Page 71 of Deprived No More

“I’m afraid so.”

“Ugh. I’m not sure what to do about work and the kids,” I tell Nick. That phone is my lifeline some days. It has computer apps I need to work in the emergency room and the first point of contact for the school and daycare to reach me if there’s an issue with any of the children.

“I know, babe. We’ll get you a new phone and start trying to let everyone know your new number.”

“Well, I’d keep the number close to the vest except for the most essential people for now. We need to narrow this down and don’t want to give anyone the idea that we’re on to them.”

I bite the inside of my cheek. I hadn’t considered that. I’ll have to determine who is essential. Probably just family or anyone connected with work or my children.

“Any idea how long it might take to figure out who’s doing this?” Nick asks.

“I’ll be blunt. Technology is getting more and more difficult to trace. This could be anyone. It could be some international hacker trying to rattle your cage and then blackmail you when you give him anything he can use against you. We may never figure out who this is.”

Wow, I never considered that. This world is a scary place. I hope I can find a way to protect my kids from being targeted in the ways I have. Sure, they’ll probably have to learn the life lessons of what constitutes a healthy relationship on their own. But we’ll teach them to respect themselves, and hopefully, they won’t allow people to tread on them as the men in my life did me before their father came along. But these other abusers. The thought of a predator going after one of my kids makes me angry. Grace is getting older and will be on the internet more. We need to find a way to teach her to make safe decisions online.

“Do you feel there’s any threat to your physical safety?” Colton interrupts my thoughts.

“I don’t think so. We live in a gated community and have neighbors we trust. I’ll be vigilant and reach out to your department if anything changes where I feel safety is a risk.” Nick assures.

“May I?” Colton asks as he looks from my phone screen to me?

“Of course,” I encourage. Whatever will get the ball rolling. If this ends up being Holden, that’s on him. I have no allegiance to him. My keeping quiet is purely to protect my husband. So he doesn’t end up fired or in jail for killing him. However, I’m praying Colton is on to something with this internet hacker theory. I much prefer to be some random target.

“Is that all you need from us?” Nick asks. I’m sure he has a lot of work to do. Not to mention all of the patients he rescheduled this morning to be here.

“You’ll just need to fill out some papers and let me know the best way to contact you for any additional questions or updates.”

Nick and I stand and shake Colton’s hand before heading to our cars. As we walk together in silence, I prepare for him to tear into me about visiting Mark. But instead, he takes my hand in his and gives it a gentle press.

“Are you going to go and pick up a new phone and start setting it up?” he asks quietly. I’m sure he’s trying to hold his emotions in check, and I appreciate the gesture.

“Yes, and I’m going to make a list of the people I plan to share the new number with. I’ll give it to you before I tell anyone.”

“Good idea. Let’s just say you think someone may have picked up your phone for now. That it felt safer to simply change the number than risk it. I’d like to keep as much of this private as we can. Colton’s right. This could be anyone. We don’t need to tip anybody off if it’s someone close to home.”

“Okay. You need to get to work,” I say as I slide my arms around his waist and bury my face in his chest. How does this shit keep happening to me? “I think I might call Dr. Miller.”

Pulling back, Nick looks at me with such concern it makes my heart ache. “Kitten, don’t be sad or scared. I’ve got you. We’ll figure this out.”

“I know. I’m just having a hard time dealing with this happening again. I mean, why is this happening again?” I sob.

“Shhh. It’s okay. Maybe if you weren’t so damn hot…”

Completely thrown by his comment, a chuckle escapes. I poke him in the ribs feeling grateful for a little levity.

“You know I support you in anything you need to do to handle this, so long as you keep me in the loop. But please don’t beat yourself up. None of this, now or with Mark, has anything to do with you. You’re the victim here.”

“I know. I love you.”

Bending down to give me a reassuring kiss, he stops and looks into my eyes for a moment before giving me his gorgeous smile. Holy heck. I hit the lottery with this man. I could eat him up. His dazzling green eyes are full of love for me. I can handle anything with him by my side.

“I’ll see you later, Mrs. Barnes. I better be the first phone call you make with your new cell.” He winks.

* * *

“Kat, how are you feeling?”

“I’m not sure. I think that’s why I’m here,” I answer Dr. Miller. It’s been several weeks since receiving the unwanted texts and visiting the police department. There’s been no news, but if any additional texts have come through, I wouldn’t know unless the police contact us. Abruptly, I consider this with more scrutiny than I’ve allowed previously. Nick. I’m certain he’s been in communication with the police. There’s no way he’s stayed silent and not reached out for updates. Why hadn’t I thought of this before?

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