Chapter 18
EIGHTEEN
LIAM
The tracker is smaller than I expected.
No bigger than a grain of rice. I turn it over in my fingers, flat and almost weightless. I’ve been carrying it for three days, waiting for the chance to use it.
I know it’s probably something I should ask her about, but I can’t chance losing her. Never again.
While there have been no new notes lately, the silence between threats makes me nervous. And she is in this flat too often alone, and despite my best efforts to watch her every minute of the day, I can’t always be there.
The tracker is insurance.
That’s all.
I’d like to say that I feel some sort of guilt about it, but truthfully, I don’t. I’d do much worse to keep her safe.
Ellie’s dot is at work still, but I’m not going to be able to stay too much longer. Kat’s just gone to shower, which usually takes her around twenty minutes.
Fifteen minutes if she’s running late. I’m hoping she’ll be sluggish tonight.
I move quickly, grabbing the stone necklace she placed on her desk before flashing me and heading for the bathroom.
She leaves it in the same spot every day. Although I’m usually on the other side of the glass rather than close enough to touch it.
The stone is still warm as I pick it up.
I hold it for a moment, remembering the first time I saw it glittering below the surface of the stream.
Sandwiched between two larger rocks. I smile as I remember the delight in her face as I held it out to her.
The golden girl with her dress tucked into her underpants and a smile that carved my heart up the moment I saw it.
I take the needle from my inside pocket and get to work.
The knot in the cord is tight with its years of use, but the needle is thin enough to push in without disturbing it much. I make a gap just big enough to slip the tracker in and flatten the knot as best I can. Would she notice?
I set the necklace back in the same position, and I’m stepping away when the shower stops.
My phone beeps. It’s Ellie—she’s on the move. Shit. I grab a piece of paper from Kat’s notepad and scribble a message on it.
Best night of my life. See you soon, darling.
I only just make it outside and to her window by the time her bedroom door opens.
She comes in, wrapped in a towel, rubbing her wet hair with another towel. Looking around, her brow furrows. I hold my breath as she pokes her head back into the living room before spotting the note.
Running out on her leaves me feeling like an utter douche, but Ellie’s on her way. Another glance at my phone tells me she’s minutes away.
She strokes her fingertips over the note, a smile playing on her lips. Not mad.
I sigh in relief, ducking back from the window when she glances toward it. Then she’s pulling on some cute pyjamas and tugging the necklace over her head, fitting it right back where it belongs, over her heart.
The urge to watch her pulls at me. But Ellie’s too close.
I move across the street, looking at my phone. The tracker app is already sitting as a favourite widget, and opening it brings up the map, with a steady pink light right above her flat.
Sitting right where I left her.
Ellie arrives minutes later, a car pulling up. She sits inside for a few minutes, chatting. No, flirting. I can tell from the way she touches her hair. I squint to see if I can see her suitor more clearly, but it’s too dark out. Ellie leans in and kisses him before getting out.
When both of them are safely inside and the guy in the car is gone, I start walking home, her little dot keeping me company. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to close the bloody app. It’ll certainly be a struggle until I’m back at her side.
Still, having a way to check on her fills me with a pleasure that’s probably twisted, but a feeling I never want to lose.
Like sunshine after the darkest winter.