I take a sharp breath. Thank god. What was I going to do if he said no?
“Thank you so much.”
“No problem. I can’t promise I’ll find him, but I’m pretty good at this kind of thing.”
I stare at Wes. It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask him more about what he does. But maybe I don’t really want to know. Maybe I should just work with this guy to find Shane, and then I’ll be able to get that clean slate.
“So what happens next? Do I, like, Venmo you money?”
“Nah, you can pay me after. For now, I need a few days to do some research on your husb—I mean, your soon-to-be ex-husband. Then I’ll get in touch about meeting up to discuss my findings.”
“Are you sure?”
Wes nods. “More non-drugged coffee?” He reaches for my almost empty mug.
“No, I need to go.” I shove half the slice of pie into my mouth and stand. I really don’t want to walk away from what looks like a mouth-watering crust, but I’ve remembered—again—that I’m in the middle of the woods eating pie with a stranger. “Honey Bunny is probably freaking out.”
“Right, of course. We don’t want to freak out your bunny,” he says with a completely serious look on his face. “Want a to-go cup?”
I blink at him. “You might be a psychopath.”
“That’s offensive.” He furrows his brow and—god help me—actually looks hurt.
“I’m sorry? I didn’t mean to offend you.” I honestly justapologized to this unhinged, beautiful man for calling him a psychopath. What is happening?
“Apology accepted.” Wes winks at me and heads to the kitchen, opening a cabinet and pulling out an expensive, reusable coffee cup. Who gives one of those to someone they just met?
I need to finalize this divorce and get the hell out of here. Get away from my old life and start over. I want to be in a place where no one knows me. No more criminal husbands or brothers. No peeking into the underbelly of humanity.
No one like my father or Shane or even my brother.
Definitely no one like Wesley.
Chapter 9
You Fed Her Apple Pie
WES
Callie carefully steers her car down my driveway, and I lift a hand as she navigates the curve that leads to the main road. I flip my sweatshirt hood up over my ears and watch the spot where she disappears.
Yesterday did not go as expected.
I didn’t think she’d do something like follow me home from Portland and hide in the woods. I hadn’t expected to say yes to helping her, especially after I found out the details of who and what.
But she surprised me. And I surprised myself with how much I enjoyed our time together. She might not say the same.
Not that I could ever be with someone like her. I’d always have to hide who I really am. But eventually it comes out. Not all of it, of course, but enough. Women realize I know their location at all times. Or they don’t appreciate me following them.
And with Callie, I had the urge to help her. To protect her. And that’s… not great.
Feeling protective of someone makes me too vulnerable. Too exposed. I couldn’t protect my little sister or my mother. I couldn’t keep my twin, Sia, in my life—not once she found out who I really am. Who I’d become.
I’ve lost too many people.
I walk down the path I cleared with my snowblower, then start it back up and clear a few more lines up and down the driveway and around my front steps, finishing just in time for Noah to pull up in his red truck, which he annoyingly calls Red Daisy.
My brother steps out of his vehicle, taller than I am but not nearly as muscular. It’s just how we’re built. He’s big and strong but has nerd vibes, like he spends his days playing video games or studying history. Meanwhile, I look like a gym rat, but I don’t go near one. Cutting firewood, shoveling snow, and helping Noah remodel cabins do the same thing.
