His response came back in an instant.
Henry: [Don't fear, Nicole. You'll see me the moment you step out of the car.]
Yet, as I alighted from the vehicle, the door left swinging in my wake, and a sudden, excruciating pain erupted at the crown of my head.
The world around me spiraled into darkness before consciousness slipped from my grasp.
As consciousness returned, I was sprawled in disarray upon the icy embrace of the earth. Beside me lay the homeless man. His smile was twisted into something lewd and unsettling.
With a lewd grin, he began to inch closer. His hand reached out with a sinister intent to touch me.
In that harrowing moment, Henry stumbled upon the scene. He whipped out his cell phone, capturing what he perceived as my infidelity.
He spat out his words with an icy venom, "Nicole Blake! Are you so desperately horny? I work late one night, and you throw yourself into the arms of just any man!"
The putrid stench wafting from the homeless man assaulted my senses.
My stomach twisted into knots. With a surge of overwhelming sickness, I threw out.
No matter how I protested my innocence, Henry was deaf to my pleas.