Twenty-Eight

I'm not sure how much longer I can last without answers. I have a meeting with Sam today to discuss serving Nancy with a restraining order along with Blaine. After he showed up at my house, I'm not taking any more chances. Blaine crossed a line. I'm taking a bit of a guess here, but I think it was him who stopped by the shop the other day.

This entire situation could've been avoided if I controlled my temper. Hindsight is 20/20, they say. Had I been privy to the consequences, perhaps I'd have brainstormed a tad longer. Who knows, I might've chosen a whole new strategy altogether.

Like burning her fucking house down .

I need to keep myself busy, or my mind will wander to Silas. I've been trying hard to forget about him, but it's more complicated than I thought. I grab the necklace that I hid behind my sweater. I didn't have the heart to take it off. I have to stop myself from reaching for my phone to text him; I'm the one who told him to leave me. It's just one of those things, the heart wants what it wants, and I gotta resist the urge.

There's no need for me to feel bad about not speaking to him. He's the one who caused this mess, so why should I be the one carrying the guilt? Does he even feel anything at all? Did he sit outside of my house to torment me? These are the things that irritate me. My brain can't stop overthinking.

Sam emerges from the back office and smiles at me. "Ready?"

"No, but I don't have a choice."

I follow him to a small room with only a table and chair. "This should be quick. I'll go over the paperwork and take it to the police station for you. Since you witnessed Nancy at your business, we can restrain her from going one hundred feet from you and explain what happened with Blaine."

"He showed up at my house, and I'm sure he was at my shop when I was there with Dad and John just watching us."

"But he didn't do anything to inflict harm?"

"No," I slowly say.

He writes a few things down on his legal pad. "That might be an issue; once he does, we can take the next step, but until then, there isn't anything we can do. I've been in contact with Taylor, and he still doesn't have any suspects arrested, and if I'm being frank, I think he's full of shit when he says that. It's a small town, Teagan. He knows who did it."

"I was afraid of that. No one is going to pay for what they did. What am I supposed to do in the meantime?"

Sam drops his pen and folds his hands. "Honestly, Teagan. I'm not sure. If the cops won't do anything, there isn't anything I can do. I'm only a lawyer. Law enforcement is where I draw the line."

"Awesome. Now I have to keep an eye out because this town can't seem to get their act together with the police. How fun."

"I'm sorry. But the bright side, Nancy will be off your back."

I give him the thumbs up. "Go me."

I leave his office the same as last time, hopeless. Why is it so hard to get what I want? A restraining order on Nancy isn't going to do shit when she can send her preppy ass son to do her dirty work. They can both go to hell if they think I'm going down without a fight.

I take a slight detour home, I'm back to being nothing without my shop. I need to find a hobby to pass the time away. But in the meantime, I'll take up this hobby. I park down the street between two cars, trying my hardest to blend in. I lean my seat back, trying to make it less noticeable.

City Hall is busy today, and I never realized how many people need to come here. Did I have to come here today? Yes. Inside? No. I keep thinking about it and I'm starting to feel like a bit of a stalker myself. The thing I bitched Silas out for. But it's not the same thing, Nancy threatened my life, and Silas lied to me.

As I start to doze off, a white Rover squeals into the employee parking area. How convenient that Blaine would choose this time to visit mommy. He sure got his fancy SUV fixed quickly, I guess when you have money, you can do almost anything, even throw a hissy when you didn't get picked to become the new chief of the fire department. I'm still pissed about that.

Jace should be riding that wave.

Instead, they voted for another chief, one that Blaine approved of. I have no idea why Blaine is even in the fire department. He's the worst firefighter, no one wants to work with him. I would feel bad if he wasn't such an asshole. I knew I should've beat him up in school when I had the chance. That would've given the Montgomery family something to fight over.

I honestly don't even know why I'm sitting here, what will I accomplish, that they both are in the same building. This should be when I'm out enjoying myself. But no, my little brain wants to see them together for some strange reason. I want to see Nancy, the evil look on her face. I can feel myself becoming completely fixated on her; honestly, I don't even recognize myself anymore.

I need to get the fuck out of here before I can't escape, this isn't healthy. I need to trust that Sam will do what he needs to do, but it's everyone else that I don't trust. Who am I supposed to call when something happens again? It's not the cops, and they could turn everything around and blame it on me. If either Blaine or Nancy catches me here, I'll be in trouble even though it's a public building.

I readjust my seat and start the car. I have one other detour to make. This one is the stupidest one to make. Silas lives on a quiet street, and I'll never know why I feel the need to check up on him. Perhaps the mere act of sporting his blood like a fashion accessory is magically transforming me into a mini version of him, complete with his creepy stalker tendencies.

His house comes into view, and it looks like a party house. I pull over to stare at vehicles that are parked in front of his house. I don't understand how he could have so many people over; not once did he mention friends when he was around me. He has the nerve to celebrate having hurting me. Unreal.

I observe a beefed-up dude with muscles for days strut out of the door. He stands on the steps and lights a smoke. He scans the neighbourhood and then spots my car. My body lowers in the seat involuntarily when he walks toward me. Being here wasn't the brightest idea, then again, I wasn't expecting Hercules to come storming across the street.

He taps on my window with his knuckles and points down. "Roll down the window, miss." His deep voice vibrates inside the car.

I open the window about an inch. I don't know this guy hells if I'm opening it all the way. He chuckles and shakes his head. "You know, if I wanted to get inside the car, I could always force my way in."

Fuck, he has a point. I roll it down, and he leans in, folding his arms on the door and grins.

"Can I help you?" I ask, leaning away from him.

"I think that's my line. Wanna tell me why you're stalking houses?" He raises a dark brow.

I touch my chest and fake shock. "I'm not stalking. Who would do such a thing?"

"You. Spill it, what did my boy do to you?"

So he is one of Silas' friends. Or is this a work friend? Does he also steal cars? I have so many questions I want to ask.

"I'm not saying anything to you. I don't even know you. Why would I bare my soul to you?"

He shrugs; his muscles tighten when he does. "I've been told I'm a good listener. And if he did anything to hurt you, I won't stand for it."

I bite my lip. The urge to tell him everything that has happened is on the tip of my tongue. Does he even care that his so-called friend duped me into believing that he was a good guy, but in the end, he's nothing but a lying dirtbag?

"Sugar, it's okay. Silas is a hard guy to understand. Believe me, I've known him for years, and he still doesn't open up to me. He didn't have an easy life, and his trust in others doesn't come easy. But if he hurt you, I need to know."

I stare at Silas' house, wondering where he is inside. "He didn't hurt me physically." I turn to look at Hercules. "But he destroyed me. I trusted him, and he threw it all away for what? I don't understand why he would do it."

"What did he do?" his voice drops low.

"He pretended to be someone he wasn't. Silas had so many chances to come clean and never took it. Why hide? He took advantage of me, and I looked like an idiot."

He drops his head. "Fuckin' idiot," he mumbles. He looks back at me. "The mask?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"He's been hiding behind that thing for years; it's almost like his security blanket when he meets someone new. But he doesn't know how to take it off. He's been scared to be his true self, and I'm afraid he no longer knows how. But I promise, Sugar. He's in that house, and all he talks about is you and how he fucked it up. You're the first one who has really seen him for who he is and never once tried to pressure him for more than he was willing to offer."

I'm at a loss for words. If Silas had been upfront, all of this could've been avoided. His friend shouldn't be the one that has to explain it. Why can't I hear this from Silas?

"It's not fair, that's all."

"I know it's not, but I promise it'll get easier."

"How are you such a wise one on relationships?"

He shakes his head. "I've been through my share of heartache and learnt my lessons many times over. But I've never got a second chance."

"If you were to have a second chance, would you take it?"

"In a heartbeat, Sugar."

His words sink in, but I'm not ready to forgive Silas yet. Maybe someday I'll be ready to try again, but not yet.

"I should get going. My stalker days are finished."

"Did you get everything you needed?"

"I guess. You can tell Silas Blaine fixed his Rover, so maybe you should cause the damage next time."

He laughs, backing away. "I'll do that, just for you. Take care."

The drive home isn't long enough to think about, but Hercules gave me a lot to think about. But I still have other things to worry about before I forgive Silas.

Like the asshole that is parked in my driveway.