Page 88 of Scorched

Chapter 16

Feet aching, Maggie stepped out the back door of her law office, taking in her surroundings. The lot was empty except for her borrowed car. Her phone trilled from her purse as she pulled the door closed. She fished it out as she walked to the car, frowning when she saw Angie Tulley’s number on the screen.

Opening her car door, she peered beneath the seat, looking for anything out of place before climbing in. Once locked inside, she answered.

“Hello?”

“Oh, Maggie, thank God. I didn’t know who else to call.” Angie’s voice carried over the line, breathless and panicked.

“What’s wrong?”

“I think Hank found us.”

“What? Did you call the sheriff’s department and report it?”

“I did, but they can’t do anything. I don’t have anything concrete, really. It’s just a feeling. Every time I’ve gone outside the last couple days, I feel someone watching me. And I swear I saw someone in the trees this morning. That’s when I called the police. They sent a deputy out, but he didn’t find anything. I don’t know what to do. I mean, is this all in my head?”

“It could be, but it could also be your instincts telling you something’s wrong. Maybe we should move you guys. You were cleared of your charges, so there’s no reason you can’t leave the area. You can come back when it’s time to testify against Hank.”

“But where would we go? I don’t know how to go about any of this. If it weren’t for the women’s shelter and their help in getting us this house, we’d be on the street.” Her voice wobbled.

“You’re doing fine, Angie. Take a breath. We’ll get this figured out. I’m going to drive up there right now, and we’ll hash out a plan, okay?”

“Really? Oh, that would be wonderful. I really appreciate it.”

“Of course. I’ll be there in about an hour.”

“Okay, great. Thank you!”

“Yep, see you soon.” Maggie hung up and immediately dialed Declan.

“Hey. You on your way home?” he asked when he picked up.

“Not yet. I need to go visit Angie Tulley. She’s getting twitchy up in the mountains by herself. I’m going to help her come up with a plan to get out of the area. She needs to start over and she’s just overwhelmed.”

He sighed. “Yeah. I get that. You really shouldn’t go up there by yourself, though, and I’m stuck at the station until morning. Can one of your brothers go?”

“Probably not.” She glanced at her watch. “But Macy might be free. It’s past closing time for the coffee shop.”

He hummed. “I’d rather one of your brothers went.”

She started her car. “Declan, I just need someone to be an extra set of eyes. I can take care of myself.”

“Famous last words, Mags. I know you can fend off an attacker. I’ve seen you practice your katas. But you’re still more vulnerable than one of your gigantic brothers.”

“I will call them and see if they’re free, but I’m going no matter what. I can’t ask her to come into town and risk Hank seeing her. He made bail finally.”

“Great.” He sighed again. “Okay. Just… be careful. And send me a text or two while you’re gone so I know you’re safe? It’s been quiet the last week since we identified Gehring in the surveillance footage, but I’m still nervous. He wasn’t acting alone.”

“I know and I will. I’ll be back before you know it.”

“Yeah, yeah. Call your brothers.”

She couldn’t help but smile at the droll note in his voice. “Doing it now. I’ll see you in the morning.”

They bid each other goodbye, and she hung up, then dialed Thomas. Seb was in Colorado Springs for another meeting today, and Brady was likely still out on the range.

He picked up on the fourth ring. “Hey, Mags. What’s up?”

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