Free Crash Into You by Cara Ellison

Still, his posture conveyed that authoritarian instinct, the demand for total submission. 
                  Bryan pretended nothing was amiss.   
                  “You saw him come out of here,” Seth said.   When he spoke, a black space in the side of his jaw became visible, and Bryan realized with a chill that the Hispanic man had knocked Seth’s tooth out.   Whatever was going on, Bryan wanted no part of it.
                  “I wasn’t paying attention,” he answered blandly, smiling in the vague hope that Seth would take him for a simpleminded fool and leave him alone.
                  Seth’s bloodshot eyes narrowed.  “You didn’t see anything,” he growled.   It was a statement of fact.
                  Bryan shrugged.  “Whatever, man.  I really wasn’t paying attention.”
                  Seth’s gaze bore into him like nails, holding him in place.   “You and Aimee are pretty close,” he said.
                  Bryan tried to keep his face neutral, giving away nothing.   “We are neighbors,” he said lightly.  “She’s always very kind to me.  To us.  Jake and myself…”
                  A look of disgust washed across Seth’s face, then vanished with the veneer of a bureaucrat’s impassive glaze.
                  “Did she ever mention her sister?”
                  Bryan frowned.   “No.  I didn’t know she has a sister.”
                  Seth starred at him dubiously and Bryan felt the situation was getting ridiculous.  Blood was smeared over Seth’s lips.  He finally said, “Are you okay?”
                  “Don’t you worry about me,” Seth said.
                  Jake opened the front door and looked out.  Bryan met his gaze, and Seth backed off.   “You didn’t see anything,” he muttered again.
                  Bryan watched him walk through the pretty pansies that Aimee had planted this spring, then jog up the steps to his house.
                  Holding Bella, Bryan hurried to his front door.
                  “What on earth was that about?”  Jake asked as he came inside.
                  “Fucking psycho,” Bryan replied and double-locked the door behind him.   He walked into the kitchen to make Bella her breakfast.   “That asshole ---“
                  Jake quickly shushed him.  “These walls are thin,” he said in a low voice.
                  Bryan dumped a bit of soft dog food in the dish with kibble and placed it on the floor.  He washed his hands and turned to Jake.   “Some Hispanic guy came blazing out of there.  Seth was all beaten up.   And then he tells me that I saw nothing while asking if I heard from Aimee.  Something weird is going on.”  
                  “What did you tell him?”
                  “Nothing, of course.”
                  “He’s a fucking psycho.  I hope she’s okay.”
                  Bryan frowned.  Seth looked so crazy.   Aimee was probably safe right now, but for how long?   H didn’t want to think such thoughts. Silently he wished her godspeed.
     
    In the master bathroom basin, Seth spit out blood, then rinsed with water.     Carlos had busted his lip and sliced up the inside of his cheek pretty good, but it could have been much worse.  It was just a warning.  He had to find Aimee.  He’d been unable to reach Kimberly in Portland– or rather, she still refused to speak to him or put Aimee on the phone.  But he could not imagine where else Aimee might be.   
                  He was scheduled to go on duty at ten o’clock tonight.  He didn’t even have a day off until next week.    He’d already used all his sick and vacation days.  If he missed any more work, they’d fire him