Baking Me Crazy (Donner Bakery, #1)(78)

“Did you seriously call the cops on me?” I ask quietly, banging my head against the bathroom door.

Asher’s sigh is muffled, yet audible, and I can only assume he’s mimicking my position on the other side of the door. “You were acting crazy,” he says. “Mindy was scared.”

Bolting up at the mention of her name, my anger fueled anew, I bang my fist against the door.

“Are you fucking kidding me, Asher?” Next it’s my foot that kicks the door and then I’m using the piece of wood like a punching bag. “How long, Asher? How many times?” I scream, letting out all the hurt I’m feeling on the sad excuse for a door. When I kick it again, my foot makes contact with the knob and I hear Mindy scream when it breaks off and falls to the floor.

“EM!”

A second later, my dad and Sheriff James are standing in my bedroom, surveying the damage. “What in the—” My daddy’s words break off and he looks over at me with wide, shocked eyes. “Are you okay?”

I finally step away from the door and let my back thud against the bedroom wall, shaking my head, I begin to sob.

Sheriff James walks to the bathroom door and gives it a quick knock. “Asher.”

“Uh, yes, sir.”

“Gonna need you to step out, son.”

“Uh,” Asher opens the door, but only exposes his head. “Do, uh… do you think you could hand us some clothes?”

At least he has the decency to sound embarrassed.

Good, I hope he’s ashamed of himself.

I hope he’s fucking humiliated.

Most of all, I hope he’s fucking happy.

“Could you—” Sheriff James looks to me for some assistance, but quickly changes his mind, obviously deciding that’s a bad idea and goes about collecting articles of clothing from around the room. “Make it quick,” he says, handing them to Asher through the partially open, mostly broken door.

“You know I’m gonna need to take her in,” Sheriff James says to my dad in a hushed whisper. I see my dad give a resigned nod. Closing his eyes, he breathes deeply and then walks toward me. I pretend I didn’t overhear their conversation and cross my arms as I stare out the window. It’s now light outside and I realize I have no idea what time it is or how long I’ve been gone from work.

“I need to call Jenn,” I say biting on my bottom lip to keep myself from crying. The pain is a good deterrent.

My dad sighs and walks to stand in front of me. “Sheriff James—”

“Needs to take me in,” I finish for him, kicking off the wall just as the bathroom door creaks open and a clothed Asher and Mindy walk out, still looking at me like I’m their mortal enemy. I glare at Asher and turn the rage up a notch as I let my eyes slide to Mindy.

This bitch is in my house.

In my bed.

With my husband.

My stare intensifies and she flinches.

Good.

I hope she’s scared.

I also have no clue what’s gotten into me, but there’s no turning it off now.

“I’m gonna need all three of you to come down to the station,” Sheriff James begins, addressing the room. “Since this has been logged as a domestic disturbance call, we’ll need to take statements from the three of you.

He gives me a tight-lipped, apologetic smile. Then he lets out a huff and steps back so Asher and Mindy can walk out ahead of him, obviously putting a barrier between them and me. The absurdity of this entire situation settles in my chest and I can’t help the incredulous laugh that erupts.

“Em?” my dad asks from somewhere behind me. “You okay?”

“Fine, Daddy.”

Except for the fact I still want to rip Asher limb from limb.

And Mindy too.

And maybe break some more shit.

And burn some shit.

My mama and daddy named me Tempest not because of my red hair, but because I was born on a stormy night. According to my mother, I was howling like the wind. The nurses and doctor even joked about my lungs being overly developed and that maybe I’d be an opera singer when I grew up … an auctioneer … pig caller.

However, for the majority of my life, I’ve been quite the opposite—calm, cool, collected. I was born in October and am a true Libra, quite often the peacemaker, never making waves. Sure, I’ve been known as a bit of a spitfire, my red hair mirroring my tenacity and determination, but that’s where it stopped. The cliché of a redhead having a fiery temperament has always been lost on me.

But something snapped today.

Something has changed and it’s a little frightening to acknowledge the emotions boiling beneath my skin. I want to hit something or someone. I want to break things. I need some kind of outlet to release this pent-up anger and resentment roiling through my body.

My eyes bore into the back of Asher’s head as we make our way out to the driveway, my daddy ushering me to the back of Sheriff James’s police cruiser. After securing me in the back, he slides into the front, while Sheriff James orders Asher and Mindy into the backup squad car that’s parked behind my truck.

As we drive off, I turn back to look at the perfect yellow house with white shutters. All of my dreams were wrapped up in that picturesque setting. We were going to have babies and raise a family. And now, the only thing I know for sure is that somewhere—deep inside me—a dormant beast has been awakened.