“Can I see the article?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Was your ex mentioned?”
“No, but I assume he’s been questioned.”
“Do the authorities suspect foul play?”
“I don’t know.”
Wade stood up and grabbed his own bottle of water.“You described this guy as a loser.A starving artist.”
“He’s not starving anymore.”
“He has money?”
“Yes.”
“From where?”
She didn’t answer.He was getting too close to the truth, too close to guessing everything.“Travis will do whatever it takes to silence me, and the article put me back on his radar.I’m not planning to leave, exactly.I just want to be ready.I want to be prepared.”
“You have a younger sister.”
Meredith nodded.“Eight years younger.”
“Like me and Billy.”
“Yes.”
“Is she the one who reported you missing?”
“Probably.”
“Has he threatened retaliation against her?”
She looked away, unwilling to say more.
“He belongs in prison.”
“For what?I have no proof.It’s my word against his, and I’m nobody.”
“You’re not—”
“I am,” she said, interrupting him.“I’m a high school dropout.I have no permanent address, no skills, and no prospects.I can barely read, but even I know you need evidence to charge someone with a crime.”
“What about medical records, or witnesses?”
“I didn’t go to the doctor for any of my injuries, and I never told anyone.If I report him, it’s more likely that I’ll end up in jail.I stole a pair of his diamond cuff links before I left and pawned them for bus fare.”
“Diamond cuff links?”
She fell silent, swamped with memories.Tripp’s success had changed the dynamic between them.The money and power had fed the monster inside him.He’d become obsessed with controlling his image and controlling her.
“Please,” she said, holding up one hand.“I can’t give any more details.”
Wade took another drink of water and nodded.He respected her boundaries, which she appreciated.She also appreciated the play of muscles beneath his thin T-shirt and the fit of his jeans on his lean hips.Though he’d showered, he hadn’t shaved.She could see the fine grains of stubble on his jaw, golden in the fading sunlight.
