AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTER16
Angela
Getting up the next morning,I was a little groggy and slow. I hadn’t slept well, and I had Boone to blame for it. These days he seemed to be the root of all my troubles. I’d tossed and turned, trying to sort out who the real Boone Benson was. Was he the rotten devil I’d known, or the kind, helpful man I’d met last night, the one who’d advanced me five hundred?
And what was with the anger he felt over some tractor comment I couldn’t remember?
Things had been simpler before he’d shown me this side of him I hadn’t suspected. Also, slamming the door in his face hadn’t been my finest moment. I should have apologized, but my pride had gotten in the way. It was up to me to fix that this morning.
After taking care of the dogs, I shouldn’t have, but out of habit I opened my old college email again. The two pictures from the beach Grace had sent me were cute, but it was the second message that got my attention—and for the wrong reason. It was from Kevin and the subject line said: Found you.
Dearest Angela,
I know we got off on the wrong foot when you left to get your head straight. I miss you desperately, and I’ve respected your time off, but now it’s time to end this. You belong here. Come home so we can get our life back on track. We need to be together, now and always.
Fat chance, buddy.The line that followed was probably the real reason he missed me. Without me, he didn’t have a business.
We need to submit the Phoenix proposal, and CLP has a change order on the Cleveland project.
He was screwed without me. I was the dark lord, and he knew it. He wouldn’t even be able to handle the simple change order by himself.
It wasn’t signed. He always signed his emails. I had to scroll down to find it. Someone had told him once it added drama to structure his emails this way.
If you don’t call, I will make the subject line come true. It doesn’t matter where you run to, I’ll find you. The car is in my name, and I’ll report it stolen if I don’t hear from you.
The memory of Kevin’s words hit me. “The insurance will be cheaper with it registered in my name.” At the time, I hadn’t thought anything of it. Looking back, it was another one of Kevin’s manipulations—a gift that wasn’t a gift.
If you resist, I’ll have you arrested for grand theft auto. We can work this out. I love you.
Your Kevin
This last bit was the real Kevin showing through.Love memy ass. He was only pissed that I’d stopped letting him control me.My Kevinhad disappeared years ago and been replaced by this monster. Coming here had been like lifting my head out from underground and seeing the sunlight for the first time in years.
I wasn’t going back to him. That was the single truth I knew. My best bet was going to Mom’s soon. I needed to redouble my efforts to get there. I had to be gone before he found me.
* * *
“You missed him,”Marge informed me when I made my way to the big house for breakfast. “Boone already ate and left. Something about store inventory that he didn’t get to last night.”
As I ate, Marge asked for help with a few words in her crossword puzzle. Then she changed course. “You promised to explain to this old lady what’s gone on between you two.”
I gobbled my last forkful of eggs and checked my watch. “Another time, Marge. I have to get going.”
She let me escape. “Go ahead, but if you’re hoping I’ll forget, it ain’t going to happen.”
“I would never think that.”
The drive into town was quick, and it didn’t take long for me to find what I was looking for.
I parked in front of the tiny, decrepit-looking building and double checked my phone for the address of the Clear Lake Police Department. This was it. Kevin’s message had added urgency to taking care of the parking ticket. If he found me here because of a stupid ticket, I’d never forgive myself.
Pulling open the building’s door, the next surprise of the morning hit me in the nostrils. The stale smell of day-old pizza and the greasy takeout box hanging out of the trash can brought back memories of college dorm rooms. All that was missing were empty beer bottles lying around.
The man who’d had his back to me when I opened the door turned to give me a glance before returning his attention to the cop sitting at the desk in front of him. He didn’t seem to recognize me, but I could see the man was Boone’s father.
“This is getting dangerous and you know it, Earl,” he said.
I took the seat next to the door and stayed out of their encounter.
