The Protector (Game of Chance, #1)(55)

“Did you go to the cops?” Riggs asked.

Carlise could tell he was upset, but his thumb brushed back and forth on her arm soothingly. It meant a lot that he wasn’t leaping up and being over-the-top pissed about the situation. “Yes, and I got a protection order, based on all the calls and texts from his phone. But there wasn’t much else they could do, since I can’t prove who’s leaving the notes or who vandalized my car or door. I don’t have any cameras at my apartment.

“They told me I could probably hire someone to see if the emails or texts can be traced, but honestly, while I make enough money to live on, I don’t have endless funds to hire specialists. It seemed easier to just get out of town for a while and hope it blows over rather than pay someone to maybe track down whoever’s harassing me.”

Riggs was silent for a long while. Carlise had a feeling he didn’t agree with her decision, but she appreciated him not harassing her about it.

“Who else could it be, other than your ex?” he finally asked.

She told him about the author who wasn’t happy with her work. About the woman in the grocery store. She named every single person she might have upset even mildly in the weeks before the harassment started.

Riggs shook his head, and Carlise leaned up to look at him. “What?”

“Carlise, people don’t do the sort of things you’ve endured because you wouldn’t let them into your lane in a construction zone. Or because you took the last tub of ice cream. Or because you disagreed with them in a social media post.”

“People are crazy, Riggs,” she said softly. “I swear, everyone’s skin has gotten a lot thinner over the last decade or so. The smallest thing can send someone off the deep end.”

“I realize that,” he said calmly, “but I still don’t think those things would make someone so mad they’d track down where you live and slash your tires. Not to mention send you all those emails and texts.”

“Yeah,” she agreed with a sigh as she put her head back down on his chest. “The only other person I can think of is my dad.”

Riggs stilled. “Your dad knows where you live? When was the last time you had any interaction with him?”

“Yes, and about four months ago. He came to Cleveland wanting to see my mom. She had moved to Ohio at my urging. I missed her, and she’s been doing really well there. Anyway . . . my dad calls every so often. Tries to get Mom to go back to him. She always says no, but when he came to Cleveland several months ago, she actually agreed to have lunch.

“I was so upset when she told me after the fact. I made her promise to tell me if and when he contacted her again. Surprisingly, she did. He returned to Cleveland just a couple of months later. I begged her to let me meet with him instead, and she agreed.”

“Please tell me you didn’t go meet this abusive asshole by yourself,” Riggs growled.

“No way!” Carlise said fervently. “I asked Tommy to go with me, but he said he was busy. So I called Susie, and she went. Nothing happened,” she said soothingly, bringing her hand up to the side of Riggs’s neck and running her thumb over his jaw. “I told him in no uncertain terms that Mom was done with him. That we were lucky to no longer have him in our lives.

“He tried to tell me that he’d changed, but I knew better. He’s always going to be an asshole. He wasn’t thrilled when I wouldn’t back down. His jaw started ticcing, just like it used to right before he lashed out at Mom or me. But since we were in a public place, he couldn’t do anything. He simply got up and left.”

“That’s not good,” Riggs said.

“I know. The tire thing is something I could totally see him doing, but I don’t know how he would’ve gotten my email or phone number. It’s not like I gave them to him.”

“That kind of info isn’t hard to find,” Riggs told her. “Have you had any messages since you’ve been here?”

“Honestly?”

“Of course.”

“I’m scared to turn my phone on. I know I should. I need to call my mom and Susie . . . but I just don’t want to see if being gone has made him back off or pissed him off more,” Carlise admitted.

“You want me to do it? To turn it on the first time? I mean, I won’t delete anything that might have come in because we’ll need the messages for proof of the harassment for the police, but just hearing all those dings and vibrations when you first turn your phone on can be stressful.”

Carlise moved without thought. She rolled until she was lying on top of him. They were plastered together from hips to chest. She propped herself up slightly and looked down at his handsome face. His hands shifted to her hips to hold her steady. “You’d do that for me?”

“I’d do anything for you, Carlise. Haven’t you figured that out yet?”

“I’m starting to. This is . . . I haven’t ever had someone who’s been as considerate as you have, Riggs. I don’t know what to do with it.”

“You don’t have to do anything. Except go with it and accept it as your due.”

“I want to thank you.”

“For what?” he asked.

“For not freaking out. For not leaping out of bed and stomping around the room. Anger scares me. I know why; it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that my father’s actions when I was a kid still affect me even today. And being with Tommy didn’t help. Even when I know someone’s anger isn’t directed at me, I still get nervous. So I appreciate you not reacting when I told you about Tommy. You weren’t happy—I could tell by how tense you were. But you didn’t do anything that made me uneasy.”