To live and to love

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"Get your hands off of my wife," Salaar ran up the path flanked by another man. They stared at me wide-eyed, their mouths agape.

"Don't you dare come near her. I'll snap this pretty neck of hers. That'll give you a good ten more years to mope around."

A hint of panic flashed in Salaar's eyes.

Still standing in place, they looked between us, but all I could do was shake my head. I couldn't get enough breath, and my pulse thrummed, but I stuttered. "Don't listen to him. He's a coward. He snaps my neck, he goes to jail for murder."

"You think I can't buy my way out? I did it once I can do it again."

That explained so much. "You're despicable."

He pressed his knee against mine, pushing me towards the ground. My heart thundered as sweat ran down my back. Salaar's eyes widened and he stepped forward just as Tauqeer pulled my head back with a sharp tug.

"Let her go!"

"Take back the charges and I'll let your pretty little wife go."

"Don't listen to him Salaar. He's doing this to me today, he'll do this to someone else tomorrow."

"He's not going to do anything to anyone," Salaar shouted, striding forward purposefully.

Tauqeer's grip slackened slightly and I took a chance. Twisting around, I picked up a stone and rammed it against his knee. He folded and I darted out of the way, crawling towards safety. Towards Salaar.

People had started to gather, talking in hushed tones all at once, and the sound was overwhelming, a dissonant clatter in the distance. It was blocked out when two solid arms circled me.

I took a gulping breath, inhaling his scent as deeply as I could.

Salaar's familiar voice was thick with emotion as he spoke close to my ear, cutting through the chaos. "Are you hurt? What happened? Did he . . ."

"No, I—" I tried to take a breath, but instead I sobbed, unable to finish the sentence. He pulled me tighter against his chest, his chin on my head. Everything seemed to come out at once in a steady stream of tears—the fear of Tauqeer hurting me, of losing everything we'd worked for, of losing Salaar.

"Shh... you're safe. You're safe with me."

The adrenaline surging through me dissipated, and my hands began to tremble, my legs feeling wobbly. The full impact of what he could have done, what he wanted to do, hit me, and tears sprang into my eyes.

"Thank you, ma'am." The officer finished taking my statement, tipped his head, and walked out to the parking lot. They had Tauqeer in the back of a police van, but he would probably have a good enough lawyer that he'd be out in no time and spinning his lies.

"It wasn't me man! You know girls like these. She was into it and then just went off."

Tauqeer's voice crawled up my spine, and I shuddered.

Salaar whipped around, and his body seemed to grow taller and wider as every muscle tensed. The hands that had been stroking my back moments before balled into tight fists at his side.

Salaar's friend stepped between the two men, putting a meaty palm against his shoulder, stopping him from lunging toward Tauqeer, who stood ten feet away being handcuffed by a police officer.

I didn't recognize Salaar's voice. It was menacing. "You should think very carefully about what you say because if you open your mouth again, I will finish what she started and break your freaking jaw."