eleven weeks later

"Julia, answer the damn phone," I muttered, the steering wheel sliding through my hand. On the sixth ring, just when I thought her voicemail was going to pick up, she answered.

"Hello?" she said, breathless.

"Hey, Jules. What are you doing? You sound like you've just run a mile."

Julia laughed. "Uh, no. I haven't run a mile since Coach Carson's class senior year." I could hear her struggling to catch her breath.

"What are you doing then?" I pulled into my spot at Andrew's and put the car in park, checking my makeup in the rearview.

"Nosy much? None of your business," she snapped.

I wrinkled my nose, irritated by her attitude. "Um, okay? What's your problem?" I asked, getting a little irritated.

"I don't have a problem. What do you need?" Her voice sounded clipped now, not as out of breath.

I was floored. Julia never talked to me like this. "Nothing, Julia, never mind." I tapped the end call button forcefully, like she could even tell the difference. I threw my phone into the passenger seat and clenched my teeth, breathing through my nose. What in the hell is her deal?

I grabbed my phone and threw it in my purse. I moved to get out of the car, but something in the rearview mirror caught my eye.

I would've sworn it was Liam.

But I hadn't seen him since Thanksgiving...it was the end of March. Since the cops hadn't found a trace of him, I just assumed that meant he had fled the country or something just as shady. I looked back again, and whoever it was had vanished. I rolled my eyes.

It's just in your head, Jameson. There's no one back there.

I had almost reached the front door when my phone started buzzing from inside my purse. I dug it out and closed my eyes when I saw it was Julia. I thought about ignoring her call, but I just couldn't do it. But I could be a smart ass.

"What do you need, Ms. Stone?" I asked.

Julia sighed. "Char, I'm sorry. I was a bitch."

"No argument here," I replied as I opened the door to the lobby and waved at the guard who was stationed in the corner. He smiled and nodded.

"Ha-ha. Forgive me?"

"Fine. But just this once. This is all you get."

"Thank you. Now seriously, what did you need earlier?"

"I was just wondering if you had booked your flight to Panama City yet." I pressed the up button on the elevator.

"Yeah, I did it the other day. I'm arriving a day after you guys at 5:00 pm."

"Great."

"Listen, I gotta go, okay? I just wanted to make sure we were okay," Julia said.

"Yeah, we're fine. Call me later?" I asked, stepping off the elevator and walking toward Andrew's door.

"Sure. Talk to you soon." She made a smooching sound and hung up.

I opened the door and Millie ran to me, sliding in and out of the space between my ankles. I bent down to pet her, and of course she ran away.

"Silly cat." I walked over to the counter and picked up the pamphlet for our resort in Panama City. What had started out as a regular old vacation had turned into what I thought was the idea of the century: A wedding on the beach.

It was perfect for us; I didn't have much family left, and Andrew only had his parents. So, we got with Julia, Andrew's parents, and my Aunt Rose and Uncle Jeff, and everyone agreed to come down for the wedding, stay a night, and then leave us to our honeymoon. It would end up being a lot cheaper than planning a huge traditional wedding, and everyone loved a good excuse to get away. Plus, Panama City had a special place in our hearts as that's where Andrew, Julia, and I had spent many spring breaks.

My phone started buzzing again, and for a moment I thought it might be Julia again. But it wasn't. It was Detective Sherman. 

"Hello, Detective Sherman," I greeted him.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Jameson." His gravelly voice was serious.

"Charlotte, please."

"Right. Charlotte, how are you?"

"I'm doing much better. Andrew and I are planning our wedding in Panama City right now."

"Well, congratulations to you both." 

"Thank you. Umm, is everything all right?" I asked. You rarely got a phone call from the detective assigned to your assault, attempted rape, and fetal homicide case unless something big had happened.

"Well, maybe. I need to know if you've seen Liam Covington." I noticed he didn't call him "Dr." I wondered if his license had already been revoked.

"No, not since—" I stopped. "Well, actually... I thought I saw him just now as I pulled up in front of our condo. 

"What? Did he approach you?" 

"No, I... I just saw a person in my rearview mirror that looked a little like him. I assumed I was just being paranoid."

"Charlotte, just a little while ago, one of our officers spotted a man matching Covington's description near Union Station. They were 99% sure it was him."

"What? Are you serious?" It was a rhetorical question; of course he was serious. "But that's just a few blocks away from our condo," I continued, as if he didn't know that already.

"Yes. So, the man you saw..."

"... was probably him," I finished.

"Charlotte, are you safe right now?"

"I am walking into my condo as we speak."

"Good. When a man with three violent charges against him is on the loose, you need to be vigilant. Call me immediately if you see or hear anything from him, understand?"

"Yes, Detective Sherman, thank y—wait. You said Liam has three charges against him. Wouldn't it be four when you include Julia's attempted murder charge?"

"Attempted murder charge?" he asked, confused. "There is no attempted murder charge on Mr. Covington."

My mouth dropped. "What? Then what is he being charged with regarding Julia Stone?"

"Nothing. Ms. Stone did not press any charges," he explained. I narrowed my eyes.

I didn't know what to say. She hadn't pressed charges? This happened four months ago. I was sure she had pressed charges right after she got out of the hospital. There had to be some sort of mistake.

"Are you sure?" I already knew the answer though; Detective Sherman was very thorough.

"One hundred percent. I'm sorry, Charlotte; I have to run. It never stops around here." I could hear the bustle of the police station in the background.

"Of—of course," I stammered. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye—and remember, call if you hear or see anything."

I nodded even though he couldn't see me and dropped the phone onto the table. What in the fresh hell? How could Julia not have pressed charges? Liam almost killed her on Thanksgiving. She was mad as hell, mentally and physically scarred. This didn't make any sense. I had to talk to her and see what was going on.

Before I could call her, though, the condo door opened. I turned around, alarmed. Of course, it was only Andrew. I put my hand over my heart and looked at the ceiling.

"Whoa, Char. It's just me. What's wrong?" he asked, coming over to me and bending to give me a kiss.

I got up and dragged him to the couch. "I need you to sit down."

He did, cocking his head to the side as he looked up at me. "Charlotte, what's going on?"

I took a deep breath and sat on the coffee table in front of him and grabbed both of his hands. "Don't freak out, okay?"

"Oh, Jesus. The last time you said that, you told me that Covington had been the one stalking you."

I bit my lip. "Well, this isn't so different. I pulled up outside our building today and thought I saw Liam in the rearview mirror. But I convinced myself it was just paranoia. When I got upstairs, Detective Sherman called me to ask if I had seen Liam; he then told me he had been spotted near Union Station this afternoon."

"Oh my God," he muttered. "I should've known this would happen. He hasn't been caught after four months; the asshole was bound to be seen again...of course he'd still be watching you." 

He got up and started to pace in front of me. "I think somewhere in his twisted mind," Andrew balled his hands into fists as he paced, "he actually loved you—or thought he did. And I'm betting he still does."

This thought horrified me almost more than anything else. I'd seen what Liam would do to get what he wanted. It wasn't something I could stand to see again.

I stood and pulled him down on the couch with me, laying my head on his shoulder. "Andrew, what are we going to do?"

"The only thing we can do: Be on constant guard. It's gonna be okay, babe. I promise you that, okay?"

I nodded against his shoulder and fought back tears. Why? I thought. Why is this happening to me? What have I done to deserve this torture? 

Then I remembered what I had figured out about Julia's charges. I sat up and turned to face him, pulling my legs up under my butt and sitting on my feet.

"There's something else," I blurted. He looked at me warily. "When I talked to Detective Sherman, he mentioned Liam had three violent charges. But that can't be right." I watched as Andrew looked at the ceiling and started working through them in his head. He looked down at me when he came to his conclusion—the same one I had reached just minutes before.

"Shouldn't it be four? With Julia's attempted murder?" he asked, perplexed.

"That's what I said...so I called Sherman back. I asked him if he meant four and he said no, three was correct. that Julia never pressed charges against Liam." I waited for that information to sink in. He furrowed his brow.

"What? Are you sure, Char? That doesn't—"

"Make any sense, I know. But Detective Sherman knows his shit. Drew, what is going on?"

"I don't know, but we need to talk to Julia as soon as possible, figure out what in hell she's thinking."

"You call her. She was a bitch to me earlier and then offered me a half-assed apology. She might be nicer to you," I said with a huff.

"Okay, I will," he said. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed her number. "Hey, Julia? It's Andrew." I could only hear his side of the conversation. "I'm good. Listen, can you come to the condo? Charlotte and I need to talk to you." There was a pause while Julia spoke. "Uh-huh. Okay, see you soon." He disconnected and placed the phone on the coffee table. "She'll be here in fifteen minutes."

I took a deep breath and lay back against the oversized arm of the sofa, stretching my legs out onto his lap. "I'm going to let you do the talking, 'kay?"

He ran his palms up and down my shins. "All right, babe. I got this. We'll get to the bottom of it."