Chapter 18
18
COLLINS
A week has passed since Penny’s episode at the waterfront which shook me more than I ever let on. Every day since, I’ve had this clawing feeling in the back of my mind that something evil is lurking on the horizon. I felt it both days we visited the café but left before eating, and I felt it down at the waterfront.
But nothing unusual is popping up no matter how many more people I hire to keep a lookout.
In the days since that incident, Penny has been working in the Plus None offices and trying to cope with the possibility of not doing more modeling for the company—at least not for a while. She has been enjoying the marketing work, so that has taken up her focus until we can navigate her ongoing healing process. The last thing she needs is to be triggered again.
Rolling my shoulders, I enter through the back entrance of the gym and am face-to-face with both Hoffmans.
“How’s Penny?” Nic asks in greeting. His shoulders are drawn back and his posture a bit more rigid than usual.
“Same as she’s been each day you’ve asked. There’s literally no change. She seems to have put the incident behind her. It’s me who’s having a difficult time shaking this.”
Graham’s eyes study me. “Where is Penny now?”
“She’s at her session with Margo.”
“Good. She needs to not skip those anymore.”
“I agree, and I’ll stay on top of it more.”
“We have no doubt,” Nic chimes in.
“I’ll also make a point to connect with Mitch and keep him in the loop. He’s always a valuable resource.”
Graham straightens his posture, giving his back a little stretch. “Our legal team is breathing down our necks about getting Penny to prep for trial. I’m about ready for this all to be over.”
“Soon,” I promise. “I’m working on it.”
“Have you seen anything unusual during your prison visits?” Graham asks.
“No. Nothing.”
“Any more calls to her phone from Tanner?”
“No, just that one that I intercepted.”
“We appreciate you watching out for her,” Nic says quietly.
“I should never have left Penny during her photoshoot. I just never thought she would have a setback then. Perhaps she had a flashback? Until we can be clear on what happened at the waterfront, all we are doing is making assumptions.”
“So you arrived back after she was already slipping away?” Nic asks.
I nod. “Yes. I missed Penny’s initial reaction and was on location after she was already in a bad state of mind.”
Graham nods. “None of us expected it. I just hope Penny understands why Nic and I didn’t hover after it happened. We didn’t want to upset her or cause her any more stress.”
“I almost guarantee she understands.”
“Who’s with Penny now?” Nic asks, glancing at his watch.
“I have someone shadowing her. And then another person shadowing him. Everyone’s already on the payroll. I just shifted responsibilities where I saw fit.”
The men nod. They understand that my instincts are rarely wrong, and when it comes to Penny, I don’t want to make any casual mistakes.
“And she’s cooperating with all of that?” Graham asks.
I nod. “Yes. She’s been very agreeable.”
Nic lets out a huff of air. “How did you manage that?”
Well, I threaten to redden her ass cheeks if she dares to try to lose her guard.
I bite back a smirk and settle for a half-truth. “I explained in loose terms the consequence of not accepting her security detail.”
Graham bumps fists with me. “Threats must be best coming from you versus us.”
“It’s true. You must have a magical way of getting her to comply,” Nic says with a laugh, “because she basically exerted all of her energy to disobey her guards prior to you.”
“I try my best.”
“Any updates on the visitation?” Graham asks, changing the subject back to the real problem—eliminating Mark Tanner from the face of this earth.
“All my eyes on the prison and sources inside have reported that Tanner is quiet. He does not step out of line,” I provide.
“He is a rule follower,” Graham says with contempt.
Nic snarls, “Yeah, a real model citizen.”
“He’ll be a dead one very soon,” I say under my breath.
I’m not sure why I even bother lowering my voice. The entire gym is empty but for us, and Nic has already made sure that it’s a safe place for us to conduct business when we need to have a meeting place away from our homes.
The last thing we need is to have anything get in the way of our ultimate goal or worse—get caught.
While I’m sure the Hoffmans have some safeguards in check, it’s always best not to utilize anything that may disrupt the lives of those they care about most.
Fleeing the country and getting a new identification doesn’t sound like something any of us really want to do to avoid prison time if caught, but that’s the risk we are willing to take to fulfill the revenge plot.
Tanner deserves to rot in prison, but the longer he is kept alive, the more of a chance that something goes wrong.
“So where does everything stand?” Graham asks, pushing hair off his forehead.
I hate seeing him in so much turmoil.
Penny’s latest episode has shaken us all up.
“All plans have been finalized, and the payment cycle has been set, with the final installment given upon receipt.”
“As long as everything looks like an accident,” Graham says, rubbing his hand along the back of his neck while pacing. “And nothing leads back to us.”
“It won’t,” I reassure.
“Let’s just hope that Tanner gets roughed up enough during the little brawl and has to take a trip to the hospital—the sooner, the better,” Nic says. “Then maybe trying to figure out what we think spooked Penny at the photoshoot will be unnecessary.”
“We just need to be patient,” Graham interjects, “and be on guard for the signal.”
Moving over to the tables lining the wall, Nic opens a sealed orange envelope and pulls out a series of photos. “I think it would be negligent to ignore what happened at the waterfront.”
Clearing my throat, I sift through the images. “I agree.”
Graham gives me a look. “You seem uptight.”
I shrug. “I am. I hated seeing Penny the way I found her. And between that and how I felt at the cafe the last two visits, I can’t shake this feeling clawing at my back. Tanner has phone privileges once a month and yet chose to call her to what—torment her further? Why? Why would he waste his time on that?”
My anxiety could very well just be guilt.
But there’ve been few times in my life where that feeling has occurred where it hasn’t been monumental.
I pass a few of the photos down the line so the brothers can also take a look.
Nic points to one in particular. “Here’s one that was captured the day you were at the cafe the first time. I was able to get surveillance footage from an hour prior to your arrival as well. It was grainy at best and nothing seemed unusual.” He passes me another stack of images. “Here are ones that were taken from the security footage at the waterfront.”
Graham leans over. “Fuck, I feel like donating a few million to the city to upgrade their damn cameras. How are they supposed to arrest any criminals doing damage to the waterfront when the quality is so bad?”
“Here, these are clearer,” Nic says. “But, yeah, I agree.”
I scan through the dozens of images, hoping to see something—anything.
A few photos have a decent view of bystanders from the photoshoot that were gathered watching Penny work. My eyes move along every face, searching for what—I do not know.
Perhaps something will stand out. Maybe I’ll look into the eyes and find a clue.
If Penny’s reaction to someone in the crowd sent her spiraling a few steps back on her progress, then I can’t even fathom to think what kind of damage actually being in the same room as Mark Tanner would do.
It’s one thing seeing him behind bars, thinking she is safe.
It’s a whole other thing watching him stride into court, just looking for some loophole.
And I don’t trust the United States justice system to deliver to Mark Tanner what he truly deserves.
* * *
When I arrive at the building where Penny was meeting with Margo, I am shocked to find her in the lobby with her mother, enjoying a fancy pink drink with the little balls at the bottom.
It looks like she’s drinking watered-down body wash.
“Hey, Collins,” Donna says, standing up.
She gives me a hug, and it’s her warm greeting that coats my insides with a sense of belonging.
“Hi, ma’am.”
She glares at me but says nothing.
I shrug. “Old habits die hard.”
“Well, I will accept that over Mrs. Hoffman.”
“Progress.”
“I was in the city doing some shopping and decided to see what Penny was doing. I was only a block away. Did you know that this building has the cutest little tea shop?”
“I had no idea.”
Penny stands, handing me a drink. I look at the artificial orange color with the chunky stuff floating around.
“I got you a mango bubble tea with the juicy popping boba pearls.”
I stare at the bottom of the drink, trying to decipher all the things she said about the drink. “Thank you.”
She bounces on her feet with excitement, which only makes me nervous. “Try it.”
I take a hesitant sip.
“Does it taste as good as it looks?” Donna asks, also a bit eager.
“Better.”
Penny looks at her mom. “I told you he would like it.”
“Now I know what hand soap tastes like. Yum.”
Penny slaps me on the arm, causing her mom to laugh and look from me to her daughter and back again.
Taking a step back, I try to detach myself, as I do best. But Penny makes it hard when she is being playful.
“Cheers,” Donna says, raising her bright purple drink.
Now that doesn’t even look drinkable. It looks like grape cough syrup blended with milk.
We bump cups together, and I take a slurp through the straw.
Coughing into my arm, water fills my eyes.
Penny smacks my back. “Did you choke on a boba?”
“I think so,” I say with staggered syllables. “It was slimy.”
She giggles. “You are supposed to chew them and make the juice squirt out.”
Donna examines her cup. “Yeah, these need a warning label for first-timers. It definitely takes a mental adjustment to consume something that looks like a paint cup.”
Penny nudges her mom with her elbow. “Don’t forget to ask him, Momma,” she says, drawing my attention to Donna.
“I’m throwing a Labor Day party, and you must come to it.”
I resist laughing over Donna’s invitation that never turned out to be an actual question. “Of course, I will be there. Thank you for the invite, ma’am.”
Turning to her daughter, she smiles. “Can you bring a dessert?”
“Yeah, sure. I’ll make something fun and festive.”
Carrying our drinks, we make our way out of the building and onto the street. With a glance around, I see all the members of Penny’s hired entourage blending in with the people on the sidewalk.
At least they are being discreet.
Just knowing that Penny has some extra protection when I’m not with her is getting me through these moments where I am biding my time before I can make the ultimate move.
We can’t have a repeat incident of the waterfront fiasco.
But I also can’t be with her twenty-four seven like I have been.
Protecting Penny means snuffing out Mark Tanner.
Because there can’t be light in her world with the pollution of his darkness.