Page 170 of Valor

“A guy?”

“He is a local high school teacher.”

“How did you meet him? Online?”

Meghan sat back on the sofa and reached for her cold eggs.

“At the train station. He helped me with my luggage.” Meghan shoved a fork-full into her mouth, omitting the part about Oliver giving her a lift.

Mom looked at her, practically glaring on the screen. “If you just met, how would you know he is a high school teacher?”

Fair question.Meghan swallowed. “A girl at the train station told me.”

Mom frowned. “You know how this sounds, don’t you.”

“Mom.”

“Meghan—”

“I’m not a child.”

“I’m not saying you are, but you know absolutely no one over there. Should anything happen?—”

“Nothing will happen. This is a small town; I can’t imagine that some major organized crime gang is operating here. There is nothing around but a high school and an old church. Look.”

Meghan walked to the window and panned across the wet village square. Her arm froze.

“Bad people could be anywhere, especially in places you would not suspect.”

She stepped away from the window.

“Meghan?”

“Mom, I’ll let you go and take a nap.”

“Message me when you get up, so I know you are okay.”

“Sure, I—” Her words dissolved into the air as a familiar black car pulled out of the parking spot in front of the high school and drove off. She disconnected the call. If Mom caught on, she would be on the first plane to Prague, knocking at her door tomorrow morning.

Meghan paced around the apartment, her heart drumming in her ears. Was she being paranoid, or did the man on the train follow Oliver’s car to the Airbnb? She bit the nail on her index finger. If she called Oliver?—

Her index finger tapped her contacts. His name popped up on the screen.

Can I trust him? God?

Standing in front of her window again, she scanned the village square. The rain kept coming. No one was outside. She took a calming breath. This was a safe place. Another circle around the room. Her hand brushed over the dark screen. It lit up, Oliver’s contact still there. Her finger hovered over the icons. Phone or text?

She tapped the little bubble and let her fingers glide over the smooth screen.

Hey

Hey back. How is your place?

Love it. Thx for the lift

NP

Can I ask you a favor

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