Darling (h.s)

Six

I take a moment to knee him in the crotch. He groans, bending over. A trash bin crashes a few feet away, causing us both to look over. A silhouette of a broad gentleman approaches. The man panics and bolts off since he got what he needed. My shaking hands pull my gun out, not sure who I should be pointing at: the thief running away or the eerie man in the shadows. I focus on the man since the thief is long gone now.

He walks out of the shadows and towards me. The street lights reveal his face, and I am relieved when I see Anthony. I release all the strength I had, keeping me from completely falling apart.

I fall to the ground sobbing. I was that close to getting sexually abused and possibly killed. I don't have the energy to question Anthony about him being on this side of town at this hour. He lives almost two hours away, and his restaurant closed three hours ago. I should, but I am honestly so grateful he showed up when he did.

"Thank god it's you," I sigh, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"Don't worry, darling. I'll always protect you," he mutters, rubbing my back, trying to put me at ease.

***
I sit down at my table with two cups of coffee. Last night I insisted that Anthony sleep on the couch since I was too scared to be at home alone. I'm still really shaken up and upset about losing my car savings. However, I'm more embarrassed that I couldn't handle myself in that situation. I went through all that training just to be subdued by a stupid mugger.

"Look, report it when you go into the police station. Maybe they can find the guy," Anthony tells me.

"I will, but I'd doubt they find him," I say.

"You'll get your money back, don't worry."

I want to believe him, but it's unlikely they'll find him. Especially when Percy and Barrows take the lead in cases like this, the last thing they want to do is help me out. And I am too busy with my case to do it myself. As I sip my coffee, I start to wonder why Anthony was there in the first place.

"Hey, what were you doing when you found me?"

"Oh, I had to go to the hardware store to grab some parts for one of the bathroom sinks. The restaurant has an inspection today," he explains.

"Funny, I didn't see you have anything with you last night." He wasn't carrying a bag when he arrived.

"Yeah, the store was closed, so I was walking back to the restaurant and saw you in trouble."

I feel like he's lying but can't tell why he would need to. I believe there's nothing he's hiding from me, so I drop it.

"Alright, well, I should get to work," I get up from the table, and Anthony does too.

He grabs his coat from the couch and says he'll take me to work before leaving my apartment. I know he wants to make sure I get there safely. He waits outside in the car for me while I get my things ready.

Walking out the door, I head to Anthony's car. On the radio, a man is reporting any updates on the "carver" activity, but Anthony changes the station to a soul music channel when I get in the car. We didn't speak to each other the whole ride. I just stare outside the window witnessing children on their way to school. Adults are strutting their way to work.

The car stops in front of the police station, and I thank Anthony for the ride.

"You sure you don't need a ride home?"

"Yeah, I'll ask a friend from work."

"You mean Harry, right?" He says with disgust.

"You barely gave him a chance, so why don't you like him?"