Vicious Carousel (Suncoast Society #25)(16)

As a kid of a single mom, he’d long ago gotten over any squeamishness about what women bought for their personal needs. His mom had “the talk” with him when he was twelve and she caught him and a friend of his with his friend’s dad’s Penthouse magazine.

Yeah, he wasn’t dumb. But he also silently thanked his mom for how she’d raised him.

He’d make sure he thanked her in person tonight.

And yes, he got food. But he also added some extras, like he found a cute Hello Kitty travel cup that had a straw. He didn’t know if Betsy would even like Hello Kitty or not, but it made him smile, so maybe it’d make her smile, too. And yogurt, cottage cheese, some other soft foods he hoped she’d be able to eat all right until she healed up.

And chocolate.

Milk, and dark.

I need to find out if she has any allergies.

He’d almost reached the checkout line when he realized he hadn’t picked up a phone. So back to electronics, where he grabbed one, having to pay for it there. He went for a slightly better phone. She could surf the Internet on it, tied into the Wi-Fi at their house for better speed.

It would be the first step of her reconnecting to others.

He was almost back to the checkout line when his cell phone rang.

Tilly wasted no time. “How is she?” she asked by way of greeting.

“I’m not home. Nolan’s with her.”

“Where are you?”

“Want me to start at the beginning?”

“Sure.”

Kenny quickly detailed the morning for her.

“Wow, dude, I have a totally new level of respect for you. Buying tampons for a woman you barely know? Props.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“No, seriously. Good thinking. And if you want, we’ll chip in for expenses.”

“No, it’s okay. We’ve got it.”

“Leigh said they want to help her buy a car.”

“Let’s wait on that. She’s overwhelmed right now. I don’t know if she’ll even accept it. Hey, come over and have dinner with us.”

“Awesome, thanks. And we have your toybag. You want us to drop it off?”

“FYI, my mom’s coming over for dinner tonight, too. Still want to join us?”

She snickered. “Of course I do. This should be interesting. You know I’m bringing Sir Fussypants and Cris, right? And can I bring anything?”

He heard Landry playfully protest the title in the background. “Yes, please,” Kenny said. “Bring a side dish, if you’d like. We’re eating at six, but get there a little after five, that would be even better.”

“What gives? I know a set-up when I hear it.”

He reminded her of his step-father.

“Ah. Oooh! So if he acts douchey, I can step in?”

“Be my guest.” At this point, he’d love to see Tilly give Dennis a run for his homophobic money.

“You know what? I really like you. You do anything to f*ck up my opinion of you, I’m liable to get upset.”

“I promise, I’ll do my best not to disappoint you.”

“Cool. See you at five.”

Kenny hung up and wheeled back around to return to the grocery section.

He’d need more food.





Chapter Six


In her dreams, Betsy was trapped in a nightmarish maze, the chain painfully banging on her right ankle as she ran through the labyrinth, always pulled up short just before what looked like a safe exit, forced to turn around and try another way.

Always with thunderous footsteps just behind her, Jack’s harsh breathing, his threats of what he’d do to her.

She startled awake and let out a yelp of pain as she nearly rolled off the couch. Kenny, who’d apparently been sitting in an easy chair, dove to catch her, keeping her from hitting the floor.

Unable to help it, both from the pain and emotions, she burst into tears.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“Hey, why are you apologizing?” He helped her back into a more comfortable position, tucking pillows behind her head.

“This totally upends your lives.”

“We’re okay,” he said. “We wouldn’t have volunteered if we didn’t want you here.”

“And, honestly?” Nolan said from somewhere behind them. “You couldn’t be by yourself right now. You couldn’t get out of bed without help this morning. Don’t be in a hurry to leave.”

“What the hell happened to me?” she tearfully asked. “How did I let myself get into that situation?”

“We’re all human,” Kenny said as he sat on the coffee table. “We all make mistakes in the name of love.”

“I thought I was so smart,” she said. “I thought I knew what to watch out for. He had a job, he said all the right things, did all the right things.”

“And that’s what predators do,” Kenny said. “They learn how to do those things. You were probably a challenge for him because you weren’t some weak woman throwing yourself at him.”

“I wasn’t enough of a challenge, obviously,” she darkly said. “I never should have played with him. I should have waited.”

Nolan walked around the end of the couch to join Kenny. “Did he pressure you to play?”