CHAPTER FOUR
Heather—
It only takes me fifteen minutes to load the car and carry Tucker down, putting him in his car seat. I lock the doors and start the engine, glancing at the gas gauge. I’ve got about a hundred miles before I need to stop.
Thank God I’ve been saving as much of my earnings as I can afford. I’ve got almost five thousand dollars to make a fresh start somewhere. Even with that, I know it won’t last long.
Wracking my brain, I try to think of where to go. Going to my sister’s place is out of the question. There’s no way I’m leading Snake to her door.
I have a feeling he may even have a tracker on my car, but I have no way of knowing where it is. I think about driving to the police station, but I’m not sure they’d be able to help me with that.
Pulling up my phone, I do a quick search and find out there are devices to detect car trackers, and they sell one at the local big box store that’s open all night.
It’s going to slow my leaving town, but I have to take the risk. I can’t have Snake catching up to me.
Walking into the store with a sleepy Tucker, I go to the automotive department and scan the aisles.
“Can I help you, ma’am?” an employee asks. He’s an older man, probably in his sixties. I’m assuming he’s in this department because he knows about cars.
“My phone said you guys carry car tracker detectors.”
“They’re over here.” He leads me to the next aisle and hands one to me. “They’re twenty-eight dollars.”
“Thanks.”
He studies me. “Are you afraid somebody is tracking you, ma’am?”
I smile. “Maybe. A girl can’t be too careful, right?”
His eyes drop to Tucker at my side.
“Name’s John Williams. I’m a retired cop. I just work here to make ends meet. Maybe I can give you some advice. Are you worried about a boyfriend or ex?”
“Something like that.”
“If you think he may have put a tracker on your car, you might want to get one of these, too. Come with me.”
He leads me to the electronics department and to a display of prepaid smartphones. “Here. This one’s only forty bucks. You reload it and you shut off your cell phone.”
“You think he’s tracking my phone?”
“There are a lot of ways to do it. Mind if I look?”
I hesitate, but in the end, I unlock it and pass it to him.
“First, let’s see if you’ve shared your location with someone.”
“I haven’t,” I say. “I’d never do that.”
“Not even your mom or someone you trust?”
I shake my head.
He pulls up a screen and turns it toward me. “Looks like you’re sharing it with this guy.”
“What?” I frown, shocked. It shows Snake’s text icon and says Robert Carlyle. I didn’t even know that was his real name.
“You know this guy?”
I nod. “He’s the one I’m worried about.”
“Well, he got access to your phone and gave himself location-sharing permission. It only takes a minute alone with your phone. You leave it on a table, still signed in, and walk into the kitchen, and he grabs it before it locks itself… It can happen as quick as that. I’m assuming you want to stop it? ”
“Yes. Please.”
“You just touch his contact, scan down and tap stop sharing my location. There. Done.”
“Thank you, John.”
“I’d keep a tighter watch on your phone.
Maybe you don’t need the prepaid phone if that’s all he’s done.
But if you ever feel like he’s still able to find you, I’d dump your phone and check there aren’t any location tags in your purse or something else you carry.
Look, if this guy is dangerous, I’d advise going to the police. ”
“I’m leaving town. I need to get on the road.”
“I’ve got a break I’m overdue for. How about I walk out with you and help you scan your car with that device?” He nods to the item he helped me find.
“That would be great, but I don’t want to get you into trouble.”
“No trouble. Come on.”
We walk to the checkout, and I purchase the item, then go out to my car. I load my son into his car seat while John goes over the vehicle.
It only takes him a minute to find a little tracker with a magnet attached to the wheel well of my back tire. He pulls it off and shows it to me.
“Oh, my God.” I’m stunned by how small it is.
“There’s no telling how long it’s been there.” John searches my eyes. “Is this man violent?”
“Yes. He can be.”
John scans the parking lot. “You need to get out of here quickly. He’ll already have tracked you here if he’s looking at it right now.”
I can only hope he hasn’t returned to the apartment and found me gone. “Thank you.”
“Please be careful, honey. Go to someone he doesn’t know and can’t track down.”
I nod and yank the driver’s door open.
“I think I’ll have a little fun with this tracker.”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“Gonna put it on my vehicle. Let him follow me.”
“Please don’t engage him. I’d hate to think anything bad happened to you because you helped me.”
“Good luck to you, honey.”
Slipping inside, I lock the doors and drive away.
I take I565 west toward I65, but before I reach it, I call my brother in Memphis. Jared has a wife and baby, and I won’t risk their safety, but maybe it’ll be safe for the night. Snake doesn’t know about anyone in my family.
At that thought, I ease to the side of the road and pull up my social media accounts. I delete every one of them. It’s sad to let them go, but my child’s life is more important, and I don’t want Snake pulling them up and looking through all my contacts. I can only hope he hasn’t already done that.
I call Jared and tell him the situation. I also tell him if he’s not comfortable with me staying there, that we’ll find a motel. Of course, he insists we come.
I stop and get gas at the next exit, then don’t stop again until we reach Memphis at 1am.
Jared is waiting for us when I pull into the driveway.
He gives me a big brother hug the moment I step out of the car, and I burst into tears.
“I’m sorry. I’ve been holding it together until now.”
“Who is this guy? I’ll fucking beat the shit out of him.”
“He’s dangerous, Jared. If he shows up here, promise me you won’t open the door to confront him. And if he comes after I leave, you don’t know me and I was never here, understand?”
“What are you saying? What do you mean after you leave? You’re staying here, and that’s that. Come on.”
He carries a sleeping Tucker into the house and lays him in the double bed in his guest room.
I kiss my son’s forehead and follow Jared to the kitchen.
He gets me a juice, then leans against the sink, his arms folded. “Where’d you meet this guy?”
“It’s not important. He bought me a drink. I didn’t think it was a big deal, but he’s become completely obsessed with me. He won’t take no for an answer.”
“I’m sorry. What’s his name?”
“Robert Carlyle, but everyone calls him Snake.”
Jared rolls his eyes. “Sounds like he’s full of himself. Did he hurt you?”
“Tonight, he told me to pack my stuff; he was taking me and Tucker to Texas. When I said I wasn’t going to Texas or anywhere else with him, he shoved me into the wall and told me to be ready when he got back. All I could think to do was run. I grabbed a single bag of stuff and fled.”
Jared is red with anger when I finish. I tell him about the man at the store helping me and the tracker he found on my car.
Suddenly Jared’s body language shifts, his arms unfolding and his entire frame expanding. “He was tracking your phone and car? This guy is a nutcase.”
“That’s why I can’t put you in danger. Tucker and I will leave first thing in the morning.”
“And go where?”
“I don’t know, but don’t worry. I’ve got some money saved. It should last until I can get a job and get on my feet.”
“This is insane. You shouldn’t have to leave your home just because of this guy.”
“It was the only choice I had. I don’t want to be one of those women who ends up dead because they couldn’t get away from a man like that.”
“But everything that’s been going on with you… Mom and Dad told me about the bridge, Heather. The last thing you need is to be alone. We’re here for you. We all are.”
“I know that. I’m exhausted. Can we talk about it in the morning?”
His shoulders drop. “Of course.” He pulls me to him and kisses my forehead. “Get some sleep.”
“All the doors and windows are locked, right?” I ask, pulling back.
“Yeah, but I’ll walk around the house and double-check. Plus, we’ve got an alarm system. I’m also going to put your car in the garage and move mine to the driveway. Give me the keys.”
I hand them over and head to bed.
All night, I cuddle with Tucker and plot my next move. There’s no way I can stay here, despite what Jared says. I’ve got to leave for their safety, but where should I go? Eventually I drift off, but I wake at every sound, finally falling into an exhausted sleep at almost dawn.
Suddenly, I’m dreaming, standing at Ryan’s grave. I’m alone, but then I turn and see his army friend, Cody, standing next to his motorcycle. At first, I’m afraid, but he motions me to him. I shake my head. Not another biker. No way.
And then Ryan is standing next to me, holding my hand.
“I’ll always be with you, Heather.” He nods toward Cody. “Go to him. He’ll take care of you.”
“I want to stay with you.”
“You can’t. I can’t stay. I have to go now.” Ryan hugs me, and I don’t want to let him go.
I jerk awake, sitting up, every detail of the dream clear and so real, I swear I can smell Ryan’s cologne.
Lying back, I hold my son and think about the strange dream. Cody said he was from San Jose. Maybe that’s as good a place as any to start over. California sounds appealing, but I bet it's expensive.
Maybe my dream is right. Maybe Ryan’s army buddy would help me if I needed it.
I can’t go home, not even to Mom and Dad. And I can’t stay here. I’m too afraid of leading Snake to the ones I love most.
No, I have to head out on my own. Just Tucker and me. I have to keep him safe.
I breathe in his scent, my nose in his hair. He smells of kid’s shampoo. My baby boy. He’s getting big, and in the fall, I’ll need to enroll him in kindergarten. I need to be settled by then.
That gives me a couple of months to find a place, hopefully one we’ll stay in for a long time.
San Jose. It would be nice to see the ocean. California is as good a place as any. I grab my phone and start researching the San Jose area.
They’ve got one strip club called Sonny’s Gentleman’s Club.
Maybe I can get a job there. I’ll need the kind of money that only dancing pays, because after searching apartments, I realize that it's much more expensive than I imagined.
I decide to listen to my dream and go with it. If it doesn’t work out, I can always move on.
In the morning, after Jared goes to work, I’ll leave him a note and slip away. Now that I have a plan, I close my eyes and drift off.
When I hear Jared’s car pull out at sunrise, I wait until his wife goes back to bed, then creep downstairs and leave my note propped on the table.
Jared,
Tell Mom and Dad I love them. And Abby, too.
I’m sorry to leave, but I have to do what’s best for Tucker.
When we get settled somewhere safe, I’ll contact you.
Thank you for everything.
I love you all so much,
Heather
I dash a tear, gather our bags and lead Tucker out to the garage. Ten minutes later, I’m on the interstate heading west.
Part of me is terrified, and part of me is excited to start a new chapter.
It’s all going to be fine. You’ll love it in California. Tucker will love it. We’ll be happy and safe.
I repeat it all in my head like a mantra.