Page 92 of Brick

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The next day at work, Liv’s nagging feeling came back, and it followed her all day long. She couldn’t quite put her finger on what bothered her, but her sister had told her a hundred times never to ignore an instinct.

Getting backup would be the smart approach.

It only took a few minutes to find Dave, the school resource officer/security guard, to walk her out. Even with him right there, her stomach did a slow flip when she spotted her car. There were key-marks scratched in either side, footprints and a deep crater caved in on the hood, and all four tires were flat. Someone had attacked her little Corolla.

She whipped her head around the parking lot, searching for clues to the perpetrator, but deep in her heart, she knew who to blame. She’d let herself believe Devon’s brother had forgotten about her. Obviously, it was too much to hope for.

“You have someone you can call, Ms. Turner? A husband? Your father?” Dave asked sympathetically. “I could help you file a report.”

She blinked back tears. “Let me try my brother.” She dialed Will’s number, but the call went straight to voicemail. Afterward, she called the gym, looking for Eduardo, but it was his day off. Briefly, she considered calling Izzy, but in truth, there was only one person who could make her feel safe right now.

Jonathan answered the phone on the first ring. “Livie?”

“I need you to come,” she whispered. “He came to my school. Slashed my tires. Trashed my car. I can’t drive it.”

She imagined a rage building in the silence before he spoke. “Let me make sure he’s not watching you. Do you have somewhere safe to wait for me?”

“I’ll wait in the office. Jonathan?” She swallowed. “I’m scared.”

“Hold tight. I’ll be there soon.”

Though she stayed busy filling out a police report with Dave, the hour she waited for Jonathan seemed to last forever. He texted her when he arrived outside.

Brick: Stay where you are. I’m changing your tires.

A fresh wave of terror washed over her. What if Tre was still out there? What if he was watching Jonathan right now?

No. Her man was too careful. Still, the wait stretched in front of her like melted wax.

Another fifteen minutes passed before she heard from him again.

Brick: Have someone walk you out. I’m going to follow you home.

She spotted his truck a few parking spaces away as she got behind the wheel. For the first time in an hour, the panic began to subside. With Jonathan in her rearview mirror, she knew, at least today, she’d make it home safely.

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