted was someone coming in while they were at the hotel. It made her feel weird that Robert—Peach would pay for her hotel room. She didn't want him to spend money on her because when guys spent money on women, they expected things she wasn't willing to give.

The windows in the main living areas of the house were locked, and she headed back to her bedroom when she heard something that sounded like a door closing. Her heart picked up speed as she paused to listen to the noise and determine what had happened.

She heard another noise and turned, expecting to see Peach, but there wasn’t anyone in the hall with her. Sometimes, weird noises happened, and it wasn't anything to worry about. She'd turned back to finish her way into the bedroom when she felt a rush of air. Then someone had their hand over her mouth, and they were dragging her toward the door.

Was Peach attacking her? She thrashed, trying to get loose, but he held her too tight. She couldn’t see who had her. Then the man seemed taller and thinner than Peach. There were a few seconds where panic won as the man dragged her across the den. Fighting was her only escape.

Haisley tried to reach for the man’s head, but he twisted her, making it impossible to hold on to his head or shoulders. His hold was punishing as he gripped her face like he wanted to hurt her. She opened her mouth and tried to scream, but his fingers invaded, making it impossible to get out much sound.

In an effort to escape, she bit down, hoping to cause enough pain he would let go. The man screamed and then punched her in the side of the head. She went down hard to her knees, her hands flopping on the floor seconds later.

“You goddamn bitch!” the guy yelled. She thought she recognized his voice but wasn’t sure.

In an effort to escape, Haisley tried crawling away, but he grabbed her ankle and yanked her back.

“Help!” Her voice was weakened by fear. It was almost like those dreams of screaming where she couldn’t get anything out.

This man was going to kill her. The thought of her baby being harmed filled her with so much anger she kicked out, missing his face but hitting his shoulder.

He let go, and she flipped over. The man was still coming after her, but she would make him pay.

"Listen here, you?—"

His words were cut off, and she glanced over her shoulder, seeing Peach in his underwear and holding the man at an odd angle. It looked like the man was having trouble breathing. Peach held on until the guy slumped in his arms.

Peach didn’t waste any time and grabbed a lamp, ripping the cord off before tying the guy’s hands behind his back. He stood and raced into the kitchen and opened the pantry door, coming back seconds later with duct tape.

“W-what are you doing?” Haisley asked.

“Making sure he doesn’t run,” Peach said. He wrapped some tape over the man’s jeans at his ankles.

Haisley watched in fascination as Peach turned the man over, lifted the mask that covered his face, and then snapped a photo. The outgoing message sound played on his phone before he looked up and met her gaze.

Peach only had on his underwear. Her gaze slid down his body. She shouldn't be looking, but she couldn't help herself. He had an amazing body and a few scars, but overall, he was perfect. Then her gaze dropped to his bulge, and she glanced away, embarrassed that she'd been looking at him that way.

“Do you know this man?” Peach asked.

Haisley looked closer. “I think he works for the sheriff’s office, but I don’t know him.”

Peach tapped his phone screen and played the sound over the speaker. The emergency operator answered, doing her spiel about how they could direct his call.

“Someone broke in and attacked us.”

“Please give your address.”

Peach listed his parents' address as he kept his eyes on her. A shiver slid through her, and she hugged her knees close. She listened as Peach explained that he’d come out of the bathroom and found the man attacking his friend. The person said that the police would be there shortly.

Fear slid through her. What if the cops arrested her? They had no reason to, but the police around here weren’t reasonable where she was concerned. Sheriff Eason had broken the law and didn’t want her telling anyone.

She wanted to tell Peach they should run, but he didn’t seem like the kind of man who ran from trouble. Peach ended the call, and a text message pinged on his phone.

“Who is that texting you?”

“I had friends run this guy’s photo. They sent me information about him. He was fired from the Virginia Beach police force and put on trial for assaulting a minor. He pled no contest. He shouldn’t be working for the police in any capacity, but he’s one of the deputies here.”

A shiver slid down her spine. “What are they going to do to us?”

Peach looked up and met her gaze. “Nothing. I’ve got people on base working on contacting people here in Georgia. Someone will show up soon. Don’t worry. The police aren’t going to do anything to you.”

The look in Peach’s eyes sent a shiver through her. “Why are you helping me? I’m just trouble.”

Peach snorted and then laughed. Her mouth fell open as she stared at him. How could he laugh at a time like this?

“You aren’t trouble, darling. This is nothing. Trust me, worse shit happens all the time. This is just life. Now then, I need to get some pants on, or the police might get some ideas that they don't need to get." Peach turned and headed down the hall. “Yell if he moves,” Peach threw over his shoulder before he stepped into the bedroom.

Haisley stared at the man on the ground, praying that he didn’t wake up. She didn’t want to deal with him again. Something deep in the recesses of her mind told her that this guy had been one of the people there that night. For all she knew, the baby in her could be his. A part of her never wanted to find out who it belonged to. If she didn't know, then she could pretend that the baby's father was a good man. Once she knew which one of these slimeballs supplied his sperm, then she would think about what had happened. She'd lost too many babies over the course of the years she'd been with Will. She wanted to be happy and enjoy her child, even if she'd conceived them in a terrible way.

After her last miscarriage, the doctor told her she would probably never have a baby. Maybe it was Will’s fault, or maybe there wasn’t any blame to go around. But this time was different. The doctor she'd gone to had checked, and the baby was healthy. Now, she just had to get through a few more months, and everything would be okay. She just hoped none of these jerks did anything to end her pregnancy because she knew she would never do this again.