Susie tilted her head to look at her friend. “Are we talking BDSM, because . . . gross. And if you tell me he ties you up or uses handcuffs, I’m dragging you out of here right this second!”
“No!” Carlise hurried to say. “If anything, he’s always asking for permission to touch me. It’s . . . nice. He just has control over his emotions. What he does. What he says. He’s not going to hurt me, Susie. I wish you could see that. Actually, I’m sure you will when you meet him. He’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I love him, and now I realize anything I felt in the past was just a poor facsimile of what I feel now. So much so, it’s almost ridiculous.”
“Ridiculous? You said you loved Tommy too,” Susie said in a tone Carlise couldn’t interpret.
She opened her mouth to answer but heard Baxter whimpering and scratching at the front door. “Crap. I can’t leave him out there. I feel awful. Do you mind if I bring him in? Maybe he’ll be better now that we’re sitting, and he’ll see you aren’t going to hurt him.”
“I don’t know,” Susie said nervously.
“Maybe I could put him in the bathroom?” Carlise mused. “I could put his bedding in there and maybe even his food. That should keep him busy.”
“I guess that’ll work,” Susie said. “The door is sturdy, right?”
“Yes. He’ll be fine in there. Hang on.” It didn’t take long to get Baxter and bring him inside. But instead of the dog relaxing when he saw Susie on the couch, the hackles on the back of his spine rose once more. It took a little bit, but eventually Carlise got him settled in the bathroom. He wasn’t happy, but thankfully he didn’t try to get out of her hold or attack Susie.
“There, that’s better. What were we talking about?” Carlise asked as she finally sat back on the couch with her friend.
“How much you love this guy you just met, even though you said you loved Tommy,” Susie said, almost accusatorily.
Carlise sighed. “I want you to like and get along with Riggs, Suz.”
“And I can’t do that until I meet him. When is he getting home?”
Looking at her watch, Carlise said, “I don’t know exactly, but according to his estimate when he left, maybe another forty-five minutes or so—”
Susie stood abruptly, and Carlise looked up at her in surprise. She blinked in confusion . . .
Then her eyes went wide when her friend reached into the pocket of the coat she hadn’t bothered to take off, pulling out a gun—and pointing it right at her.
“Get up,” Susie said in a voice Carlise didn’t recognize.
“What?” she said, struggling to understand what was happening.
“Stand up. I need you to get a piece of paper. You’re going to write Riggs a note—and we’re leaving.”
Carlise laughed incredulously. “You’re kidnapping me? I think that’s going a bit far, don’t you?” she asked. “And can you please not point that gun at me? It’s not loaded, right?”
“Oh, it’s loaded. And I’ll absolutely use it,” Susie said. “Now get the fuck up and get a piece of paper.”
At that moment, she realized this wasn’t some really poor joke. Fear instantly flooded Carlise’s veins. “Susie?” she asked as she slowly stood. “What’s happening?”
“You’re so goddamn stupid,” Susie scoffed, shaking her head. “First for dumping Tommy. You’ll never find a man as good as he is. You hurt him—and you didn’t even care! Well, don’t worry about that part. I stepped into your shoes. The only problem is, he still thinks about you . . . which is unacceptable.”
“What?” Carlise asked, her brain swirling in confusion as she tried to keep up with what she was saying. “You’re dating Tommy?”
“Yes. And we’re going to get married.”
“No,” Carlise whispered, shaking her head. “You can’t, Susie. He’s abusive! He’s going to hurt you!”
“No, he isn’t!” Susie screeched loudly. “He’s mine! I’ve always wanted him! When you two started dating, I tried to be happy for you. I really did. But you never deserved him. And you’re a bitch for leaving him like you did! I comforted him after you snuck your shit out of his house without warning, and one thing led to another. He loves me now. Regrets not choosing me in the first place.
“But every now and then, he still brings you up . . . said he regrets hurting you and making you leave. He even admitted he had hopes of patching things up with you before we got together.”