27

Gia sent a message to Sheldon almost as soon as she hung up with Cormac.

She knew him well enough to believe he wouldn’t be able to resist gloating over what he’d done, and he didn’t disappoint. While he didn’t take ownership of the damage—then she could’ve taken that as proof to the police—he wrote back with a winking emoji.

“You’re so predictable,” she murmured, but she considered that to be a good thing. She was relying on how predictable he was—hoped it might make all the difference.

Gia nibbled on her bottom lip as she awaited his response. She was willing to bet he wouldn’t come off quite so smug.

Yep. She was right. Not so smug.

Her door opened, and she quickly set her phone aside as her father stuck his head into the room. “Are you going over to Cormac’s tonight?”

“No, I’m not leaving you and Mom.”

“If Sheldon comes back, there’s nothing you can do.”

“I can keep an eye out so you two can sleep.”

He jerked his head toward her computer, which was sitting to one side of her. “So...what have you been working on?”

“Just some social media stuff for Backcountry Tours.” That was a while ago, but there was no way she was going to tell him she was giving Sheldon the fight he’d been asking for. Leo wouldn’t like the risk. But she couldn’t sit back and let her brother-in-law continue to torment them. Someone could get hurt even if she tried to lay low. So why not stand up and throw a few punches herself? Her mother deserved peace in her final days. And Margot deserved better than to live in fear that Sheldon would eventually find her.

The more she thought about it, the more Gia realized that doing nothing was probably the worst option. Since Sheldon held every advantage—he was bigger, stronger, more comfortable with weapons and was willing to take things further—and the police and his parents weren’t making much of an effort to rein him in, her only option was to prove just how dangerous he really was. Otherwise, he could make their lives miserable indefinitely, or at least long enough that Ida would die without even knowing where her daughter was.

She was fairly certain he’d take the bait. The only thing that remained to be seen was whether she’d be able to get away once he sprung the trap.

Cormac had left a message for Johnny Maine, but it wasn’t until after eight that he received a call back.

“Hey, hate to trouble you,” Cormac said. “But I’m wondering if there’s something you can help me with.”

“Sure, what is it?” Johnny asked.

Cormac explained the situation with Gia’s family and Sheldon. “He’s being a real asshole,” he said when he finished.

There was a brief silence, then Johnny said, “Well, his wife ran away with his kids, right? I’d be pissed off, too.”

“That isn’t the point,” Cormac said. “The point is that he’s harassing her family, and they had nothing to do with it.”

“He’s convinced they know where she is and won’t tell him.”

“That isn’t against the law. What he’s doing is. You can’t vandalize other people’s property.” Cormac couldn’t believe he had to be the one to say this.

“He’ll settle down,” Johnny said dismissively.

“Is that what everyone else on the force is saying?”

“For the most part. It’s not as if we don’t know Sheldon. Waylan’s his best friend.”

“I’ve seen them together on several occasions. So...you’re not going to do anything to stop him?”

“There’s nothing we can do, Doc. He insists he wasn’t responsible for the vandalism, and we don’t have any proof that he was.”

“Who else could it have been?” Cormac asked. “Who else would have the motivation?”

“Do you really want me to answer that question? Because you’d have sufficient motivation, right? You’ve hated Gia Rossi for years for what she did to your father. Your sisters hate her, too. I heard they crashed the Banned Books Club meeting recently.”

“That was a mistake. And if you heard about the meeting, you probably also know I showed up to stop them.”

“Then it could’ve been your father who shot out the windows. He tells everyone Gia ruined his life, and he’s been pretty deep in his cups when I’ve seen him around town lately. He’d probably like to spray-paint a few things about Gia on the Rossi house, wouldn’t he?”

Cormac couldn’t help gritting his teeth. “It wasn’t him.”

“I’m supposed to take your word but not Sheldon’s?”

“Jesus, Johnny! Thanks for nothing,” he said and hung up.

Johnny called him right back and backpedaled a bit, saying he’d keep an eye on Sheldon, that he’d just been playing devil’s advocate to show the situation wasn’t as cut and dried as Gia and her family might be representing it. He ended the conversation by saying he took his job seriously and wanted to keep everyone in the community safe, but Cormac was so put off by his arrogance it was all he could do not to tell him to find a new vet for his dog.

After listening to him make that rather pathetic attempt at public relations, Cormac tried to call Gia to let her know Johnny wasn’t going to be any help. But she wasn’t answering his calls or texts. He would’ve thought she’d gone to bed, but it was too early for her. It was even early for him. And the words she’d said when he’d last spoken with her were far too concerning to automatically assume such a benign end to the evening.

To reassure himself that all was well, he went outside and walked through the back gate into the Rossi yard. The house was dark except for a slim glimmer of light that looked like it was coming from the kitchen.

He tossed a few small pieces of gravel up at Gia’s window. Several bounced against the pane but still didn’t evoke a response. Where was she?

Just in case Sheldon had come back to cause trouble again, he went around to the front. Sure enough, there was a light on in the kitchen, but he couldn’t see anyone through the window.

He started to pull his phone from his pocket to try calling again when it occurred to him that Mr. Rossi’s SUV wasn’t in the drive. If Gia was just running an errand or something, he was fairly certain she would still answer her phone.

He could be wrong, but he had a feeling she was up to something, and if it involved Sheldon, it definitely wasn’t safe.

Margot looked in on the boys to find them sleeping soundly on the air mattress she’d bought. They seemed to be adjusting to their new surroundings. They hadn’t asked to go home yet, probably because it felt like they were on vacation. Instead of being stressed and unhappy, she was smiling and relaxed, and no doubt the joy she was feeling trickled down to them.

They’d gone to the park after school, and she’d sat at a picnic table and read a book while looking up every few minutes to check on them. It’d felt unbelievable to know there was no one waiting for her at home who’d be upset that she’d spent too much time away or didn’t have dinner on the table. They could stay as long as they were enjoying themselves. And when they left? It would be her decision as to what they’d eat. They could get In-N-Out if they wanted, and in celebration of Starbucks calling her back right after her interview to offer her the job, they’d done exactly that.

She’d found work. The pay wasn’t anything that would put them on Easy Street, but it was better than she’d expected, and the hours were perfect. She’d drop off the boys at school, go to the coffee shop and work until four. Greydon and Matthew would spend a mere forty-five minutes in an after-school program until she could pick them up, and then they’d have evenings together. No babysitter required—at least until summer. But she wasn’t going to worry about that quite yet.

She was starting her new job next week, had already canceled her other interviews. There was no way those positions could match the hours. Besides, the Starbucks location where she’d be working was close to the school. If there was a problem, she could get there in minutes.

After turning off the light in the hallway, she went out to the living room. They didn’t have a lot of furniture yet—just the couch and TV she’d been able to buy. She was sleeping on an air mattress, too, and their clothes were simply piled in the closets. But she’d get everything they needed eventually and turn this place into a real home.

The only thing that was bothering her now was being unable to speak directly to her parents. Worry for her mother, knowing she was missing Ida’s last days and wasn’t there to comfort her, broke Margot’s heart.

She’d done what she had to do, she reminded herself, and pulled the pepper spray she’d purchased a few days ago from her purse. While she was researching how to use it and why it worked, she’d watched a video where a police officer had suggested she spray herself to see what it was like. She hadn’t gathered the nerve to do that quite yet—and certainly wasn’t going to do it in the house, where the boys could come in contact with the solution. But she was glad she had a can. Gia’s message on Instagram made her nervous. She’d tried to cover her trail well enough that even a professional couldn’t find her. But had she thought of everything?

She’d sold the Subaru, so that didn’t create a link to her any longer. She’d purchased her new vehicle, a Toyota RAV4, with cash using her new identity. The apartment was in her new name. She’d gotten her job under her new name. And she’d left her old cell phone behind so it couldn’t be used to trace her and purchased a prepaid one, also using her new name. Even the Instagram account she’d created to be able to comment on Gia’s posts, which she’d deleted after Gia warned her, was under her new name.

So she was pretty sure she was in the clear. She had the pepper spray, just in case she was wrong. But she knew if Sheldon ever found her, there was no way that would ever be enough.

Gia followed Sheldon from his house to the bar and sat at a table not far away. He didn’t see her at first, but once he did, he kept turning around to glower at her.

Cormac kept trying to reach her, but she couldn’t respond. She didn’t want him to know where she was or what she was doing, wouldn’t draw him into the fight. She didn’t want to create a feud for him to deal with after she left town. And she knew that with someone like Sheldon, who was basically a coward, she’d have a better chance of drawing him into the open if he thought the odds were stacked securely in his favor.

He wouldn’t be afraid of a woman. He felt too superior.

She ordered a Coke and watched him as he had a beer, got up and went to the restroom, then walked over to throw a few darts before finally returning to his table.

She wondered if he really had any interest in the basketball game he was watching here and there, or if he was just reluctant to go home to an empty house and be reminded that Margot had gotten one over on him. But then Cece walked in, and she knew he’d been waiting for his girlfriend.

Gia spotted her right away and tipped her head, and Cece had the good grace to look slightly abashed. She said something to Sheldon as soon as she reached the table, and he looked back at Gia again.

Gia grinned at him.

He narrowed his eyes and, after a glaring contest Gia refused to lose, got up and came over to her table.

“What are you doing?” he demanded.

She lifted her Coke. “Having a drink.”

“You don’t have to do it here.”

“I like this place,” she said.

His face reddened and his hands curled into ham-like fists. “You’re flirting with danger,” he warned, his jaw clenched.

He looked mean—and dangerous—which was unsettling. She wondered if this was what Margot had seen whenever he got angry, if she had to live with someone who looked as if he was about to choke her to death and throw her in a river. It was frightening enough to make Gia reconsider her plan. But he was trying to scare her and she wouldn’t concede. Backing away would only mean she’d have to continue to worry about her loved ones indefinitely.

She shrugged as if she wasn’t remotely concerned and took a drink of her Coke. “It’s a free country.”

Calling her all sorts of names under his breath, he returned to Cece but didn’t sit down. He paced around the table like a caged panther, throwing a few peanuts in his mouth every now and then, ordering another drink and looking back at her again and again with that malevolent expression.

Eventually, he must’ve suggested they leave, because he threw some money on the table and escorted his girlfriend out.

Gia hurried to pay her bill so she could go, too.

Cece’s car followed directly behind Sheldon’s truck, but she was in third place as they drove through town. As they stopped at each of the two stoplights, she could see Cece’s worried eyes as they glanced nervously into the rearview mirror.

Once they arrived at Sheldon’s house—the house Margot had lived in for probably ten or twelve years—they pulled into the driveway, and Gia parked at the curb.

When Sheldon saw that she’d had the nerve to follow him home, his eyes widened in disbelief. It looked as though he was going to come over and say something to her again, but Cece grabbed his arm. Although Gia couldn’t hear what was said, she guessed the other woman was pleading with him to just ignore her.

After a few seconds, he reluctantly allowed his girlfriend to lead him into the house. But Gia knew the fact that she was sitting out front was bothering him, because he kept peering out through the blinds to see if she was still there.

At ten thirty, she received a text message from him.

She knew the emoji would enrage him. The last thing a fragile ego could withstand was being laughed at.

“I hope that’s true,” she murmured. “Because then you’ll be much more likely to underestimate me, and that’s what I’m banking on.”

She never got a response. But it wasn’t long after that Cece came out and sent Gia a self-conscious look while hurrying to her car.

Before she could get too far, Gia opened her door and stepped out to yell, “A woman doesn’t go into hiding with her kids without good reason, Cece—especially someone like my sister. Margot would never leave our dying mother unless she felt she had to. I hope you’re taking that into account as you get involved with this asshole,” she said, gesturing at the house.

Only then, when Cece lifted her face so that Gia could see it in the halo of the streetlight, did it become apparent that she was crying. “I just told him I don’t want to see him anymore. I’m done.” She craned her neck to check the front stoop and continued only when she knew he hadn’t followed her out. “He’s got an anger management problem. I think you need to be careful and leave him alone,” she added, the last of what she said coming in a rush before she got into her car and drove away.

A trickle of alarm ran down Gia’s spine. Her plan was working far better than she’d expected—almost too well. No doubt Sheldon would blame her for Cece’s defection, which would further stoke the fire of his rage.

She was about to get back into her car and leave. She’d done enough for one night, she told herself. But then he came out of the house with a rifle.