No one would believe the department golden boy was capable of the things he’d done. They’d assume I was just his immature, young fiancée, thriving on the drama.

He’d told me so countless times.

She hesitated and set her phone down. “We’ll figure it out, Mac. What can I do?”

I couldn’t just leave Eddie. Even if he let me—which he never would—I was pregnant. He would come for Squish and fight me for custody.

And with his reputation, he would succeed. I didn’t doubt it.

I couldn’t let him do it. I couldn’t let him take my baby.

“My direct deposit goes into a shared account that I don’t have access to,” I admitted, embarrassed I’d agreed to it. That I’d fallen for the manipulation I was trained to detect.

“I’ll fix that. What else?”

“I want to do this right. Plan and be cautious. But I need to get away.”

Not down the street. Not across town. Not even across the state. With how good of a detective Eddie was, he’d use his resources to find me in no time.

I needed to leave everything behind.

I had a baby to think about.

Swallowing hard, I emphasized, “Far away.”

32. Time for Hope

CHAPTER 32

TIME FOR HOPE

MAC

Present Day

I couldn’t believe he was there.

I couldn’t believe he’d found me.

Knowing his detective skills, I’d been so cautious. I didn’t have a car, and my cell was the prepaid kind. The utilities were in Alice’s name. She’d set my direct deposit to go to a digital wallet. Even my delivery apps were in a fake name.

I’d spent weeks locked inside the majority of the time. Worried I’d turn around and see him. Worried he’d show up to drag me home.

But as time passed, I’d convinced myself I was free. I began to feel like I was home.

Yet there he was. Walking into my front door like a psychopath. Looking the same as always in one of his nice suits.

Friendly.

Calm.

Cool.

So wholesomely attractive, but far more dangerous than a rough biker.

I didn’t tear my eyes away from my ex-fiancé. I barely blinked.

Eddie pointed his gun at me. “Drop the phone, Jane.”

I didn’t do it.

He lowered it to aim at my stomach.

I dropped my phone.

I winced when he slammed the door behind him, locking it before he stalked closer.

Backing away, I fought to choke it down, but a panicked squeak pushed out.

I was out of practice. I hadn’t had to work hard to control my reactions. To smother my fear.

I didn’t live in unpredictable terror anymore.

Eddie smirked at me, knowing he had me on edge. Drawing power and confidence from it. He lifted his foot and stomped on my cell.