Page 73 of Obsession (Temptation 4)

I parted my lips, shaking my head as I looked out the window. As was typically the case on Sunday afternoon, the street was quiet. Then a flickering light caught my eye. I looked at my front yard, Imogene’s bike lying there, the sun reflecting off the handlebars.

I darted my gaze to her. “Your bike is out front.”

She rolled her eyes. “Pretty sure now’s not the time to yell at me for that. I know I’m not supposed to leave it out. I—”

“I’m not yelling. I’m saying. Your bike is out front. Easily accessible.”

“I’m not sure I—”

“Listen to me very carefully.” I ran my hands down her arms. “When I walk back into the hallway, you keep your ear up to that wall.” I pointed to the shared wall between our rooms. “When you hear me say something like ‘I have the perfect dress in mind’, you turn on your bath—”

“I’m not really bleeding. I just said that in the hopes he’d give us some privacy.”

“I know,” I responded quickly. “But I want you to make it seem as if you are taking a bath. So once you hear the signal, turn on the bath, then leave.”

“Leave?”

“Yes.”

“But Nick will—”

“I’m going to distract him.”

“How?”

When I gave her a knowing look, horror immediately crossed her expression.

“No.” She vehemently shook her head, tears sliding down her cheeks once more. “You can’t. I know what he did to that woman. Christine. And there are more, too.”

“More?”

“More women he…hurt. Every night. The police never found them because that detective—”

I clutched her hands. “Don’t worry about that. I’ll be fine. This is the only way to get you out of here safely. And hopefully me, too. But I need you to do exactly what I say.”

I glanced at the clock on the wall, seeing I’d already been in here for two minutes. My time was running out.

“Once I give you the signal, I need you to turn on the water, then quietly go downstairs and into my office. Behind the photo of Meemaw and Gampy on the wall is a hidden safe. The code is your birthday. In it are four guns. All are loaded, so you need to be extremely careful. Keep them pointed at the floor. I want you to leave one in that drawer.” I gestured to the top left drawer of her dresser, the one closest to the door leading to the en-suite bathroom. “Leave another in the junk drawer in the kitchen. Another in the entryway table. And the last one in the console table on the second-floor landing. Do you understand?”

She quickly nodded, her body trembling. “Dresser. Junk drawer. Entryway. Console,” she repeated.

“Good. Once you do all that, get the hell out of this house, grab your bike, and ride as fast as you can to Lachlan’s.”

“Why not Uncle Wes’ house? It’s closer.”

“Because he’s at the hospital. Londyn went into labor early. Plus, Nick knows where Uncle Wes lives. But he doesn’t know where Lachlan lives. Or at least it won’t be the first place Nick looks when he realizes you’re gone. And he eventually will realize you’re gone. I won’t be able to distract him forever. So you need to work as quickly and quietly as possible, then ride your bike as if your life depends on it. Okay?”

More tears streamed down her cheeks. “Okay.”

“Okay.” I pulled her against me, swallowing down my own tears threatening to fall. “I love you, Imogene,” I choked out. “No matter what happens, I am so proud of the amazing woman you’ve become. Never forget that.”

“I won’t,” she sobbed as I inhaled her scent, praying it wasn’t the last time I’d ever hold my baby girl.