eyes and moved back to her seat. She took a deep breath and laid her head back, wishing she knew what to do.
“Dani, listen to me,” h e said softly. He took her hand in his and waited for her to look at him. “I don’t know the best choice either, okay? I want him to stay away from you, he’s been warned several times, and it’s either still not getting through to him, or he just doesn’t care. What do you think is going to happen if you move out?” He paused for several seconds, not really expecting an answer, but using the time to word one correctly. “He’s going to take that as a green light, Dani. He’s going to think that he got his way, and that he can manipulate you even further. Now I don’t care if you tell me to stay out of this because it’s not gonna happen. You can move out, or say that you don’t want to be with me anymore—and I’ll be broken , I guarantee it—but I’m not gonna s top caring about you. I’ll still be around, doing what I can to keep you safe. That will never change.”
She didn’t respond, even though she was touched by his concern for her. She sat there for a long time, trying to weigh her options as quick ly as she could.
“Dani,” Van said quietly.
She loo ked his way and their eyes met; her heart seemed to beat a new rhythm. There were silent emotions exchanged at that moment, but neither of them was brave enough to say out loud how they felt .
The timing wasn’t in their favor anyways when Cody approached the truck, so Van rolled down the window.
“The police want to talk to Dani if…if you’re ready for that…” He wasn’t sure of what was going on in the truck. It looked pretty intense, even though no one seemed to be talking.
Van looked at Dani. “Please file a restraining order,” he told her. “If anything, at least we’ll have the law on our side, okay?”
She had already decided to do so. If Brian was still following her around, she needed to do something to make him stop.
“Okay, I’ll do that.”
Van nodded and then opened the door and got out.
“There’s one more thing,” Cody said quietly while Dani was still in the truck. “That douche bag is filing assault charges against you.”
Van wasn’t surprised, being that he not only yanked the guy out of his car and slammed him against it, but most likely because of the incident at the club the month before.
He didn’t say anything in response and walked around to the passenger’s side to open Dani’s door.
Dani did file a restraining order against Brian, and Brian didn’t take it very well. He was more a damant tha n ever to press charges against Van, but he decided that maybe he could play it just right.
“You tell Dani I’ll drop the charges against him if she forgets about the goddamn restraining order,” he told Sergeant Buchanan . “It’s a bunch of shit anyways and she knows it.”
“She doesn’t know about the charges,” Doug informed him.
Brian was caught off guard, but did some quick thinking. “Fine, then tell—what’s his name again?” he chuckled sarcastically. “ Van ? Then tell Van that I’ll drop the charges if he convinces her to forget it .”
Doug looked over the little prick and shrugged his shoulders. “Even if that were an opt ion, I can guarantee that he’d n ever agree to it . But most importantly, w e haven’t found any evidence to make those charges stick in the first place , ” he added with a tiny smile.
Brian’s blood burned hot and he could feel his temper about to reach boiling . However, he took a silent breath to calm himself and said, “The asshole grabbed me out of my car and slammed me against it, m ore than once. If that’s not assa ult, I don’t know what is. Wait, of course I do. It was when he broke my fucking hand in a parking lot,”
“Dani, listen to me,” h e said softly. He took her hand in his and waited for her to look at him. “I don’t know the best choice either, okay? I want him to stay away from you, he’s been warned several times, and it’s either still not getting through to him, or he just doesn’t care. What do you think is going to happen if you move out?” He paused for several seconds, not really expecting an answer, but using the time to word one correctly. “He’s going to take that as a green light, Dani. He’s going to think that he got his way, and that he can manipulate you even further. Now I don’t care if you tell me to stay out of this because it’s not gonna happen. You can move out, or say that you don’t want to be with me anymore—and I’ll be broken , I guarantee it—but I’m not gonna s top caring about you. I’ll still be around, doing what I can to keep you safe. That will never change.”
She didn’t respond, even though she was touched by his concern for her. She sat there for a long time, trying to weigh her options as quick ly as she could.
“Dani,” Van said quietly.
She loo ked his way and their eyes met; her heart seemed to beat a new rhythm. There were silent emotions exchanged at that moment, but neither of them was brave enough to say out loud how they felt .
The timing wasn’t in their favor anyways when Cody approached the truck, so Van rolled down the window.
“The police want to talk to Dani if…if you’re ready for that…” He wasn’t sure of what was going on in the truck. It looked pretty intense, even though no one seemed to be talking.
Van looked at Dani. “Please file a restraining order,” he told her. “If anything, at least we’ll have the law on our side, okay?”
She had already decided to do so. If Brian was still following her around, she needed to do something to make him stop.
“Okay, I’ll do that.”
Van nodded and then opened the door and got out.
“There’s one more thing,” Cody said quietly while Dani was still in the truck. “That douche bag is filing assault charges against you.”
Van wasn’t surprised, being that he not only yanked the guy out of his car and slammed him against it, but most likely because of the incident at the club the month before.
He didn’t say anything in response and walked around to the passenger’s side to open Dani’s door.
Dani did file a restraining order against Brian, and Brian didn’t take it very well. He was more a damant tha n ever to press charges against Van, but he decided that maybe he could play it just right.
“You tell Dani I’ll drop the charges against him if she forgets about the goddamn restraining order,” he told Sergeant Buchanan . “It’s a bunch of shit anyways and she knows it.”
“She doesn’t know about the charges,” Doug informed him.
Brian was caught off guard, but did some quick thinking. “Fine, then tell—what’s his name again?” he chuckled sarcastically. “ Van ? Then tell Van that I’ll drop the charges if he convinces her to forget it .”
Doug looked over the little prick and shrugged his shoulders. “Even if that were an opt ion, I can guarantee that he’d n ever agree to it . But most importantly, w e haven’t found any evidence to make those charges stick in the first place , ” he added with a tiny smile.
Brian’s blood burned hot and he could feel his temper about to reach boiling . However, he took a silent breath to calm himself and said, “The asshole grabbed me out of my car and slammed me against it, m ore than once. If that’s not assa ult, I don’t know what is. Wait, of course I do. It was when he broke my fucking hand in a parking lot,”
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