Page 87 of Sullivan

“Call me when you are ready to go.”

“I will. Probably an hour.”

“Okay. I’ll be in the lobby.”

He left, and my phone buzzed. I saw it was a girl I had been talking to about the chair. Her profile showed me she was about twenty, and she had mentioned she was getting her first apartment and excited about the chair. I smiled when I saw her message.

My dad could drive me to get it 2nite. Is that ok? He has a truck.

I responded quickly.

Sure. And if you want, you can have a box of kitchen items free.

I got a clapping emoji.

OMG U R the best!

I laughed and sent her the address.

See you in 30!!!!

I called down to Davey, telling him she would be there and he could bring her up. “Gwen,” I told him.

“Okay. I’ll keep an eye out.”

I added all the little things to a box and sealed it. All that was left could go to the donation center. I was done. I could concentrate on Lynn, who was doing so well, she would be coming to her new place soon. Finish at the office and head home to Sully.

I filled a bucket with soapy water and began wiping down the cupboards. It would pass the time until Gwen and her dad showed up to get the chair.

A few moments later, there was a knock at my door. It was the same rap-rap-rap that Davey always used, so I knew it was him. The people buying the chair were early, but I was fine with that. I headed toward it, glad to have this almost over.

I swung open the door, expecting Davey, Gwen, and her dad.

Instead, a face I never wanted to see again stared at me. Cold, light, watery blue eyes glared.

“Hello, Autumn. Miss me?”

CHAPTER TWENTY

SULLY

Irolled over, unable to sleep. Punching down my pillow, I tried to relax, but nothing seemed to work. I felt a tightness in my shoulders, and my neck ached. I sat up, rolling my head carefully, inhaling long and deep, then breathing out slowly.

Still, I felt tense. Unsettled. I glanced at the clock, grimacing. It was barely past three. I had been struggling to sleep for over two hours, having woken up feeling startled and uneasy for some reason.

I got out of bed and headed to the kitchen, flipping on the coffee machine, going through the motions of grinding the beans and prepping them. I watched as the drips became a small stream, the rich aroma of the coffee filling the space.

Autumn liked my fancy-pants machine but was never patient enough to wait. She always had a Keurig cup then moved on to the real stuff I would brew for her.

I glanced at my phone, checking the tracker in her phone that linked me to her location. It blinked a steady blue, telling me she was still at The Haven. She had told me she’d sold the final piece of furniture and admitted she was done with the process, planning on giving away the last items.

I hadn’t wanted her to sell anything. I told her to give it all away, and I would take care of filling Lynn’s “incidental” account. Replacing anything of hers she sold to move here. When I found out from Finn she planned on using Facebook Marketplace, I had called her, upset and yelling.

“No!” I snarled into the phone. “No fucking Marketplace! No goddamn bulletin board! That is fucking dangerous!”

Her voice became low. Deadly calm. “I beg your pardon?”

“You don’t need to sell anything. I will take care of you.”