Identity Crisis(105)

She jerked away and wiped at her welling eyes with the back of her hand. ‘We are finished, Garrett. There’s nothing else for us to do, and I don’t work for people who don’t listen to me.’

‘Jesus, Kendra, this is not about work, it hasn’t been about work for a long time now, you have to know that.’

She raised a hand and grabbed the door handle. ‘I don’t know that, Garrett. I don’t know anything anymore.’ She glanced at the door. ‘I’m going. Don’t make a scene. It won’t do you or Tess any good.’ Then she turned and walked out the door, startling the soggy press with the unexpected visitation.

He started after her, but before he could clear the door, Don grabbed him in a firm hand and pulled him back, slamming the door shut as he did so, and Garrett was on him, fists first. ‘Get off me. Get off me! I can’t let her go, goddamnit!’

He landed a blow to Don’s jaw and Don would have gone down if he hadn’t caught himself with a hand against the wall. He shook his head, hard, then grabbed Garrett by both shoulders, risking another onslaught.

‘Garrett! Garrett, listen to me! Let her go. She’s right. Leave it. You can go after her later. Hell, I’ll even drive you if you want me to, but you have to drop this until cooler heads prevail.’

‘She’s angry at me for doing exactly what she would have done if she’d been in my shoes,’ Garrett yelled. ‘The woman ran into the woods after me like some crazy lady, like she could save the world, like, like, like …’

‘Like she wanted you safe, I know,’ Don said. ‘Like she was afraid of losing you.’ He eased his arm around Garrett’s shoulders and guided him back to the sofa in the living room. ‘She’s scared. That’s all, she’s scared. I could see it in her eyes. Give her a little space, Garrett, and let her breathe. Just let her breathe.’

‘I can’t lose her, Don.’ His control broke. ‘Fuck this! I’m going after her!’

He sprang from the sofa just as his BlackBerry buzzed an incoming message. He grabbed it up and felt his whole body tense as he viewed the screen.

‘It’s from her. Wait a minute. Something’s wrong.’ Garrett fiddled with the device, nearly dropping it before he figured out what was going on. ‘This is Kendra’s BlackBerry. She took mine, then. She’s probably emailing to say she has mine and …’ His words died in his throat and the world fell away as he opened the email.

Hello Bird Woman,

I’m back at long last, and I’ve been missing you terribly. Surely you knew I’d find you. I know, I know. You thought I was dead, but honestly, darling, a love like ours can’t be conquered by death. Surely you know that. You’ll never guess where I am, loveliness. I’m right here in your delicious little apartment, and I’m writing this message from your laptop, even from your address. It’s so much more personal that way, don’t you think? Of course I won’t be here when you leave that horrid Thorne. But don’t worry, I’ll find you when the time is right. And this time, Bird Woman, I won’t take no for an answer.

My Deepest Love,

Edge

P.S.: LOVE the Mustang!

Garrett was still reading the message as he frantically tried to call Kendra on his land line.

‘She probably isn’t picking up,’ Don said. ‘Let me try.’

There was no response. Garrett forwarded the email to Wade, along with a text saying he was on his way to Kendra’s house.

‘Dear God, do you really think she’ll catch him there?’ Don asked.

‘Probably not, but she’s still not safe, and I have to find her.’

‘What do you want me to do?’ Don said, following Garrett to the front door.

‘Call the police. Tell the press what’s going on. Maybe they can help, and keep trying to call her.’

Garrett shoved his way through the rain-soaked press and into his Jeep, which hadn’t been driven in two days. The tires spun up a wild spray of rainwater as he accelerated out onto the street.

Kendra felt like someone had gutted her. And she felt scared, scared like she’d never been before. She drove down I-84 at break-neck speed, not really caring if she got stopped, not really caring about anything but getting home. Harris was right. It was a mistake for her to sleep with Garrett Thorne. It was a mistake for her to have anything to do with him. He was trouble. Already he was trying to control her life. Even when she was the boss, even when she was in charge, he had to take that away from her. Well, she couldn’t have it. She couldn’t! She would never allow herself to end up like her mother, controlled by some man who only used her, controlled by some man who always had room for one more when he got a little bored. There had been no sense of pride, no sense of self-worth, and in truth, she would have done anything for Garrett. It had gotten to that point. So close, so close. It was only when he walked out of Ellis’s house this morning and tried to do what he did that she really realized just how close to losing control she was, just how close to losing what she’d fought so hard to win. And she couldn’t have that. She just couldn’t.