Chapter 23

“When a new day breaks, it presents exotic obstacles, learn to tackle them.”

Shannon

~~~

Every single passing day proved to be difficult, I wasn’t handling things as well as I thought I would. My attempts to nab Matthew in the act had proved futile. It wasn’t a snap-of-the-finger kind of thing like I envisioned.

“I don’t understand why you can’t just arrest him,” I whispered, muffling the sob threatening to spill from my lips. All I yearned for was my normal life back.

My father sighed, we’d gone over the issue more times than I could recall and it was taking a toll on him just as much, but he tried to stay strong for us. I couldn’t say the same for me, I was a wreck.

He let the spoon in his hand drop to the plate and wiped his mouth with a towel. The emotions in his eyes told it all, he was scared to lose me, his family. I was frightened too, more than I let show. “I think we should elope, this is getting extreme for you. It may take a long time before we can find substantial evidence and I don’t want you near him any longer. I’m always on edge, wondering what you’re doing and if you’re safe. I will speak to the department and ask for a transfer.”

A lot was at stake, it wasn’t just about my safety. My friends and family were involved. Matthew met my grandparents, my extended family, and a good number of my friends at one of the get-together hosted yearly in regards to family tradition.

We couldn’t protect everyone if we chose to go into hiding, neither could we ask them all to leave their lives behind because of my mistake. Knowing them, no one would budge or take us seriously. All Matthew would have to do is take one out of the lot and use him to get to me.

“This is by far one of the hardest cases I’ve ever had to deal with, I guess it’s because it’s more personal than professional. I don’t know what to do anymore, are you willing to take the risk? All you have to do is tell me, I’ll handle the rest and make sure everyone is safe.” He reached for my hand and squeezed it, oozing a sense of strength into me.

I let the idea sink in, running wasn’t the best alternative for me, it sounded more dangerous than waiting for evidence. I couldn’t visualize looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life. “You can’t protect everyone,” I said.

“I know, but I can try. I will do all I can.”

“I don’t know, I wouldn’t want anyone to get hurt.” I hopped off my seat, strode to the corner of the kitchen and back. “Let’s give it one more month, if everything doesn’t work out by then, we will know what to do.”

“Alright, it sounds good to me. Meanwhile, I want to teach you how to use a gun. A month is a lot of days and anything can happen. I will feel more level-headed knowing you can safeguard yourself in case of anything.” He took a few bites of his cold chicken soup, pocketed his car keys, and beckoned me to follow him. I dreaded being in the same room as a gun, let alone firing it. I knew it was a tough call but I had to try.

* * *

I had less than two minutes to install a tracking device inside Matthew’s car. I deliberately left my phone upstairs and implored him to go get it, seizing the opportunity to hide the tracker under his back passenger seat. The bureau kept losing him to traffic each time a group of agents pursued him from a distance. Getting any closer would alert him that someone was onto him so when they failed to keep track of his movements, they resorted to a tracking device.

I plugged a mike into my left ear before saying, “It’s done. I can see him, he’s coming down now.”

“Alright, you’re doing a good job. Just act cool, don’t panic,” Dad instructed. It was weird to have someone talking in my ear, it almost felt itchy. Matthew slipped in before I could give a reply, handing me my phone.

“Thank you.” I threw him a fake smile and sent a message to Kayleigh. We were meeting with Lionel and his crew for brunch at the grand opening of a new cafeteria in town.

“You still haven’t forgiven me,” he pointed out, his eyes straight ahead as he took a left turn.

“Yeah, you’re right. I don’t think I’ll do that anytime soon.” Retaining the wall I built between us was my safe ticket to keep his hands off me. He was playing the good boy card by agreeing to my requests for space, with the hope that his actions would get things back to the romantic phase. I laughed at the theory, he was nuts if he thought I would keep going out with a man like him.

He let out a deep breath and glared at me before going silent. I heartily scrolled through my game applications and tapped on the recent one before beginning to play, the voices in my ear soothing my anxieties. When next I raised my head, we were in a different direction from where I was heading.

I checked my watch, I was five minutes late for work. “Where are we? I’m supposed to be at work right now.”

He turned to me, a cocky smile on his lips. “I think you should call in sick. I want you to take me somewhere then we can go back to the house later.”

“What?” I howled, the thought of standing up my friends leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. “You can’t decide what I do with my time without asking for my permission.”

“What is so wrong with spending time with your boyfriend?” He pulled the car to a halt. I looked outside the window, at the expensive-looking houses lining the road as Dad’s voice filled my ear. “You have to calm down first then explain to him that you have to get to work immediately.”

“Everything is wrong. You bring me to an estate without telling me and expect me to call in sick? Please, drive me to work.” Before my discovery, I would find him hijacking my plans sweet and surrender everything to follow him around. I was stupid, honestly.

He unzipped a bag I was seeing for the first time and handed me a bandana. Confused, I tossed it back at him and ordered him to take me to work. When he didn’t, I tried to unlock the door so I could wave down a taxi but it wouldn’t budge, he’d locked all the doors.

“I need you to wear this, it’s a blindfold. You have to get used to it cause you’ll always wear it whenever we go to where we’re going right now. Do you understand?” He waved the bandana in my face. I shook my head, my chest heaving up and down from my heavy breathing.

“Shannon, get off that car. Do not go anywhere with that man!”

“Where are we going?” I managed to ask.

“You’ll know when we get there,” he said, tying the blindfold over my eyes.