Melanie
Plane leaves at 7:00 a.m. for Chicago.I booked you and Rachel in different rows.
I asked Melanie to continue to create space between Rachel and me. This is a business trip, and I’ve decided I’m going to keep it businesslike—need to keep it businesslike. After this we’ll go our separate ways. I’ll write about Barrett, and she’ll be able to stop writing about him so she can pursue her dreams. Dreams that I’m sure are going to be great. That I hope will be great.
Except, here I am…not keeping it businesslike as I sleuth around social media to try and get to know her more.
Then my phone buzzes again.
Trey
Got him.
I click the call button.
“Hey, Trey,” I say as soon as I hear him answer thephone.
“Evan, we got him,” he replies. “Name’s Dylan Voss. LAPD is cuffing him right now outside a coffee shop in Silver Lake.”
“Wait, an arrest?” My pulse spikes. “And you’re sure it’s him?”
“Positive. Matches the digital footprint exactly. Same IPS, timestamps, even the hardware ID pinged back on the VPN trap I ran last night.”
I exhale. “Did he run?”
“No,” Trey says. “They say he grinned.”
I shudder. “What happens now?”
“There will be a restraining order, but there could also be fines and some jail time,” he tells me.
“So, Rachel is safe?” I ask.
“At least from Dylan Voss,” he answers.
I sigh with relief. “Okay. Thanks, Trey. I owe you one.”
“You owe me nothing,” he says. “Just make sure you write me into the next novel. Preferably as a good guy and not the murderer.”
I give a stiff laugh. “Deal.”
Rachel is safe.
I want to call her and tell her the good news, but I’m not sure she’ll believe anything I have to say is good. So instead, I call Lily.
“Hey,” she answers.
“They got him,” I say.
“They got him?!” she screams. “Like handcuffs and everything?!”
I smile. “Handcuffs and everything. Can you let Rachel know? I’m sure she’ll be getting some calls about it, and I want her to have a heads up.”
“You could call her yourself,” Lily suggests.
“I don’t think she wants to hear it from me. Thanks, Lily.”
Then I hang up so she can’t argue with me because if Lily argues with me, she’ll most likely win.
