“It was then that I realized the anklet he’d gotten me as a gift had a tracker in it. And why he’d insisted on putting it on me.”
“Because if you had put it on, you’d have realized you couldn’t take it off.”
“Exactly.”
“Did he chain you or something after that?”
“No. But all the locks in the house changed after that. They wouldn’t open for anyone but him.”
Nave nodded, but his gaze slipped down to Edith.
“She came with another rule.”
“No running away when you take her outside.”
“He threatened to put her out if I tried. He, uh, had seen how hysterical I’d gotten watching one of the bunnies get killed and eaten by a fox. And we both knew that Edith wouldn’t stand a chance against a predator. And that I couldn’t get out to save her if something came.”
“He was a sadistic fuck.”
“Slowly, over time, I gained some more trust from Ben. He would let me take her for longer and longer walks, but I had to wear a tracker. I think, over time, he started to think I wanted to be there again.”
“But that was never the case.”
“God, no. All I could think about was trying to get free. But you were right. I was scared. Not of trying to find my own way. I’ve always managed that. But… because of what I knew Ben was capable of. I once saw him stalk a girl who’d rejected him in high school. He followed her via the CCTV to and from work, to her kids’ extracurriculars, to the grocery store.
“And, even more terrifying, I saw him get into the devicesinsideher house. Her camera on her phone, her tablet, her laptop. Her doorbell camera and driveway security camera.Worst of all, the camera in her TV. Where he would watch her as she got undressed for bed. Where she would… be intimate with her husband.”
“Christ.”
“Yeah. I know you saw a bit of what he was capable of. But you have no idea how good he was at what he did. He could get into any camera he set his mind to. Random people, government agencies, you name it. I knew that, even if I got away, some camera somewhere would find me.”
“Yeah, that makes sense. It was eerie to watch him manipulate the CCTV footage, making people just straight-up disappear with no trace that he’d fucked with the footage. Crime literally disappeared before my eyes.”
“And I heard him talk about how easy your job was.” And what suckers the guys he worked for were, to pay as much as they did for such a simple job.
“I can imagine. But… You’re here.”
“I’m here,” I agreed, swallowing.
“How long ago did you get out of there?”
“Five days, just about. I headed right this way. But I got turned around a lot. I had to use maps. Well, I had tofindmaps first, then I had to use them. Which is not a skill I remember learning since GPS has been around as long as I have.”
“Especially hard with no co-pilot. Well,” he said, looking down at Edith, “No co-pilot who can read anyway.”
“Yeah. I think I had to pull over on the side of the road every few hours. If not more. It was not fun.”
But worth it.
“You came here for me?”
My belly flipped, worrying I’d overestimated how much he would be willing to help me.
“I… I had nowhere else to go.”
“I’m glad you came here. I just wasn’t sure if you happened to pass through, or if you came here for me.”
“I came here for you. I don’t know what else to do. Where to go. I have… nothing. I can’t stay anywhere.”
