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“I believe the card says ‘to my Mate, with love,’” was the somewhat muffled reply. “Can you sign for them?”
“Of course. Where do I sign?” Molly asked.
“Actually, if you’ll just take them I’ll get the form.” He passed the huge bouquet to her and Molly had to use both hands to hold them. They were really heavy, she thought as she took a step back into the bungalow.
The deliveryman followed her in. He had a ball cap on and his face was turned down as he fumbled in his pockets, seemingly looking for a pen.
“I know I have it here somewhere,” he mumbled, taking another step in. “Oh right—here we go!”
But what he drew out of his pocket wasn’t a pen—it was a cell phone.
“Okay, where do you want me to sign?” Molly asked, frowning. She figured the deliveryman must have one of those payment apps on his phone that you had to sign with your finger or a stylus.
Instead of answering, the deliveryman shoved the cell phone closer to her face.
“I’m here with Molly Byrne—who used to be Molly Wyndham,” he said loudly. “Zach Wyndham’s ex-wife, who got him beaten within an inch of his life by lying about him to her new Kindred husband.”
“What? What are you talking about? Get out of my house!” Molly exclaimed. But the deliveryman—who was clearly not a deliveryman at all—looked up at her with a savage grin.
“I don’t think so—not until you answer some questions for my viewers,” he snapped.
To her horror, Molly saw that it was Mandrew Pate—the same “reporter” who had chased them the day before in the parking lot.
“Leave me alone. I have nothing to say to you!” she exclaimed. She was still clutching the huge bunch of daisies so she attempted to shove them at him and push him out the door at the same time. But he was considerably taller and stronger than her. He simply shoved the bunch of flowers aside and stepped closer to her.
“Tell my viewers what kind of lies you told your new Kindred husband to get him to beat up Zach Wyndham. Explain to them why you had him steal Zach’s new game that he was developing for all his fans!” he barked.
“Get away from me!” Molly began backing away. She could feel panic crawling up her throat like bile but she tried to keep her voice steady. “Get out! You’re not allowed in here!”
“I’m allowed wherever I want to go, bitch!” he snarled. “And don’t think your Kindred husband is going to save you this time. I saw him leave and it didn’t look to me like he’d be back for a while!”
“You’re wrong! He just went for coffee and he’s coming right back!” Molly exclaimed. “You’d better leave now if you don’t want him to deal with you!”
“You mean the way he dealt with Zach Wyndham?” Pate snarled. “I’m not afraid of him! Now come here and answer my questions! My viewers want to know what lies you told!”
“No!” Molly threw the huge bouquet of daisies at him, turned, and rushed further into the bungalow.
She ran instinctively for the bathroom. It had a solid wooden door and a good lock—she knew because she always noticed that kind of thing. Ever since her time with Zach, she always instinctively looked for exits to get away or barriers to place between herself and a threat—anything to keep her safe.
Her instincts didn’t play her false. She got to the bathroom and slammed the heavy wooden door closed. She turned the lock just in time because a moment later the brass doorknob began rattling and twisting wildly as Pate tried to get in.
“What lies did you tell about Zach? Answer me, you bitch!” he snarled from the other side of the door.
The panic that Molly had been fighting had taken over now. She backed away from the door, her eyes glued to the twisting brass knob. Again, it was happening all over again! Locked in the bathroom with an angry, shouting man outside—a man who wanted to hurt her, to scream in her face and punish her…
“No,” she whispered to herself. “No, no, no!”
But her whisper turned to a scream when a heavy thud shook the wooden door and it rattled in its frame.
“Come out here, you bitch!” shouted Pate and there was another thud! “If you won’t come out, I’m coming in! You have a fuck of a lot to answer for!”
Molly sank down beside the toilet, trying to make herself small. Her vision was blurry and her eyes were stinging but she wasn’t even aware that she was crying.
It didn’t even occur to her to call for help through the TET link—she was too far gone for that. In her mind she was back in the bathroom at Zach’s mansion—the first home he’d bought when he had started getting rich from his apps and games. Instead of the would-be reporter, she heard the angry shouting of her ex—Zach screaming her name and cursing—telling her she’d “better fucking get out here” unless she wanted an even worse punishment…
“You’re gonna get it now, babe! You’re gonna fucking get it if you don’t get out here fucking now and take what’s coming to you!” Her ex’s angry voice echoed in her head, blurring the past and the present as the door continued to rattle in its frame while a heavy male shoulder rammed against it. Thud…Thud…THUD! “Get out here! Get out here NOW!”
“No!” she cried again, putting her hands over her ears as she drew her knees up to her chin and squeezed her eyes shut. “No, leave me alone! Just leave me alone!”
