Page 58 of Delicate Escape

The longer I talked, the more thunderous his expression grew. He began pacing, his fingers tapping out a beat on his thigh. When I finally stopped, he stilled and turned back to me.

“What do you think?”

“I think this is seriously fucked, and I’d like to remove Brendan’s balls from his body.”

“Gee, thanks for your professional opinion, Dr. Hunt.”

He sighed and squeezed the back of his neck. “I can’t diagnose someone without seeing or treating them.”

“But?” I asked, sensing there was more.

“Sounds like he has a lot of the markers of someone with a personality disorder. Huge swings in how they view others, going from idealizing to devaluing, especially in romantic relationships. They sometimes exhibit reckless behavior like the drinking and drug abuse Thea mentioned.”

“What does that mean for Thea now?” I asked, my voice tight.

Anson shook his head. “Maybe nothing. People live with these disorders every day. There are plenty of treatment options. But the fact that she felt she had to completely disappear after ending the relationship? That concerns me. Suggests there’s more.”

I knew there was more. Without a shadow of a doubt. “I can’t push to find out what that more is.”

“No, you absolutely cannot. She can only tell you what she’s willing to. But given Brendan’s behavior, there’s a level of obsession.”

“Meaning?” I pressed.

Anson’s eyes locked with mine. “The target for his obsession was removed from his orbit. If he hasn’t found a new one to replace her, he’s been stewing for years.”

Nothing about that sounded good. “And if he finds out where she is?”

“If Brendan realizes her location now, things could potentially become violent, even though they weren’t in the past.”

“How do we help her?” I could barely get the words out.

“I’m not sure there’s much we can do other than help her heal,” Anson said quietly. “Her opening up to you is a massive step. The fact that she’s let Sutton and Rhodes in to a certain degree is another good sign. She needs to move back into life, but at her own pace. All you can do is encourage that.”

The tightness in my throat made it hard to swallow, let alone speak, but I finally managed to get words out. “I won’t let him hurt her.”

Anson’s eyes met mine. “We don’t always have that control. But we can do our best to help her stay safe.”

The hell we didn’t. I’d already failed one person I cared about. I wasn’t about to do the same with Thea.

23

THEA

“Doyou think the tourist crush will ever be behind us?” Sutton asked, leaning against the back counter.

“It’ll keep on coming through summer. And then we’ll have one more surge with Labor Day,” I said as I wiped down the counter around the register. “People love getting in one last hurrah.”

She twisted her neck to the side, cracking it. “I should be grateful, but I’m exhausted and ready for a break.”

I turned to study my friend. She’d been pushing so hard to make this dream a reality for the past few months. “You need to take on some more help. You’re doing too much. You need an actual eight-hour stretch of sleep.”

“Mmm. Eight hours. What’s that like?” Sutton asked dreamily.

“I’m serious. You’re going to burn yourself out or get sick.”

“I know, I know. I just don’t want to take on someone else when we’ll be heading into our quieter months before long.”

“What about taking on a baker so you don’t have to get up at three in themorning?” I pressed.

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