Cleanup crew is on its way.
Mikaela:
Cleanup crew is done.
Mikaela:
I’ve got us covered for tomorrow.
Mikaela:
Let me know if you guys need anything.
Mikaela:
Wow, thanks for answering. I could be dead.
I laugh at the last message and think about replying, but knowing her, she probably has the phone beside her, and the last thing I want is to wake her if she’s sleeping.
Instead, I pull up my uncle’s number and text him.
Me:
Not that you care, but I made it home.
I turn the shower on, pull my shirt off, and toss it into the empty basket in the corner. My phone vibrates, and I check the screen.
Uncle J:
I was so worried. Thanks for not having our backs. We could be in jail right now.
I snort at his text and put the phone down before completely undressing and stepping into the shower. I put my head down to let the water run over my neck. My mind immediately wanders to Collins.
Seeing her was definitely not on my bingo card. Today, in general, was not on my bingo card, but coming face-to-face with Collins? Boy, did that throw me off. Not as much as someone I know being shot, but it’s high up there.
Ever since I came to town, I had a strict rule with myself that I wouldn’t go home with anyone who lived here. Thatcher’s has always had people staying in the area drop in to taste the local wares. I mean, I did cave a couple of times here and there with people that lived here, and Collins was one of them. But running into her was a fluke. It should never have happened.
I had spent that night in the bar with a couple of guys from work. Usually, Nino drives Frankie home since Frankie’s rental is a street over from where he lives. But Nino left really early that night, so I stepped in, even though it was in the opposite direction of where I was going. I saw her blonde hair as soon as I turned the corner, and my headlights caught her. She moved back away from the road as I slowed down to see that her tire was flat.
“Hey.” I rolled my window down. “Need a hand?”
“Depends.” She tilted her head to the side, her hair blowing in the wind. From the little light that was shining on her from the moon and my lights reflecting on the road, I could tell she was a knockout. “Are you a murderer?” Out of everything she could have asked, I would have never imagined her asking that.
“Not that I know of.” I smirked at her.
I suggested she could wait in my truck, but she didn’t take me up on the offer. Still, I left the motor running when I parked my truck in front of her car, in case she wanted to bolt out of there.
“Hi,” she said softly.
“Hi.” I smiled at her, and I was wrong about her being a knockout, she was way past that and probably out of my league. “I’m Theo.”
I reached my hand out as she told me that serial killers usually introduced themselves to their prey, but she still crouched down beside me when I looked at her tire. It was shredded, and she’s lucky she pulled over in time and wasn’t going fast. She might have lost control of the car.
I changed her tire in a little over ten minutes, and the whole time she was beside me, helping by shining the flashlight on her phone just where I needed the light.
“That should do it,” I said to her as I put the jack back in the trunk, dusting off my hands.
“Thank you, really,” she said.
