Page 10 of Passion in Bloom

“I’ll go tell Janelle that we need a break before opening. She can just keep the bank closed until we handle this, okay. I’ll go with you to the station and—”

“No!” I shook my head. “No. No involving the law. I’m telling you this in confidence and—”

“Okay, okay.” She tamped her hands down in the air as if trying to put out a fire. Then she shook them in a no gesture. “In confidence. Okay. I won’t say anything. This will stay between us.”

“Please.”

“But you don’t want to tell Marty or any of them at the station?” Her brow creased even more.

“No. I don’t.”

She sighed. “I won’t pressure you, Heather, but that seems like the smartest step forward.”

It would seem like the most logical step forward, but she didn’t get it. “I tried. I tried to before.”

“In Chicago?”

I nodded again, hating the doom and dread that kicked in. “He’s got connections. He’s a lawyer and he knows the cops and...” I shook my head again, hanging it as I lowered my gaze to the floor. “Going to the law enforcement will get back to him. And that’ll encourage him to pursue me even more. Like it’s some twisted game.”

“But this is Burton. He’s not gonna know Marty or any of them.”

I shook my head. “It won’t change a thing.”

She sighed, staring at me for a long moment. “I appreciate you telling me this.”

“Me too. I mean, I appreciate you hearing me out.”

At least she didn’t look at me with pity. Only worry.

“It feels good to get this off my chest.”

And I hadn’t even told her all of it. Just the tip of the iceberg that was my hell.

“But what can you do? What can we do? Because you can count on me to help however I can, however you want me to.”

She was an angel.

“I’m not sure yet. He just showed up recently, and I’m... I’m not sure.”

“Well, I’m going to keep my eyes open. I’ve got your back. Can I tell my husband? When he’s in town, he can keep a lookout too.”

“No.” I held up my hand. It had taken a lot of courage to tell her anything and I panicked at word spreading too far too soon. “Just between us for now.”

She nodded. “Okay. You have my word, but I’m worried about you.”

“Todd, um, scared him off yesterday.”

She grinned. “Good. Good on him. What about Roarke?”

I almost frowned, suspicious of why she’d think of him. No one could know that we’d...had an intimate moment.

“He’s out there in a cabin near yours,” she added.

“Oh.” Right. We were neighbors. The idea of him being mine or being in charge of me in any way rubbed me wrong. That was how deeply I had to cling to my independence after running from David.

But there’s no way I can handle this on my own, is there?

Roarke and Todd intervening yesterday proved how weak I was around David. I’d clammed up. Froze on the spot.

“What about a dog?” Nance suggested.

I smirked. “He’d charm even one of those,” I said, not joking.

He wouldn’t be above drugging it either. He’d used that tactic on me to get me back to “obedience.”

“I refuse to think this man is that untouchable.” Nance hugged me. “But until he gets what’s coming for him to ever treat you like this, know that I’ve got your back, okay?”

I exhaled, letting a little more stress seep out of me.

Someone having my back.

It was a foreign thought, but one I vowed to accept as a real one I could someday count on.

“Thanks, Nance.” I closed my eyes and hugged her back tightly.