Free Choked (Devoured #3) by Hazel Kelly

in so many words, but he showed me, didn’t he?
Anywhere we could be alone.”
    Brady swallowed.
    “And he was my teacher so it’s not like I could say
no.”
    “Did he force himself on you?”
    “Not physically.” 
    “In what sense?”
    “I think he took advantage of the fact that he knew
I admired him as a teacher and found him attractive.”
    “Did you break things off then?”
    “Well I graduated and went somewhere else for
graduate school for a while. But we were planning on being together again when
I moved up here in the fall to teach.”
    “You made plans for the future?”
    “Nothing was set in stone, but we talked about how
we would be together as a family as soon as Madeline was out of the picture.”
    “You know you’re lucky she hit you with that lamp.”
    Julianna tilted her head.
    “Otherwise you’d be facing much harsher sentencing.”
    “If I’d killed her?”
    Brady nodded.
    “Don’t I get a phone call or something?”
    “You want to call a lawyer?”
    Julianna shook her head. “No. My dad.”
     
    Julianna stood behind the front desk and took the
phone off the wall.
    The voice that answered was half asleep. “Hello?”
    “Dad?”
    “Julianna.” He cleared his throat. “Do you know what
time it is?”
    “Dad, I’m at the police station.”
    She could hear her mother in the background asking
what was wrong over and over.
    “Is everything alright? Are you okay?”
    “I’m okay dad. I just- um, I might feel better if
you came down here. They won’t let me leave.”
    “Of course. I’ll be right there.”
    “Thanks, Dad.”
    “What happened?”
    “I was attacked.”
    “Attacked?” His voice was suddenly alert. “Are you
okay?”
    “I’ve been better. I got knocked out though, and my
head hurts.”
    “Your mother and I will be there as soon as we can.”
    “I’m scared, dad,” Julianna told the dial tone. “I’m
scared.”

Kirk
     
     
    Kirk knocked on the door and waited. Dee Dee Henry
opened it a few moments later and shrank when she saw him.
    “Kirk.”
    “How about today? Will she see me yet?”
    Dee Dee shook her head. “I don’t think she wants to
see you today either.”
    “But it’s been two weeks! I’m begging you Dee Dee.
Please.”
    Ed Henry appeared behind his wife. “You can’t keep
coming here and disturbing us every day like this, Kirk. Don’t you think you’ve
done enough to upset Madeline without stalking her like this?”
    “Stalking her!” Kirk pulled his hair. “She’s my
wife!”
    “Maybe you should’ve appreciated that fact sooner.”
Ed walked away.
    Kirk put his hands in front of him. “Dee Dee, c’mon.
You know I deserve a chance to explain myself.”
    “I don’t know anything, Kirk. There are only two
people that can tell you where to go, and the one that’s here doesn’t want to
see you. Sorry.” Dee Dee started to close the door.
    Kirk stopped the door with his hand. “I won’t leave
until she sees me.”
    “Then you can sit in the car like yesterday, Kirk.
There’s nothing I can do.”
    After Dee Dee closed the door, Kirk sat on the porch
steps. He turned when he heard it reopen.
    “Get off my porch,” Ed said before shutting the door
again.
    Kirk stood up and went to sit in his car. He leaned
his head against the headrest and closed his eyes. Dear God, just give me a chance
to talk to her.
    He didn’t bother asking for the right words to come,
though. Because he knew there weren’t any. All he could do was hope that
Madeline would find it in her heart to forgive him because he was lost without
her.
    Suddenly, the front door opened and Madeline stepped
out onto the porch.
    At first Kirk thought he was imagining things, but
after a few blinks he realized it was her and jumped out of the car.
    “Madeline!” He ran up to her so happy he thought he
might cry.
    She crossed her arms when he approached and took a step
back when he tried to hug her. “You look like crap.”
    Kirk swallowed. “I’ve been