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And now?
Now Tommy’s appearance had rattled her enough to give her verbal diarrhea, confessing things she shouldn’t have dared spill when the whole idea of keeping to herself was to keep everyone else safe.
So… no. Tessa had never told Grace about her husband’s hometown because Grace had worked very hard to keep any relationship they formed as shallow as possible.
“No. I don’t think you have.”
“Okay. So Hamlet? It’s this super small town, maybe five or six hours from here. I think it would be perfect for you. Its natural boundaries made it almost impossible for cables to be put down—or maybe the locals didn’t want it. I’m kinda hazy on that point. But I do know that there’s no TV there, no cell service or reliable internet, and probably no way for a man like that to follow you there.”
The last time Grace was looking for a new place to live, she briefly debated going off the grid. It sounded like a simple solution to her problem except for one thing: she wasn’t a survivor. She was a ballerina. She didn’t know anything about how to live like that.
In a town like this Hamlet, would she have to?
“I don’t know, Tessa—”
“Do you have a car in good condition? One that could get you that far?”
Though she wasn’t sure the reason behind the question, Grace nodded.
“Good. You’ll need one. There’s no public transportation in Hamlet, no taxis, no Uber. If you want to get in or out, you’ll need a car you can trust.”
Grace had to admit, this Hamlet was sounding exactly like the type of place she would need. If she had to move again—and she did, if she wanted to stay one step ahead of him—then why not find a home somewhere Tommy would never be able to search?
“This Hamlet… it’s that small of a town?”
“And that secluded. Those boundaries I mentioned? It’s got a mountain on one side, a… a gulch on the other.”
“Gulch?”
“Trust me, you’ll know it when you see it.” Tessa paused for a moment, then said, “On second thought, try not to get close enough to see it.”
“See what?”
Grace jumped when she heard Lucas’s voice a few seconds before he appeared on the landing. He had his hands in his pockets, his olive skin tinged with red from his exertion. His dark hair was windswept; he must have jogged the length of the parking lot and back.
Tessa met her husband near the steps, rising up on her tiptoes to press a kiss to the edge of his stubble-covered jaw. “Find anything?”
“I did a quick sweep, searching for anyone who didn’t belong here. No Jaguar, no men in suits. I think they’re already gone.”
Phew. One good thing, at least.
“That’s good to know. Lucas, thank you. This might be the only chance I have to get a headstart.” It was impulsive, but it was essential. Tommy would never expect her to flee this quickly. The element of surprise would be on her side if she didn’t waste time. She turned to Tessa. “It might be worth a trip to check it out. Do you think you can give me some idea of where it is so I can look it up?”
“Look what up?”
Tessa stared down at her feet. Grace followed her direction and noticed that her nails were painted a soft pink shade.
Lucas sighed. “What were you girls talking about while I was gone?”
Grace kept her mouth shut. If Tessa wanted him to know, she could tell him. Grace wouldn’t be the one to blab in case it got the other woman in trouble.
“Tessa...”
Tessa wrapped one of her dirty blonde waves around her finger. “Grace was just saying how, if that guy could find her here, maybe it was time she found a new place to stay.”
Lucas’s handsome face darkened. “I think I know where you’re going with this.”
“What?” The defensive tone in Tessa’s voice was obvious to Grace. “I think Hamlet would be perfect for her.”
