“I get that, but you were safe. That’s what’s important. And although I hate that this happened to you, it still brought you here to me and Milo. I can’t be upset about that.”
“Yeah,” she agrees. She turns to look at me, and a soft smile pulls at her lips. “I didn’t go back to the shelter for a month. I missed everyone terribly, especially Charity and Jasmine. I thought that was enough time, but it turns out I was wrong. I was in line serving when the cop, the guy presented a plate in front of me.” She shivers. “I can still hear the menacing sound of his voice when he said my name.”
“How did he find you?”
“I don’t know. He’s a cop and has connections, I guess. He asked around, I’m sure, and I’d been volunteering at the shelter for years. He got a good look at me, so he had my description.”
“What happened next?” I prompt her. I know this is hard for her to tell me, but I need all the information. I can’t protect my family. I can’t protect her without it.
“He said he had been looking for me all over the city. I was scared out of my mind. Jasper, the older man who runs the homeless shelter, could tell there was something wrong. I asked him if I could stay there that night. Without a single question, he told me I was welcome anytime. He even went out of his way to set me up in his office, on the couch, where the door had a lock. The next morning, I drove home, constantly looking over my shoulder and packed my bags. I called my mom and told her it was time for a change of scenery. I told her that I wanted to see where Grandma grew up, and she believed me. My best friend, Tina, however, wasn’t buying it. I eventually confessed it all to her and swore her to secrecy. She wanted me to go to the cops, but he is the cops. I came here instead. I stayed with Tina for a couple of days. Canceled my lease on my apartment that was thankfully only month to month, I saw your ad, and here I am.”
“You didn’t tell anyone else? No one else knows why you left town?”
She shrugs. “No one else to tell really. My mom moved to Florida, I worked from home, so there were no nosey coworkers. Tina is it, and I trust her.”
“And the messages?”
She takes a sip of her water. “They all have the same tone. I’m coming for you. You can’t hide forever, those kinds of things. There is no way he can find me. I canceled all of my credit cards, and I have no loans in my name.”
“You’re a business, Hollis. He can find your business.”
“It’s still registered in California, as is my bank account. I have automatic withdrawals set up monthly to go to an account in Texas. That account has a withdrawal from a bank in Arkansas, which has a withdrawal to my bank here in Missouri.”
She’s really put some thought into this. “He can still trace you.”
“Yeah,” she agrees. “I see that now. I don’t know if he actually knows where I am, or if he’s just trying to scare me. The emails came from my website.”
“So, he knows your name, where you used to volunteer, and the name of your business,” I state the facts.
“Yes.”
“Hollis, we need to go to the police about this. You can’t live in fear every single day, constantly looking over your shoulder. You can’t run forever.”
“I know, but I’m scared, Colt. He is the cops. How do I know who I can trust?” A single tear slides down over her cheek. She’s finally lost the composure she managed to hold onto while telling me her story.
“Do you trust me?”
She wipes at her cheek and looks me in the eye. “With my life.”
I nod. “Come here.” She moves closer, and I lift her to sit on my lap. I wrap my arms around her and remind myself that she’s safe. Here, with me, she’s safe. “Let’s start with I want you here. We have to be careful, especially with Milo, but I want you with me. I want you to be a part of our lives.”
“I want that too, Colton. More than anything, but I also can’t stand the thought of someone hurting Milo, or you or your family. I won’t let that happen.”
“Hey.” I place my hand on her cheek. “That’s not going to happen. We’re going to handle this so we can move forward with our lives together.”
She nods, then asks, “What does that mean exactly?”
“I know some people I can trust. Ex-military, remember?” I wink.
“And the other part?” Her voice is soft, and I can hear the uncertainty there.