Chapter 124

Because it probably did. “Okay.”

“I’ll be there as fast as I can, baby.”

“I’m sorry.” She failed miserably at not trembling with fear.

“Don’t ever apologize for needing me. I’m here for you.”

Then the line went dead.

“Goddamn it, Tess! Where the fuck are you?” Cash was getting closer. “I’m not chasing your ass in the dark.”

She really wished he wouldn’t, but she had a terrible feeling he wouldn’t stop—until someone stopped him.

With her heart lurching, she tiptoed out of the gazebo, to the corner of the park, and down the adjacent street, kissing Hallie’s soft baby curls to quiet her fussy grunts and soothing her with a whisper. Seconds ticked by like hours. The neighborhood wasn’t that big. It wouldn’t take Cash long to find her, unless… Could she possibly double back to her place, grab her keys, and slip away before he found her? Fleeing wasn’t her first choice. Nor was ceding her home to him, even temporarily. But it was better than whate