“I can’t be there, I have other jobs to take care of.” I’d already spent more time than I’d planned to on this one, but the truth is the guy was good. Each time I pinned down a location the authorities were always ten steps behind. By the time they showed up he was long gone.
Now he was hip to us and had taken to using cafes and shit. Whoever he is, he had an amazing code system that seemed to be tracking us as well. I knew he couldn’t get into my shit, so he had to have eyes on her some other way.
I’d gone back and rechecked everyone in her circle, including the director and producers of the film she was working on, but they all checked out. I was beginning to think more and more that this was someone from her past, but like she said, her ex checked out.
“You don’t have to be there, I do.”
“Don’t be an ass. Do you really think I’m gonna let you go off to…where the hell are they filming again?”
“Nebraska and you’re not ‘letting’ me do anything. This is my work, you’re just gonna have to deal with it.” She went ahead putting the finishing touches on the salad she was making like she didn’t just walk her ass into trouble.
“Is that so? You sure you were listening to me that night? You know, a few weeks ago before I fucked you the first time? I could’ve sworn I told you how this shit works. Now, if you know something that you’re not telling, now would be the perfect time to do it.” And there it was out in the open. My reason for being such a dick to her.
In the last couple weeks I’ve done everything I can to get her to fess up. I was no longer doubtful that she knew or suspected who this person might be. It was the way she reacted whenever it came up. The fear that I sometimes see when the phone rang or someone drove too close.
That in itself is not enough, but the way she relaxes once the call has been answered, or she finally sees the face of the driver of the other car, is a dead giveaway that she’s expecting someone.
“I told you, I don’t know…” She took the salad to the table as a way of escaping.
“I’d rather you didn’t fucking lie to me.”
“And I’d rather you didn’t pick a stupid fight with me just because you want to call it quits.”
Okay that one pulled me the fuck up.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“You think I haven’t noticed that you’ve been distant lately?” Spare me from irrational fucking females.
“Do you mean the nights that you fucking dragged in here after the stunt shit you’d been doing all day on the set? Or do you mean when you fell and hit your ass hard enough that it left a bruise and I brought you home, gave you a bath and put you to bed? Oh and let’s not forget that I held you all night and checked your forehead for fever every fucking hour on the hour.”
“That’s just an excuse, I know all about the way you work.” Now she was in tears and I was wondering if it was her time of the month. It can’t be, I’ve been clocking that shit and she hasn’t had a period since I came on board, which means she’s late.
I’ve been stressing about that shit too with a madman on her ass and feeling like shit because I haven’t been able to make her safe.
“Do tell. How exactly do I work?” She stormed out of the room and into her bedroom that she hasn’t used in weeks. I was tempted to go after her but figured we could both use some time to calm the fuck down.
I needn’t have bothered because she was soon back with her phone in hand. She scrolled through some shit and then held it out to me.
“What am I looking at?”
“That’s your girlfriend. She sent me that two days ago. Do you see where she’s blaming me for stealing you away from her, calling me a slut and threatening to go to the tabloids?” I read the words and wondered if I’d fallen down the rabbit hole.
“So let me get this straight. The same person who’s accusing me of being a man whore is telling you how much in love we were and how you’ve destroyed her future with the man she claims uses women like Kleenex.”
I let her absorb that shit for a second. “How did she get your number anyway?”
“She didn’t, she sent me a DM on twitter.” Her voice had lost some of its steam.
“Two days ago and you didn’t say shit to me. You sure do love your secrets.” I went back to plating our food so I didn’t give in to the temptation to wring her damn neck.