Page 30 of Bad Intentions

“Hey, beautiful, so…” he said as she refilled his drink. “What’s good to do around here?”

A nasty feeling started in the pit of my stomach. The feeling that only grew stronger day after day as he kept coming back. I knew he was in Burnville for a short while. I knew he was trouble. Especially with women.

I never could’ve imagined that he would ruin so many lives, including mine.

18

JOSIE

When I walk into the precinct, heads turn in my direction. There are fewer than a dozen officers in this town, but the place seems crowded. Several undercover cars are parked outside. Two guys in civilian clothes are talking to the chief—I’ve never seen them before.

The chief spots me and walks up.

“Can I pick up my phone?” I ask.

“Good morning to you too.” He smiles, then snaps his fingers at one of his officers, telling him to bring my cell. “How are you?” Hands on his hips, he studies me with concern, like I’m the one who was found in the basement.

“I’m fine. Grandma had an episode.”

“I know.”

I’m about to ask how but then I remember that 911 calls are forwarded to the local precinct.

“I heard the address on the scanner,” he says. “They updated me. She’s fine?”

“Yeah. Just a little scare.”

He nods, his eyes on me, making me self-conscious.

“So, any news? About that guy?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “Doing cross-references. It doesn’t look good. The guy has offenses in multiple states, so we are on full alert.”

“What kind of offenses?”

“Sexual harassment, domestic dispute, stalking, fraud, credit debt. All the good stuff.”

“And the woman? From his house?”

“She was released.”

I raise my brows. “You think she’s safe?”

“We’ll have a patrol unit check on her daily.”

“Can I get her address?”

He smooths his beard with his fingers. “Josie, this is an active investigation. Why and how you are connected to this man is still to be determined. I don’t think you should go anywhere near that house or the woman.”

“Did you find out more about him? Fingerprints and all?”

“It takes time. Especially in a small town like ours.”

“And the FBI?” I flick my eyes at the men in civilian clothes. I’m not dumb. I’m sure this case is not local anymore.

“Josie.” Irritation crosses the chief’s face. “Let us do our job. You are already involved in a way that makes things complicated considering your family’s past.”

Here we go.