Page 69 of The Night Shift
“It’s not dangerous. I have it all under control.”
“No, you don’t.”
“Yes, I do. Please stop freaking out.”
“I’m not freaking out. I’m worried. That man could hurt you.”
And now Idolaugh.
Cami lets out a sigh. A very deep, very irritated sigh. “Send me your location. I’ll be there in thirty minutes.”
“To do what? I told you, I have this handled.”
“You’re in the woods with your stalker at two in the morning. I don’t think that’s the definition of ‘handling’ things.”
“Camille, I promise you, I have this covered. He’s not going to hurt me. Please, this is Theo we’re talking about. The man cried actual tears when I gave him a couple of stitches earlier. If he manages to hurt me, I might as well die of shame.”
“Why did you give him stitches?”
“I stabbed him. He was bleeding.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m so confused right now,” she says.
“You’re not listening to me, Cami. Theo has been stalking me for the past two and a half years and he has donenothingabout it.”
There’s a brief silence on the other end.
“The text,” I go on. “All it did was let me know that this person, whoever it is, knows what I did. What I’ve been doing all these years. It never threatened to turn me in. Or blackmail me. Cami, the text didnothingtoo. It’s Theo.” It has to be.
“Okay, but none of this explains why you thought it would be a good idea to camp in the fucking woods with him. Send me your location, Holly. Now.”
“I told you I’m fine. Honestly, I just called to update you on the situation. Mainly to let you know that you were wrong and I was right. As always.”
I obviously mean that as a joke in a “can we please not fight again?” way, but Cami completely misinterprets my tone and lets out another irritated sigh. “Fine. Do whatever the fuck you want. As always.”
“Cami —”
The line disconnects and I keep the phone pressed to my ear for a few more seconds.
Cami and I don’t have that many fights or arguments, but when we do, I always run out of steam towards the end, by then I’m not even mad. Just confused. And a little ashamed. I don’t know why. Cami is the first “real” friend I’ve had in forever, and by real, I mean someone who knows me for me and is interesting enough for me to emotionally invest in. I hate letting her down.
It’s okay. She probably just needs time to cool off.
Releasing my breath in one long, slow sigh, watching as it forms a tiny white puff in the freezing air, my shoulders slump down. I glance in Theo’s direction and find that he’s already watching me. He’s eyeing me with more interest than I expected. I feel the scrutiny of his gaze in every cell of my body.
Not. A. Fan.
I hop off the hood, sliding his switched-off phone into the pocket of my jacket, and step forward to inspect the graves. My face immediately scrunches up. “Thisis what you’ve been doing for the past forty-five minutes?”
Theo nods.
“My neighbor’s dog won’t fit into a hole this shallow. Let alone three fully grown adult corpses.”
“Your neighbor doesn’t have a dog,” is his only response as he continues digging. He buries the shovel with unnecessary force, sending a shower of dirt and snow cascading onto my shoes.
