I stop and turn to face him. “No.”
“Hey, I’m trying to help Stacy out. She doesn’t deserve all that’s happened to her.”
I should win an award for my self-control at this point. She doesn’t deserve prison?
“Are you two friends? Or is she your girlfriend?”
He looks disgusted. “Girlfriend, no. Why do you ask?”
“Because this seems personal to you. Is it?”
“All of my podcasts are personal to me. Now, can I ask you a few questions?” He pulls his phone out of his pocket again.
I turn back to Savvy, and we head down the sidewalk away from Peter. At this point, I realize I have no idea where we are going.
We’re walking side by side. I lean down to Savvy and whisper so Peter won’t hear. “Where are we going?”
She smiles. “Subway.”
We pick up our pace, and finally, after about five blocks, Peter leaves us alone. We take a short subway ride, where I text Durango and Reed about what happened.
Once we are off the subway and back up on the street, my mind is racing. What if Bennett isn’t released? There’s a chance Savvy won’t need my protection anymore. Will she want to see me after this? While we have admitted to having some kind of feelings, I’ll also be a reminder to her about a traumatic time in her life. Once that sinks in, she might decide we shouldn’t see each other again. I’m usually a confident man, yet I find myself unsure around Savvy now.
She leads me to a house similar to mine. I step inside first and look around. Everything appears to be in order. I go through, room by room. The place is nicely decorated. She even has art hanging on many walls. I can’t imagine what she thought of my place. I only have the bare necessities and never bothered decorating.
“It looks fine. But if you get scared, I want you to call me right away,” I say.
“Oh, you’re leaving?”
I shrug. “I thought you might want some time alone.”
She smiles. “Thank you. I think I’ll take a bath and try to relax. But I won’t be able to call you.”
“Why not?”
“I still don’t have a phone.”
I close my eyes. “I’m sorry. I forgot again. I owe you a new phone.” And that’s my excuse to keep spending time with her. “Want to go get one now?”
“No, thank you. I really want to take a bath and settle in. Some other time?”
“Oh, okay.”
I’m not dense, I can take a hint. She wants me to leave. “Okay. I guess I’ll see you around,” I say.
“Yeah, I’ll see you around.”
I step outside, and she closes the door. Fortunately, I do hear her lock it.
Part of me wants to knock and ask her out. But I’m not going to push. She needs time. And maybe I do, too.
I head home. I need a shower, and hopefully, there will be an update from Stevens. When I step inside my home, it feels emptier than it did yesterday.
Two hours later, I’m sitting in my office at Reed Hawthorne Security. Reed wants the paperwork for my last assignment. Writing up what happened with Bennett makes me angry all over again. There has been no update from Stevens, and now I’m worried that I might not be alerted if Bennett or Bob are released.
I call my contact with the local police and explain the situation to him. He agrees to let me know if Bob is released. Since Bennett is in federal custody, he has no way of knowing his status unless Stevens tells me.
A large pop sound comes from the kitchen.
