Page 31 of Silent Menace
“But he does drive a truck that looks an awful lot like the one that cut you off yesterday,” Peter said.
She blinked. She’d chalked that incident up to a reckless driver and hadn’t given it another thought. Could it have been on purpose?
Eric clicked his pen once more before slipping it back into his shirt pocket. “I think I’ll pay him a visit. See if he knows anything.”From his tone, she suspected he’d probably give the man a lecture about harassing people too.
Jenna shifted in her arms, and Hailey glanced down at her. The sleeping girl still looked flushed, with sweat matting her strawberry blond hair to her forehead. Anger rushed through her again. Coming after Hailey was one thing, but these people never should have endangered her daughter.
“What are you going to do about the threats?”
Frown deepening, she returned her attention to Eric. “I don’t know what they expect me to do. Pack up and move? Just flee for my life and never come back?”
“That sounds like exactly what they want.”
She blew out a frustrated breath. “Moving isn’t that simple.”
Eric’s tone softened. “I know. You could leave temporarily though. Just until we figure out what’s going on.”
“And how long will that take? I can’t afford to stay in a hotel. I guess I could stay with my parents, but I don’t know if whoever this is would be satisfied with that scenario. And what about my job? I have a little vacation time accrued, but once that’s gone, it’s gone. I can’t afford to take a leave of absence.” She paused for a breath.
“I understand,” Eric said. “But if this threat is credible—and it seems like it is—”
“You can’t afford to ignore it,” Peter finished. “Everything you said is valid, but your life is more important than anything else.”
Some of her anger faded. Slightly. “I realize that.” But that didn’t mean she had any idea how she’d manage without her income, particularly if the people after her didn’t consider her parents’ home to be far enough removed from Kincaid. It wasn’t like she could afford a trip out west or overseas to stay with one of her siblings—even ignoring the strain a long trip would put on her job situation, traveling that far with a toddler was neither cheap nor easy.
She fixed her eyes on Peter. “You used to be a bodyguard, right? How would you handle this if I were a client?” A flash of—what?Pain? Or panic maybe?—crossed his face. But as quickly as it appeared, it was gone. Had she imagined it?
He rubbed his chin. “It’s complicated and really depends on the situation. If you were coming in for a consult, I’d advise you to carefully weigh your options and the risks. We don’t know why these people want you gone, only that they do. They’ve given no indication that they truly want you dead, which leads me to believe that if you comply, they’re not going to follow you.” He glanced at Eric, who nodded in agreement. “So leaving, at least for long enough to let the police investigate, would be safest.”
She didn’t like that answer, and she didn’t bother to hide it. “I still don’t know how complying with their demand for more than a couple days is feasible.”
“Avoiding dangerous scenarios is the first line of defense. Take the few days you can manage first. See how far the investigation can get. If staying away longer than that isn’t possible, you could hire personal protection at that point. That way you’ll have someone to accompany you when you go out and keep watch when you’re at home, someone trained to watch for dangerous situations and get you out of them before they happen or protect you if they do. But even the best of the best can’t offer a one hundred percent guarantee.”
She huffed. “That’s a moot point anyway. I can’t afford a bodyguard at all—much less the best of the best.”
He nodded slowly. “The next best thing would be to take the same sort of precautions a bodyguard would employ. Not going anywhere alone, changing up your schedule and normal routes, staying inside as much as possible, keeping your doors and windows locked, using an alarm system. But honestly, I don’t know if that will be enough.”
Eric grunted agreement. “Whoever this is has escalated quickly. Based on what happened today and what they told you, they’re not going to bother with a warning next time. They’re going to get rid of you themselves.”
Though she’d already come to that conclusion, she winced.
Eric’s voice softened. “After all Allye went through—Corina too—I’d strongly advise getting out of town for a while. I know it’s inconvenient.” He lifted a hand when she started to interrupt him. “More than inconvenient, I get it. It’ll put you under a lot of stress and financial strain. But your life is still more important. Jenna’s too. Today illustrated just how easy it would be for her to get caught in the crossfire.”
“And she needs you,” Peter said. “Even if they never touch a hair on her head, if she loses you, her life will be forever altered.”
Hailey lowered her eyes and blinked back tears. She knew they were right. Doing nothing would be akin to dancing around a bonfire with a gas can. No matter what it cost her, it wasn’t worth the risk.
Jenna had already lost her daddy. She needed Hailey more than ever.
17
After clearing Hailey’s house, Peter coaxed Jenna away from her mom so Hailey could pack their bags. The little girl refused to be put down, so he grabbed a storybook and settled on the couch with her. He wasn’t sure how big her vocabulary was yet, but she seemed to be content to look at the pictures while he signed an abbreviated form of the story. Having Maggie snuggled up beside them probably helped too. The golden had sensed their tension and immediately taken up her post by Jenna when they walked in the door.
Eric should be along soon. Someone had to make sure no one tampered with the wrecked vehicles and that they arrived safely at the police station, so the detective had stayed behind to wait for the tow trucks or the return of Officer Owens, whichever came first.
Before splitting up, Eric, Peter, and Hailey had finally settled on a temporary plan. She would call off work for tomorrow—a reasonable arrangement, all things considered—and she and Jenna would stay with her parents for the time being. It wasn’t a long-term solution, but it would give the impression that Hailey was following orders and give Eric a chance to dig into the case.
Peter signed,The end, and closed the book. He picked up another, but Jenna pushed it away.No book?he asked.
