you?”
“Yes.”
“And you were scared because you think they’ll assume you turned them in.”
“Yes. They’ve never been arrested. Ever.”
Tyler had nothing to say after that. He had listened to every word I said, and paid close attention, but he offered no comments. He didn’t even go off on an angry tirade.
After I was done talking, the sob I’d been holding in finally broke free. Not wanting to burden Tyler any longer, I swiped at my eyes.
“Let me get this straight,” he said. “You bought old clothes and pretended to be a drug addict on the streets of Chicago so you could expose a gambling ring that was related to an organized crime operation?”
“Yes. I did. I found quite a bit of evidence too.”
“Where is that evidence now?”
“I have it on my computer, and it’s encrypted on an online file too, so that no one can destroy it.”
“What are you planning to do with it?”
“I was still considering my options.”
“So me being in law enforcement has nothing to do with why you’re here?”
It was a fair question. But meeting Tyler had been a coincidence. “No. That was random.”
“But when you heard I’d been in the Navy SEALs, and was currently a sheriff, you didn’t think I might be able to help you with this?”
“I was planning to tell you about why I was here.”
“When?” he asked.
“Soon.” I couldn't give him a date, because I’d never gotten around to deciding when I’d tell him.
Tyler stood up suddenly. “We’re done here for tonight. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“I’m so sorry,” I said. “I know what I’ve done. I came here, and they could follow me here. I’ve made myself a part of this town, and I’ve endangered all of your lives.”
“It would have been better if you’d been honest, but it’s done now.”
“I'm still sorry. I'll leave right now.” I pushed my chair back, the loud scraping sound it made fit perfectly with my mood.
He grabbed my arm. “Don't go. I can protect myself. I'll go make some calls and make sure these two stay in Chicago. I have a former teammate from the SEALs who is a detective in the Chicago Police Department now. I'll have him call me if they violate the terms of their bail.”
I appreciated the offer, but he hadn’t seen the looks on their faces when they discussed how I’d been investigating them. “I don't know if that's going to be enough.”
“It will be. Trust me on this.” He let go of my arm. “Go on to bed. We'll talk more tomorrow.”
I stayed sitting at the kitchen table while he locked all the doors and activated the security system. He didn't come back to the table but he did say, “You don't have to worry here.”
“Thank you,” was all I could muster.
He turned off the lights and went upstairs.
He might have told me to stay but there was no way I could do that. I sat there in the kitchen in the dark for an hour. Once I heard Tyler brush his teeth and go to bed, I got up and went to my room. I packed up my belongings, which didn't take long.
I crept down the stairs as silently as I could. I typed in the alarm code so that I could exit while it was still activated. I loaded my bags into the backseat of my car. I got in the driver's seat and spent a minute staring at the white farmhouse that I had grown so fond of in just seven days.
I hadn't been here long, but I hated leaving. As much as I regretted lying to Tyler, I was glad that I’d met him. I was never going to forget the time that we shared.
I turned on my car and glanced up in the rearview mirror as I put the gear stick in reverse. My tires crunched over the gravel.
Then I screamed.
A man stood behind my car.
Was it Carl? Christopher? Had they found me so quickly?
I slammed on my breaks. Fuck. It took a second, but the man’s silhouette was familiar in the moonlight. This wasn’t some thug coming after me. It was Tyler, standing in his driveway with his arms crossed.
Heart pounding once again, I pushed the door of my car open.
“What are you doing?” I screamed. “I almost ran over you.”
“You wouldn't have almost run me down if you had done as I said and gone on to bed.”
“I can't stay here and put you in danger. I won’t.” I wasn't going