Page 2 of Distracted

Then they’d follow me back home.

I’d done this for months.

Not what I was planning to do once I got to the mall, but just going there. I did it because it was necessary. I had to make it believable.

It was the only way I’d eventually be able to get out.

Nobody knew what I had planned.

Nobody.

So, for all anyone knew, this was just another one of my spending sprees.

And I couldn’t say that it wasn’t expected. In fact, Patrick was expecting this was where I’d be going. If not today, then another day this week.

There was a function coming up this weekend, so I was going to have to get dressed up and attend it. Wearing the same dress twice to anything like this would have been frowned upon.

Yep.

The mall would be my saving grace.

I just wished I wasn’t being followed. My whole plan already had me feeling anxious; I didn’t need the additional nerves from knowing that someone was going to be there.

Deep breaths. I just needed to keep taking deep breaths.

Did they know? Was it possible someone had found out what I was planning?

No.

No, that wasn’t possible.

I was just working myself up too much.

This would be fine. It was all going to be fine.

By the time I parked the car in one of the spots in the mall parking lot, I had to take a minute to pull myself together. Because when I looked in the rearview mirror again, I saw that I’d been followed all the way here. I knew where the tail had parked, and I was well aware of the fact that if I appeared to be anything other than the woman I’d portrayed over the last eight years, I wouldn’t have the chance to get a head start.

Screwing this up was not an option.

After taking in one final deep breath, I reached across the center console to my oversized handbag. That was another thing.

I’d had to use this handbag on several occasions before, just so it wouldn’t seem strange that I was using it now.

Nearly everything that was mine had been left behind, but there were a few things I needed to take. One of those things was my laptop. So, I made sure I put that in my bag before I walked out the door this morning.

This was it.

With a fake smile plastered on my face, I exited the vehicle, hooked my purse over my shoulder, closed the door, and locked up the car.

Then, I took off toward the mall entrance, and I did it with a bit of a bounce in my step.

Whatever it took.

I was going to do whatever was necessary to make sure I could see this through and get out.

Once I was inside, I immediately walked into the first store on my left at the entrance. It didn’t matter that I didn’t intend to purchase anything from the store that carried accessories for teens and young girls. I merely wanted to take a few minutes to confirm that nobody was following me inside.

Granted, on the one hand, I felt confident and empowered enough to finally take charge. Or maybe it wasn’t so much about confidence as it was about desperation. Either way, even if I had reached the point where I couldn’t continue to stick around, I still feared for what would happen if anyone learned what I was planning to do today.

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