“Cool,” he says and bobs his head, trying to play off how much my words have affected him.
“Come on, we have a few more errands to run. Let’s getting home before Roni does.”
Roni
For two weeks, I’ve been tolerating this nuisance. Does she really think she’s been stealth? I caught her watching me while talking to John.
Little does she know; I’m watching her too. I’m watching and waiting for my opportunity to handle her and get away with it. It’s only a matter of time.
“Will that be all, Ms. Black?”
My eyes light up when the salesclerk calls me by my fake last name. I can see Missy in the reflection in the mirrors on the wall behind the register. She’s seething.
Hearing my last name is enough to bring her storming over to me. “What did she just call you?”
“Not today, honey. I need to get my nails and hair done. John and I have plans for a date. Don’t want to keep him waiting.” I lean into her ear. “Although the punishment might be worth it.”
When I pull back the crimson color on her face is priceless. I laugh right in her face and turn back to the clerk and hand over my card. I don’t have time for the foolishness.
“Yes, thank you. That will be all.”
When I have my things in hand, I turn and look Missy over. “You’re still here? Last warning, sweetheart. You are barking up the wrong tree. It’s going to get you hurt.”
Chapter 50
My Answer
Roni
“This has been fun,” Torque says.
I look over at him as I swing back and forth on the hammock I’m lying in, one leg hanging over the edge. Night has fallen and a light breeze is flowing. Little does he know; I drove us out here in hopes Missy would follow.
However, with leaving for the wedding in three days and all the work I’ve been doing in the office, this is a nice break. I didn’t tell John where we were going because he would have found a way to come along. I need him focused on anything other than me today. My temper has been known to get me in trouble, but I’ve had it.
“It’s peaceful,” I say and lift my head to the sky.
Yeah, it’s peaceful, but there’s the problem. The system I set up two nights ago at this rental property should have gone off the moment someone other than the two of us stepped one foot on the soil. You see, I’ve been plotting since Missy showed up in that store.
I caught her slipping the other night, watching John and his brothers and not me. While she was watching them, I was watching her. She’s up to something. Her patterns are changing and she’s becoming erratic. She’s doing more than threatening and stalking.
I was sure she would follow me here, but there goes another pattern change. I blow out a breath. I want this handled before I board that plane.
“Hey, can I ask you something?” Torque says.
“Sure.”
He pauses for a moment, brushing his long hair out of his face. He’s been talking about cutting it. I’ll be sad to see it go. I think it’s going to take the baby out of his face. I’m not ready to admit he’s all grown up.
To be honest, I think he wants to cut it to be more like John. I’ve noticed that he’s been dressing more like John and wearing a similar cologne. I grin at the thought. He’s finding himself. There are worse paths he could take to do so.
He exhales. “Once we find Natasha, what do we do next? We both know I’m not as good at the field work as you are. Nellie, Wyatt, and Felix have been covering for both offices. I’m like the backup geek squad. They never let me handle any of the big stuff.” He shrugs. “I don’t know what I plan to do.”
I sit up and rise out of the hammock. Moving to his side by the tree he’s leaning against, I gather my thoughts. As I find my words, I sit shoulder to shoulder with him.
I snort. “I still don’t know who I am. So, for me, it’s one day at a time. It’s been so long… I think I’ve given up on trying to remember who I was, I’m learning to be who I am.
“I’m good with numbers and the field work. Those are the things I’m adapting to. We have money, kid. You don’t have to worry about