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She tried to clear her voice, force some firmness into it, but failed. “What are you doing here?”
“Don’t you want to ask why I’m not in prison?”
“Fine. Explain that.” She tugged on the door handle, but she’dlocked the car, and the fob must have landed just far enough away to keep her out. Someone should have called and warned her about him being out. Detective Schone showed up unwanted here and there, but not when she was needed. “When did you get back?”
“Today. A few hours ago.” Hate pulsed off him. Those flat eyes didn’t show an ounce of fear or regret. “On a technicality.”
And he came to find her. He didn’t need to say it because his feral expression said it all.
Jessa knew the truth about why he walked free. Retta. The group. The unseen hand of assistance he didn’t even know he’d been lucky enough to receive. He had a group of women who despised him, and who he probably saw as beneath him, to thank for an unexpected release.
“I decided to see you first. Next stop, my wife and son.”
He was going to kill them. “You should see your lawyer, Darren. Get his advice.”
“He’s lucky he got me out. Another day in there and... well, you don’t want to know.” Darren slapped a hand against her car, right next to her head, standing far too close.
A kick. She didn’t care where she landed it so long as he went down. She tried to focus. Forced her lungs to breathe. “There’s a restraining order. You can’t go near—”
“Stop acting like you’re in control.” The rage boiled up and came out in an uncharacteristically choppy tone. “You messed up. Despite my warning, you sided with my stupid bitch of a wife.”
She ducked too late.
He hit her. The heel of his hand rammed into the side of her face. Her head banged against the car window, and her vision blinked. Before she could drop or yell, he grabbed her arm and twisted. Her skin burned under his fingers, stealing her breath.
“You didn’t listen to me,” he said, just inches from her face.
No!She wound up, gathering every drop of energy inside her, and screamed. He flinched, and that tiny bit of space let her inch away. She lifted her bag. Nailed him with one shot to his chin, letting the weight of her laptop do most of the work.
A car pulled around to this side of the garage. The headlights moved over Darren as he bent over, screaming about how she would pay. When the car horn sounded, Darren froze then ran. He sped by the car, shutting the driver’s-side door right as it started to open. Then he was gone.
The world began to sway. Jessa dropped to her knees. She hit the cement with enough force to hear a crack. Aches started to surface. She heard voices around her and Faith yelling her name.
Jessa focused on one thing—she’d won this round, but she had to move or Darren’s family would lose the next.
Chapter Seventy
Gabby
Gabby paced. She’d been pacing for what felt like hours. After receiving the emergency SOS from Jessa and having a brief conversation about her finding some vault, all communication ceased.
In any other circumstance, Gabby could console herself, saying Jessa needed time to extricate herself from the office and call again. But between the truncated visit with Retta and Liam’s ongoing legal issues, the danger and uncertainty ratcheted up.
Gabby’s inbox had been flooded with nasty emails and requests for interviews. Some true crime podcast already jumped in and speculated she and Liam had killed Baines to get him out of the way, and now an army of social media warriors were running with the unfounded garbage. Picking through their lives. Drawing conclusions from random photos they found online.
She wanted to say,Well, at least Kennedy is out of the fray, but her school had already called. Other parents were concerned about Kennedy’s attendance. The administration didn’t knowif it could keep the students from bullying Kennedy. The dean even used the phraseyoung women can be mean. Yeah, well, some older ones sucked, too.
In only a few weeks, every wall had come crashing down, each carefully placed brick, all the outer barricades of protection. Baines had stolen business secrets. Baines had moved money. Baines likely had killed his sister. But everyone demandedshepay the price.
She couldn’t stay here and wait. She needed todosomething, even if that meant bothering Jessa.
Gabby picked up her purse and her cell and headed for the front door. She’d stake out Jessa’s house and... Wait. She still didn’t know where Jessa lived. That left driving around in circles, repeatedly texting Jessa in a pathetic grab for attention.
Fine.She’d do it. She’d do whatever she had to do.
A knock at the door stopped Gabby’s mental sputtering. Liam lived in a security building. People couldn’t get upstairs without being buzzed in.
“Mrs. Fielding? Open the door.” Detective Schone’s voice.
