Page 16 of Protecting Maggie
Maggie felt sick.
“Are you all right? You’re white as a sheet,” Remi said in concern.
How had Roman gotten her new number? She’d blocked his cell number just in case, the one she’d had from before…and now it was obvious that he’d been keeping tabs on her. Probably waiting for the day she got out just so he could threaten her. How in the world she’d ever thought she loved the guy was a complete mystery. He was nothing but a bully. An asshole with power.
“I’m okay,” Maggie whispered, feeling anything but.
“No, you aren’t,” Remi said, as Josie waved over their waitress.
“I’ll go get the car,” Wren said.
“No, I’m fine,” she insisted. But the three women ignored her fake protests.
And the truth was, she wasanythingbut fine.
With a single phone call, Roman had made it clear she’d never be free of him. At any time, he could do something that would get her thrown right back behind bars. He could plant drugs in her car, her apartment, then call her probation officer. She wouldn’t be safe until she left this state, and him, far behind her.
And maybe not even then.
Before she knew it, Remi had paid for their lunches—ignoring Maggie’s protests that she could pay for her own sandwich—Josie had gotten the waitress to package up their leftovers, and Wren was waiting at the curb when they exited the restaurant.
They were halfway back to her apartment when Maggie’s phone rang again. Dread rose within her, but she pulled it out and looked at the screen.
She blinked when she saw who was calling.
Shawn.
The relief she felt was immense and immediate. “Hello?”
“Are you all right? Remi texted me and said you got a phone call that freaked you out.”
Maggie’s gaze flew to Remi. She looked a little sheepish and shrugged in apology.
“Maggie?” Shawn’s impatient voice sounded in her ear.
“I’m good.”
“You sure? You want to postpone the interview today?”
“About that. I’m not sure I know enough to work in a clothes store. I’m more of a science kind of person.”
“I talked to several of my friends. Caroline’s a chemist, and she was willing to see if she could help you get hired on with her company, but after talking to her, we both thought the best fit would be with Julie. If you really don’t want to consider it, I’ll figure something else out.”
Now Maggie felt bad. “No, that’s okay. I’ll at least talk to her.”
“Good. Now, do you need to postpone it?”
He was being really…nice. “No. It’s fine.”
“Fine. Right. I’ve been told that when a woman says something’s fine, it’s really not.”
To her surprise, Maggie found herself giggling. “That’s probably true, but in this case, I mean it.”
“Okay. I’m going to say this, and it’ll probably sound like bullshit or a line, but I’m being earnest. You can talk to me, Maggie. I know we just met, but if I can do anything to help, you just need to say something. And if you aren’t comfortable talking to me, there are three women in that car with you who have been to hell and back and would understandanythingyou might be going through.”
Maggie wasn’t sure about that. They had supportive boyfriends who she had a feeling would protect them with everything they had. Look how Remi’s boyfriend had acted when he’d found out Maggie was using Adina’s name andride-share account. He wasn’t even dating Adina, and he’d done what he could to make sure Maggie wasn’t stealing the other woman blind.
Her situation wasn’t anything like what these women had apparently been through. They didn’t have someone out to get them, and who wouldn’t blink at putting an innocent person behind bars to protect themselves.
