Page 58 of Sycamore Circle

So Joy was alone. “All right. I’m coming over, okay? I should be there in fifteen minutes.”

“But maybe I should go straight to the police station?”

If the guy was sending letters to her door, there was every possibility that he was nearby watching for her reaction. “We’ll talk about it when I get there. Are your doors locked?”

“Um, I think? I don’t know.”

“Walk around right now and check. I’m staying on the line.”

“You’re starting to scare me.”

She was right. He was thinking about keeping her safe—not making her feel better. Tamping down his worry, he murmured, “I don’t want to scare you, but go check, okay?”

“All right.” She released a ragged sigh while he held his phone in a death grip. “The back door’s locked.” A few seconds later, he heard the deadbolt on the front door click into place. He closed his eyes, hating that she hadn’t done that automatically. “The front door’s locked now, too.”

“You keep them locked, okay? I’ll text you when I pull up.”

“Hey, Bo? You know, you probably don’t have to come right over.” Her words were coming out fast, like she was embarrassed for calling him at all. “I’ll be okay. I was just... just freaking out but I’m feeling a little better.“

“I’m glad you called. I would’ve been upset if you hadn’t. Now have a seat and try to relax. I’ll be there soon.”

“You really don’t mind?”

That voice. So sweet. “I really don’t mind at all.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

“Of course. Don’t worry. I’m on my way.”

When he disconnected, he dropped his head, hoping to release some of the tension that had been building in his neck while they’d been talking.

“What’s going on?” Lincoln asked.

“Joy’s been receiving threatening text messages and had a couple of phone calls with no one speaking on the line. Today she got a letter in the mail.”

“So he knows where she lives,” Grafton said.

“Yeah. I’ve got to get over there. She’s freaked.”

“Want some company?” Lincoln asked. “Grafton and me could look around while you check on Joy.”

Part of him would like the backup. He wasn’t afraid to find anyone, but he was afraid to overlook something and put her in further danger. He was probably being paranoid, but he reckoned that’s what happened to anyone who’d served time. When you hang out with guys bragging about their bad deeds, you realize that more bad things happened under most people’s radar than they ever imagined.

Looking at both men, he shook his head. “I appreciate it, but I think it’s too soon. She’s still learning to trust me.”

Lincoln pressed a hand on his shoulder. “I think she already does. She called you.”

Something shifted in his body and settled in. “Yeah. I better get on over there.”

Grafton stepped forward, blocking his path. “Hey, Bo, I’m sorry about doing this again.”

“No apologies needed, but if you’ve decided to move on, that’s a good thing. Life’s too short to dwell on a bad relationship.”

“I know you probably think I’m an idiot, but if you need help with your girl, I’ll be glad to watch her house or make phone calls or something.”

“Thank you.”

“Touch base later,” Lincoln called out as Bo walked out the door.

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