“She needs her lawyer because I am coming after her, Mr. Stanton,” Noah warned him and slammed the phone down hard.
Noah called Ray and updated him, just in case Cora did something stupid like show up at the restaurant.
“Alana is keeping busy. She is fine. I don’t want to tell her right now,” Ray told him, and Noah agreed. Why ruin her day?
As long as she was on guard, he hoped everything would be okay.
* * * *
Alana and Ray were closing up. This time Alana made sure to lock the front doors. She had been too lax in security before all this happened. She never thought anything dangerous would happen in her small town. Now she knew better.
Ray gave her a hug. He must have noticed her nervousness. He had told all of them that Jeremy confessed Cora was at the head of the crime. Noah was trying hard to get an arrest warrant from the judge. It put all of them on edge. Alicia had wanted to start a lynch mob complete with torches to go and find Cora, but Ray told her to let Noah handle it legally first.
Alana had agreed with Ray’s logic. Secretly she would love to join in Alicia’s idea, but that would not solve anything. Cora would get what she deserved.
“Just think of her wearing that orange jumpsuit, with no makeup or hair salon.”
“Don’t worry, Sis. Cora is not dumb enough to come here,” Ray assured Alana.
Alana nodded, feeling cold despite the summer heat. “I know. Adam texted me. He and Liam are at home. You can take me there. Noah will probably be late. I promised them some food, and they promised to watch a movie with me.”
Ray pointed to a large brown bag. “Got it all bagged up.”
“Want to come and hang out with us?” Alana asked.
Ray nodded. “Yeah, Millie canceled on me. I didn’t feel up to sitting in my apartment all night with all this going on.”
He picked up the bag and turned the lights off. He led her outside and told her to wait in his truck so he could lock the door.
Alana got in the front seat and set the bag of food down. The streets were quiet and empty at this time of night. She couldn’t see anyone walking. A few cars drove by but not Cora’s fancy Benz.
Once Ray got in and started driving Alana took the time to catch up on what was going on in his life. Cora was the last thing she wanted to think of.
“So is it serious between you and Millie?”
“No. She’s pretty, but she is still young and wild,” he confessed. “I’m too old to play games. We have fun, but it’ll never go anywhere.”
“Yeah, you’re thirty. So ancient. Maybe I should be driving,” she teased him.
Ray laughed at her and shook his head. He looked in his rearview mirror and frowned.
“What’s wrong?” Alana asked, noticing the quick change in attitude. Her body tensed up.
He handed her his cell. “Call Noah. We have someone following us. I thought it was a coincidence, but he or she is getting closer to us.”
Alana dialed Noah’s cell with shaky fingers while praying.
“Ray? Is something wrong?” Noah answered right away.
“It’s me, Alana. We have someone following us.” She got straight to the point, feeling scared.
All of a sudden, the person behind them rammed them hard. Ray cursed and did his best to control the truck and keep them on the road.
“It’s a black SUV with bright lights!” Ray yelled out loud enough for Noah to hear. “We’re on Chambers Road by your house.”
“Stay calm,” Noah bit out. “I’m on my way.”
Alana hung up and stayed quiet. She wanted to scream, maybe cry a little, but Ray was concentrating hard on his driving. She did not want to distract him. She hung on to the seat belt tightly.