Page 20 of Spotted at Lighthouse Bay
Rick turned to Mia. “Are you all right? Do you want to call the police?”
“No, no police.” She shook her head. “I’m fine. It’s nothing.”
“It was assault.” He handed her the phone. “I think he was recording you. It should be easy to prove if you want to press charges.”
“I don’t want to prove anything,” she said, pushing the phone back into his hand.
“What was that about, Mia?” Addy asked. She took the phone from Rick’s hand. “Did you know those guys?”
She shook her head. “It’s about this superhero movie I was in. I had a small role. It’s really dumb. I don’t want to cause any trouble.”
A crack ran across the center of the phone’s screen, splintering to the edges. The video floated dimly behind it. It was frozen on Mia’s grimacing face, her head bowed in a headlock, her hair flipped and mangled.
Heat flashed out from the center of Addy’s chest, reddening her neck. When she was younger, she’d let herself get pushed around, too. She knew the feeling. She knew the fear of speaking up.
Thank goodness she wasn’t young anymore.
Addy turned to Mia. “How about this? I’ll send the video to myself, then delete it from this phone. If anything comes up, we’ll have the evidence, but otherwise, no one has to know about it.”
Mia’s eyes darted to Addy, then across the street, then to Rick. “I don’t know. Sure, that’s fine.” She rubbed her elbow. “It’s really okay, though.”
“Of course it’s okay.” Addy smiled. She texted the video to herself, then deleted it from the phone. She went the extra step to delete it from the trash folder, too. “What should I do with this?”
Rick stuck out his hand. “I’ll take care of it.”
She handed it to him, and he drew his arm back and chucked it across the street. It cascaded into the water with a plop. “Have a nice day, boys!”
The guys stood, watching them from across the street. Like a pair of Muppets, they scowled in unison.
Mia and Addy burst into laughter. A half smile even crossed Rick’s face. He had the slightest hint of a dimple, which looked out of place on his rugged face.
“Thanks for that,” Mia said. She took a deep breath. “I’m going to get back into my car before they get any more ideas.”
“Good idea,” Adelaide said, jogging around the car to get into the passenger seat.
They piled inside, slamming doors.
“Sorry about that. People usually just try to get a picture. Those were the first guys who took it too far.” Mia said, clearing her throat. “It’s nice to meet both of you in person!”
“It’s so nice to meet you too, Mia!” Adelaide beamed at her. She looked so much like her mother, but there was a touch of Russell, too. Mostly in the eyes.
“You should consider carrying pepper spray,” Rick said, leaning forward.
Mia laughed. “You’re a good bodyguard, Rick. I don’t need it!” She turned to Addy. “The motel Lawrence is staying in is pretty close. Shall we?”
“Yes, please.” Addy’s phone dinged. It was a text from her mom.
Don’t like the boats tooting in the harbor. Is this all the time? Can you call someone about it?
She stared, then put it back in her pocket. Best not to engage.
It was a short drive to the motel. Mia pulled into the parking lot and Addy noted that the motel had two levels, with painted aluminum siding and a black, wire handrail along the second level.
“This isn’t nice,” Addy said in a low voice.
Rick chuckled, looking through his window. “You think?”
She smiled to herself. It was the first time she’d made him laugh.
