What She Forgot (What She 2)

“For Lynn and Mason. Just in case.”

“Nobody needs that many guns, Shelly.”

“No one needs a gun until they really need a gun, Clark,” she replied. She finally turned to face me. “Do you want to drive my car or the Jeep?”

“Either one,” I replied, still mentally tallying up the cash and the value of the weapons she’d just loaded into the Jeep. Mason had said Shelly didn’t lack for money, but I had no idea what she was actually worth. A lot, apparently.

She tossed me the keys to her car. “I’ll take the Jeep. Follow me back to Lynn’s, and then we’ll get a few hours of sleep and come up with a plan.”

I nodded, still struck so dumb I couldn’t speak.

I shouldn’t have been surprised. But I was.

We dropped the car off in the dark of night, leaving the keys in the wheel well like we’d said we would.

“Aren’t you worried about leaving that much cash?” I asked as she locked the doors.

“There’s more where that came from.”

We’d stopped at a gas station and bought two disposable phones. Then she’d programmed the one for Lynn with the number for hers, so they could stay in touch. She left Lynn’s new phone in the glove box.

“Does Lynn know how to use a gun?” I asked as she got in her car. I folded myself into the passenger seat.

“She’s not a very good shot. I tried to teach her, but she didn’t want much to do with it. She’s more of a pacifist.” She grinned at me. “I never had that problem.”

I believed her. I completely believed her.

“Do you want me to drop you off at your apartment?” she asked.

I’d promised Lynn I wouldn’t let her out of my sight. “I can go with you.”

“Good,” she said, shifting into drive. “That way I can keep you safe.”

“Keep me safe?”

She glared at me for just long enough that I paid attention. “If you think it’s just me that Megan is coming after, you have another think coming.” She pulled out into the street and merged into the early-morning traffic. I covered my mouth, trying unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn. “Pussy,” she teased.

“It’s tomorrow,” I reminded her.

She was quiet for a moment, and then she said, “Thank you for helping me with the Jeep.” Her quiet thanks shocked the shit out of me.

“You’re welcome.”

“Do you want to talk strategy now or later?”

“Strategy?” I asked.

She chuckled. “Later it is.” Then out of the clear blue, she said, “Will you hate it?”

“Hate what?” I had no idea what she meant.

“Being my boyfriend. Will you hate it?”

“I’ll live,” I replied. But some little part deep inside me was thinking that, no, I wouldn’t hate it at all. And another little part, the sane part of me, knew that my acquiescence to this plan would be one of the dumbest things I’d ever done.

Chapter 17

Clark