Savage (Wolf Ranch #4) - Renee Rose Page 0,20

his tiny ass.

I went out onto the sidewalk because there was nothing else the bank could do for me. I’d checked to see if Todd had an account, wanting to take his money out like he had done with mine. But no. Of course not.

The cold breeze raced down the street. I didn’t care. I was already numb. Before Todd got another dime of my money, I called human resources at the hospital and explained the situation and asked them to immediately switch my paycheck off of direct deposit. If I had to hide cash in a can in the backyard, that was what I’d do to keep it away from Todd.

In order to get the money, I had to make it, which meant I had to get my ass to work. I walked back to the mechanic, trying to think about how I was going to pay him all the while hoping he’d be kind enough to drop me off at the hospital.

When I cut across the street, I stopped at the curb. Stared... then blinked. Leaning against a shiny black Mercedes was Todd. His arms were crossed, and he was smiling at me. He wasn’t quite six feet tall and had a slim build. He had a personal trainer although any money he spent was wasted since he didn’t look the least bit fit. On his feet were his signature loafers, even in the crappy weather. And his car… how the hell was it so shiny after the storm and the sloppy roads?

I looked like hell, having only eaten the avocado toast earlier. I was in my scrubs, my hair pulled back in a ponytail beneath my knit hat.

Maybe it was the pregnancy hormones. Maybe it was because he was a total fucking asshole, but I lost it. He’d stolen money from me. Money I needed to pay rent. Electricity. Food. He didn’t give a shit. No, he did. He gave a shit that I left, and he was forcing me to come back to him by bleeding me dry.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I screamed, waving my arms and approaching Todd, getting in his face. I hadn’t seen him in months, not since the last court visit, and that had been with lawyers present. And a judge.

“What’s the matter, honey?” His eyebrow rose in mock confusion.

“You know what’s the matter. You stole money from my bank account. You cancelled my credit card!” I practically shook with fury.

He frowned. “How could I steal from my own wife? It’s not your money. It’s our money.”

It was possible the top of my head blew off then and there. There was no our.

“Ma’am, is everything all right?” The mechanic must have come out when I started shouting. Bless his heart for checking on me, but there was nothing he could do for the hurt Todd had already caused me.

“My wife is being irrational. I will take her home.” He reached out to take my arm, but I wrenched it away.

“We are legally separated,” I snapped. “We’d be divorced if you just signed the fucking papers.”

“Language, honey,” he said in a patronizing tone.

“I have a restraining order for you to stay away from me.”

He held up his hands as if I was the one who’d messed with him. “You’re the one who approached me. How was I to know you’d be here?”

“You slashed my tire, asshole. That’s how you knew I’d be here. You’re a dead man, Todd. Dead. You’ve fucked with me for the last time.”

I spun on my heel and stormed off, not waiting to ask the mechanic for a ride. I doubted he’d give one to a lunatic like me, especially after the ridiculous threats I’d spouted. Several other people were watching my little tantrum, but I didn’t care. I was done. D-O-N-E.

I wanted to cry, but I was too angry. I knew I would, later, when the adrenaline wore off.

As I walked the mile to the hospital, I ate the crackers from my purse. The entire sleeve of them. I would normally have been freezing on the way, but I had my anger to keep me warm. I had no idea what the fuck I was going to do. Todd wouldn’t stop until I gave in, and that was the last thing I would ever do. I wasn’t going back to him. I saw him for what he was now.

Insane and perhaps even dangerous.

It wasn’t just me I had to worry about now. It was little