Page 31 of My Boyfriend Marks Trees
The moment they pulled into her place the damage was visible. The front window smashed—from the inside, according to the shards on the front lawn. Rudolph had been utterly destroyed, its head torn from the body and then stomped.
The interior looked as if someone had taken a bat to everything. Not a single piece of furniture remained intact. Ceramic and glass shards littered the kitchen. The fridge had been left open, and the little food inside tossed to the floor. Cupboard doors ripped off. The Christmas tree had been knocked over and…
Someone marked the tree.
No way. He took a second sniff. His wolf was right. Some fucker had pissed on it.
It wasn’t the only thing soaked in urine. Charly stood staring at her bed, which had a pile of shit in the middle, along with soaked sheets. She turned deathly pale when she entered the bathroom and saw on the mirror, written in lipstick,Whore.
Charly uttered a whimper.
Protect!Wolf insisted.
“We’ve seen enough,” he stated, tugging her by the hand.
“I can’t go. I have to clean up and?—”
“Everything is trash,” he said, more harshly than necessary. Blame his impotent rage at the vandals who’d hurt his Charly.
Her eyes brimmed with tears.
“Don’t cry,” he said, softening his tone. “I didn’t mean to sound like an asshole. I’m pissed at whoever did this. Who the fuck destroys someone’s home?”
“I can think of someone,” her soft murmur.
He stared at her. “Wait, you think this is your ex?”
She shrugged. “It’s possible. I mean, why would a random stranger be so mad?”
This went beyond mad into vindictive and cruel.
Before he could reply, they heard a man holler from downstairs, “Ms. Dawson, are you here?”
“Yes, Mr. Rodriguez. Coming down.”
Ares followed Charly to the main floor to find her landlord standing with his arms crossed. “This place is uninhabitable.”
“I’m sorry. I obviously had no idea this would happen when the fire marshal told me to leave until they checked the structure.”
“Not your fault, but this…” Mr. Rodriguez waved. “This is too much damage. You can’t live here anymore.”
Her mouth rounded. “But my rent is paid.”
“I will reimburse this month and return your last month’s rent,” her landlord insisted. “This will take weeks, maybe months, to fix.”
“He’s right,” Ares murmured softly. “The whole place needs to be gutted.”
“It’s only days before Christmas. Where am I supposed to go?” Charly’s voice broke.
“Do you really have to ask?” he replied.
Her eyes shone with tears, and her lips wobbled. “It’s too much.”
“No, it’s not. I’ve got you, Charly.”
Indeed, he held her up, as her whole body appeared on the verge of collapse. It didn’t help that the intruder left nothing intact. The meager clothing she’d not taken with her, ruined. Notjust torn, but also pissed on, and by more than one person. Three by his count. The presents she’d tucked in her closet? Trampled and destroyed, which left her shaking. He didn’t need to ask to know what she thought.
What will I have for Greta on Christmas?