Chapter Fifteen

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Vaughn

G lancing at the clock on my phone, I groan. There's fifteen minutes left before I can head over to the apartment over Get Baked. I'm not usually the type of worker who watches the clock, hoping that I can leave a few minutes early. Tonight that has changed. I'm anxious to get to Val's apartment, to spend time with her, and make memories that will keep me occupied the next stretch that I'm gone from Broken Falls.

A Broken Falls Municipal Utility truck comes to a stop right in front of me. One of the trimming crew supervisors is staring at me. "Can I get your iPad? I'm taking them back to the station and docking them so that we can get a list of where we need to send the crews out next week."

"Yeah," I finish making the last note, digitally sign off on it, and hand it over. "See you on Monday."

"See ya." He salutes before driving off, going to get the last of the iPads.

Now that I'm off the clock, I'm beyond ready to head over to Val's. I'm only one street over and I'll be able to get there in less than five minutes. When I pull into the parking area behind Get Baked, Val is standing on her landing, arguing with a man. They're both gesturing, and she has her arms crossed over her chest.

There's fear in her pose. The type of fear I've never seen in her before. The man is towering over her, leaning in so that he's in a position of power. My blood is boiling as I think about someone trying to intimidate her. It doesn't sit well with me and I have half a mind to go up there and start throwing fists before I ask any questions.

Getting out of my truck, I slam the door. "Val! You okay?"

Her head whips to the side, and the relief that washes across her face is evident. "I will be."

I don't take my time walking up to where she is, I take the stairs two at a time, allowing my long legs to eat up the distance. "What's going on here?" I stop next to her, and tuck her into my side, throwing my arm around her shoulder.

"My uncle was just leaving." She says the words with such venom, I can't believe they're coming from her mouth.

For the first time I allow my gaze to take him in. He looks like a preacher on Sunday, dressed in a suit with his hair slicked back, and freshly shaven. He's not one of those ones that spend most of their time on Instagram or TikTok talking about how God forgives. No, this one looks like one of the hellfire and brimstone types - the one who tells you not to do anything to anger God, because it may be unforgivable. He's the type of man who insists the women in his orbit wear skirts, and have dinner on the table every night. I know because that's the type of man my mom married after she left my dad. "Is he?" I look pointedly at him. "We have plans tonight, and I don't really want to include him in them."

"Valentina, you should not be alone with a man in your home." He doesn't look at me, he slides his judging gaze over to her. "That would disappoint the Lord."

She inhales deeply, before stomping her foot. "No, you know what disappoints the Lord? The way you take a new wife every two years. The way you snuck into my bedroom the night before I left. The way my father bows to you because he thinks you can get him to Heaven with no stops to answer for the bad things he's done."

Fuming doesn't even begin to cover where my head is when I hear her say he snuck into her bedroom. This. Motherfucker. I've never thought I could kill someone with my bare hands, but the way he's smirking at her? I'd like to knock it sideways off his fucking face. "Do you want this piece of shit here, Val?"

She pulls her bottom lip in between her teeth, and the way her brows pinch together tells me more about her inner struggles than anything else could. I'm silently begging her to take a stand, much like she did when she moved here. When she makes the decision, it shows in her face, by the clench of her jaw and the clearness of her eyes. "No, no, I don't. This is my home, and I don't want him here."

That's everything I needed to hear. "Alright, you heard her. She doesn't want you here. Turn your ass around, take it down those stairs, get in your vehicle, and leave. Is that clear enough for you?"

"I'll be back." The man says. "You don't leave your family."

"Did you just threaten her?" I hook my thumb over toward Val. "She may be willing to stand for it, but I sure as fuck won't. You come back here, you'll deal with me. You got that?"

He swallows so loudly and hard I can hear it and see his Adam's apple bob up and down. "You can't threaten me, not when I'm protected." He says quickly before running down the steps.

What the fuck does that even mean?

We watch him leave, and then Val collapses into my arms, shaking so hard I have to tighten my grip around her. Pulling her face out of my neck, I palm her cheeks. "Are you okay?"

"No." She shakes her head, sniffling. This breaks my heart, seeing her like this, knowing this man was able to intimidate her. "He will be back, and he'll bring more members of my family with him." With angry gestures she wipes at the tears. "I'll have to leave here."

Dread spreads along my stomach as I think about my life without her. "The fuck you will."

"How am I supposed to protect myself? They know where I live now."

The answer comes out before I can even think about it, before I weigh the pros and cons, and realize what I'm getting myself into. It's spur of the moment and a reaction to this woman possibly being taken from me. I won't stand for it, can't stand for it. "Then I'll stay here with you. Become your roommate until you feel safe, or until you get enough money to move someplace else."

"Vaughn, you have your own life, your own home."

Moving one of my hands to her neck, the other to the back of her head, I force those eyes of hers to meet mine. "None of that matters if I know you aren't safe, Val. Don't know when, don't know why, but you've become an important piece of my life I'm not willing to negotiate on. I have a bag in the truck, and we have a date on your couch."

"It's a studio apartment." She reminds me, her bottom lip trembling.

"We'll make it work."

But in the back of my mind, I don't know how the fuck I'm gonna keep my hands off her in such a small space. Biggest issue though? I'm not sure I want to.

"Vaughn..." She sighs an hour later when we've gone through the apartment and checked the windows, along with anything else she was worried about. "You don't have to stay here. I've lived portions of my life in fear. This isn't anything new for me."

The fact that she's lived in fear pisses me the fuck off. "No, there is a lot new here, Val. You didn't have anyone to protect you before, which is a goddamn shame."

She flinches. "Please don't take the name in vain like that. I may not agree with the ferocity of my family and their religion, but there are certain things that are ingrained into me."

"Is that why I've never heard you cuss?" I walk over to her, crowding her personal space. "I've wondered what it would sound like to hear a filthy word come from this mouth." I use my thumb to trail along her plump bottom lip.

Her eyelids flutter, and I know I've gotten to her. "Yes, we weren't allowed to curse. I don't know if I've ever said a four-letter word."

I laugh, tilting my forehead down so that they touch. "My goal is to make one of those escape when you least expect it, babe. I'm gonna do it."

Her eyebrows raise. "You have a pet name for me now?"

"Never had one for anyone else, but it feels right. We're roomies, we should get close." I'm playing with fire, and we both know it. I've gone down to my truck and gotten my bag. "Mind if I go take a shower? It's been a long day."

"No, feel free." She pulls back. "Do you want some dinner? I'm not used to cooking for two, but we should be good for a few days. I just don't know what you like."

I'd love to tell her everything I like to eat, but none of that includes food, and neither one of us are ready for it. "Whatever you make I'll enjoy. I can promise you that."

She gazes at me with scared eyes, and I take a moment to try and put myself in her shoes. How this has turned into something she never asked for. Walking the few steps over to where she is, I cup her cheek in my palm. "We're gonna make it through this, Val. It's going to be weird at first. I've never stayed or lived with a woman either, and I'm beginning to understand your situation before you escaped."

"I left."

"You. Escaped. Make no mistake about it. They would have snuffed you out like the flame on a flickering candle. There was no oxygen there for you to keep growing, and you knew it. You made a difficult decision and I'm going to help you live that life. If you need me to be here and make sure you're safe, then that's what I'm going to do. No one is going to hurt you on my watch."

She presses her cheek into my hand. "No one's ever protected me before, Vaughn."

I'm about to say something that I know I won't be able to take back. I'm putting myself out there in a way I never have, not with anyone, and especially not with a woman I'm coming to care significantly for. "Then let me be your first for everything."

"Do you know what you're saying?"

I nod. "Yeah, I know exactly what I'm saying."

"You might regret it." She whispers.

"And I know I'm not going to. I'm going to be what you need, I promise you that."