She lifted a hand to her mouth, chewing on her thumbnail. Thario took her hands, holding them in his. His touch was comforting.
“Listen, he’s far away, and he has no idea where you are. You’re okay.”
She stared into his brown eyes, and he was so earnest she couldn't help but believe him.
“Okay. I trust you all. I know if something comes up, or if he shows up, you’ll keep me safe.”
Thario put his arm around her and pulled her close. She lay her head against his chest, breathing in deeply. Being this close felt right. This wasn't the right time, but she felt things for this man. Maybe, after all this crap with Brent was over, he would feel something for her, too.
Chapter 23
Brent hadto grab a few things from the house. He just needed to sneak in and get out.
It took him more than an hour to get close enough that no one saw him. Too many people had built houses out here. It sucked that the house wasn’t as isolated as it had been years ago.
The weekend he killed and buried his parents, there’d been construction workers close by, but they’d ignored him. It would be too much to hope the nosy neighbors who’d moved into those houses would ignore him.
He’d almost made it to the house when the hair on the back of his neck rose. He froze in the shadows of the trees and looked around, trying to figure out who was watching him.
Brent turned around slowly, keeping his movement to a minimum as he searched for the bastard spying on him. After about thirty seconds, and about one hundred degrees into the turn, he spied a man on the back porch of his house.
He swore they locked eyes. That was the only excuse for the way the man pulled out his phone and started punching the screen so quickly. The guy turned and hurried inside, and then the curtains on a window moved in the guy’s house.
No question, he’d been spotted. Now he had to decide whether to rush into the house and retrieve his stuff or just take off. Seconds were ticking past, and he had to make up his mind.
Getting caught would ruin everything. He could come back later, once everything calmed down.
Brent ran, dashing through backyards and alleys. He heard the first sirens and turned, going the other way. They weren’t smart enough to catch him. He should have gone in during the night. Next time, he would time his trip home better.
He guessed the police would eventually look for his parents’ graves. Then there were the other graves. Those nameless women and children who died before he could ship them out had caused some problems for him, but he’d learned to take care of it. Maybe he should have burned the house. It was too late now.
He finally stopped running after he found a bus and hopped on. The cops wouldn’t be able to track him if he used city transportation like this. He could get lost in the milieu, hiding amongst the thousands who lived on the streets.
The idea of living on the streets long-term was abhorrent, but he could do it for a few weeks. In two weeks, he bet the cops would move on to something else. Then he could sneak home and get his stuff before taking off to a place where he had freedom to run his business as he best saw fit.
But before he left, he had to take care of Calla. There was no way he could leave her behind, not with everything she knew.
Chapter 24
Thario enjoyed seeing Calla.Spending time with her had been fun. As he walked through the cabin he was thinking of buying, he could see her in this space.
The place was larger than he’d first thought. The main bedroom was downstairs, but there was a loft above that wasn’t too open. Also, attached to the side of the cabin was a newer addition where he could set up his workspace.
And the yard was huge. Frog would love this space. He could run around and have the freedom he didn't get in the old place in San Diego.
This cabin would be perfect, but only if Calla stuck around. He didn't want to lose contact with her and hoped she didn't want to return to San Diego soon. He needed to make sure she planned on staying in the area.
The realtor stepped into the kitchen, his smile wide. “So, what do you think?”
“I like it.”
“That’s good.”
“I think I want to make an offer.”
“That’s great. I’ll get in contact with the seller and make things happen.”
They discussed the offer and how he wanted to move as soon as possible before they both took off. Thario thought about heading to Griz’s place, but he didn’t want to push too much with Calla. She needed time to think.
