Page 36 of Fate's Unseen Shadow

“After I cleaned up, I went to work. Told my secretary that I’d seen him. Went home to change for dinner. That’s when I saw him the third time. I left my building to go to Teddy’s.” She readjusted her hands on the wheel. “And he wore different clothes that time. He stood on the street corner, same one he normally did, which is across from the condo complex, watching me as I left to walk to Teddy’s. Nothing in his hands. Not pretending to be there for any other reason. And he smiled.” Ella laid her head back on the headrest. “Creepiest smile I’d ever seen. That’s what I see in my nightmares. His face right in that exact moment.”

“Why that moment?”

Without emotion, she whispered, “Because he did this.” She took her thumb, slicing it across her throat. “And then he pointed at me. I ran. All the way to Teddy’s.”

He needed her to keep moving with the story. Details were important, but she needed to get it out and not shut down. “And that’s when you found him?—”

“Dead.” She swallowed. “Yes. That’s when I found Teddy dead.”

He pushed forward. “What happened next?”

“I called 9-1-1. I didn’t touch anything. Teddy was gone, so there wasn’t anything for me to do. I knew that. I stood to the side, staring at him until they arrived. They asked their questions and made small accusations about me, and then I excused myself and walked away. Looking back, it felt like I was in a daze. Like what I did, my movement through the world wasn’t me but someone else. I stopped at my bank, withdrew a thousand dollars, and headed for my car. I didn’t want to go backhome.” She looked over at Damon. “I knew I was next. I knew it had to be that guy.”

“I think you probably saved your life by leaving.” Damon set his hand on her knee. “You said you got your car.”

“Yes. I got my car and I—I just drove. After zigzagging all over Georgia and South Carolina, I began to run out of money and that’s when I thought of you.” She sighed. “Took my chance.”

“I’m glad you did.” He sent a text, asking about the fingerprints they’d found at Teddy’s.

Ryker:The police report didn’t mention anything about dusting for fingerprints at her place when she found the door open. They did at Teddy’s and only found his, Ella’s, his mother Julia’s, and the maid.

“How tall wasthe man you saw?” Damon asked.

“About an inch shorter than you.” The GPS came over the speaker, instructing her to exit. “Where are we going?”

“A food truck I like. Did you ever hear his voice?”

“No. Oh”—she looked at him—“he had blue eyes. I just remembered that. Super blue. I saw them when I drove past him at the gas station. That’s the closest I ever came to him physically, and that’s because I didn’t see him until the last second.” She pulled into the food truck parking lot. “What if Teddy died because of me? What if I did something—” She choked on the last word, eyes filling with tears.

Damon left the car and rushed to the driver’s side, opening the door. “Come here.” He pulled her out and hugged her. She started to put her hands around him but stopped as she brushed his side and his body did an involuntary jerk when she touched his cut.

Redirecting, she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her head against his chest.

Damn, it felt good to hold her.

“You didn’t do anything, Ella. None of this is your fault.”

She took a deep breath and relaxed against him. “Can I be done now?”

“Yes, baby,” he murmured, kissing her temple and wondering where in the hell that response had come from. The need to take care of her overwhelmed him. The more he leaned into it, the harder it’d be when he resolved her situation and she left for Atlanta.

Because he wasn’t leaving Charleston.

He tried to break the tension. “Aren’t you going to tell me not to call you baby like you do Slater?”

She caressed his neck at his hairline as she lifted her head. “It doesn’t bother me coming from you.”

With a lot of regret, Damon ended the embrace and stepped away. He needed her to be clear between her emotions for him for helping her versus real attraction. And until he was sure, he had zero intention of ending up some placeholder for Matteo.

“Let’s get some dinner.”

Watching him with curiosity in her expression, she nodded and followed him to the food truck.

She ordered her food, and he did next before they found an empty picnic table to eat at. “Do you see that building over there?” Damon pointed with his fork. “That’s Midnights. It’s another club. It’s been a rival bar ever since we opened four years ago. The owner’s name is Walker Crosswick. He does a lot more than sell beer. Slater keeps trying to get him shut down.”

“Like illegal things?” She ate a tortilla chip. “Drugs?”

“Yes. And sex workers.”

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