“You’re not a bother,” Mac said, along with Lilly and Elise.
She sniffled. “It’s just when I went to the police with my concerns, they told me I was paranoid.”
“This town is small. We do get a lot of visitors, but you now have ten extra people looking out for you,” Lilly said.
“Yeah, we’ve got your back,” Ethan added.
Drew knelt in front of April. “I’d like to get more information on what happened. I’m no longer an officer, and I probably don’t have any connections where you are from, but I’d like more information so we can figure out what we’re looking for.”
April nodded again. “Thank you.”
“Sure, we’ll make sure you’re safe while you’re here in Fallport. If someone comes after you here, they aren’t going to get far.”
Mac took April’s hand and led her back to her aunt’s house. They spent ten minutes gathering her stuff, and she left with Lilly and Ethan. He glanced around, wondering if there was anything he could do there. They hadn’t seen anyone, so they had nothing to go on. He hated that April had been made to feel this way. He vowed to do what he could to make her feel safe.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
April felt odd staying with Ethan and Lilly. They were strangers since she’d just met them, but she felt safe wrapped up in the blankets in the warm bed down the hall from their room. It was a safety she’d only known at Myrna’s house, and now that had been taken from her.
The sun was just starting to rise and give light to the edges of the shade covering the window. Should she run and find a new place to hide or stay in Fallport? The thought of leaving Mac behind brought a wave of sadness. She didn’t want to be without the man. Sure, they’d just met, but she had feelings for him, even if those feelings weren’t well-defined.
After a quick shower, she headed to the kitchen and found Ethan and Lilly. “Thank you for allowing me to sleep here.”
“Sure. I’ll go pick up new locks and get those installed,” Ethan said.
April nodded. “Thank you.” She took the mug of coffee Lilly offered. “I need this. Thank you.”
Ethan moved closer to Lilly and brushed his lips over hers. April looked away, unsure why she felt odd seeing them kiss. Maybe it was remembering how Mac had branded her with his hot kisses, making her forget everything, even her safety. Mac was dangerous. He took her mind off what needed to be done.
“What time do you have to be at Grinders?” Lilly asked.
“Nine thirty. I should go back to Myrna’s place, make sure everything is okay, and get my car.” She’d driven over with Lilly and Ethan. It had made sense last night. Now she wished she had driven her car. She had been too scared to think straight.
“I can go with you,” Lilly said.
April shook her head. “That’s not necessary.”
“Are you kidding me? I’m not allowing you to go alone.”
“It could be dangerous.”
“Brock lives across the street. I’m sure he’s already been over there this morning. We’ll park at Brock’s house and go from there.”
April thought Lilly’s plan sounded great. It was odd having people she could depend on. Once she told her friends back home about things that happened, they pulled away. Their abandonment had made her feel like maybe she was turning into her mother, losing her grasp on reality and becoming an irrational wild person.
She felt totally rational at the university when she found the unlocked car doors and items left behind, like gum or mints. However, when she found a peppermint in her bathroom on the counter, she lost it. That incident had made her friends pull away even more. The cops had rolled their eyes when she showed them the mint. They told her that she’d probably put it there herself, and no amount of telling them she didn’t have any mints made them listen.
They’d almost convinced her that she’d blacked out and lost time, buying mints and placing them on her counter herself. That was something her mother would have done because she blacked out, not remembering everything that had happened.
Arguing over mints with the police had been a surreal experience. Their lack of response had pushed her to run here. She’d driven such a twisting path, going to Savannah, Georgia, instead of driving straight here. For anyone to follow, they would have revealed themselves.
Lilly pointed out people’s houses as they drove over, stopping right in front of Brock’s house. The door opened, and Brock stepped out.
“All’s quiet,” Brock said as he approached. “I went over there this morning. Everything looks in place.”
“Thank you.” April turned to her aunt’s house and then spun back. “Do you know of any cameras I could put up? I have a few extra dollars.” She could petition her conservator for some money, or she could ask for a few extra shifts at the coffee shop.
Brock scratched his chin. “There are some new cameras on the market that aren’t expensive and would allow you access to videos. I could look into it for you.”
“Thank you. I think it would make me feel better knowing I could check if anyone came into the house while I was gone.”
A shiver snaked through April. Having someone help her was so odd.
“Everything okay?” Lilly asked.
She nodded. “It’s weird having people who want to help me.”
Brock started walking over to Myrna’s place, and she followed along with Lilly. She was only inside for a few minutes, but it didn’t feel like it had last night after she and Mac had discovered the door had been unlocked.
Maybe it had nothing to do with her. Perhaps one of the neighbors knew Myrna was out of town, and they were just checking on the house and forgot to lock up. With a camera system, she would know who was coming and going.
Brock walked around the perimeter of the house while April and Lilly went inside. He met them in the front room where Lilly was gathering items for work.
“I think you should put one of the cameras by the front door and one in the back. That way, you’ll be able to see anyone who comes or goes.”
“That sounds good,” April said.
“I’ll get pricing on those. How long does your shift at Grinders last?”
“Until three today.”
“I’ll drop by at some point and show you what I found.”
“Thank you so much.”
Again April was surprised at how nice the people here were. No one had even attempted to help her at the university. And now she had ten strangers looking out for her. She guessed this was how it was supposed to be, but it wasn’t anything she’d ever experienced before. Coming here to Fallport might just turn out to be a great decision.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Two minutes after she clocked in at Grinders, the line started and stayed steady until a little after noon. Bristol had sat down at one of the tables closer to the register and started working. She had headphones on, and April didn’t want to disturb her, but she had no customers.
“It’s usually dead around this time. I can handle the customers if you want to take your break now,” Steph said.