My heart squeezed. “How long?”
“An hour and a half. But I’ll make it quicker. Promise.”
He hung up without another word and I set a timer on my phone. If I could stay safe for an hour and a half, then I would be okay. While I waited, I did my deep breathing exercises and tried not to think of what had happened.
Slowly, the panic receded. The quiet of Strawberry Springs helped, but knowing my door was barricaded and that meant that no one could get in helped even more.
Logic won out, and I started to sift through the memories of what had happened, trying to make sense of it.
Everything blurred together when I saw Arlo, but now that I was alone, I remembered he and Theo had been arguing.
I didn’t know what it was about.
That was when Scarlett messaged me back. When I saw her offer to hop on a call with me now, I scrambled for my computer.
I nearly cried when I saw her face.
“Hi,” I said, my voice still wobbly. “I’m so sorry to call you like this. Again.”
“It’s fine,” she replied immediately. “This is my job, after all. I’m happy to help. What happened?”
“Someone my dad knows was in town today. Arlo. He ... was really bad.”
Her jaw dropped. “Oh my God. Are you safe?”
“I think so. My door is locked. My sofa is in front of it. And I have friends coming over soon.”
“Have you called the cops?”
I tensed. I’d called the cops many times before. They were never any help. Every time, Dad talked them into letting him stay home, and they left me in that house far too often.
“B-bad memories. They don’t ever help anyway.”
“If you’re unsafe, someone needs to know,” Scarlett said slowly. “I won’t force you because we do need to talk and I think it’ll trigger you, but if anything happens in this session, I’ll be calling them for you.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“How did you run into this person?”
“He was here for someone else. For ... Theo.”
Scarlett blinked, her brow furrowing. I knew that shock. I still felt it.
Theo had known Arlo, the man who’d provided my dad with far too many drugs, ones that eventually took his life. The man who wanted me since before I was legal.
“That must have been terrifying.”
“It was. Itis.” A sob escaped me as I tried to find words. “I can’t be here now that I know someone connected to my past is living here.” I let out a shaky breath. “It’s not fair. Ilikedthis place. It felt safe. Theo felt safe too.”
“How does Theo know him? Did you hear a conversation between them?”
“Does it matter? Theo has a connection to Arlo. I shouldn’t trust anything he says.”
“Maybe not, if he’s okay with what Arlo has done. I’m only asking if you know if he was.”
I thought back. My stomach twisted at the memories, but I pushed forward.
“No. I didn’t stick around long enough to ask.”
