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“Sorry, I’ve got to go.” I scramble inside my car so Sheba can’t get out. As soon as I shut the door, she calms but keeps her full attention on the threat, her ruff stiff along her back.
“Ask him where he went, Ranay. Ask him what he’s doing.”
I pull out of the parking space, trying to get away as quickly as possible without causing an accident. How does he know my name? Did Charlie talk to him? He must have. He knows I’m staying with Sheba. But it still freaks me out.
He yells after me. “Tell him Blake wants to talk to him.”
I turn onto Campbell Avenue and slow down before I get a ticket. My heart pounds as I check my rearview mirror, watching for that big, gold SUV. Even if he isn’t following me, he knows where I’m staying. He knows my name. And this is the second time he tried to get me into his vehicle.
There’s something wrong about him. I can feel it.
I bury a hand in Sheba’s fur. “Thank you, Sheba. Good girl. Good girl. Fuck, what I am going to tell Charlie tonight?”
Fuming and stewing with worry, I drive straight home. But it isn’t my home. It’s his. Even if the creep knows I’m staying here, I still feel safer and closer to Charlie at his house than my own apartment. No one follows me out of town, and I don’t meet anyone on the road. Once I step inside and arm the security system, I drop onto his bed and hug his pillow, breathing in his scent.
I text him.Do you have time to talk?
I barely hit send before my phone rings. I smile as I pick it up. “Hi.”
“What’s wrong?”
I swallow hard. He doesn’t have to see me to know that I’m upset. “I had a minor incident today.”
“Are you hurt?”
His voice soaks into me, a balm to my frazzled nerves. “No, I’m fine. It was just weird. I thought you should know.”
“What happened?” I quickly tell him about the creepy neighbor approaching me. “What did this guy look like?”
“Average.” I try to picture him in my mind, but he’s all blurry and featureless. “It’s weird, but I don’t know that I’d recognize him without the gold Suburban. He has that average look that makes him hard to describe. He said he was your neighbor.”
“Have you seen him before?”
“Once. The first day you were home sleeping. I took Sheba for a walk. He knew I was dog sitting. I thought he was the neighbor you said you could call to watch Sheba if I couldn’t make it.”
“No.” He draws the word out as if his mind is running a mile a minute. “You wouldn’t be afraid of Ted. He’s about eighty years old and hard of hearing. Calls me sonny.”
“Definitely not him.” I laugh a little, trying to imagine anyone calling him sonny. “So you don’t know who this other guy is?”
“How’d Sheba react to him?”
“At first, she was just alert. But when he grabbed my arm—”
“He touched you?” He doesn’t raise his voice, but each word vibrates with menace.
“I jerked away and Sheba went nuts. I think he was trying to get me into his car.”
He’s silent for so long I hold my breath, waiting for his response.
“You didn’t take her with you.”
Worse than menace is the heavy disappointment in the Master’s voice. I suck in a deep breath. “I did. She was in the car—”
“You didn’t take her with you!” Goosebumps rise on my arms and I shiver, my teeth chattering. “My instructions were very clear, Ranay.”
“I couldn’t take her inside Vanderholt. Or Walmart. She’s huge! She’d scare people to death. I had her with me in the car everywhere I went, but I can’t always take her inside. I thought that was good enough.”
“No. That’s not good enough. Not when a motherfucking asshole lays a finger on you.” He breathes hard and I can almost see him dragging his hand through his hair, tangling up his curls. “But you’re right. I gave you an instruction that was impossible to follow to the letter. I’ll take care of that little mistake first thing tomorrow.”
