Secret Daddy(34)
“Take care.”
He hung up and I kept driving. For an hour and a half, I followed them, waiting for the right moment. It came when they pulled off the road into a service station. I parked up a few cars away from them, only climbing out once they were both heading towards the entrance. I stayed back, too far away to hear what they were saying. Once they were through the doors, I darted across, catching sight of them heading towards the toilets. They separated, her going into the ladies. He watched for a second, glancing around him before heading into the gents. Once he was out of sight, I darted into the ladies, catching sight of Donna as she stepped into a cubicle.
I ran over to her, grabbing her arm and putting a finger to my lips. “What are you doing here?” she asked, her eyes wild. “How did you find me?”
“Who is he?” I asked.
“Please,” she muttered, clinging onto me. “Please help me.”
“Come on,” I said, pulling her after me. “Before he comes back out.”
I pushed open the door, glancing out before beckoning her after me. Together we marched for the front door, getting out into the car park seconds later. Only when she was in the passenger seat of my car did I relax. “He knows where I live,” she said. “You don’t know what he’s like.”
“I know more than you think,” I said, hitting dial on my phone.
“Richards,” I said when he answered. “The services by junction forty-two. Get them here now and you’ll have him.”
“Done,” he replied, the line going dead a second later.
Donna turned to me as I gunned the engine. “Who was that? What are you doing?”
“All in good time,” I said. “Let’s get moving first.”
I was only a minute away from the services when I saw the first police car. “Talk to me,” Donna said. “What’s going on?”
“That was your ex, right?” I said.
She nodded. “How did you know?”
“Because the man I just spoke to told me who he was. Darren Guest. Also known as Nate Silver. Wanted for attempted murder ten years ago.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“You’re not his first victim. He tried to kill his wife then disappeared. If he’d kept his head down, he might never have been found.”
“That police car, was that for him?”
“It was.”
“But he’ll get out of it. He always does.”
“Not this time.
“How do you know?”
“Do you trust me?”
She paused before saying, “Yes, but-”
“Then you don’t need to worry. He won’t be getting out for a very long time. Attempted murder, burglary, rape, fraud. Nate’s got quite the record.”
“How do you know all this?”
“I have a friend in the police force.”
“That’s it, that’s all I get. You have a friend?”
I nodded. “Yep.”
She lapsed into silence before muttering something.
“What was that?”
“I said, thank you, Daddy.”
A smile flickered across my lips. “You’re welcome.”
We drove back to the town, her eyes closed as she sank back in her seat. I thought she was asleep but the instant I stopped the car, her eyes opened. “Where are we?”
“Your house.”
“Please,” she said, her eyes widening as she looked at me, “Will you stay? I don’t feel safe.”
“Of course,” I replied, leaning across to her. “You’ll always be safe with Daddy to protect you.”
I climbed out of the car, taking her hand and leading her inside. Once we were in, she checked the door was locked three times before rattling all the windows. I left her to it, knowing she wouldn’t settle until it was done. Richards had done everything I needed him to. He’d become a very close friend after Cassie died, talking me through the case, doing his best to keep me informed, not that he’d had to. He’d done it because he was a good guy, same reason he’d helped tonight when we hadn’t spoken in five years. I wasn’t great at keeping up with friendships. I would do after tonight though, I owed him.
“Ready for bed?” I asked as Donna checked the front door yet again.
“Are you sure he won’t come back?”
“Trust me,” I said, taking her hand and leading her upstairs.
I held her as she slept, listening to her soft breathing, trying not to think what might have happened if I hadn’t seen her in time, how close I’d come to losing her. It was a long time before I fell asleep.
TWENTY-SEVEN
GEORGE
She was still asleep the next morning when my phone buzzed. I sat up, blinking several times, trying to bring the screen into focus. It was a message from Bill. Give him my number and he was bound to use it.