Then something else occurred to me.Dammit … Max never did say how he knew I’d met with a lawyer.
Despite how exhausted I was, I tossed and turned my way through the night. I hated that Max’s soft kiss and tender touch had gotten under my skin.He is thelastperson I should be thinking about.
Of course, part of me—alotof me—wanted to believe that he was finally recognizing how crappy this whole situation had been for me. How cruel Madison was.But I don’t know if I can trust him.
I dragged myself out of bed the next morning, feeling tired and heavy.
I have a job to save—and maybe, a promotion to earn,I told myself sternly as I applied my makeup with extra care.No time for moping around about Max.
On my walk home from work later that day, my phone rang. I was surprised and confused when Ellie’s parents’ number showed up on the caller ID.
“Hello?”
“Savannah …” Mrs. Parker’s voice sounded shaky.
I stopped abruptly in the middle of the sidewalk. “What’s wrong? Is everything okay?”
“There’s been an incident. Ellie … she was attacked.”
The blood in my veins went ice-cold.
CHAPTER20
ICLUTCHED MYBELLY.For a second I thought I might throw up.
“Oh God … oh no … what’s happened? Is Ellie okay?” My hands were shaking.
In the background I heard shuffling and a muffled voice say, “Mom, stop it, give me the phone.” Then, loud and clear, the two most wonderful words: “Hey, Savvy.”
I let out a huge breath as a tear escaped one eye. “Ellie, oh my God.Your mom just about scared the life out of me.”
“Sorry about that. She’s still pretty upset. I am too, to tell the truth.”
Ellie told me the story quickly. She’d been walking home from the bistro the night before when a man popped out of the shadows of a dark side street. He’d grabbed her and pushed her against a wall.
He had a ski mask on, so she hadn’t been able to see his face, but in a low, menacing voice, he’d asked her just how tough she thought she was. When Ellie tried to squirm out of his grasp, he warned her that she and her friends better “mind their own business” or something “unfortunate” might happen to them. Then he wrestled her purse off her shoulder and ran off.
I stopped at a nearby city bench and sat down for a moment to catch my breath. “Oh my God, Ellie. Are you okay?”
“Physically, I’m fine. I’m just still kind of freaked out. I couldn’t sleep at all last night.”
“God, I don’t blame you. I can’t believe that happened. I’m so sorry.”
“Hold on a sec, Savvy, I’m going to walk outside for a minute.” I heard footsteps and the opening and closing of a door in the background. “Okay. Listen—are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
I sighed, my breath quivering as another tear fell. “That this was Madison?”
“Yeah. What else could this guy have meant by me and my friends needing to mind our own business? It has to be that I connected you with Robert, right?”
“Yeah, could be … when I talked to Max last night, he already knew that I’d talked to a lawyer.”
“How?” Ellie said. “I thought the spying had stopped!”
“Apparently not,” I said with a bitter edge. “I should have made Max tell me how he knew, but …”Ugh. You were too distracted by his almost-kiss.I shook my head, disappointed with myself. “Are you staying with your parents?” The Parkers lived in Brisbane, about fifteen minutes south of the city—much closer than my mom.
“I did last night, but I’m about to leave. I should really get back to work tomorrow. Do you want me to come by?”
“Yes, that would be great. I’ll cook for you! Actually … who am I kidding? How does pizza sound?”
