It was like I didn’t make a noise. Hank put me on the seat and then entered behind me so I had to scoot over to the passenger side, double time. Before I could do a thing, even buckle my safety belt, Hank threw my purse in my lap, started the car and took off.
“Take me back to Tex’s,” I demanded and he ignored me so I carried on. “What are you doing, take me back to Tex’s!”
He stil didn’t say anything.
“We’l just see about this,” I snapped, opened my purse and dragged out my phone. Who I was going to cal , I did not know, but I was going to cal someone.
I barely got the cel out when Hank plucked it out of my hand and tossed it on the dash, his side of the dash, far away from me.
I stared at it. Then I stared at him.
“Wel !” I said because I couldn’t think of anything else to say. My heart was hammering in my chest and my mind was in a tizzy.
Then I figured out what to say.
“This is crazy. You’re crazy. Denver’s crazy. Al you boys skipped right over the last century, didn’t you? I think even the last mil ion years! You’re cavemen,” I rattled on. “I do not believe you just dragged me out of Uncle Tex’s house. He was talking to my Mom!”
“Quiet,” Hank final y spoke.
“Fuck quiet. God! Why didn’t I get in my car and get the hel out of here when I had the chance?”
“That’s a good question,” was Hank’s answer.
That shut me up because I seriously didn’t want to go there.
I buckled my seat belt and crossed my arms on my chest and tried to devise a plan.
I was stil in my skintight skirt and heels. I couldn’t run. I stil had three cracked ribs. I couldn’t fight. I didn’t want to fight Hank anyway. Hel , I didn’t want to run either.
What was I saying? I thought.
Then I forced myself to stop thinking altogether.
Before I knew it, he parked in front of his house. I sat in his 4Runner, arms stil crossed, not moving, as he walked around the hood of the car.
He opened the passenger side door, leaned in and unbuckled me, then pul ed me out.
He dragged me up his front walk.
“I want to go back to Uncle Tex’s,” I said.
“You’re not goin’ back to Tex,” he replied in his authoritative voice and opened the door.
Before I could say anything else, Shamus was there and leaping al over Hank and me as Hank pul ed me inside.
“Hi fel a, hey there boy,” I cooed, bending to give him a quick scratch behind the ears. I was pissed off at Hank for abducting me but I saw no reason to take it out on Shamus.
It was a very quick scratch because Hank closed the door behind us, locked it, grabbed my hand again and then carried on dragging me, straight to the bedroom.
That was when I started fighting, pul ing at my hand in his
“Hey! Where are you going? Let go of me!”
He didn’t stop.
“Hank, Goddammit!”
He final y stopped once we’d reached the bedroom. He also let me go. He switched on the light by the bed and I turned to run but he caught me by the waist, somehow doing this gently, and pul ed me around so I was pinned between him and the bed.