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“I’M GOING CRAZY BEING stuck in this house every day, Leece,” Dee said into the phone that night. “At least Armando’s ass is locked up. He’s still not talking?”
“Still insisting he didn’t put up the profile yet can’t explain why he had those pictures of you and were making those calls.”
“He’s sick.” Dee took off her satin, pink cover up that matched her nightgown. “Keep me posted on what’s going on with him. It’s killing me not to be at the station.”
“I can imagine, but you’ll be back to work before you know it. You okay?”
“You mean about this morning?” She sat on her bed and kicked off her house shoes. “Thank god for guns, right?” She chuckled.
“It’s not funny. No telling what that guy could’ve done to you. At least he’s behind bars so he can’t hurt another woman.”
Dee rubbed her forehead. “I wanna go to bed.”
“It’s only eight.”
Dee yawned. “I’m exhausted.”
“I’ll probably head over to Jake’s in a little while.” Lisa sighed.
“Is something wrong?” Dee straightened her pillow. “Got the feeling you want to ask me something.”
“It’s silly.”
“What is it?”
“I shouldn’t be bothering you with minor stuff with what you’ve been going through.”
“Girl, tell me what it is or I’m hanging up this phone.” Dee lay halfway on the bed.
“What’s going on with you and Winston? You guys dating?”
“No.” Dee laughed. “He’s been helping me through everything that’s all. But if we were dating...so what?”
“It wouldn’t be smart. You’re vulnerable, and you need to concentrate on getting yourself together.”
Dee scoffed. “Thanks for telling me what I need.”
“I’m trying to help.”
“No, you’re jealous.” Dee wiggled her feet. “You can’t stand Winston’s moved on even though you claim you don’t want him. Winston is not your man, Lisa. What he does outside the station is none of your business.”
“You know what? Forget I brought it up.”
Dee’s phone beeped. “I got another call.”
“I’m looking out for you.”
“Yeah.” Dee doubted that Lisa’s concern wasn’t jealousy. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Good night.”
Lisa groaned. “Good night.”
Dee switched to the other call and her own cell number appeared on the screen. “I’m being spoofed.” She answered, “Hello?”
“Your profile’s down,” a voice said muddled in heavy breathing.
The voice sounded oddly deep and distorted as if someone were disguising it.
“Another pervert from Find Your Fantasy?” Dee asked. “Yes, my profile is down so go fuck yourself.”
“You think you’re slick don’t you?” A sinister chuckle corroded the line. “It’s all about control, Dee. I still have that.”
“Why are you doing this?” The phone shook in her hand. “Who are you?”
“I’m the puppet master.”
She shivered at the ominous tone. “Armando, is this you?”
“No,” the voice sang. “I got a surprise for you.”
She got a text.
“Check the text,” the voice said.
Dee held her breath and opened the text, revealing a link. She clicked on it and a dating site called I Wanna Be Your Slut opened. She clicked on her name and a profile full of naked pictures of her filled the screen. In these pics she posed alone with her face pasted on another woman’s body.
“You bastard!” She scooted to the edge of the bed. “Who the fuck are you? I’m gonna snatch your balls off and shove them up your ass.”
“Temper, temper.”
“You’re ruining my life!” She hit the bed. “Tell me what I did to you to deserve this.”
“Groveling?” He moaned. “That’s good. I love it when a whore knows her place.”
“What do you want?”
“I want what I already have...to stay in control.”
“No.” Dee stood. “I’m gonna find your ass.”
“You haven’t so far.”
“I’m going to, trust me.”
“You look so pretty in your pink nightgown, Dee.” He cackled. “I wanna rip it off you.”
“You’re here.” She peeked out the window and saw a maroon Mazda parked across from her house.
“You see me, huh?” He blinked his lights.
“Ah.” Dee cackled. “You’ve fucked up. It’s on now, asshole.”
“Ooh come get me, bitch.”
Dee got her gun and raced out her bedroom barefoot. She made it to the front door as the car sped off.
“Why are you running?” Dee said into the phone. “You’re this big, bad motherfucker. You hide behind phones and computers.”
“Catch me then.”
Dee ended the call and grabbed her car keys off the living room table. She flew out the house so fast she didn’t bother locking the door.
“Dee?” her old, female Asian neighbor from next door stood on her porch. “Somebody was sitting out here.”
“I saw him.” Dee unlocked her car with the remote. “Did you get the license plate number?”
“No,” the neighbor said, flustered. “There was a Baltimore Ravens sticker on the back window though. Is everything all right?”
“It’s about to get Fast and Furious in this motherfucker.” Dee got in her car and backed up, her tires screeching. She took off through the empty streets of her neighborhood. “Where are you, motherfucker?”
She exited her neighborhood and caught the Mazda sitting at an intersection. Dee pressed the gas, but the Mazda bolted before the light turned green.
“You’re not getting away.” Her hands grew sweaty against the steering wheel.
After five minutes, Dee followed the car on the freeway.
“You gotta be kidding me.” Dee swerved through lanes, keeping her eye on the Mazda, which remained miles ahead. “Shit.” She blew her horn as a white SUV came into her lane. “Get out the way!”
The Mazda zigzagged past cars as people honked their horns.
“This idiot’s gonna kill someone.”
A pickup truck zoomed in front of Dee without signaling.
Dee hit the horn. “Get your ass out the way! This is police business!” She zoomed past the truck, catching the Mazda in view again. “I need your plate number, fucker.” She squinted, trying to catch the number.
The Mazda disappeared in a crowded lane.
Dee got off the freeway. “Damn it.” She made a U-turn and dialed her phone.
“Dee?” Winston answered.
“You won’t believe what I’m doing.”
“You sound out of breath. Is everything okay?”
“My black ass is out here on the damn freeway in my nightgown chasing the son of a bitch.”
“Chasing who?”
“The man who put up the profile. He called me and sent me a text. He’s put up another profile on another site.”
“Armando? He’s in jail, Dee.”
“Not Armando.” She drove through a residential area. “It can’t be him if he’s in jail and the guy was just at my house.”
“I’m confused as hell.”
“Me too.” Her adrenaline soared. “Wish I could’ve caught the motherfucker. Can you come to my place?”
“I’ll be there in ten minutes.”