stop sending him after me. Just leave me alone, I’m not talking about that night to anyone, and I swear I won’t tell a soul, but you have to stop chasing me down. I can’t keep a job because that blue SUV shows up within a few weeks, sometimes days.” She tossed up her hands and used them to emphasize her point. “I…look at me, I’ve lost so much weight. I can’t afford to feed myself because you won’t leave me alone. I finally found the tracking thing in that watch you gave me. I treasured the damn thing. I thought it was so sweet of you to give me such a nice gift, that I kept it until I found the real reason you gave it to me. I pawned the watch off and the tracking disc is history now too. I was so stupid that I believed James was the one that wanted to kill me, but it was you all along.”
She knew she was babbling, but everything came out at once, each word fighting with other words to be spoken. “If you plan to kill me then do it, if not, I want your word that you’ll call off James. I’m not running anymore.” She stared at his face, and then looked into William’s face. “I’m not running again. I won’t live that way any longer.”
The door opened again, and she almost fainted when she saw the man who’d tormented her for over two years walk in. She had dreamt of him strangling her, and worse. Her hand automatically began to reach behind her where she had the .38 tucked in her waistband, but her wrist was caught before she could reach the pearl handle. William Kelley didn’t say a word, he just shook his head no, and let her wrist go.
He stopped just inside the door, but advanced into the room once he’d taken inventory of the occupants. William moved aside and James laid eyes on her, his expression darkened. He headed her way, however, was stopped by one of the two men who came into the room earlier.
William turned to her and asked her what her mother’s name was. “I just want to clarify something before I follow an inclination of mine. What is her name?”
“Her name’s Helen, and that’s another thing, she isn’t living in the house we had before I was forced to run. She’s either moved, or something happened to her.”
“Okay, Jolly, why don’t you take a walk with me and you can tell me about the past, did you say two years? I think Porter and his friend, James, need a few minutes to reflect on life and I want to hear about what you’ve been through. Why don’t we go to that nice little restaurant on the next block where we can have a little chat.” His smile was friendly and she found herself agreeing to go with him. They could walk to the place and there was plenty of witnesses to see if he ended up killing her.
The rain slowed to a light mist and it took just a few minutes to walk down the block. They sat in the furthest corner, William sitting opposite from her in the booth. He could see the door from his seat, but she was busy blowing the steam from the mug of coffee in her cold hands.
“So, Jolly, tell me what made you work for Porter to begin with? I’m interested in why a beautiful young lady like you would work in a strip club. I assume you weren’t romantically involved with Porter or his henchman, so that leaves work. Right?” He smiled and she found herself smiling back. He sure was familiar, but she couldn’t place him.
“I graduated from high school and wanted to go to college, but mom already worked as a waitress, and had a weekend job in a hotel cleaning rooms. I ended up working a cash register in the mall. We paid the bills, but that was as far as the paychecks went. On weekend days when I wasn’t working at the mall I used to go with her and help clean the rooms so we could get home early and she could put her feet up.” She remembered how Helen’s feet used to swell so badly she could barely stand by the time she got home.
“Long story short, mom had blockages in her arteries and one morning she woke up and couldn’t walk. I met Lisa
She knew she was babbling, but everything came out at once, each word fighting with other words to be spoken. “If you plan to kill me then do it, if not, I want your word that you’ll call off James. I’m not running anymore.” She stared at his face, and then looked into William’s face. “I’m not running again. I won’t live that way any longer.”
The door opened again, and she almost fainted when she saw the man who’d tormented her for over two years walk in. She had dreamt of him strangling her, and worse. Her hand automatically began to reach behind her where she had the .38 tucked in her waistband, but her wrist was caught before she could reach the pearl handle. William Kelley didn’t say a word, he just shook his head no, and let her wrist go.
He stopped just inside the door, but advanced into the room once he’d taken inventory of the occupants. William moved aside and James laid eyes on her, his expression darkened. He headed her way, however, was stopped by one of the two men who came into the room earlier.
William turned to her and asked her what her mother’s name was. “I just want to clarify something before I follow an inclination of mine. What is her name?”
“Her name’s Helen, and that’s another thing, she isn’t living in the house we had before I was forced to run. She’s either moved, or something happened to her.”
“Okay, Jolly, why don’t you take a walk with me and you can tell me about the past, did you say two years? I think Porter and his friend, James, need a few minutes to reflect on life and I want to hear about what you’ve been through. Why don’t we go to that nice little restaurant on the next block where we can have a little chat.” His smile was friendly and she found herself agreeing to go with him. They could walk to the place and there was plenty of witnesses to see if he ended up killing her.
The rain slowed to a light mist and it took just a few minutes to walk down the block. They sat in the furthest corner, William sitting opposite from her in the booth. He could see the door from his seat, but she was busy blowing the steam from the mug of coffee in her cold hands.
“So, Jolly, tell me what made you work for Porter to begin with? I’m interested in why a beautiful young lady like you would work in a strip club. I assume you weren’t romantically involved with Porter or his henchman, so that leaves work. Right?” He smiled and she found herself smiling back. He sure was familiar, but she couldn’t place him.
“I graduated from high school and wanted to go to college, but mom already worked as a waitress, and had a weekend job in a hotel cleaning rooms. I ended up working a cash register in the mall. We paid the bills, but that was as far as the paychecks went. On weekend days when I wasn’t working at the mall I used to go with her and help clean the rooms so we could get home early and she could put her feet up.” She remembered how Helen’s feet used to swell so badly she could barely stand by the time she got home.
“Long story short, mom had blockages in her arteries and one morning she woke up and couldn’t walk. I met Lisa
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