Page 22 of Sizzling Nights

At least, he felt that way.

She didn’t look away from him. She wasn’t trying to hide anything.

"No, I don't think so. I think it was just a general fear that they would find me. And in those bigger cities, I hadn't really met anyone. So who would I call if I needed help?

" I started to feel like maybe being lost in a big city wasn't where I wanted to be, and I made the move here.

"I needed to work for a few reasons. I didn't want to chew up all my savings—that was one reason.

"And the other one is, I didn't want to just sit at home all day long and worry. So being out in the workforce kept my mind occupied. I found the job at the Sandbar in the local paper when I was up north—outside of Tallahassee—and I thought, a small-town bar on the water. Well, it's not like the syndicate is going to have people lying around the beach. So, I jumped at the chance.

"After I met Jace, I realized what his preference was for hiring military veterans and helping them. I figured I fit the bill. Not only do I have a little PTSD, but man, I was running scared. And he seemed solid and nonjudgmental, and I figured working for him would be good. So I took the job."

"Okay," he grinned.

When she talked about Jace and the Sandbar, they, Jace and Margo, really had developed a nice little community there.

"So, you started working, and you slowly became comfortable here."

"Yeah. I mean, like I said, the syndicate wasn't going to have guys hanging out at the beach or at a beach bar. And, you know, I kind of felt like no one was really going to be looking for me working in a bar of restaurant kind of place.

"And I didn't have anything happen to make me feel suspicious or worried. So yes, I grew comfortable. That was my mistake."

He nodded. "I think that's how people always get caught. They just get comfortable."

He continued, "Well, it could be—" He paused. "You were smart about the things that you did, Theresa.

"You were smart about continuing to move. You were smart about not using electronic devices. Getting a cell phone in your mom’s name was smart. They could look, I suppose, for her name, and maybe they did. Maybe that's how they found you. It's not a secret who your mom is."

"She's dead."

"Honey, you're not the first person who has taken a dead relative's name when you're in trouble."

Her shoulders dropped.

"I'm not as smart as I thought I was."

"Well, you've made it a year. I mean, that's pretty good. Normally, they'd get you within the first couple of weeks. So I'd say you were very smart."

She grinned. "Thanks."

"Okay. So, in knowing all of that, let me change my mind. Let's start looking for businesses that are newer in the last year here in Blossom Springs. If you want to do some searching on that, what I'm going to search for are businesses who have had hard financial times and suddenly are doing much better."

"How are you going to find that out?" she asked.

He grinned. "Small towns are a pretty hard place to hide financial woes. Everybody knows."

She chuckled. "I suppose. It’s difficult to hide a lot of things in a small town. I've noticed that. As soon as Jace and Margo started dating—oh my gosh."

"Yeah. That’s a fact. It’s both the bane and the joy of living in a small town. Correct?"

"Correct."

He nodded. "Okay. So, here’s what I would do if I were you. Get in touch with Carley Thompson. Since she is a realtor in the area, she may have records of new businesses that have started up in the past year. She’s probably helped with hundreds of transactions and might be willing to share the records. And I will work on my end with some things. I’m going to also send Mitch an email and tell him what we’re doing. I’ll copy you on it so you can see what the communication is. And that way, nobody is duplicating any efforts. And he'll know what we're working on, so he can focus on other things. Deal?"

She slightly chuckled. "Deal."

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