Page 32 of Sizzling Nights

She cut a bite from her steak and put it in her mouth. He was right, of course.

They ate quietly for a bit and her body began to feel sated. She'd had some rest. Some exercise. Now food and clarity came to the forefront of her mind.

"What did Mitch, Jace, and the police discuss?"

"I thought I'd ask Mitch to come over after we eat and get the details."

"That sounds good."

She finished her meal, and her mind began working again.

"I think I should publish these."

Marco looked over at her. "As in now?"

"Maybe one a day to build up an audience for them. I can post them to YouTube and add links on the other social sites to that platform. I'll note the next part will be posted on the following day at a specific time. That should grow interest. The more people who know, the more support I have and the safer I am. I can also add that I'm afraid for my life and that if something happens to me, the dead man's switch will engage, and all of the stories will be released at once. That's how they'll know something happened to me."

Marco turned in his chair and stared at her. "That's not a bad idea. But we need to speak to Mitch and Jace first. They'll need to put some protections in place."

She nodded. He was right. This could blow back on the others. "Also, the newspaper in Maine. I don't know who the editor is there, but I could call them and warn them that the rest of the stories are coming."

"You shouldn't be the one calling. I'm sure they have all the phones associated with the paper altered to let them know when calls come in, and they're most likely monitoring. So, it would need to be someone else. Like me. I can call and tell them they need to set up some precautions."

"I hate to get you involved."

"Too late. I'm involved. And I'm not sorry about it."

She took a deep breath. "I hate that Jace, Margo, and Mitch are involved too. I mean this is growing."

"And you need it to. Actually, the public outrage you instill should be to your benefit. The more people who know, the better protected you are."

She nodded slightly and closed her eyes. "Okay. Let's talk to Mitch first."

They finished their meals, and she cleaned up the dishes while she got her head around all of this. After a year of hiding and feeling like she couldn't be seen, she was throwing herself into the public eye and it was frightening.

Mitch knocked on the door. Knock. Space. Knock, knock. Marco chuckled and moved effortlessly to the door and opened it up to his friend.

"Welcome. Come on in."

Mitch stepped inside and Theresa moved into the living room. "Hi, Mitch. Can I get you something to drink?"

"Yeah. I'd love a bourbon."

"Coming right up." She turned and faced the kitchen, then froze. Turning her head to Marco he grinned. "Above the fridge."

"Okay." She reached up on her toes, opened the cabinet, and pulled down a bottle of bourbon. She poured one for Mitch and glanced at Marco. He shook his head no with a huge grin on his face. "But I'll have another beer."

She brought their drinks into the living room and sat on the sofa next to Marco, Mitch opted for the chair to the right of the sofa. It was time to get the show on the road.

21

Marco took a swig from his beer and looked at his friend. "Tell us what's going on."

Mitch nodded. "I sent my employee out in Theresa's car." He paused and met her gaze. "Your car," he corrected. "The instant she drove out of town, someone tried to run her off the road. They're coming after you, and I believe it's safe to say they are going to do it right away. You've got them scared."

Theresa swallowed and he took her hand in his and squeezed. "Okay. So they are in town for sure. They don't just have a minion watching me, they're after me?"

"I believe so yes."

---