Page 160 of My Heart Still Beats
“You going to sic your ferocious little dog on us?” Garrett says, laughing.
What a fucking creep! How did I ever think I was in love with this asshole? I didn’t even understand what love was.
I couldn’t date until I was seventeen, and I went wild in college. All those physical feelings were new to me, and I mistook them for love.
Every single time, I mistook them for love.
Not anymore. What I feel for Ben goes so far beyond anything I thought I felt for Garrett or anyone else. We didn’t get physical right away, which was my MO before.
We didn’t…
He wouldn’t even kiss me.
And now that we’ve been together? I know how much better the physical is when the emotion is also present.
My God…
Both of these men took something from me. David stole my innocence, and Garrett stole my spirit.
My innocence may be gone forever, but my spirit has been restored. Ben helped me with that. He showed me what’s important. What I have to fight for.
Myself.
David and Garrett may have both taken something from me that was not theirs to take, but I can survive.
I can thrive.
My heart still beats.
And damn it, I won’t let these two assholes harm Ben in any way.
“We’re waiting, Tessa.” Garrett’s voice slithers like a snake over my skin.
“Get the fuck out of here.” I hold up my phone. “I’ve got 911 punched in. All I have to do is hit send.”
“Do that,” Garrett says, “or call anyone else, and Ben Black goes up the river.”
Do they think I’m stupid? “Ben Black is a billionaire,” I say through gritted teeth. “And the best man I know. Save your idle threats for someone who believes them.”
“I think you might need to talk to my brother,” David says.
“I don’t need to talk to anyone.”
“Open the door,” Garrett says, “and we’ll tell you everything we know.”
“You’ll tell me lies, and I’m not interested. Now get the hell out of here.” I reach to hit send on the 911 call, but something holds me back.
Why won’t they leave? Why do they think I won’t call the cops?
They’ve both done something horrible to me, and now that I remember what David did, I can have him arrested too. I think I can, anyway. I’m not sure about the statute of limitations.
“I’m not going to prison for a little cunt like you,” Garrett seethes.
“Uh…yeah. You are.”
“Let’s put it this way,” he says. “Open the fucking door, Tessa. Because if I go to prison, your boyfriend goes too.”
“You’re full of it. Now get out of here.”
