Ansley nodded. “We do. I wanted to make dinner tonight, but I don’t think I can.”
“We can cook tomorrow. Let’s do pizza. It will be great.”
Her heavy sigh spoke volumes about her level of upset. He understood. She'd been verbally attacked and had to deal with this mess. He wanted to help her, but he wasn't sure how. He turned on the alarm and set the cameras to notify him if any person approached. For now, that would have to be enough.
Chapter 34
Pete had goneby Ansley’s place multiple times, but she wasn’t there. He’d seen that she was on vacation in North Carolina, but she would be home soon. She had to come back so he could confront her again.
Finally, he saw someone coming out of her front door, but it wasn't her. He followed the woman, trying to stay undetected. It was nearly impossible to keep hidden.
The woman took off running, and he picked up his pace, closing the distance. He thought he could overtake her, but she jumped onto a bus, and he couldn't make it in time.
He needed to find out where Ansley was, so he headed back to the woman’s apartment to wait for her. As he sat outside the apartment, he worried that the woman would call the police. Maybe he could break in and find information about where Ansley was.
Pete moved to the unit and looked around, making sure no one was watching. He stepped even closer and was about to go in when the door beside Ansley’s unit opened.
“What are you doing?”
He stepped back, almost stumbling over a potted plant that hadn’t been there the last time he’d come to visit Ansley.
“I was looking for Ansley.”
The old woman cackled and then sneered at him. "You're that jerk who was yelling at her. She ain't here no more. She moved, you fool. Loaded her car up and took off across the country to her new boyfriend."
Panic filled Pete. New boyfriend. She was looking to kill another one. Horrified, he spun and raced off. He had to stop her before she did more damage. The woman was like the black widow, killing those she mated with.
The police and her friends wanted to hide the truth, but he knew how much damage she inflicted. He would stop her.
Chapter 35
Ansley wokethe next morning with the idea that she wouldn’t allow some jerk to rule her life. She wouldn’t attack, but she wasn’t going to take this lying down.
She would find a lawyer who could help her with the defamation case, and she would contact Ryan and see what she could do with the fraud stuff. This prick wasn’t going to ruin her.
Link hadn’t left for work yet, and when she stepped into the kitchen, he pulled her into a kiss.
“Good morning, beautiful. You look more hopeful this morning.”
“I am. I’m going to contact a lawyer for the defamation stuff.”
"That's good. Maybe you can get a retraction on that podcast and get it taken down."
“I hope so. It will be something I can do. I’m going to talk to Ryan Lane and see if he can push through the fraud case with Pete. I want him behind bars.”
He kissed her forehead. “I have to go. I’m glad you’re fighting this.”
She nodded. “It’s weird, but I will get through this. I want you to have a good day. Are you doing a group workout this weekend?”
“Not this weekend. Next weekend we are.”
“Sounds good. I’ll set the alarm as soon as you go. I’m not going out today. I have three classes to teach, and I need to prepare for my interview in DC.”
He hugged her again before taking off. She set the alarm as he pulled out of the driveway and noticed a police car drive by. A shiver snaked through her. It was weird that the police had to patrol the area to look for someone who wanted to harm her.
Was Pete unhinged enough to try to kill her? Maybe. Were his new followers that unhinged? Probably.
The need to work out clawed its way up, making her feel itchy inside. But she wouldn't go for a run. It was too risky to be out in the neighborhood. Plus, Link would be so pissed if she went out there alone.
