Page 35 of Rum & Coke

There was a brief pause. “Yeah.”

“I hope he stops. I’d love to find out who this fucker is.”

“I hope he doesn’t stop,” she admitted. “But I can’t even tell if it’s a guy or not.”

“Whoever it is will get a piece of my mind if they even pull into the lot behind you.”

I heard Tessa chuckle on the other end of the phone.

“What’s so funny?” I asked. I didn’t think any of this was a laughing matter.

“It’s notfunny-funny. It’s surreal funny.”

“Surreal funny?”

“It’s just that, before you, I didn’t have anyone to call.”

“Well, it seems as if fate has brought us together at the right time.”

“Thank God,” she exhaled.

“Yeah.” I smiled.

A car pulled into the lot. “I’m here. Where—Oh, I see you.”

“Pull in next to me and don’t get out of your car.”

“Okay.”

I watched as she drove her silver car into the dimly lit, bare parking lot, and then pulled into the space next to my passenger side door. Once she did, I turned my attention back to the entrance, waiting to see if some fucker would follow her in. Target was closed and I’d assume there would be no reason for someone else to pull in. “How close was the car to you?”

“Just a car length or two behind me.”

“Do you—” Before I could finish, a dark car pulled into the lot.

“That’s them.”

The car pulled in slowly. I couldn’t see inside because the side windows were tinted. Wanting them to know that Tessa wasn’t alone, I got out of my car. The car, which I could now tell was black, drove straight instead of turning onto our row. “Write this down.”

“Write—” I read the license plate number to her.

“Shit, I don’t have a piece of paper.”

I hung up the phone and entered the number into my notes while sliding into her passenger side seat. “I got it.”

“What are you going to do with it? They didn’t do anything.”

“We’re calling the cops.”

“Really?”

“Tess …” I turned to face her. “Neverevertake shit like this lightly.”

“Have you been followed before?”

“Yes,” I stated without hesitation.

Her blue eyes widened in the dim light. “What did you do?”