The Healing Touch - Apryl Baker Page 0,15

pull it away from her ear. She would almost feel bad for her if the woman wasn’t cussing so much it would make her biker dad blush.

“Look, Carlie…”

“Charlene!”

“Whatever. Look, he doesn’t want to talk to you. He broke it off, and you calling him like this, it’s sad. Don’t you have any kind of self-respect?”

“You listen to me, you little whore. Dimitri is mine, and if you don’t leave him alone, I will hunt you down and hurt you. Do you understand me?”

“Honey doll, you were his flavor of the week. He got bored and moved on to his new flavor of the week. You need to grow up, get a life, and do the same.”

Becca disconnected the call then blocked the number. Where did he find them?

“That is one crazy lady.” She handed back his phone. “I blocked her so she can’t call you anymore.”

“She did get a little intense toward the end.”

Intense? That was an understatement if she was anything like she was on the phone just now.

“Do you put out an ad in the personals or something, looking for crazy, homicidal women?”

“Homicidal?” He tilted his head curiously. “What makes you say that?”

“She threatened to hunt me down and hurt me. You’re hers, apparently.”

He shook his head and muttered something Becca couldn’t hear. Probably for the best. It would only piss her off more. His attitude toward women usually did. She might joke about it to keep from yelling at him, but it wasn’t one of his better habits.

She wasn’t prepared, however, when he swung the conversation back to her. “Let’s forget about Charlene. That’s over and done with. Are you okay? No signs of a panic attack?”

Strangely, no. There was an uneasy feeling that haunted the very edges of her psyche. She knew if too many people came near her, that unease would swallow her. Being with Dimitri kept the panic at bay. He always did do that for her, though. Even in high school, being near him comforted her. Maybe because she knew he’d never let anyone hurt her, and if she needed him, he’d be there. Not something she’d ever had with anyone except her brother. Certainly not her parents. She trusted Dimitri, and that was the simple truth of it.

“I’m okay.”

“Then you can come with me to South Carolina.”

She rolled her eyes. “How does ‘okay’ transform into me going with you to South Carolina?” The man wouldn’t leave it alone. He was bound and determined to take her with him, even if it was something she couldn’t do.

But could she? She wasn’t freaking out here in the diner. It wasn’t a room filled with hundreds of people either. But if they talked to Dimitri and she just sat there, handing him books and ignoring everyone, would that work?

“You’re stronger than you think, Becca, and the only way to prove it to you is to show you.” He reached over and took her hands, squeezing them gently. “I’m not going to put you through something I don’t think you can handle, sweetheart. If it’s too much, we’ll leave, no explanations to anyone. We’ll just get up and leave. I promise.”

“No, I’m not as strong as you think I am.” She’d spent most of her life hiding away. She spent each and every day terrified of going outside, of being part of the world. It was safer to do it from the comfort of her living room, behind a computer screen. That way, she could be as confident as she wanted without fear. It was easier to hide.

“Becca, I need you. It’s as simple as that. If you can’t go, then neither can I. And no buts. I know what I can do just as much as you know what you can handle. You have to give me the same respect as I’d give you if you really can’t do this.”

Damn him. Why did he always know exactly what to say to make her do something she didn’t want to do? He didn’t understand how hard this was for her. How could he, though? He thrived on being the center of attention, loved the crowds, the adoration. The public was his forte.

“Just try, Becca. Please.”

She closed her eyes to block out his pleading image. Damn him to hell and back.

“Fine. I’ll try, but if I break down in front of all those people, I will never speak to you again, Dimitri Sean Kincaid. That’s a promise. Do you understand me?”

“You won’t regret it, sweetheart.”

Somehow, she thought