Page 5 of Pledge Of A Bobcat

That was where it was coming from.

“You, too,” she said before climbing in her car.

As I walked to my truck, I heard her engine crank and then gravel crunching as she pulled away. I slid behind the wheel of my truck and shifted into drive before continuing toward Maribel’s. My head should be filled with thoughts about whether the old woman would help with this Xander situation, but it wasn’t. Instead, it was filled with thoughts of Rachel. Something about her had grabbed hold of my bobcat. Usually, he was calm and steady while in the presence of others, but with her, he’d been alert and curious in a way I’d never felt before. He’d watched her with a kind of intensity I couldn’t explain.

An intensity that left me hoping this wouldn’t be the last time I’d see her.

3

RACHEL

My car felt different driving with a donut on. It felt fragile and unstable, even though I knew it wasn’t. Still, my hands gripped the steering wheel tighter than necessary as we bounced along the gravel road through the rain. Serenity crunched on the apple chips I’d given her in the backseat, blissfully unaware of the worry still swirling through my chest.

Is this what parenting would always be—pretending to be okay while feeling like a nervous wreck inside?

As the road ahead stretched endlessly, winding deeper into the woods, my attention kept flickering to my rearview mirror.

Ellis’s truck was still behind us.

At first, I thought it was a coincidence. After all, there was only one road that led in and out of this part of the woods. However, the longer his truck stayed behind us, the more my nerves hummed with panic.

Was he following us?

I brushed the thought away with a shake of my head. Nope, I wasn’t going to overthink this. Maybe I’d forgotten somethingwhen he helped change my tire. Or maybe he was making sure Serenity and I got home safely on the donut.

He’d seemed like a nice guy, and that was something a nice guy would do.

Still, every time I glanced in the rearview mirror, he was there, driving a steady distance behind me.

The rain picked up a little more, causing my stomach to twist with unease and my palms to grow sweaty.

Almost there. Almost there.

“Is Mr. Ellis still behind us, Mommy?” Serenity asked.

“He is.” I tried to keep my voice steady, but my heart raced, making it waver.

Serenity twisted around in her booster seat to look behind us. “Is he coming to our house?”

“No, baby. He’s just going in the same direction we are.”

Maybe.

I wasn’t sure.

What if he was following us home? What if he wasn’t a nice guy after all?

My imagination took over, filling my head with all kinds of horrible scenarios. I shook them away, reminding myself that not everyone was out to get us.

There were still good people in this world.

But what if…Nope. That was it—no more true crime shows for me. They were making me paranoid.

I focused on the road ahead, refusing to glance in the mirror again. When Aunt Maribel’s driveway came into view, I turned down it and gave my little car more gas. Once I saw the cottage, looking all warm and inviting, relief flooded me.

Until I realized Ellis was still behind us.

I parked my car and turned off the engine. My mind whirled as I watched his truck pull in behind my car and come to a stop.

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