Page 67 of Hard to Hold
“No.”
“How do you know that for sure?” Her eyes were wide, as though she didn’t believe me.
“I know Reagan. She puts up with a lot of shit, but she would never tolerate him laying a hand on her.”
“Oh. Okay.”
The way she said it made me think she felt as though I was judging her. Was that what she was running from? An abusive ex-boyfriend?
“I don’t mean it like?—”
“No. I get it. Reagan’s tough, anyway. I’m sure she could kick his butt.”
Reagan was feisty; there was no doubt about that.
“I honestly don’t know why she’s with him,” I told her, wanting to explain. “They’ve been together on and off since high school. I always thought…”
“What?” Amy was watching me intently.
I pulled off the main road toward Reagan’s house. “I always thought she had a crush on someone else.”
“Who?”
I shrugged. “No clue. But it never seemed like she was really into Billy. He was just a way to pass the time.”
“Good grief. I’m sure there are two dozen other men in this town who’d be better to pass time with than him.” It was clear Amy wasn’t fond of the guy.
“Yeah. There are.”
When we pulled up to Reagan’s little two-bedroom rental, I noticed her truck was outside.
So was Billy’s.
“Do they live together?”
“Yeah. But he’s gone a lot. He installs fiber optic lines throughout the state. And when he’s not workin’, he’s usually out partyin’. Stay there. I’ll get your door.”
I shut off the engine, then made my way around to her side of the truck. When I heard the yelling coming from inside, I was tempted to tell Amy to stay put. I doubted that would go over well. After all, she had gone to the bar specifically wanting to check on Reagan.
Opening the door, I paused, my attention turning toward the house. I checked for my gun although I knew it was there.
“You think we should interrupt?” she asked, her eyes wide as she watched the house.
“Someone has to.”
Amy linked her fingers with mine, and I paused to stare down at our hands for a moment. It hit me then that I was here with Amy, and I hadn’t seen her since Saturday night. Although I knew there was an incident inside that had to be dealt with, there was suddenly something more pressing.
Turning to face her, I tilted her head back with my finger and leaned down.
She met me halfway and I felt some of the pressure on my chest dissipate. I hadn’t realized I'd been holding my breath until then.
Her free hand clutched my waist as I deepened the kiss. As much as I wanted to linger, I knew we needed to get this over with. Maybe then I could spend a couple of hours with her. Alone.
“Come on,” I said, kissing her nose before pulling her to my side. “Let’s see what’s goin’ on.”
I didn’t bother knocking. It wouldn’t have been heard over the angry voices coming from inside.
“I fuckin’ hate you!” Reagan screamed. “Hate. You.”
