“She’s upset, and I get it. I understand it. But she’s out there with this risk in town carrying my child, Hudson. She left with a friend of hers. Nicole. They’re driving a navy blue Nissan Sentra. The front driver hubcap is missing.”
“What does Heather look like? And don’t think we aren’t talking about this later,” he said.
“Long brown hair. Dark brown eyes in the shape of almonds. Slightly tilted up. Five-foot-six, lightly-tanned skin. Owns a bakery in town called Heather’s Bake Shop. Her studio apartment is a mile and a half west of her shop up the main drag in Whitefish. She’s on top of a craft store, address is 55-D West Main Street.”
“What does Nicole look like?” he asked.
“Dyed red hair, blond roots. Very tall, I’d say at least five-ten. Slim. Gangly. I don’t know what color her eyes were. She was wearing a bright yellow shirt. That’s all I caught of her.”
“Better than nothing. I’ll look into it and see if I can’t track down Nicole’s address as well, though it’ll take some time. I’m racing into town, still about thirty minutes out, but I’ll keep an eye out for her and her friend.”
“Thanks, Hudson. I appreciate it.”
“Keep your phone close,” he said. Then, he cut the call.
“Ice cream now?” my daughter asked.
“I think I might even have a bowl with you,” I said. Anything to get my mind off the chaotic spiral my life had become.
CHAPTER 28
HEATHER
“I knew something was wrong. And hearing him yell at you that way behind the door? I wanted to take a shotgun to his head,” Nicole said.
“Thanks for bringing me here,” I said.
“My place is your place. Always,” she said. “Now tell me what the hell’s going on.”
“I’m sorry I couldn't tell you sooner,” I said as I dro
pped down onto her couch. “It’s so outlandish I sometimes I think I’ll wake up any second and this will all be some crazy dream.”
“Then, get it off your chest. Let me help you shoulder some of this burden.”
I began to tell her the story. I started from the beginning and went all the way through. I told her about how he came into the shop and how we had sex on my metal table. I told her about how I found out I was pregnant and how ecstatic Cameron had been. Then, I told her what he’d revealed to me about how his brother died and who “Andrew” really was and what their names were. I told her about the Mafia and how Cameron thought they were chasing him down. With each word that poured from my mouth, Nicole’s jaw dropped further. Her eyes widened a little more. She listened as I spoke, trying to digest the whole of it. All of it seemed so crazy, and yet all of it made perfect sense in this twisted sort of fashion.
“I told you he was keeping me there to protect me,” I said. “Just not from Charlie, though that jerk didn’t help matters much.”
Nicole blinked at me as I reached over and closed her jaw.
“What. The ever. Blessed. Hell have you gotten yourself into, Heather?”
“I don’t even know anymore,” I said. “I should’ve run the second he told me, but I was so far pulled into his web that I couldn't release myself. I’m at such a loss, and the only thing I can think about is keeping my child safe.”
“So you want to keep the child,” she said. “Have the two of you talked about that at all?”
“With everything else looming over us, no. I can’t say we’ve gotten a chance.”
“Can we just put a pin in that bullshit for a second?” Nicole asked. “Let me ask you this. Are you worried for your safety?”
“I am,” I said.
“Do you feel safe in that cabin with him?”
“I feel trapped.”
“That wasn’t my question. Do you feel safe?” she asked.