Did they love each other back then? Lisa might feel much worse if she admitted she could have loved Ryan and envisioned a future with him.
“So, why did you break up with the baby stud?”
Lisa recounted a terrifying incident from ten years ago where a stranger cornered her, threatened her to stay silent, and warned he'd kill her and Ryan if she revealed anything. He held a knife to her throat, ordered her to end her relationship with Ryan, and leave town. She kept this secret, not even telling the police.
Narrowed eyes all around, Kelly spoke first. “Whoa. Who was it? Why would he do that?”
“I don’t know. And I don’t know. I never saw his face. He came up behind me one night in the college parking lot when I was leaving work. He sounded middle-aged, but that’s all I can guess. I know I’d never spoken to him before.”
“What did he mean to stay silent?”
“That’s what I don’t get either. What did I hear?”
“Damn, girl. It seems like you accidentally uncovered something; he thought you overheard it, and that could cause him problems, which is why he threatened you.”
“Sounds right,” Nina agreed gravely, “but why would you need to break up with Splice and leave town?”
“My question is, do I tell Ryan this?”
“Yes.”
“Yes.
“Fuck, yes, tell him.”
Lisa exhaled, feeling shaky, revisiting memories she’d tried to forget. Returning to Utah, she had wondered if she’d encounter that voice again but guessed the person might not even be in town anymore.
Lisa genuinely feared that a crazy man might harm her or Ryan, suspecting he was following her and knowing her address. To keep him from worrying, she decided not to tell Ryan she’d been threatened. But she’d been bothered by it for years, questioning her choice.
But now that he was actively pursuing her, she wondered if she needed to clear out the past before they... they started something new.
Yeah, she was totally considering it. How could she not?
The pull toward Ryan had always been there. It was a chemistry she couldn’t explain.
“Lady, tell him.”
“He’ll probably hit the roof when he knows,” Nina said, “but it’s better he has the full details. I think you should make a police report, too.”
“That seems far-fetched after all this time. I’ve been back in town for two years, and nothing has happened.”
“Eh, Lisa. Your car...” a worried-looking Scarlett said, and the air dropped out of Lisa’s lungs. She hadn’t even considered it as a connection.
She shook her head. “That’s unrelated. The police said it would be teenagers messing around.”
“But still...”
It was a lot to think about, and Lisa was still in that frame of mind when she left with Nina, who dropped her off at home.
She cooked all afternoon, taking the two pasta casseroles to Monroe’s house before she walked the few blocks home.
As she reached her street, she was taken aback by the sight of a large, menacing figure on her doorstep. But her over-excited hormones recognized who it was right away.
The closer she got, the harder her heart thumped, and she watched Ryan climb to his feet. A smile appeared on his face.
It looked like she was having company tonight. And she realized she didn’t mind at all. In fact, she was excited to see him so soon.
“Hey, sweetheart.” He husked, crowding too close until she smelled his fragrance.
