Why would he, indeed? When the fight at Blissful Brews hadn’t happened yet? When he had no reason to want Angel hurt?
Unless… did he make a pass one time, and she turned him down? Or had he been quietly obsessed with her for months, or even years? And when he finally got fed up with her perceived rejection, he decided to get even?
“Maybe he wanted her,” I add. “He hit on her at work, she turned him down, and instead of taking the rejection like a man, he wanted to punish her.”
“It’s possible,” Alec replies. “But we have to consider it could be someone else, too.”
My gut clenches. What if he’s right? What if someone else wanted to hurt Angel? What if they’d been watching Angel, noticed all the work she’d been doing on her own, saw the ladder out back…
“Shit.” Pain flares through my clenched jaw. “If it wasn’t Phil, there could still be someone else out there, gunning for Angel. Or—” An even worse thought strikes me. “What if it wasn’t just him? What if he had an accomplice? Bryan. Geoff.”
Beside me, Sawyer looks on with a worried expression.
“We need to talk to Angel again,” Alec says. “See if she remembers anything else about Phil. Or his friends.”
“And Justin,” I add. “Maybe he’s not innocent after all.” At the thought, my gut lurches with fear. What if Justin’s been the one all along? What if he set Phil up? Or, shit, what if heknowsPhil? What if they’ve been in this together?
My pulse jumps, and I say, “I need to warn her. Now.” A quick glance at the time says it’s ten-forty-four. “Her shift starts at eleven. So she’s probably on her way. I’ll call her. And head over to Blissful Brews in case she’s already there.”
“Good idea,” he replies. “Haley’s here, so she’s safe. Not that I’m saying there’s an immediate threat to Angel. It’s very possible Phil was responsible for the damage to the ladder. But just in case…”
“I know.” My heart is lodged in my throat. “Better safe than sorry.” I take a deep breath and puff it out. “I’ll call you as soon as I know something. Thanks.”
Then I end the call and turn to Sawyer. “I’ve got to go.”
He frowns. “Angel?”
“Yeah.” I start hurrying towards the exit, and Sawyer moves along with me. “There was damage to a ladder at her house. It was tampered with. Maybe it was Phil. But maybe?—”
“Maybe it was someone else.”
I give him a jerky nod. “Maybe. She’s supposed to be at work soon. I need to talk?—”
A shrill alarm sounds from my phone.
Once. Twice. Three times.
My heart stumbles to a stop.
I’m vaguely aware of all the heads in the store swiveling towards me. Then a fervent rush of whispers, asking, “What was that?” and “Is there a national alert?” and “Is someone trying to steal something?”
But it’s none of those things.
It’s Angel’s alert. The one she can trigger from the necklace I gave her—the one with a GPS signal and a little button on the back that she can press if she’s ever in trouble.
I didn’t really think she’d ever need it. But I told her it was better if she had one. Haley, too. “I would never use the GPS feature unless it’s an emergency,” I assured Angel when I gave it to her. “And I highly doubt you’ll ever need to use it. But I’d feel better, knowing you’re protected. If you don’t mind humoring me.”
She said she didn’t mind wearing it. That the necklace—a little round pendant with an A on it—was pretty. That she thought it was sweet that I wanted to look out for her.
But she wasn’t supposed to have to use it.
“Is that what I think it is?” Sawyer asks.
Fear makes it hard to speak. “Angel triggered her alert,” I manage. “Shit. She’s in trouble.”
“Where?”
Right. Where? A question I should be finding out the answer to already if not for the panic paralyzing my body. With a shaking finger, I jab at the phone, missing the button for the app several times before it finally opens.
