Territory - Prequel (11 page)

“
The grabber?
 
Not sure, just heard Hank call him Mitchell.  Tonight’s the first night I’v
e seen him.  But Hank’s a
straight arrow
.  Tough as nails too, h
e won’t let Mitchell rough-up your friend.”

The revelation while meant to be comforting had the opposite effect.  “Thanks.” Chloe
hurried
out the door, hoping to find
Marissa still in the parking lot.  She wasn’t, but Mitchell was.

Chapter
10

Chloe
quickly changed course and jerked the keys out of her purse as she dropped her eyes and headed for her car.

“Hey!” she heard Mitchell yell.  “You’re friend and Hank ditched me.”

She
walked faster, fingering the key to her ignition as she hit the auto button that unlocked the doors.  Her heart rate kicked up when she heard the unmistakable sound of shoe leather slapping on the concrete indicating that Mitchell was
running towards her.

“Hey pretty lady, wait.”

She was almost to her car when Mitchell grabbed her arm and spun her to him.  He grabbed both elbows and pulled her body into his as he breathed foul air down on her.  “Where you going?”

“Home.
  Let me go!” she tried to pull from his grip, but he only held her tighter, sliding his arms to wrap them around her body.

“I heard you tell your friend that we could go to your apartment.”

“I meant me and her.” 
Chloe frowned up at the taller man, “Let me go.  You’re drunk.”

He leaned closer, “Don’t be like that.”

Having had enough, Chloe shoved at him and tried to jerk free
.  She’d grown up with an older brother, and had learned at an early age to defend herself against a larger male
.  “Get your fucking hands off me!”

His hold didn’t break and Mitchell just laughed,
“Fucking hands?”  He leaned down to whisper loudly in her ear, “
That
gives me an idea.”

Chloe’s anger quickly turned to terror when she realized the
asshole
wasn’t going to let her go.  She fumbled with her keys in one hand until she found the button she was looking for.
 
She’d
fight him if she had to
but
hoped
scaring him off would
be more effective
.
  She hit the panic mode and the horn began to blare repeatedly while the lights flashed
on and off.

Mitchell
loosened his grip to cover his ears, “Hey, shut it off!”

Chloe shoved at his chest putting some space between them and turned to race for her car.  She didn’t make it.  Strong arms wrapped around her and
pulled her to him as he grabbed her wrists and wrestled her for the car keys.  When he got them from her, he hit the panic button again and the horn stopped.
  She was on the verge of screaming when a familiar voice stopped her.

“Let her go!”

Mitchell spun with Chloe still trapped in his arms to frown across the parking lot at Dell.  “Mind your own business buddy.  She’s with me.”

Relief washed over
Chloe
, and she struggled to free herself from Mitchell’s arms.  “Let me go
!
”

Dell’s angry eyes slid from Mitchell to Chloe then back.  “
Release her
!”
  He dipped his head and glared at the other man before warning, “I won’t tell you again.”

Mitchell tightened his grip and laughed.  It was the last sound he made. 

One second Chloe was shoving against his vice-like grip and the next she was on the ground.  She rolled in the gravel parking lot, snatched up her keys that were knocked a few feet away
then
rolled again when she heard a strange gasping sound.  Her eyes locked on Dell as he crouched over Mitchell.  One large hand was clamped around Mitchell’s throat and
the
drunken
man’s
eyes bulged in his blue face as he clawed at Dell’s hand.

Chloe scrambled to her feet, “Dell, stop!”  She barely recognized him for the rage that was registered on his face. 
His eyes were darker, his bone structure seemed more pronounced,
and there was no way she could miss the deep snarl that emitted from his lips.  Her eyes flashed to Mitchell, who was gulping at the air but was
no longer making any
sound.  “Jesus Dell, you’re killing him.  STOP!”  She reached down and pulled on his shoulder.  She didn’t expect the vicious snarl as Dell partially lunged at her while keeping his hand firmly locked on Mitchell’s throat.  Startled, she jumped back and landed on her ass when she failed to
catch herself.  Her mouth was open and she scrambled away from Dell as fear rushed forward.

Seeming to notice her
reaction
, Dell’s features relaxed and he slowly turned his sneer from Chloe to Mitchell as he carefully release
d
his
grip
.

Mit
chell sucked in a long gasp
as tears slid down his cheeks, and when Dell slowly stood lifting his weight off the other man, Mitchell rolled coughing and sputtering as he fought to fill his starved lungs.  

“If you ever touch her again, I’ll fucking kill you.”

The words were spoken so calmly that Chloe simply stared at Dell in shock. 
When he approached, she fought the instinct to crawl backward.  He looked different now, like the Dell she knew.  His features had returned to normal and now in comparison she realized just how scary he’d actually
appeared
in his anger.

He approached then squatted so they were eye level.  “I’m sorry I frightened you.  Are you okay?”

Unable to find her voice, she simply nodded.

“Did he hurt you?”

She shook her head and lifted a hand to brush back some hair that had fallen free
of her ponytail
.  She stilled when she heard Dell growl.  He wasn’t looking at her, but at her hand.  She pulled it down to study it only to realize she was bleeding. 
I must have cut myself when I fell
. 
When she looked up again Dell was standing and turned back to Mitchell.  She heard him growl again and when she peered around his legs she saw that Mitchell was gone.

“Let me help you.”  Dell held out a hand, but she knew better than to accept it.
 

Still convinced that he’d done something to her when he touched her at the supermarket, she eyed his hand nervously before she inched backward and slowly stood.  She fought
a wince as she pushed
up
off her bleeding palms.  “I’m fine thanks.”  Standing she looked down at her
hands
and picked out a few pebbles that had been imbedded there. 
 

“Boyfriend of yours?”

She didn’t miss the anger in Dell’s tone, and
couldn’t
understand
its source. 
“Obviously not!”

“So you were just going
to take him home and he got out of hand?”

She knew she was supposed to be grateful, but his low opinion of her prevented her lips from staying closed. 
She dropped her hands. 
“Fuck you, I’m not like that!”

Dell took a deep breath.  “Come on, I’ll give you a ride home.”

Palming her keys, Chloe eyed her car.  “I’m good, but thanks for the offer.”  She made to turn but Dell caught the sleeve of her shirt.

“You’re drunk Chloe, and I’m not asking.”  He pulled and she had to turn to keep from falling as he led her back toward the bar. 

“I am
not
drunk!” she argued, while noting that she
was feeling a little queasy.  She shouldn’t have had so many shots
.
 
Damn Marissa! 
She tried to pull free
of his grip
but nearly tripped over the curb.

Dell stopped walking to frown at her, “Shall I carry you?”

The threat was there.  He knew she feared his touch and was using it
to force her compliance
.  She looked down at her keys and hit the button that locked her doors.  The horn sounded once and she frowned up at him, shrugging off his hand.  “I can walk.”  She pinned her eyes on the lone black truck that sat parked in front of the bar.

When he released her shirt
,
he crossed to the passenger side door and held it open. 

She
used the
stirrup to help her climb in, but nearly lost her balance. 
She was drunker than she thought. 
Dell’s firm hand on her ass had her tensing before she climbed into the seat then ignored him as he closed the truck door.

“Your
mother’s I presume?” He started the truck and pulled away from the curb.

She desperately wanted to go to her own apartment, but remembered that she’d left her mother’s TV on.  She didn’t want Bea to wake
only
to discover that
her daughter had
snuck out.  Not to mention that for some odd reason, she
also
didn’t want Dell to know where she lived.  “Yes.”

He
turned to
frown at her then put his eyes back on the road, “What were you doing with him?”

“I wasn’t with
him
.  I met my friend
Marissa out and she just left with his friend.  Apparently he thought it was an invitation.”

“Well if you didn’t dress like that, it wouldn’t invite trouble.”

Her mouth fell open as she dropped her head to eye her attire.
She still wore the clothes she’d dressed in that morning to clean house. 
“I’m wearing jeans and a t-shirt,”
she ground out in incredulity.

Dell snorted.

“Well what are
you
doing out so late?  Trying to find a chip
py?”  She hated that instead of sounding condescending she sounded jealous.

“Luckily for you I was down the road at
the Hunt Inn having a beer with my pa…my friends,” he amended.

“So it’s okay for you to drink and drive, but not me?”

“
I’m
not drunk.”

“Neither am I!”  The longer she sat though, the more the effects of the alcohol were taking their toll.  She desperately needed a glass of water
, a handful of aspirin,
and a bed.

“And I wasn’t just attacked by some drunk trying to rape me.”

To that Chloe didn’t respond.  She
was just
realiz
ing
how serious the situation
had been
and how
much worse it would
have been
if Dell hadn’t shown up
.

The silence in the truck stretched a few miles before Chloe finally wrapped her arms around her waist and offered, “Thanks for saving me.”

Dell looked at her and misunderstood her
posture.
  He flipped on the heat and mumbled, “You’re welcome.”

She turned to frown out the window, “Must be nice to be a big guy.  You can go out and have a drink with your friends anytime with
out having to worry about being
attacked.”

“Why wasn’t your boyfriend with you?  He should take better care of you.”

She dropped her head to pick at the blood that was crusting on her palm.  “I don’t have a boyfriend.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know,” she snapped.  “Do you have a girlfriend?”

“No.”

“Why?” she challenged.

He smiled, “I haven’t yet found what I’m looking for.”  He turned to her, his eyes dipping to her chest then back up.

She felt her cheeks warm and turned to look out the window.

“Here,” he brushed her knee
and she felt a slight jolt
of electricity shoot from her knee to course through her body
as he leaned over and popped the glove box.  He pulled out a couple of kerchiefs and handed them to her.  “They’re clean.  Use ‘em to wrap your hands.”

Accepting the kerchiefs, her eyes snagged on his forearm.  Three bands of slightly varying sizes were tattooed around the widest part of his forearm.  She remembered the tattoos. 
The school had been abuzz when he’d shown up with them in high school. 
His sister and his brothers shared the same mark.  She wondered if all his family wore the bands.

The truck was silent again and whether it was from the alcohol or his proximity, Chloe
tensed
and turned
watching
the world race by as she fought back tears.  “I don’t want to hate your family Dell.”