A Merciful Fate by Elliot Kendra

Author:Elliot, Kendra
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781503903302
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Published: 2019-01-14T16:00:00+00:00

TWENTY

Ollie’s phone vibrated with a text from Truman.

Where are you?

Dairy Queen, Ollie sent back.

Ollie set the phone on the truck seat beside him and stretched to grab his backpack. He was parked down a dirt track in the woods a little way from Bree’s house, nowhere near the Dairy Queen. He’d parked there a few times since her place was vandalized, just to keep an eye on things, hoping he could catch who had targeted her.

A sharp rap on his window made him jump in his seat and turn toward his door.

Truman glared at him.

Oh shit.

Ten minutes later Ollie sat in Bree’s living room as the two adults silently stared at him.

Ollie couldn’t look Truman in the eye.

The police chief stood with his feet planted far apart and his arms crossed on his chest, his focus drilling a hole in Ollie’s skull.

Ollie shrank into Bree Ingram’s comfortable sofa as if it could protect him.

“Go easy on him, Truman,” Bree stated. “You’re scaring him.”

Ollie straightened. I don’t need her to protect me. He looked to Truman. “I didn’t do anything.”

“Then explain why your truck is tucked into that grove of woods on the edge of Bree’s property. And not at the Dairy Queen like you just told me?”

“Not illegal,” he muttered, dropping eye contact again. “Just keeping an eye on things.”

“Ollie.” Bree’s voice was kind. “Were you at the park the other day, watching Sandy and me?”

Disbelief hovered around Truman. “Did you do that, Ollie?”

If a giant wormhole abruptly opened next to him on the couch, Ollie would be fine with that. He looked at Bree. It was easier than looking at Truman. “Yeah, that was me. I’m just worried about you. You go everywhere alone.”

“You’re following me?” she whispered. She fought to keep a look of horror off her face, but Ollie spotted it.

This isn’t how this was supposed to go.

“Jesus Christ, Ollie. Is that true?” Truman turned to Bree. “I’m really sorry, Bree. You understand that he hasn’t been around people—”

“Stop it!” Ollie ordered, defensiveness tightening his chest. “I’m not some stupid backwoods hick!”

“Then what the hell are you doing?” He suspected Truman would strangle him if Bree weren’t present. “Normal people don’t follow and spy on others.”

Ollie hung his head. I had good intentions.

“Answer me.”

He’d never heard that tone from Truman. Deep disappointment wrapped up in anger. Ollie cleared his throat and looked to Bree again. “After the vandalism on your property, I felt the need to watch out for you. You’ve been a huge help to me with my studies . . . I thought maybe I could spot who did it.”

Bree didn’t speak. Her usual peppy and chatty self had yet to make an appearance. Instead she looked bewildered at his actions. Not like the confident woman who’d taught him for the past six weeks.

Ollie cringed. I did that to her.

Truman scratched his cheek, perplexed. “Are you saying you’ve appointed yourself some sort of secret bodyguard?”

Hot embarrassment rose in Ollie’s face. “Not quite . . . Just hoping to prevent anything worse from happening.

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