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What was it about Grant Anderson? Did he have a savior complex? She wasn’t his problem to solve.
“I work in website design and construction for a large software firm. Well, at least I did until yesterday.”
“You quit?”
“No, I asked for a week off. I said it was an emergency which they were fine with. They didn’t ask too many questions. I think they thought there was a death in the family. But I obviously can’t go back there. That’s the first place he’d look for me.”
“You could change your name. Get a new job. Like I said, I know some people. I could help with that.”
“I never thought about changing my name,” she admitted. “Can’t he find out about that? Also, all of my work history and education is in my current name. I’d have to start all over.”
“There are ways around that. If you worked for someone who knew your story.”
She was already shaking her head before he finished his sentence.
“I don’t want anyone to know.”
Because she was ashamed. She should have been smarter than this.
“What about your last check? Where will that go?”
“Into my bank account,” she replied with a heavy sigh. “Which I cannot access without Kevin finding out. I have a feeling he’s been monitoring my bank account and credit cards.”
“Are you sure?”
“I don’t have any proof, but there were times he knew things that he shouldn’t have. I have to assume that he somehow got access.”
“Did you change your password before you left?”
“Yes, but I’m still paranoid. I had a whole list hidden of the things I needed to do when I had the opportunity to get out. I was able to do most of them, but in the end, I had to just go before he came home.”
“Leaving safely was the most important thing,” Grant said with a nod. “Do you have your personal papers, such as birth certificate or passport? Any documents that you need?”
“Yes, I kept them in a box. He knew where they were, but I’d been extra good these last few months, so he wasn’t checking up on me as much as before.”
Grant’s smile widened.
“You are smart. You lulled him into a false sense of security. Good for you.”
“It’s probably only made him far angrier.”
“Mia, can I ask you a question? I’m concerned for you, and I want to help. Do you have enough cash to get where you’re going? Do you have a plan? Is there someone I can call for you?”
“Are you always like this?” Mia asked with a laugh. “Were you born a knight in shining armor? Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful that you want to help me, but honestly, most people don’t want to get that involved. I can’t say that I blame them.”
“I’m not a knight or a hero. I’m a cop, and I’ve been trained to help in these situations.”
Mia studied Grant’s face, his features entirely sincere. He did want to help her. And she wanted to accept his offer. It was just that…she wasn’t sure what she needed. Someone to stand in front of her and protect her from the world? That wasn’t something she was comfortable asking of anyone.
“I do have a plan. Of sorts,” she finally replied. “I’ve been setting aside money here and there. Not so much that I thought he would notice. Over time it’s grown and it’s enough to help me get a new start. I have a friend down in Naples. She was where I was headed when I wasn’t paying attention to the storm. I haven’t contacted her yet because I wasn’t sure what she’d say. She always said that she’d be there for me, but I’d already decided that if she didn’t want to be I was okay with that. I would just make my new life here in Florida. Sunshine can’t be a bad thing, right? All that serotonin? It makes people happy, I’m told.”
“I’ve heard that, too.” He reached for his phone and held it out to her. “You can use my phone to call her.”
“I have a burner phone that I bought a long time ago. I hid it from Kevin. If he found it, he never said anything.”
The niggling doubt in the back of her mind had kept her from actually using it. It would be just like him to not say anything and then use it to find her.
“You can use mine,” Grant urged. “He doesn’t know anything about my phone. He can’t use it to hunt you down.”
