Pushing You Away - Noah & Katie (Ex-Con Duet 3)

The bomb might’ve been defective, or there could be a delayed response, but I’m not taking any chances.

My heart races, and I’m short of breath, but it’s taken me a minute for this to sink in. Did someone just try to bomb our house? That would’ve killed us.

Soon, Sheriff Todd arrives, and he’s calling in backup from the next town over, along with the bomb squad. Red and blue lights illuminate the street, and the entire neighborhood watches from the sidewalk. While the bomb squad takes care of things, the sheriff asks if I have any idea who might be doing this. I honestly don’t know, but I tell him of two people who have a vendetta against me. Gabe’s parents.

Then I tell him about the one guy who slammed into me and called me a murderer, but I have no clue who he is. I can’t give him much of a description either since he wore a hoodie covering his head.

“It’s defective,” one of the bomb squad members comes over and tells us. “It was set to go off as soon as it flew through your window, but whoever did this didn’t do a very good job building it.”

“Thank God,” Gemma mutters.

“Will you be staying here for the night? After traumatic things like this happen, sometimes it’s safer and helps with peace of mind to leave after everything’s properly secured,” he suggests.

“Not sure yet. We’ll figure it out,” Dad says. He glances at Belinda, who’s on the phone and is clearly shaken up. “Thanks for everything.”

Sheriff Todd writes a report and tells us he’ll file it in the morning so Dad can get insurance to cover the expenses. Once again, I feel fucking terrible.

“I’m so sorry,” I tell him and Belinda. “I’m so relieved you two are okay.”

“It’s not your fault,” Belinda says, ending her call.

“Not at all,” Dad adds, but I know it is.

“Are y’all gonna go somewhere?” Gemma asks.

“Well, I just talked to my sister and let her know what happened. She has a spare room, but there’s only a full-sized bed.” Belinda frowns, then glances at me.

“Take it,” I demand. “I’ll figure something out. Plus, it’s probably best I stay close and watch the house tonight. But tomorrow I’ll need to find somewhere else to go for a while. Perhaps if this asshole thinks I moved out, it’ll keep you both safe. I can move my truck so it’s not in front of the house.”

“You have nowhere to go,” Tyler says.

“And you can’t afford a hotel.” Gemma gives me a sad look. “Though I wouldn’t want you in the next town anyway. That’s too far.”

I shrug, trying to calm myself. My body is still in shock. “It might be my only option.”

“Let me see what I can do…just give me a minute,” Gemma says, pulling out her phone and walking off.

“You’re sure about this?” Dad asks.

“Absolutely. You and Belinda go pack and stay at her sister’s. I’ll be fine here,” I reassure. “I just need someone to help me drop off my truck somewhere in the event it’s being tracked.”

“I’ll work on removing the spray paint.” Dad pats my back. “It’ll look good as new in no time.”

I manage to smile. “Thanks.”

“We can keep it in the back parking lot of the deli. There are security cameras too.”

“That’s a great idea,” Dad agrees.

Five minutes later, Gemma returns with the biggest grin. “All sorted out. You’re gonna stay at Katie’s new house.”

My heart jumps into my throat, and I’m sure I heard her wrong.

“Wait, what?”

“Yep, it took some sweet-talkin’, but she can’t say no to me so…” She shrugs, clearly proud of herself. “Pack a bag because you’re going first thing tomorrow morning. But tonight, you can sleep on our couch.”

“Okay, I’ll be over after I board up that window,” I say, hardly believing any of this.

Once again, I feel like a burden to everyone who has to adjust their lives for me. I’m determined to figure out who this coward is and put him through hell. It’s one thing to come at me because of what I’ve done, but you leave my family the fuck alone.

My blood boils at how they’re harassing others to get to me. I wonder if they hope I’ll lose my support system since they’re being targeted by association. This person highly underestimates the people I’ve surrounded myself with because nothing will change how protective they are of me. Tyler, for one, is someone I trust with my life. Though we’ve got to know each other when he accompanied my sister during their short monthly visits, seeing him nearly every day for the past month has cemented our friendship.

“You sleep okay?” Gemma asks when I make my way to the kitchen.

I stretch my arms over my head and crack my back. “You need a new couch. Preferably a longer one.”