Chapter Twenty-Seven
Meredith collected her backpack and left the station with Wade.
She couldn’t believe Tripp Gilley was dead.
He’d never bother her again. He’d never stalk her, never find her, never drag her back to his home and kill her.
She’d been on the run for so long, she didn’t know how to stop running.
The world felt surreal and unfocused, like a dream she’d stumbled into.
It felt like someone else’s life. A weight had been lifted off her shoulders, and she needed time to adjust to the new lightness.
Wade didn’t speak as they walked to his truck.
He opened the passenger door for her before climbing behind the wheel.
She settled in with Chico. The storm wasn’t over.
Rainclouds gathered in the distance, but she could see a hint of sun peeking through the clouds.
She hugged Chico to her chest and gave Wade a sidelong glance.
His brow was furrowed with concern. Would he forgive her for leaving him?
“I don’t suppose they fed you,” Wade said.
“No.”
“There’s a café nearby.”
She nodded, though she wasn’t ready to go out in public.
She touched her tangled hair and found a leaf.
After pulling it free, she checked the mirror on the back of the window shade.
Her clothes were damp, her face was dirty, and her eyes looked strange.
She wiped the smudge off her cheek with her sleeve. “I hope we don’t see any of your exes.”
“Natalie works across the street.”
“Great.”
“Do you want to borrow my sweatshirt?”
“Sure.”
He grabbed a gray hoodie from the back seat.
Meredith removed her damp jacket and put on the hoodie.
She was instantly warmer. They left Chico in the front seat, curled up for a nap, and walked into the café.
She went to the restroom while he found a table.
As she washed her hands and face, she identified the odd brightness in her eyes.
It was hope.
She leaned into the feeling, although she was afraid of optimism, and she knew she’d disappointed Wade. She’d left without saying goodbye, she hadn’t trusted him enough to confide in him, and she’d run into trouble with the law. He’d been forced to drive to Last Chance and interact with his father.
Even so, he didn’t seem angry with her. Instead of scolding her, he’d offered her a meal and the warmth of his sweatshirt. He was a good man, the best she’d ever known, and she was deeply in love with him.
She also wasn’t a coward or a quitter. Never had been. Although a part of her wanted to keep running, to avoid confrontation and safeguard her heart, she was tired of living in fear. It was time to step into the light.
Wade had chosen a booth in a quiet corner. She settled in across from him. His gaze seared into her, heating her chilled bones. She took a deep breath and tried to think of the perfect words to win him over. Before she’d come up with anything, a pretty blonde waitress arrived to take their order.
Meredith asked for hot tea and chicken noodle soup.
Wade ordered coffee and a sandwich. He handed the laminated menus back to the waitress, who left with a flirty swish of her skirt.
Then he stared at Meredith in sober contemplation.
She stared back at him, her pulse racing.
He looked tired, but the fatigue somehow added to his handsomeness.
Lines bracketed his mouth, offering a hint of vulnerability that tugged at her heartstrings.
She wanted to wrap her arms around him and kiss away the pain she’d caused.
She wanted to undo all of the mistakes she’d made.
“I assume you heard about Gilley,” he said finally.
“I did.”
“Is that why you left? Because of his death?”
“No,” she said, startled. “Why would you think that?”
“I really don’t know what to think, Meredith. Your goodbye note didn’t give any details. My mom claimed you went to Kansas for a family emergency.”
The waitress brought their hot drinks. They both went quiet until she left.
Meredith leaned forward. “Did your father tell you about Websleuths? The post about me and Tripp Gilley?”
“He mentioned that you were Poison Rose,” Wade said. “We didn’t discuss Gilley.”
“Then how did you…” She trailed off. “You already knew.”
Wade added cream to his coffee. No sugar.
“How did you find out?”
He shrugged. “The song came on the radio when I was driving to work, and I remembered your reaction to it.”
She thought back to the night he’d taken her and Daisy to the vet. “Poison Rose” had started playing, and she’d switched it off.
“The lyrics capture you perfectly. Except for the poison part.”
She reached for her tea with a shaking hand.
That song would always trigger her worst memories.
Wade didn’t know the entire backstory, but he knew that Tripp had been the poison in their relationship.
She sat in silence as Wade used his phone to access the post Slate had mentioned.
While he read the article, the waitress brought their meals. Meredith thanked her with a weak smile.
“You didn’t see this post last night,” Wade said. “It’s from this morning.”
“I saw my sister’s social media page yesterday. She planned an event to spread the word about my disappearance. She mentioned my name, Tripp’s name, and her exact location. I don’t have a phone number or any way to contact her. I tried to call the farm, but the number is disconnected.”
“You thought he’d send someone.”
“He might have.”
“If he did, they turned back.”
She didn’t argue.
“Yesterday, when we were together, you’d already bought the truck and hidden it somewhere.”
She sipped her tea, which was too hot to drink. It burned her tongue.
“Instead of getting my help to call your sister, you chose to keep this a secret and go off on your own.”
Meredith reached for a glass of iced water. She let a piece of ice melt in her mouth.
“Why did you do that?”
“You know why.”
“Actually, I don’t.”
She tested her soup. It was the right temperature, and she hadn’t eaten all day.
She felt the urge to drink it from the bowl.
Instead, she brought the spoon to her mouth several times in rapid succession.
She was too hungry to concentrate on their conversation.
Wade dropped the questions and let her eat in peace.
After they were finished, the waitress offered some options for dessert.
Meredith declined. Wade grabbed a peppermint from the tray and paid the check on their way out.
“I didn’t want you to know about Tripp,” she said. “I didn’t want you to follow me and get caught up in my problems.”
“That backfired,” he said.
“Yes. I’m sorry.”
He gave a stiff shrug, which didn’t feel like an acceptance. Meredith let Chico out for a short walk before they got back in his truck. He started the engine to heat the cab. Rain pattered the roof and ran in rivulets down the front windshield.
“What’s your plan now?” Wade asked. “You’re a free woman. You don’t have to run or hide anymore.” He curled his hands around the steering wheel, though they were still parked. “You don’t have to stay, either.”
Pain seized her chest. “Are you asking me to leave?”
“No,” he said softly. “I’m saying it’s your choice.”
She felt a sense of calm wash over her, and she cleared her throat. “Can you help me call my sister?”
He consulted his phone again. Meredith gave him the information she’d used to find Amanda’s social media page. He accessed it easily. The post about Meredith had been removed, and her page had been set to private.
“I have to send a friend request,” Wade said. “If she accepts, I can message her.”
“Do you think she’ll accept?”
“She shouldn’t. I could be a creepy stalker.”
“Let me see your page.”
He handed her the phone. She clicked on his profile picture to enlarge it.
He was standing at the edge of a waterfall holding a huge rainbow trout.
Everything about him, from his easy grin, backward cap, and rock-hard biceps, was visually appealing.
If he meant to show off the fish, rather than his physique, he’d missed the mark by a mile.
“Where was this taken?” she asked.
“Big Bend.”
Meredith glanced at the handful of other images on his page.
It was all outdoorsy stuff. He didn’t have pictures of old girlfriends, or intentionally sexy photos of himself.
The personal information appeared sparse.
She found a section of friends he interacted with, so she scrolled through.
He had a lot of female friends, all with pretty faces and bright smiles.
She wondered how many of them he’d dated.
Another logo on his page indicated the college he’d attended. She recognized the Longhorn insignia. Meredith had noticed him wearing a UT T-shirt the other night, but the significance hadn’t fully registered.
University of Texas in Austin was a very good school. It was elite.
A chime notification indicated that Amanda had accepted his request. Meredith handed the phone back, unsurprised.
He wrote a message with flying thumbs.
“What are you saying?”
“That I’m your friend, and you want to talk to her.” After a pause, he lifted the phone to snap a photo of her and Chico. “For proof. She’s probably got those web-sleuth fanatics hounding her.”
He sent the private message, along with the photo. Ten seconds later, his phone rang. He let Meredith answer it.
“Hello?”
“Meri?”
The sound of her sister’s bubbly voice brought tears rushing to Meredith’s eyes. “Yeah. It’s me.”
“Are you okay? Where are you?”
“I’m okay,” she said, swallowing hard. “I’m in Texas.”
“Why are you in Texas?”
“I’ve been … hiding.”
“Because of Tripp?”
“Yes.”
“You heard he died, right?”
“I heard.”
“What did he do to you?”
Meredith glanced at Wade, hesitant. “He said he’ll kill me if I left him.”
“Oh my God,” Amanda said. “What a psycho!”
“He threatened to go after you, too.”
“Well, he can’t go after anyone now.”