“Listen to me,” Melody said slowly, the fear making her voice quiver. “If he has my address, I need to know about it because I have a restraining order against him. He wasn’t supposed to know where I am. I have no idea how you guys got this address. I don’t even know what house this is, but it’s really important that you find out if he knows where I am because that means I need to quit my job and move.”
The delivery guy looked at her, his gaze running over Melody standing there shivering in the cold in her robe and slippers. “What? You think he’s dangerous or something?” he finally asked skeptically.
“Look, I know it sounds ridiculous.” Melody sighed, her heart pumping panic through her bloodstream. “I know it seems like I’m just blowing things out of proportion—everyone thinks that—but I’m not. He threatened to kill me, and I’m inclined to believe he’s serious. If y’all can find out if he got one these files, I’d really appreciate it.”
The guy sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat. “I guess I could call the office and find out if they were able to locate him.”
Melody took a quivering breath, her eyes stinging with tears. “Thank you.”
“Just gimme a minute.” He reached past her to grab the handle to the car door, his gaze running over her body once more. “Unless you want me to come in and make the calls there?”
Melody looked down at herself, remembering her robe. She’d slipped it on when she woke up, and she was completely bare beneath it. She clutched at the opening that dipped low, her anxiety and suspicion in full gear.
“I’ll just go put something else on,” she said rather than take him up on the offer. She turned to leave, her cheeks burning. “Just knock.”
“Whatever, lady.” He huffed, sounding irritated.
Melody raced back up to the house, being careful not to fall. The driveway was covered with only a thin sheen of snow. Someone had shoveled a few hours ago. The yard showed evidence of the night’s snowfall. Knowing it was Clay who’d taken the time to do the dreaded task for her, it took more strength than she knew she had not to warm to the idea of depending on him. A part of her was desperate to call the Cuthouse Cellar right now. She wanted Clay near to make her feel safe and secure once more, but this morning showed that letting down her guard left her wide open to being blindsided when the reality of her life came back to slap her in the face.
She locked the door when she was inside and then hurriedly dressed, her fingers shaking as she tried to button her jeans and hook her bra. She should be worrying about getting the hell out of Garnet. Finding a new town was going to be challenging when she had so little saved. She’d lucked into the job at Hal’s Diner and the kindness of strangers in Garnet. She couldn’t count on it a second time. She’d thought she’d have more time. She’d only set aside a third of her tips when she should have stashed much more than that. But the lack of funds wasn’t what was weighing heavily on her mind.
All she could think about was Clay.
She was going to have to leave. She was going to miss him. Worst of all, she was going to hurt him. Tears were running down her face by the time she pulled on a thick sweater and sat on the bed to put on a pair of socks.
A knock reverberated through the house, forcing Melody out of her miserable reflections. She jumped up and dashed to the door. Rather than welcome him in, Melody stepped up next to the deliveryman and closed the door behind her.
“Did you hear anything?”
“They haven’t found him,” he said simply. “They’ve been trying at the house listed, but it’s always empty. It looks abandoned.”
Melody nodded as she tugged nervously at her hair, still hanging loose around her shoulders. “And they don’t have any leads?”
“None yet.” The guy shrugged. “But we always find ’em eventually. A hospital visit, utilities, cell phone bill—everyone’s traceable.”
Melody wanted to smack her forehead. The damn utilities—of course she was easy to find. She was officially terrible at being underground—but she was learning.
“Is there any way y’all can call me if you find him?” Melody asked hopefully. “I know that’s a big imposition, but I do have the restraining order I can show to your boss. I don’t wanna know any of his personal information. I don’t care where he is or what he’s doing. I just need to know if he gets those papers with my address on them.”
“Fine.” He looked uncomfortable, like a man who just got dragged into the middle of a nasty argument. “You got a number I can call you at?”