I scrub my hand over my face. "Yes and he's back in Florida now."
"How can you be sure?" He taps my knee with his fingers. "Do you have someone trailing him?"
"My dad," I chuckle. "My dad knows where Franco works. He keeps an eye on the place and lets me know when he's not around."
"I can have someone shadow you, Sophia. I can do it myself if need be. I don't want this guy getting close to you again."
I should tell him that I doubt like hell that Franco would ever raise a hand to me but it's impossible to predict what someone who is emotionally unstable will do. "I'm fine. As long as I know where he is I feel safe."
"He knows you work at Foster," he says quietly. "Does the fucker know where you live?"
I take a deep breath. This is it. "No. Only a handful of people know where I actually live and I want you to be one of them."
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Nicholas
If giventhe chance I'd find the son of bitch who has put this fear in Sophia, and I'd steal his life from him. Short of that, I'd get my lawyer to drum up some charge that would send his ass back to jail for good.
"When I first got to New York I stayed in a rundown motel in Queens." She moves her legs slightly, causing her ass to shift on the chair. "After I moved in with Cadence, I asked the woman who owned the motel if I could still use it as a mailing address. She said it was fine as long as I gave her a twenty dollar bill every month, so I do. When I have mail, she calls me and I go down and pick it up."
"Did he ever show up there?"
"Once." She raises her index finger in the air. "I found out about it when I picked up my mail. They told him I'd moved out months before. He waited in their parking lot in a rental car for days to confirm that."
"You don't think he's followed you home from Foster?"
"No." Her back straightens. "Whenever I know he's left Florida, I take extra precautions. My friend Dexie usually sends a car for me those days and I leave out Foster's service entrance and spend the night with her."
"But you said you saw him outside Foster Enterprises one day? Did your father not realize he'd left Florida?"
"My dad had a heart attack." Her voice is calm, her expression as well. "It was then."
"I want his name, Sophia. If you won't let me hire someone to shadow you, I'll have someone trail him."
I want that. It would give me a level of peace I've craved. It would also put me in his debt. "We can talk about that."
"We will." He rubs my calf. "Tell me why you were speaking to a lawyer about all of this."
"It was the lead prosecutor on the case." I smile slightly. "She's a good person and we've kept in touch. She wants to help, but her hands are tied. That day she called when we were at the hotel, she was checking in to make sure I was all right."
I like knowing that someone in Florida's legal system has her back. It's not enough though. I can't stomach the thought of her walking down a street in this city alone now. "I'm glad to hear that. A case like this has to be frustrating for someone out to do the right thing."
"I'm sorry I didn't let you come to my place." She leans forward, dragging her hand along the sash of the robe. "I've always thought that the fewer people who know where I live, the better."
It's a painful pill to swallow, but I get it. She's been trying to protect herself from a monster who can't let her go.
"I want to come to your place, Sophia. I want to have a friend of mine install an alarm system for you."
"I have one." She nods. "Cadence had it put in before I moved in. She said it's the best of the best."
Regardless of cost, it's still not enough to grant me peace of mind. "I'll have a look at it when I come over."
She glances back at the green flashing light on the security panel by my front door. "You're an expert."
"I have that to protect material things. Your security system has to protect you. It needs to do its job."
"It does." She slides closer to me. "Will you take me home now, Nicholas?"
