Page 6 of Final Escape
Seconds ticked by.Three. Four. Five.
In disgust, she lowered the phone and poised her forefinger over the end button.
“Don’t hang up.” The harsh, low whisper effectively masked the caller’s voice. “Not yet.”
“Who is this?” she demanded.
“Don’t matter.” His low, venomous laugh grated against her skin and raised the hair at the back of her neck. “Not yet.”
“Billy?”
He ignored her question. “You look pretty in that green shirt tonight.”
Her hand shook and she nearly dropped the phone. “What?”
“Real pretty.”
“Who is this?”
“I’d be more careful in the future if I was you. The night isn’t all that safe.”
“Maybe not for you, either,” she snapped. She jammed her finger onto the keypad of the phone to end the call.
So the sense that someone was out there hadn’t been her imagination—and it definitely hadn’t been some sort of wildlife, either. He’d been out there in the shadows. Watchingher.Close enough to see the color of her shirt despite the deep twilight.
Billy?
Though the voice was muffled, he had been her first guess. A flash of anger at their long, troubled history had made her issue that foolish challenge. But now she wasn’t so sure. And how could he or anyone else have found her new cell number?
Anxiety spider-crawled its way up her spine as she started pacing the confines of her apartment, her arms wrapped around her stomach.
She’d given the number only to her brother, Logan, and to the school where she’d be working. That deputy had sure hinted at his opinion of the Bradleys.Logan?But why would he want to drive away a new tenant? It made no sense.
She debated about calling 911, or her brother, but he was far away with heavy responsibilities of his own. Or Logan himself, which might not be a bad idea.
He answered on the fifth ring, his voice laced with concern. “Something wrong?”
She chose her words carefully. “I hope I didn’t interrupt anything.”
“I’m at my aunt’s house fixing a faucet.”
Yeah, right.“This late?”
A pause. “I didn’t have time until now.” He sounded vaguely distracted. “Do you need something?”
Now she could hear faint female voices in the background and the clank of something metal—maybe a wrench—so maybe he was telling the truth after all.
At least she hadn’t confronted him face-to-face, where he’d see the warm flush of embarrassment creeping up her neck.
“Did...you or Penny give my phone number to anyone?”
A pause. “Of course not. Why?”
“Only a few people have it. I think I had a prowler.”
“Did you call the sheriff?”
“I didn’t actually see anyone, and there wasn’t a crime.”Yet,she thought with a shudder. “But a bit later I got a phone call—it had to be the same guy. No specific threat, but it was creepy.”
