Page 38 of Resurrect Me

My phone rings with a text from Aris. It’s yet another different phone number. I roll my eyes.

“Okay. But what are you going to do…kill Declan? You’d just be repeating what they did to you.”

“Tried to do to me.”

“You know what I mean. Don’t worry. You’ll be the first to know if Dee shows up again,” I reassure him. “Dee for Dick…not Declan.”

Aris laughs at my joke. Then, “I’ll talk to our guy and get him on standby, in case the cops come your way again.”

“Sure thing,” I say and shrug. “Though this makes me feel like a walking, ticking time bomb. I don’t know how I haven’t lost my fucking mind yet. The cops are on my ass. Declan wants my ass. The Org wants to kill my ass.”

Aris smirks, then grabs the back of my neck and pulls me in. His lips meet mine, and we kiss deeply. I don’t want it to end.

But, as always, Aris pulls away and backs into the shadows again.

“Take care of yourself, Tace. Lay low. Don’t get into any trouble.”

My prodigal husband hurries off into the wooded area behind the big screen.

I make my way back to my car, then sit in the driver’s seat for a moment. Should I do it? Should I follow him? Or be a good girl and go home?

I’ve never been a good girl. So, I pull around the back of the Drive-in and onto a dirt road that leads to an abandoned lot. The lot Aris parked in, no doubt. He thinks he’s so slick, but he’s taken me to that lot before. Five years ago, when we had a wild date night…too many margaritas led us to scoping out a spot in which to fuck in public. I mean, we were tucked behind the trees and away from prying eyes…but we were still technically doing it in public. We are both voyeurs deep down.

I spot his gray truck, just rounding the bend. I slow down and follow behind him, about eight car lengths distance. I know the long driveway leads to the highway, so once we make it there, I just need to stay back so he doesn’t notice me. Luckily, my car is black, so it’s not too conspicuous. But, knowing his current occupation as an anonymous vigilante, I’m prepared for him to catch me. In fact, the idea of it excites me. Either way, I’m happy.

My stomach tightens and my heart quickens as I push on the gas and my tires hit the highway. Following him is giving me a bit of a rush. I always thought I preferred being the stalkee. Now I’m the stalker…and it’s fucking thrilling.

Aris’s truck weaves in and out of traffic. A large white van cuts me off and moves in front of me. Blocking my view of Aris. It’s all I can do to keep up.

“Jesus, slow down, Aris,” I mutter to no one.

After what feels like a high-speed chase on the interstate, Aris forgets to use his turn signal and exits the freeway. As do I.

“Harbor Towne. Of course,” I say as I read the exit sign. Harbor Towne is a little suburb on the coast, known for its port. Not a lot of people live there anymore, though it used to be a bustling part of town in the late nineteenth century. Mostly filled with old manufacturing plants and warehouses from a bygone era, as well as marinas for commercial fishermen. The perfect place for a hideout.

I continue following him, but slow down and watch as he parks his truck on the side of a strip mall behind an old green dumpster.

I flip down my visor and slap on a ballcap to play spy. Then I park across the street and behind an old sign, making double sure he hasn’t noticed me. I watch as Aris, without his skeleton mask, hops out of his truck, glances around briefly, unlocks a blacked-out glass door of an old shop and disappears inside.

I step out of my car and stare across the road at the building I’m about to enter. Hoping The Rebellis’s headquarters isn’t heavily guarded. Maybe I can slip in the back. There’s got to be another way in.

Aris

“Boss, your wife is here,” Clyde says as he enters my office.

“That’s hilarious, Clyde. Now get back to work,” I say and shrug him off. They like playing bullshit pranks on me like this all the time. And I’m not falling for it.

“I’m dead serious. It’s Tacy. Did you tell her about us? About the headquarters here?”

“Fuck,” I say and jump up from my chair. It slams on the floor, and I rush out into the dim hallway on Clyde’s heels.

He turns and looks at me wide-eyed. “Well…did you?”

“Sort of,” I admit.

“Boss. What the fuck?”

“I know, I know. I shouldn’t have. But she’s already in this, Clyde. Deep. She was fucking kidnapped last week after she questioned one of the meds. Declan Harvey is watching her. The Org is onto her. I think they’re the ones who abducted her, and they planned to fucking kill her, Clyde. If I hadn’t been following her that day, she would’ve died.”

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