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As much as I had enjoyed taking a trip down memory lane, I am beyond ready to go home. “Yeah, let me just pack this up.” I start to shuffle papers around on my desk before looking over at my students. “You guys good?”
“Yeah,” they both answer in unison before smiling back at each other. Yeah, something is definitely going on between those two.
“So, did you serve the papers?” I ask Joey over dinner. While I’m not sure he’s avoiding it, per se, it’s not something he’s gone out of his way to talk about.
Joey clears his throat before speaking. “Uh, yeah. I think I might’ve either scared him or angered him.” The smirk that takes over his face tells me he’s quite proud of himself.
“Why do you say that?”
He proceeds to tell me everything that happened in Grant’s office — how he denied having anything to do with the vandalism of my car and Joey’s garage. “I’m pretty sure he threw a coffee cup at the wall after I walked out of his office,” he chuckles. “By the way, I met the P.I. that works for Max this morning. He said he hopes to have something on Grant by the end of the week.”
That’s three days away — Grant can do a lot of damage between now and then. I can’t help the panic that takes over my body at the thought of what else he could do. I know Joey had Max cover every loophole that Grant might think of, but they don’t know him like I do. He’ll find a way around something — he’s a master manipulator.
The fear for my safety grows more and more with each passing day. I feel secure whenever Joey is here with me, but what about the times I’m here alone? As much as he would like to be near me every second of every day, it’s just not plausible.
“Can we get security cameras installed on the outside of the house?” The question comes out of my mouth before I even realize I’ve asked it. “I’m really worried about what else he’s going to do.”
“We have the restraining order in place, Kelsey. He can’t come near the house or our places of work.”
I don’t think he realizes just how worried I am about this whole situation. “That doesn’t mean he can’t send someone to do his dirty work for him. You don’t know the type of shit he’s capable of, Joey. He’s a sadistic fuck who is relentless when he wants something. All we’ve done by serving the protective order is delay the inevitable. This is just a road block to him.”
He takes in my words, wide-eyed in what appears to be realization. “Do you know something, Kelsey? Something that I can give to Max?”
I shake my head defeatedly. “No, nothing concrete — just speculation and rumors of things I’ve heard.”
“You can’t leave something like that so vague, Angel. What kind of things have you heard? Maybe if I present these rumors to Max, he might be able to find something to prove them.”
I take in a shuddered breath and let it out slowly. I never dared to tell Grant that I’d overheard some of his hushed conversations from his office. “I’m pretty sure he’s blackmailed witnesses into giving false testimonies, ones that would help win his case.”
“This is huge, Kelsey! Why didn’t you say something sooner?” He pulls out his phone to text someone — presumably Max or his P.I. Once he’s done, he places one of his hands over mine. “If it will make you feel safer, I will arrange for a security system to be installed tomorrow.”
“I think it might give me some peace of mind. At the very least, maybe we can catch whoever is working for him.”
The more that Joey and I discuss the situation from this morning, the more I’m convinced that Grant wouldn’t actually want to get his hands dirty. He’d sooner hire somebody, if only for the purpose of having a fall guy if he gets caught.
Chapter 46
The bomb that Kelsey dropped on me last night still has me reeling. If Max and Ryan can find a way to prove her suspicions, we could do more than use it to get him to leave her alone. We could get him fired from the District Attorney’s office and disbarred.
I check my phone before I get out of bed to see if Max got back to me, but all I have is the confirmation that he’s looking into it. The sooner all this shit is over, the better.
Kelsey stirs next to me, causing me to roll onto my side to face her. She looks exhausted — which is to be expected since I felt her tossing and turning most of the night. She’s scared, and I don’t blame her.
“Good morning, Angel.” I brush her hair away from her face and kiss her.
“Hi,” she mutters, her voice still laced with sleep. “I meant to ask you yesterday — how long do you think it’ll be until my car is fixed?”
My heart sinks at her question. In the midst of everything that happened at my shop, I wasn’t able to assess what I’d need to order to fix it.
“I’m going to look at it today. I can probably get the tires replaced by the end of the day, but the damage to the doors could take awhile.” I don’t tell her this, but I also want to do a thorough inspection of her car to make sure he didn’t tamper with anything else.
Her face falters a little bit at my words, and it makes my heart hammer in my chest with anger. I hate that this is happening to her, and I hate that there’s nothing more I can do to fix it.
“I hate to keep asking you for a ride to and from work. I feel like a burden, especially because I would never expect you to be my personal chauffer. Does Frankie have a loaner car that I can use in the meantime?”
I cup her chin with my hand and lay a gentle kiss on her forehead. “First of all, you could never be a burden. I love you, and if driving you to and from work myself ensures me that you’re safe from your stupid ex, I’m more than happy to do it. Second, I will call Frankie while you go take a shower and see what he can do for us.”
“Thanks,” she whispers. “What would I do without you?”
