“I’m staying with you until you're completely better,” I say resolutely. “I’m not going back Friday.”
“I’m fine, Bay. I just said, it’s a few bumps and scrapes.”
“I’mnotgoing back.” Not ever, if I can help it.
“Fine, of course I want you to stay.” He pulls me until I’m forced to climb onto the bed. I settle alongside him, careful of the wires, and wrap my arm gently around his middle, resting my chin on his shoulder.
With the rush of everything that’s happened, I forgot about Shane. Just as my nervous system starts to calm down, the memory of that box and the note comes front and centre, making my heart race all over again. I need to tell Teddy everything, but I don’t want to do it here. I’ll show him when we get home. … He’ll know what to do.
THEO
“Get off!”I slap Robbie’s hand off of me.
Always with the fucking touching.
“I’m just trying to help,” he pouts, letting go of my arm.
As soon as he does, I wobble, and Bailey quickly grabs me from the other side. I lean into him, letting him wrap an arm around my waist.
Ever since I was released from the hospital, Robbie’s been attached to my hip; helping me into the car, driving me home, and now trying to come into my house. “You don’t need to stay, Rob, I’m good,” I say, hoping he’ll get the hint and leave.
He stops in the doorway. Glaring, he points at Bailey. “You look after him.”
Bailey’s back straightens. “Of course I’ll look after him.”
“I don’t need?—”
Robbie shuts the front door before I can finish.
“I really don’t need looking after,” I say, but Bailey isn’t listening to me either. He leads me into the living room and sitsme down on the sofa, then picks up a parcel from the coffee table and stands in front of me.
“What’s that?”
“Shane’s here,” Bailey says quietly, without looking at me.
My blood turns to ice in an instant.
“What?”
“He found me.” Bailey opens the package, keeping it close to his chest so I can’t see inside. “I think Shane got someone to deliver this to the farmhouse yesterday morning.” He pulls out a piece of paper and hands it to me.
I feel light-headed. The paper is stained with something dark. I look back at the box. “What else is in there?”
“Just … it doesn’t matter. You can probably guess, you don’t need to see it.”
Shane is here. He’s come for Bailey, and if I’m in the way again … “Have you called the police?” I ask, handing it back to him. I ease myself off the sofa and go to the kitchen to wash my hands, trying to hide the way they shake at the thought of Shane laying hands on either of us again. He’s just one man. He can’t do anything.
“No.”
“We need to call the police,” I say, looking over at Bailey as he joins me at the sink. He squirts soap onto his hands, then spends way too long scrubbing them.
I lean around him and turn the water off, wrapping his hands in a towel. He sucks in a breath and squeezes his eyes shut. “I can’t, Teddy.”
“You’ve done nothing wrong, Bay.”
“It doesn’t matter! They’ll ask questions, and I’ll have to tell them everything; how I was so fucking stupid I didn’t realise what he was doing to me. They’ll ask why I didn't report him sooner, or why I didn’t report Dean. Because that will come uptoo. They’ll say I’m a liar.” His breathing comes in short, sharp bursts, and he sways slightly.
“Alright … alright,” I soothe, pulling him against my chest and stroking his hair. “We can deal with this tomorrow, okay? Robbie will be over first thing anyway, and I’ll lock everything up tonight." I get where he’s coming from; I’ve done it myself, refused to speak up and report Shane. Now I’m hit with the guilt of knowing I could have. But then I remember, if Ihadreported it, it would have been Bailey, not Shane, who got arrested. “If he’s trying to get to you, Bay, there’s no other option, you know that?”
