She gazed through the peephole, but the person was wearing a cap and was currently looking away, and she couldn’t see his face.
It must be one of the ranch hands or one of the guys’ coworkers.
She unlocked the deadbolt and pulled open the door. She gasped when she realized who it was and tried to slam the door in his face.
“Frank! What are you doing here?”
Frank jammed the toe of his boot in the door before she could close it. She threw her weight against the door and looked around for a weapon. Frank was a big guy and had strength and weight on his side. Her cell phone sat on the table by the door, and she grabbed it and slipped it into her back pocket.
“I just want to talk to you, Maya. That’s all. I didn’t come out here to start any trouble.”
Liar! Trouble follows you!
Frank made no attempt to push the door inward. She glanced around the door edge and saw that he held his hands up in a nonthreatening gesture.
Her cell phone vibrated in her pocket.
“Maya, I just wanted to talk to you. I’m sorry I lost it with you last weekend. I didn’t come to make trouble.”
There was a grating edge to his voice that sent red flags flying in her mind. She’d known Frank long enough to recognize he was still angry. He wasn’t there to make peace.
She glanced at the message on her phone and said, “Frank, why are you trying to barge in if you don’t want to make trouble?” Her heart pounded as she waited for him to react.
Frank withdrew his boot, and the door slammed closed. She squinted at the message on her screen. It was from Grace.
“I’m standing in the barn watching your front porch. Who is that and do you need me to send help?”
Stalling Frank while she debated what to say and typed a reply, Maya said, “What do you have to say, Frank? Say it to me through the door.”
She didn’t want to upset Grace in her condition. “I’m OK. Name is Frank Reeves. Tell Kendall please.” She pressed send and slipped the phone back in her pocket.
“Maya. Can’t we talk face-to-face like two adults?” Frank’s tone was wheedling. He didn’t answer her question.
“Frank, I’m not opening this door until you tell me why you’re here.” She quietly slid the deadbolt home as he began talking, and she smiled as his ego served her purpose. No one could monologue like Frank, especially if he was talking about himself.
“I’m sorry about last Saturday. I saw those guys with you and I…”
“You just keep on talking, Frank,” Maya whispered as she thanked her lucky stars she had on her sneakers. To make sure he would think she was still there, she yelled, “I told you it wasn’t working out between us! Hey! How did you know where I would be?”
“I got the address from one of your friends.”
None of her friends liked Frank, if they knew him. Realization hit her, and the fear and adrenaline dumping into her system felt like a cold chill. “You put GPS on my car, didn’t you? You tracked me here!”
Frank’s substantial body weight slammed against the door, and she knew she’d made a mistake. She should’ve eased him into a nice long speech about his love and devotion.
Oh Lord, please let Grace still be watching this! I should’ve said I needed help when I had the chance!
Frank growled threateningly through the door. “Let me the fuck in, you little bitch! I’m going to fix you just like I did Morgan. I plan to put a bullet between your eyes.” Fear gave her feet wings as she dashed through the house straight to the back door.
Where do I go? Oh, God. Did he just confess to killing Morgan? Don’t think! Just run!
She slipped quietly through the back door, closing it behind her as she heard the front door splinter the jamb and burst open. Since he didn’t know the layout of the house it would take him a few seconds to ascertain she was not hiding inside and to locate the back door. She leaped from the back porch. She could hear him slamming through the house like an angry bull. She reached the side gate and unlatched it, figuring the thick shrubs lining the backyard would provide the best cover. She couldn’t run to the barn because he’d catch her as she ran by the house, and he said he had a gun. She couldn’t chance it. She ran down the fence line, blessing Teresa for caring for the rose bushes, which were thick on the inside of the fence. He wouldn’t see her until she was already a distance from the house.
She could hear him still slamming around in the house and took a moment as she snuck down the fence line to check her phone.
“Dammit!” she whispered as she realized the text to Grace had failed. She’d never received the message. She retyped, “Frank Reeves. Has a gun. Running. Send help.”