Will told Travis he was going to be gone for an hour, then he dashed home to ensure his apartment was clean enough for a woman to be in.

He put away some stray articles of clothing and was able to get the dishes done before he heard light footsteps coming up the stairs. His was one of four apartments above the grocery store, so he listened hard, hoping it was her coming to his door. Moments later there was a delicate knock and his heart leapt into his throat.

...........................................................................

Will opened the door to his apartment with a crooked smile on his handsomely sculpted face.

"C'mon in", he said, motioning to me.

"It's getting chilly!", I commented, wishing I had worn a jacket.

"Yeah, it's that time of year", he agreed, shutting the door behind me and rubbing his palms on his thighs. It was an anxious gesture and he seemed nervous.

"Look, Will", I started, trying to put him at ease, "we are friends and things shouldn't be awkward between us. So, whatever we need to do to get rid of that feeling...".

"That's exactly what I want to discuss", he said, reaching for my hand. He led me to a navy blue very square couch. I sat next to him and waited expectantly.

He scanned my face with his dark brown eyes. "Are you having sex with Jake?", he asked.

I was utterly horrified, and stood to leave immediately. "I told you we weren't discussing Jake", I said, shocked that I should have to repeat myself.

Will grabbed my wrist. "No, don't leave. This is relevant, I promise. Please, sit".

Uncomfortably, I sat. He still had his long fingers wrapped around my wrist.

He continued, "I know he's been staying with you...for supposedly good reasons, but I was willing to stay and you wouldn't let me. I've been wanting to talk to you and he's always around, so I can't, and then yesterday I definitely saw both sides of the bed had been used".

I felt my cheeks turning bright red.

"Rillian, I need to know how you feel about him. I need to know if you're having sex with him or only sleeping by him. He isn't the type of guy you think he is. He won't settle down. He's only interested in sex".

"Jake already told me what he did that made you hate him so much. He knows it was wrong to sleep with that girl, to use her to get at you. He feels badly for doing it and I don't think he's like that anymore".

"Rillian...that's not what I'm talking about here. I'm talking about you. You don't know him as well as you think. Please tell me you haven't already done it".

"I don't understand why you think you have a right to know", I answered, "or what it has to do with what you keep saying we need to discuss but aren't actually discussing. What is your point?"

Will stood and stared out his window, which faced the main road. He ran his hand over his perfectly smooth, extremely short, groomed to perfection, shiny black hair. Then he sat next to me again and took both of my hands into his.

"Rillian...", he said seriously, staring into my eyes, "I love you. I've been in love with you for...as long as I can remember. I settled for being your friend because I knew it couldn't work back then, and I never thought I'd see ya again when I left, but then this happened. We both ended up back where we started together, and this time our situations are completely different. I can't stay your friend. I want more...and I need to know about Jake because that affects how we proceed".

I was dumbfounded, completely bewildered, shocked beyond belief.

Jake was completely correct. Will IS in love with me! What do I do?

I tried gently pulling my hands from his but he had an iron grip on me.

"Will, I...I don't know what to say", I stuttered. "I didn't know, would not have guessed".

He gave me a half smile. "Figured so".

He was still staring at me, waiting. I realized he was awaiting some kind of answer.

"Will, I don't feel that way about you", I said. "I love you like a friend, a brother".

His brow immediately furrowed. "Because you haven't tried to or because you're in love with Jake?", he snapped.

I did not care for his hostile tone. I tried to pull my hands away again and he grabbed my wrists instead.

"Answer", he pressed. "What's the deal with Jake?"

"Like I keep telling you", I replied, "I am not talking to you about Jake. What I feel for you has nothing to do with him".

"If he wasn't here, would you have let me be stayin' with you all this time? Tell me the truth".

"Ah, I suppose...possibly. Maybe not all the time Jake has been staying, but probably the night I got followed, maybe the night I got drunk".

"I knew it!", he fumed.

His fingers were cutting in to my wrists and my hands were turning red from lack of circulation. I felt myself getting nervous. He was starting to act like Harrison had when he started to lose his temper with me.

"Will, I want you to let go of me", I said clearly and directly.

He ignored me, like he hadn't heard me speaking at all.

"Have you ever considered me as anything other as a friend?", he asked suddenly.

"No".

"Then how do you know you can't, if ya haven't ever allowed yourself to consider the possibility?"

"If I was going to feel something, I would have, even if I were trying not to".

"How do ya know?", he asked.

Because that's what's been happening with Jake.

"I can't explain it but I know I would, if those feelings were actually there".

"I think we owe it to each other to give this a chance, don't you?"

What?

"Will", I said gently, "that's what you want, not what I want".

"But...all our history, all our love...we have so much to offer each other! Please, don't say no without giving it a shot!"

"This doesn't make sense", I said, standing, but I had to stay bent over at the waist because he still had my wrists. "Please let go".

Instead of letting go, he stood with me. Towering over me, breathing heavily, making me extremely nervous.

"You have to try", he pushed. "Don't do this to me! At least give me a chance!"

"We have spent plenty of time together. We have gone out together. I think I've given you a chance".

"No, no, NO!", he shouted, getting louder with each no. "You were thinking of me as a friend! You thought we were hanging out as friends, right?"

"Well, yes, I suppose I was".

"That doesn't count! You need to give me a romantic chance".

"What does that mean?", I asked, squirming. My wrists were throbbing in his unconscious grip.

"Kiss me", he answered decisively.

"What?", I gasped.

"If you kiss me and can honestly say you feel nothing, I'll let it go, but if you feel something, then you need to give us a chance. You'll owe me a real date".

His handsome brown face was staring earnestly down into mine, so hopeful, his dark brown eyes pleading with mine.

"This is crazy", I whispered.

"Rillian, please", he said. "I've loved you for over twenty years. Don't shoot me down without even trying".

"If I do this...whatever I answer, you will believe me?", I clarified.

"YES".

I took a deep breath. "All right", I said quietly.

He nodded and took a deep breath himself. "Okay".

He finally let go of my wrists, placed one large hand along the side of my face and leaned down.

I shut my eyes, his lips touched mine, and I kissed him back- more of a formality than out of any feeling I had. I really didn't feel anything, nothing at all, until he started kissing me more insistently. Then I felt slightly repulsed.

I put my hands up on his chest to push him away but apparently he took that to mean something different. He slid the hand which had been against my cheek to the back of my head and held my head in place as he shoved his tongue into my mouth. I nearly gagged, I was so disgusted and horrified!

I shoved at his chest and tried to turn my head away, but he still had hold of the back of my head and I was fighting against his arm strength. I hit his chest with one of my fists and he finally got the picture. Once he removed his mouth from mine, I stopped straining against his hand...and the sudden release of resistance caused my face to slam back into his.

My nose hit his cheek and my mouth hit the side of his. My eyes instantly watered and I tasted blood.

"Ow!", I cried out in pain and shock.

"Oh my Lord! Rillian!"

I had my hand over my injured mouth and he was trying to remove it to look at my face and suddenly something in me snapped.

I was done with this charade and I was angry.

"My name is Riley! Stay away from me!", I snapped, whirling to leave. I grabbed my purse from the couch and started for the door.

I could feel my upper lip was wet, definitely bleeding.

Will grabbed my shoulder. "Hun, lemme see. I wanna make sure you're okay".

"I'm not okay!", I said, trying to shake him off. "That was an unreasonable request and you are acting crazy!"

He grabbed my upper arm instead. "Stop. Just stop. Show me your face", he said, grabbing the low knot of my hair and trying to turn my head to face him. My anger turned to panic, the situation triggering similar situations with Harrison.

"Get OFF ME!!!", I shrieked, right in his face.

His eyes widened and I took that opportunity to wrench my arm from his grasp and run for the door.

"At least tell me what you felt!", he called after me.

"DISGUST!", I called out over my shoulder as I ran through his front door and down the stairs as fast as I could.

I could feel wetness dripping down my chin but I was scared to slow down or stop in case he decided to come after me. I was terrified, sickened, and angry.

I grabbed my key out of the front pocket of my purse as I exited through the doorway at the bottom of the stairwell. I got into my car and started driving before I even began searching for a napkin or tissue to wipe the blood off my face.

I found a tissue, dabbed at my face, which hurt, then glanced in the mirror. My nose had bled a tiny bit, only a tiny trickle which stopped at my mouth. It didn't appear bruised. My upper lip was cut on the outside- swelling and bruising, my guess was from one of Will's teeth. I felt carefully inside my lip with my tongue and winced. It was definitely bleeding and cut up on the inside, likely from one of my teeth. I felt my eyes well up with tears.

What WAS that?!? Why did that happen? How dare he?!!

I forced myself to concentrate on driving and get home.

Home. Oh no.

My heart and lungs froze in terror. Jake would take one look at me and murder Will. I wouldn't even need to say anything. He would know Will had done this. I hadn't gone anywhere else.

Shoot. I needed to text him I was heading home, too. Maybe I would give that some time.

Or not.

If I showed up and Jake was waiting for me and I hadn't texted, that would be another red flag to him that Will had attacked me.

I whipped out my phone from my purse and quickly texted him using voice command- On my way back.

What if I lied? If I said I tripped or something? Fell and hit my face on the side mirror? I was clumsy. That was believable.

Why am I covering for Will anyway?, I asked myself. He behaved like an animal and he deserves what he gets.

Oh, but if Jake hurts him like he hurt Eddie's previous owner...

With Jake's history and his temper and his lingering animosity toward Will, I could believe that Will might actually end up near death. Which meant Jake might end up in prison. I tried not to panic and I tried not to cry.

"What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?", I moaned out loud.

If Jake were waiting for me, I had maybe five minutes to figure that out.

...........................................................................

Jake sauntered in to the police/ranger station and Travis stood up from his desk to greet him.

"Hey, Jake", Travis said, "to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Got some thoughts on Riley's ex".

"Come sit", Travis said, motioning at the folding chairs in front of his heavy wooden desk.

Jake settled himself into a seat, resting one ankle up on one knee.

"'Member how I said Harrison had a whole buncha enemies and one of 'em could be tryin' to snatch Riley to get back at him?"

"Sure".

"Well...Riley done told me a new story 'bout her ex, got me thinkin'...maybe he hired someone to off her. Maybe it weren't no kidnappin' and ransom plan at all. Maybe he wanted her dead".

"What? Why? They're divorced. You said he left her with nothin', what more could he want?"

"Revenge. She got away, made him look weak and foolish. Don't matter what he took from her, she still won because she got away. Don't think he sounds like the type of man gonna let that sit".

"Tell me about this new information", Travis said, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair.

When Jake got done filling Travis in and pleading with Travis to take action soon, he stood to leave and checked his phone.

Riley had texted twenty minutes ago.

Quick visit, he thought, hoping that was a good thing- as in a good thing for him, not for Will.

"See ya", Jake said to Travis, leaving the station.

...........................................................................

I pulled in my driveway and dashed inside as quickly as possible. I couldn't ever see Jake's truck from my house so I had no idea whether or not he was at home.

I went into the bathroom, got cold water on a washcloth and started cleaning the blood throughly from my face and hands. I realized my hands were shaking, which set me off sobbing.

How dare Will do this to me?!? Yes, the injury was an accident, but it happened because he was mauling me! I felt completely violated and betrayed, sickened that he would put me in this position. Sick to my soul that someone I loved and trusted would treat me like an object they had a right to...AGAIN.

Something is seriously wrong with me. Seriously. Why does this keep happening? I can't trust anyone.

I struggled to get my sobbing under control and realized my nose had started dripping blood again.

I forced myself to stop crying and peered at my face in the mirror. I had little drips of blood on my sweater. I pinched my nose closed with my left hand and scrubbed viscously at the blood with my right. When my nose had stopped bleeding and the stains were off my sweater, I cleaned my blood off the sink, noticed it on the floor, wiped it off the floor, noticed the grout was filthy, and started cleaning the grout with the washcloth in my hand.

...........................................................................

Jake pulled into Riley's driveway behind her car and bounded up the porch stairs, entering without knocking.

"That was quick!", he called out as he walked in, glancing around for her.

No reply.

Her bedroom door was open, and he peeked in, but she wasn't there. He proceeded to the bathroom. The door was open and there she was- on her hands and knees, scrubbing the grout in the tile floor with a washcloth.

"Hey", he ventured.

She didn't pause in her scrubbing or lift her head to acknowledge him. She didn't say anything or give any acknowledgment of his presence.

Jake was no stranger to a woman angry-cleaning, as he had typically been the cause of his wife's focused cleaning projects, so he simply squatted next to her and asked, "What'd he do to make ya mad?"

It was as if he didn't exist to her. He couldn't see her face as her head was hanging down, but something seemed off about the situation, despite the familiarity. Liv had ignored him when she had been mad cleaning about him. If she was mad cleaning about someone else, she talked, or rather, shouted about what they had done.

How could she possibly be mad at me?

Jake was simply watching her, deciding how to proceed, when he realized what else was off- her hair. When he had been waiting for her to leave, he had watched her go. He had seen her hair was in some sort of smooth bun thing and was sad she had put away the curls he so enjoyed.

Now, it was a mess. Most of it was still in the bun, but there was a big lump at the back of her head like that chunk had been pulled half out, the bun itself was now lopsided, and strands were loose, hanging into her face on either side.  No matter what the style she was wearing, Riley's hair was never a mess.

A nagging worry popped up in his gut as he watched her scrub furiously. Something bad had happened. His gut told him to proceed with caution, and his instinct was preparing him for the worst, which his brain wouldn't even let him consider at the moment.

"Riley", he said quietly. "Darlin', stop for a minute".

He put his hand gently around the wrist that was holding the washcloth and she flinched like he had shocked her, yanking her wrist away and sitting down hard on her left side.

Without looking at him, hanging her head, she mumbled, "Don't touch me. Go away".

Jake instantly was punched in the gut with a wave of nausea and recognized it as fear. He was scared to consider what Will might have done to make her act this way.

Jake carefully removed the washcloth from her hand and set it aside.

"Ain't goin' nowhere", he said quietly. "Ya know me better than that".

"I don't know anything about anyone", she said, so faintly he barely heard it. Then he heard a subtle sniff.

She was crying. He slowly and cautiously positioned himself closer to her and in her line of sight, as he would approach a wounded animal. She tipped her head down and away from him.

"Darlin', talk to me", he said softly, venturing to tuck some of the loose hair behind the ear which was closest.

She didn't move, didn't reply, but he could see half of her face now. She had definitely been crying for some time. Her nose and the eye he could see were red, and a fresh tear was on her cheek.

"Leave me alone", she said clearly enough, but her voice was shaking and her eye was shut.

Jake crept a bit closer and took her chin, trying to turn her head to him. "Look at me", he said.

She resisted.

He changed tactics. He scooted up close to her. Lowering his forehead against the side of her head, he spoke in a low voice next to her ear, "I ain't goin' nowhere. I'm gonna sit right here with ya 'till yer ready to talk".

At that, she started sobbing and leaned in against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, held her, and waited, terrified.

When her sobs had subsided to sniffles, she wiped her tears away, but still hadn't spoken or moved from his chest.

"What happened?", Jake asked again, calmly.

No reply.

Jake felt his heart start pounding as his imagination began to run wild with thoughts he cut off before they could form images.

He sat her upright and tried to get her to look at him again. Again, she resisted.

"Baby, yer scarin' me", he told her honestly. "If ya don't start talkin', I got no choice but to go talk to Will an' find out what's goin' on".

That did it. Her head whipped up, her clear green eyes meeting his. They were wide and terrified, puffy, and pink from crying...

...and her mouth was swollen, bloody, and bruised.

"My God", he breathed, his heart thumping hard, reaching for her chin.

"He did this", Jake realized.

He tore his eyes from the injury to look into her light green eyes again. Hers were anguished and filling with tears, which confirmed what he assumed was correct.

He felt the wave of nausea again. If Will had hit her, what else had he done? Jake felt a rage building and pushed it down. His gut told him right now she was scared and hurt, and she needed him, not him to go storming out after Will. There would be time for that later.

He gently tucked the loose strands of hair behind her other ear then kept his hand against her face.

"How did this happen?", he asked calmly.

She simply teared up and one tear spilled down her cheek, tugging at his heart.

"Riley, I need to know", he said.

She shook her head no.

"I already know Will damaged yer face", he said quietly. "What I don't know is how it happened or what else he did. I need ya to tell me or I got no choice but to go pound the truth outta him".

She started crying again. "That's why...I can't...tell you. I don't...want...you to get...arrested".

"That tells me everythin' I need to know", Jake decided, standing quickly as the rage he was repressing broke loose.

Riley scrambled to her feet and caught his arm before he was fully out the bathroom door.

He paused and tried to calm himself before speaking to her. He didn't want to upset her more.

"Where is he?", Jake asked.

"I don't know. He was at his apartment when I left, but...".

Jake continued to the front door, completely unencumbered by her trying to hold him back. He proceeded through it, aware that he was dragging her, moving slowly enough that she wasn't going to get hurt.

"Jake, stop!", she sobbed.

He stopped and peered down at the terrified girl clinging to his arm.

She needs ya here, with her, he reminded himself.

"I'll stop if ya tell me the rest of the story", he said calmly, "otherwise I'm gonna get it from him".

"Okay", she agreed. "Okay".

He sat on the top step of the porch and she sat next to him. She pressed her hands together between her knees and took a shaky breath, staring off into the trees. Her mouth appeared really painful and awful. She seemed miserable and terrified and vulnerable.

Jake reached over, covering her knee with his hand. She glanced at his face, grabbed onto that arm with both her hands, dropped her forehead to his shoulder and took another shaking breath.

Jake squeezed her knee gently and waited. She was going to tell him now but he still needed to be patient because it wasn't going to be easy...for either of them.

...........................................................................

Jake sat silently as I relayed everything with Will exactly as I remembered it, though I could feel his anger building as if it were radiating off of his body.

When I explained the kissing conversation, he snarled, "Ya gotta be fuckin' kiddin'", with so much anger, I was afraid to proceed.

I watched him consciously calm himself down, but waited until he patted my knee before I went on.

His jaw was clenched, a muscle jumping in his cheek as I went through all of the horrifying experience about the kiss and how my face got smashed.

"It was an accident", I added, and Jake met my eyes with a fierce anger as he said, "That was caused by him forcin' his tongue down yer throat!"

I couldn't disagree. I had said the same thing to myself.

"Then what?", he asked.

"I left".

"He let ya just walk out the door without tryin' to stop ya or talk to ya or inspect yer face?!?", Jake snapped.

"Ah, well, yes, he tried to do all of that...".

"And?"

Jake's face was murderous- brow furrowed, jaw clenched, eyes narrow, breathing hard.

"I screamed in his face for him to get off me, and he let go, and I ran".

"Good job, darlin'", he said, picking up one of my hands. He turned it over and ran his fingertips over my forearm.

I saw red marks and the beginning of bruises on my wrist and realized what he was doing.

He let go of that arm and took the other, of which there were definite marks on, also. I hadn't even realized.

"Take yer sweater off", he said quietly.

I hesitated. "But he didn't-", I started to say he hadn't grabbed me anywhere else, but then I remembered he had.

I started silently crying as I pulled my arms out of my sweater.

Will was definitely dead, there was no question about it.

...........................................................................

Jake was struggling to keep the lid on his anger but so far he felt like he was doing okay, and that was only because he kept promising himself that as soon as he got done checking her over he would unleash all that anger on Will.

Not only was Riley's lip bruised, but so were her wrists. He watched her silently crying as she obligingly pulled her arms out of her sweater and turned her back to him.

There were a couple small bruises on her right shoulder and many deep bruises forming on her right upper arm.

He said nothing about it as he ran his fingers over those spots and watched her flinch. She knew, that's why she had started crying.

"All right, kid", he said, and held the bottom of her sweater out for her as she started pulling her arm back through the sleeve.

Once it was on, she tearfully met his gaze.

"You are entitled to an 'I told you so'", she said dejectedly.

"I'm real sorry he did this to ya", Jake said, ignoring her comment. "I'm gonna go kill him now".

He stood to leave and she immediately stood with him, protesting vehemently and clutching at his shirt.

Jake was offended. "Why the hell ya wanna protect him after what he did?!?", he snapped.

Her eyes widened as he peered down into her beautiful face.

"I'm not protecting him, I'm protecting you. I don't want you to be arrested!"

God, yer daft, Bowe, he scolded himself.

"I'll be fine", he said, heading down the steps, inadvertently taking her with him.

"Jake, please!", she wailed. "What will I do without you?!! Please don't do this!"

He stopped walking again and brought his hand gently up to run his fingertips across her face near the injury.

"What kinda man would let this go?", he asked her. "I couldn't respect myself and neither would you if I sat here and did nothin' 'bout this".

She started crying and continued to pull futilely on his arm as he walked down the driveway to his truck. At that point she released him and dashed around to the passenger side.

"No", he warned her. "Riley, do not...".

She ignored him, got in, and put her seatbelt on.

He opened the passenger door, unbuckled her seatbelt, tossed her over her shoulder, carried her around to the front of his truck, and set her on her feet in the driveway.

By the time he had reached his truck door, she was back inside again with her seatbelt on.

"Riley!", he scolded, starting back around the truck for her.

She reached up and pushed the lock down with a snap, the little shit.

He went back to his side and climbed in, then looked over at her.

"I am done being manhandled today", she said firmly, yet in a shaking voice. "If you insist on going, I am going with you".

"Why?"

"To hopefully prevent you from actually killing him".

"Get out", he told her.

"I will not", she said, her voice wavering but clearly not her resolve. "This is my issue and I will see it through".

"Ya ain't gonna be okay with what's gonna happen", he said. "Ya ain't gonna wanna watch that".

"I haven't been okay with most of what's happened in my life but I'm still living it, aren't I?", she answered quietly.

Jake was momentarily stunned into silence. That little gal had more mettle than he gave her credit for.

She continued, "Everyone I trust, everyone I love, has ended up hurting me...except you. I can't lose that. I can't lose you. I can't sit here and...wait...for you to never come back, wondering what happened...".

Her eyes welled up. "Don't put me through that", she said. "At least if I'm there, I know what happened. Even if I can't prevent something bad from happening, at least I know I tried".

Jake stared into her glistening peridot eyes and was absolutely humbled by her request. She was so much more than he could ever be. She was strong and courageous and selfless, and she had no idea how incredible she was.

"All right", he said, "but you wait in the truck".

She nodded and he started the engine.

...........................................................................

I was terrified for what was going to happen but I stood by my decision to be present. I wasn't lying about my reasons for wanting to go with. As terrifying as the thought of Jake and Will fighting was, the thought of sitting home waiting to find out what happened was even more so.

...........................................................................

* We all knew this had to come to a head sooner or later. Click vote and sit tight- action ahead! *