Page 13 of Malice
No one thought they were the bad guy.
Wow.
She’d never thought about it much, but she had to admit, at least to herself, she’d always imagined people like Phillip just like Corey had described the cartoon bad guy and it didn’t make any sense. Now it was starting to. But it was a lot to process, a lot to change the way she saw everything. That would take time and right now she didn’t feel like she had that much time.
“Okay, if I accept that premise, then how does that change anything?”
“It stops being about winning and losing.” Corey’s voice was calm and patient and something about it soothed her frazzled nerves. Almost as much as it had when he’d shown up and wrapped his arms around her.
That hadn’t totally made sense then, it still didn’t but she didn’t have time to figure it out, not yet.
“So?” she prompted, knowing there had to be more to it that she wasn’t putting together.
“So, you do what you need to do to be safe. Stop thinking you can’t do x because he will win. The only way he wins,” he made air quotes with his fingers, “is if he hurts you, or if he gets you to give in and be with him. Chances are he won’t even be happy then, but that’s what he thinks he wants. As for how? That’s a little more complicated. He’s shown that he knows where you live, so you need to stay somewhere else for a while. We think he’s finding you by tracking your phone, so let’s get you a new one.”
“I can’t afford a new phone.” She let her shoulders slump. Without a new phone, Phillip would just find her again no matter where she went. “I can agree to going somewhere I’ll be safe, and I’ll trust you that out on the ranch where you work and where there are a lot of men in case he shows up will be a good place. But I don’t know how this will work.” An ache had started behind her breastbone. It was hard not to rub at it, to try to make it go away, but she knew it would be useless. It wasn’t something touch, or even a medication would help. She didn’t know what would.
“We’ll figure it out. If we need to, I can get you a phone.”
She started to protest. Phones were expensive and she couldn’t let him do that, but he seemed to know what was coming and held up one hand, stopping her before she could speak.
“I’m not saying we have to get you the most up to date phone out there, but we can pick up something for a couple hundred dollars that will work until I can get someone to go over yours and figure out how he’s tracking you.”
“You know someone who can do that?”
“I know a couple of people. And I’m sure my friends will know more. But you’ll need a way to keep in touch with friends and family while they do that. If you don’t want your neighbors to get hurt by stumbling into him, I’m sure you don’t want friends or family to come looking for you and risk the same.”
She took a deep breath and had to admit he was right.
“Can I just let my family know I have a new project and may be slow to respond for a while, then turn off my phone until someone can look at it?”
He frowned. “Wouldn’t that set off warnings for them? Make someone come look for you?”
“Not really.” Bonnie shook her head. “My family’s used to me doing weird things like that. They know when I start a new project, I often get so into it I don’t hear the phone or someone talking to me. Once when I was in high school, I was so focused on what I was drawing my dad got frustrated and thought I was just ignoring him until he set off the smoke alarm in the room. I never even heard it. It wasn’t until Mom came over and waved her hand in front of my face, I realized they were trying to get my attention.”
“You never heard it?”
“I probably heard it, but I was so focused, my brain didn’t register it as more than my family talking around me.” Her face heated. “I have three brothers and two sisters. Things around our house could get a little loud and I learned to ignore a lot of noise.” She shook her head, not sure why she’d told him all that. “Anyway, that was the long way of telling you that if they know I’ve got a project going, they won’t think much of me not answering my phone or replying to messages for a few days.”
“If it won’t panic your friends and family, then that would likely work. Put it on airplane mode, then turn it off. That way it won’t ping your location when my tech guy powers it on to see if he can figure out how that asshole is tracking you.”
He tilted his head to one side and watched her while she sent a few messages to her family, letting them know she was starting a big new project and that she’d let them know more details soon, then followed his instructions.
When she handed him the phone, he glanced down at it for an instant then pocketed it, his eyes meeting her gaze. “You need to pack. Whatever you need for at least two or three days. A week would be better if you can manage. I want to say this won’t last that long, but I’m afraid it probably will, and maybe longer.”
She felt her eyes widen at the thought of having to stay away from her home, of not being able to talk to her family for a week or more.
“I’m hoping we can get your phone back to you, clean of whatever the tracking software is, in a couple days. But I’m not sure how long until we can get the shit stain taken care of, so you feel safe coming back here.”
Relief washed through her. She wouldn’t like not coming home, but if she could be in touch with her family, she’d survive. Delaying like this was only putting off the inevitable. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, watching him for any sign he might not be telling her the absolute truth, then seeing nothing, nodded once, and headed for the bedroom. Might as well get started.
11
Lessthananhourafter climbing the stairs to Bonnie’s third floor apartment, the two of them were once more descending the same steps. He carried two heavy bags, one over each shoulder while Bonnie carried a third, not as small or heavy. She’d argued about him carrying so much, but he’d refused to give in, or even listen. The only reason he didn’t fight her carrying that much was because it would mean one trip instead of two and he didn’t want to have to leave her alone, not even inside her apartment, while he made a second trip.
They loaded her things into his pickup, then climbed in and headed back to the ranch. Lurch and the others at the ranch knew what was going on and that they were on their way. He’d texted the foreman while he’d waited for her to pack and filled him in.
“My place is pretty bare right now, I haven’t really moved in yet.” He glanced across the cab at her before turning back to the road.