Page 5 of Malice

“My name’s Corey. I rarely use it anymore, but the name I do use won’t make you trust me, so let’s stick with Corey for now.”

Bonnie frowned. What kind of name would someone use that she wouldn’t trust? And Corey was a fine name. Why didn’t he use it? She opened her mouth to ask but he continued talking, cutting her off.

“But my name isn’t what matters here. I want to be sure you’re safe. Do you think you’ll be safe going home?”

“I think so. Like I said, I never told him where I live.”

“But how often does he show up where you are? Are you going places you used to go together or is he showing up at new or different places? Maybe places you never told him about or went with him?”

She looked away as she thought about that for a moment. Had he been places he had no reason to know about? No reason to think she might be there?

If they had been in places he frequented, odds would be that she would show up where he already was occasionally but had she? Ever? Or was he always a few minutes behind her? Could he possibly be following her somehow? She turned back to find Corey watching her with a look she suspected meant he thought he was on to something.

“You thought of something, didn’t you?” Corey said.

“Wherever we run into each other, I’m always there first. If we were just frequenting the same places, wouldn’t I get there after him, at least once in a while? But I never have. He’s always just a little behind me. As if he sees where I am and goes there too.”

“Fuck.” Corey clenched his jaw, then took a deep breath and spoke again. “I want to help you. I’m afraid after tonight, after I stopped him from taking you with him, he’ll become more aggressive. I want to help you stay safe, if you’ll let me.” He extended one hand toward her. “Let’s find somewhere we can sit down for a few minutes and talk. Go over some options to keep him from repeating this, especially if he pulls this kind of thing somewhere no one either can or will step in and help.”

Bonnie stared at his hand, uncertainty churning in her stomach. How could she trust him? She knew nothing about him but his name. Why would he care enough to help her?

“We can go back inside or for coffee or anywhere you like. I want you to feel safe.”

Something inside her seemed to melt, Bonnie wasn’t sure if it was that he wanted her to feel safe or he wanted her to be safe. Something about his being concerned not just for her safety, but her feelings made her want to believe him, or at least hear him out.

“Let’s go to the coffee shop over there,” she motioned to a place across the street. She wasn’t eager to rush back to her apartment now that she’d realized Phillip was likely tracking her phone and would know when she was there and could corner her without someone stopping him.

No, she’d rather talk to this guy who seemed to care if she was safe, and maybe find a way to keep Phillip away.

5

Malicehadahardtime waiting for the woman to decide whether or not she could trust him enough to go somewhere to talk about keeping her safe. He didn’t know why he cared so much but somehow, he hated to see her hurt. And his gut told him if he did nothing, she would end up hurt.

When she agreed to go to the coffee shop, it took everything in him to keep himself from shouting. Instead, he walked with her over to the little local joint, opened the door for her then followed her inside.

After asking what she wanted, he went to the counter and ordered for them both, taking their drinks to the table she’d claimed in the corner and handing her the sweet, blended drink she’d ordered before sitting across the table from her.

“Let’s get to know each other a little bit first. I told you my name, what’s yours?” He did his best to set her at ease.

“I’m Bonnie.”

“I’m fairly new in town, Bonnie. Been here a few months. Are you from Gillette?”

“Not exactly, but not too far away. I came from a couple hours away to go to school.”

“Are you still in school?” He tilted his head as he watched her. He would have guessed she was closer to his age than what he would have expected from someone still in college. But maybe she had gotten a late start.

“No. Not for a while now, it’s just how I came to be in Gillette. I graduated a few years ago. Now I’m working, trying to make ends meet and figure out what I want to do with my life.”

“Aren’t we all?” That sounded cynical, even to Malice’s ears, but he’d felt exactly that way so many times over the last couple of years, since he’d separated from the Army. Before that he’d never questioned what he would do with his life. And admittedly he hadn’t asked it quite as often since that call from Ghost. “What do you do?”

She watched him for a moment with what he was learning was her wary look. She was wondering if she should tell him. “You want to know what I do to pay the bills or how I think of myself?”

Malice frowned. He took a sip of his coffee to hide his confusion and give himself a moment to think.

“How about both?” he said after a moment.

She pursed her lips and stared at him for a few seconds, then seemed to give in.

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