4. 4
4
B onnie stared at the man who had followed her from the diner in time to keep Phillip from forcing her into his car, then who knew where. She’d been surprised, then suspicious at why he might be following them. But the more she talked to him, the more he seemed to be just trying to help.
“Yes, we broke up last week, but we’d only been seeing each other a little over a month.” She shook her head, still not understanding the way Phillip was behaving. “He shouldn’t be this clingy or possessive. Thankfully, I never invited him to my place. I don’t recall him ever even picking me up to go anywhere.”
“That’s good.” He glanced around and looked like he had something more to say, but wasn’t sure if he should say it. Or maybe wasn’t sure if he should say it here.
Was he afraid of insulting her or scaring her? Why didn’t he just say it already?
“I can tell something’s bothering you. What is it?” She couldn’t help but scowl as she watched him.
“Is there any chance he was able to get into your phone? Could he have put something into it so he can track you?”
She frowned. Could he have? She had her phone password protected, but she used facial recognition too, and all he would have had to do was to hold it to her face while she slept, and she had slept over a few times before she’d realized he was more attached than she was. Before he had started creeping her out. That’s when she’d tried to quietly gather her things, but he had caught her and figured out what she’d been doing. Then she’d been forced to come right out and tell him she was done.
“If you have to think about it that hard, I’m guessing he did have a chance. The question is, is he tracking you? How often has he just happened to show up where you are, since you broke up?” the stranger, who still hadn’t given her his name, said.
She tilted her head and watched him for a moment. “I know you’re trying to help, but how do I know I can trust you?” Bonnie knew her judgement hadn’t been the best recently, as exampled by the entire relationship with Phillip. “You haven’t even told me your name.”
He looked down, as if he didn’t want to meet her gaze for some reason. It made her more suspicious of him. He took a deep breath and held it a moment, then let it out in a rush before speaking.
“My name’s Corey. I rarely use it anymore, but the name I do use won’t make you trust me, so let’s stick with Corey for now.”
Bonnie frowned. What kind of name would someone use that she wouldn’t trust? And Corey was a fine name. Why didn’t he use it? She opened her mouth to ask but he continued talking, cutting her off.
“But my name isn’t what matters here. I want to be sure you’re safe. Do you think you’ll be safe going home?”
“I think so. Like I said, I never told him where I live.”
“But how often does he show up where you are? Are you going places you used to go together or is he showing up at new or different places? Maybe places you never told him about or went with him?”
She looked away as she thought about that for a moment. Had he been places he had no reason to know about? No reason to think she might be there?
If they had been in places he frequented, odds would be that she would show up where he already was occasionally but had she? Ever? Or was he always a few minutes behind her? Could he possibly be following her somehow? She turned back to find Corey watching her with a look she suspected meant he thought he was on to something.
“You thought of something, didn’t you?” Corey said.
“Wherever we run into each other, I’m always there first. If we were just frequenting the same places, wouldn’t I get there after him, at least once in a while? But I never have. He’s always just a little behind me. As if he sees where I am and goes there too.”
“Fuck.” Corey clenched his jaw, then took a deep breath and spoke again. “I want to help you. I’m afraid after tonight, after I stopped him from taking you with him, he’ll become more aggressive. I want to help you stay safe, if you’ll let me.” He extended one hand toward her. “Let’s find somewhere we can sit down for a few minutes and talk. Go over some options to keep him from repeating this, especially if he pulls this kind of thing somewhere no one either can or will step in and help.”
Bonnie stared at his hand, uncertainty churning in her stomach. How could she trust him? She knew nothing about him but his name. Why would he care enough to help her?
“We can go back inside or for coffee or anywhere you like. I want you to feel safe.”
Something inside her seemed to melt, Bonnie wasn’t sure if it was that he wanted her to feel safe or he wanted her to be safe. Something about his being concerned not just for her safety, but her feelings made her want to believe him, or at least hear him out.
“Let’s go to the coffee shop over there,” she motioned to a place across the street. She wasn’t eager to rush back to her apartment now that she’d realized Phillip was likely tracking her phone and would know when she was there and could corner her without someone stopping him.
No, she’d rather talk to this guy who seemed to care if she was safe, and maybe find a way to keep Phillip away.