This wasn’t mechanical failure. This was sabotage. And considering the damage done, someone wanted this woman dead.
“See? The tires are good,” Shelly said. “So…maybe the battery just needs a jump?”
Ben turned to face her, gentling his expression even though rage was building in his chest. He kept his voice level and calm. “It’s a little more than a dead battery, Shelly. The lug nuts on the tires are loose. I can tighten those easy.” He walked back to the hood and pointed at the serpentine belt. “But, the serpentine belt’s broken, too. That’s why you can’t start the car. The belt charges the alternator so if it slips or breaks, the battery dies and it can affect the power steering.”
Shelly’s eyes widened. “Oh, so that’s why the steering felt off. Would it cause the car to vibrate, and maybe that’s why the lug nuts are loose?”
Ben kept himself from flinching. She really had no idea how much danger she was in and that horrified him.
She went on. “I don’t suppose you have an extra serpentine belt? I’d love to be on my way sooner rather than later.” She glanced toward Sedalia again.
Ben shook his head. He didn’t dare tell her that if she hadn’t pulled over, her engine might have overheated and seized. Or worse, one of the tires could have sheered off. He took one more look at the belt. Yup—it had been partially cut and then tore the rest of the way.
Dear God. She’s lucky to be alive.
“Can I ask you something, Shelly?”
She tensed. “What?”
“Is someone after you?”
Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks and she pressed her hand over her mouth, trying to hold back a sob. She nodded.
“It’s okay,” Ben said softly. “You’re safe right now. But I need you to tell me what’s going on so I can help you properly.”
“I can’t—” Her breath hitched. “I can’t go back. I can’t.”
“You don’t have to.” He kept his voice steady, soothing, the same tone he used when shoeing a nervous horse.
“The belt didn’t just break by itself, Shelly. It was partially cut. And your car was vibratingbecauseof the loose lug nuts. You’re lucky you didn’t lose a wheel. This wasn’t an accident. Someone sabotaged your car.”
She swallowed, hard. “Oh,” she whispered. “Oh, God.”
Shelly swayed, and Ben instinctively reached out to steady her, then stopped himself. Too fast. Too close. She needed space.
Instead he said, “Why don’t we sit in my truck? It’s cooler in there, and you can tell me what’s happening.”
She looked at his truck. He hoped she saw it the right way—big, safe, with tinted windows that would hide her from anyone driving past. Then she looked back at him. Ben watchedher making the calculation again—trust the stranger or wait for whoever sabotaged her car to come looking.
“Okay,” she whispered as she wiped her eye. She wrapped her arms around her torso as she walked to the truck. Ben opened the passenger door and stepped back, giving her room to climb in. She moved stiffly, like her whole body hurt, and when she settled into the seat she wrapped her arms back around herself. He left the door open so she wouldn’t feel trapped.
Ben walked around to the driver’s side and climbed in, leaving his door open too. He set his keys on the dashboard where she could see them. The cab smelled like leather, metal, and the incense that permeated the Faire. Shelly took a shaky breath.
“His name is Dex,” she said finally. “Dexter Morrison. He’s... we’ve been living together for six months. It was great right up until it wasn’t.” She tucked a lock of long, brown hair behind her ear as she gave Ben a quick, sad smile and shrugged her shoulder.
“What did he do to you, Shelly?”
She flinched. “It started small. Yelling. Throwing things. Then he started grabbing my wrists when we argued. Last week he pushed me into a wall.” She touched her ribs carefully. “He accused me of cheating on him. I told him I wasn’t, I would never do that, and then I caught him spying on me whenever I left the house. We fought about it last night. I told him to stop it and this morning I told him I was moving out.” She covered her mouth as she stared at her car. “Now…now I get why he gave me this scary smile and said go ahead, see how far you get.”
Ben’s hands tightened on the steering wheel.
“He must have done it last night while I was sleeping,” Shelly said. Fresh tears tracked down her face. “I have a friend up in Denver who said I could stay with her.” She shook her head. “I can’t get her into trouble, too.”
“Then let me take you to the police.”
Shelly’s shook her head wildly. “I can’t file a report against him. They won’t believe me.”
Ben’s jaw clenched so hard his teeth ached, but when he spoke he kept his voice soft and gentle. “Why wouldn’t they believe you?”
