“If Dominic is doing that, why would he block you?”Alicia asked Callum.“You’re an old family friend.Not involved with the attorneys or the DOJ.”
“He isolated me from friends when we were married.”She bit her lip.“Dominic’s doing what he knows how to do.”
“We’ll know more once you sit down with the attorneys.”
“No.I can’t.”She shook her head.“Someone in one of those offices is probably on his payroll.Maybe in all the offices.He covers his bases.”But that didn’t make complete sense either.Dominic had been clear.Until death do us part.She threaded her fingers through her hair.“Maybe it’s both.He’s warning and terrorizing me.Twice as much fun.”
Tension flexed in Callum’s jaw.
“That’s it, isn’t it?He’s giving me options.I stay quiet, I stay his wife, or I’m dead like the world believes.And, bonus points for him, I don’t speak with the attorneys.”She’d bet he loved every second of this.
“Honestly?I don’t know,” Callum said.“The DOJ won’t share details before it’s ready for the world to know.Their investigations are confidential.”
“Like that ever slowed down Dominic.”
“My office is in contact with the attorneys you worked with during his trial.There will be some kind of amnesty or immunity that protects you.”
“For the fake death issue?”Alicia asked.
Issuesounded as if Grace was late in paying her taxes.She had actually ensured that all of her finances were on the up and up.
Callum nodded.“That’s the least of anyone’s concerns.”
Alicia led Argos and Toto toward the front door.“We should have called you years ago.All right.I’ll be back in five.Go about your shouting or hugging or whatever you two are doing.”
Chapter Twelve
Alicialeftforworkafter she gave Callum a stern lecture to keep an eye on Grace.She and Callum were alone.She retreated to her bedroom.Sherlock paced along the edge of her bed until he found the perfect place to curl up and await the attention he deserved.Grace sidled next to him, absentmindedly stroking his coat.“I’m sorry Dominic knows where you live now.”
He purred as if to soothe away her worries.
“What do you think about Callum?”
Sherlock continued to purr.
“I wish I knew what that meant.You’ve always got a good read on people.”
Actually, Sherlock had made his opinion known.He never paid attention to new people unless he either hated them or trusted them.Rubbing his face on Callum’s boots and kneading his thighs was a clear approval.That said a lot for Callum.Sherlock was a harsh judge of character.
She inhaled and held it until she decided to pack her belongings in preparation for their likely departure.At least choosing when to pack was within her control.
There weren’t many items to shove into her backpack.Her belongings had been left at the rental cabin after she’d fled from the grocery store.Meaning she only had her computer, which was always with her, and a few days’ worth of clothes and toiletries Alicia had recently purchased for Grace.
But an hour later, she still hadn’t packed.Her body physically ached.The idea of shoving her belongings into her backpack—a task that she’d easily done dozens of times over the years—exhausted her to the point of tears.For the first time, Grace felt she couldn’t keep up the lifestyle she’d committed to, and that made her tired and angry.
Callum knocked on her door.
She pinched her eyes closed.Fatigue weighed over her.The vulnerability was infuriating.And that made her eyes burn.
“Give me a second.”She pulled herself together, opened the door, and returned to her bed.“How’s it going?Any news?”
Callum leaned against the doorjamb.His gaze skimmed over the beautifully decorated room.Her hairbrush lay on the doily on top of the dresser that Grace barely used.She didn’t have enough clothes to warrant more than the top drawer.“Everything okay?”
“Nothing’s okay.That’s why you’re here, remember?”
He stepped inside her bedroom and walked to the bookshelf.This time, he ignored the books and focused on a porcelain figurine of a carousel.“My mom used to collect these when I was little.I don’t know what happened to them.They probably disappeared in the divorce.”
He hadn’t been young when that happened, but she didn’t recall the figurines.“You were in our house way more than I was in yours.”
