“I’m trying to help, Tess. With this guy, you’re in danger,” Damian told me as the 911 operator informed me she was sending a unit to the scene.

I ignored his idiocy and told him, “They’re sending a unit to the scene.”

He stared at me. Then he looked at Vance Crowe, who was standing close to me, grinning his shit-eating grin, arms crossed on his chest.

Damian looked at me one last time, moved away and disappeared into the shadows.

Vance uncrossed his arms and dug his phone out of his back jeans pocket. “You stay on with the operator. I’ll call Slim.”

I nodded. Then I told the operator Damian took off but I’d like to make a complaint as Vance told Brock what went down and Brock told Vance he was on his way.

The operator released me after telling me to get safe and stay put. I called Martha and begged off girls’ night in, thankful I had an excuse but not thankful as to what that excuse was. Martha, surprisingly, agreed that after a visit from Damian I should relax at home with my boys. But she wasn’t allowed to let me go until Shirleen confirmed I would be at the bakery the next day to peruse my nightie options and for her to collect on her debt.

I confirmed this through Martha and then Vance and I waited for the police.

“Good news is, he’s dropped his shit with Slim,” Vance said into the night and I looked up at his profile. “He isn’t diggin’ anymore. He found the only things he could find, laid those out for you tonight, and his activities on that have ground to a halt.”

I turned my head and replied into the night, “That is good news.”

And it was.

“The bad news is, he isn’t done fuckin’ with you,” Vance went on.

I sighed.

“I know,” I whispered.

“Advice,” Vance said softly and I looked up to him to see his eyes tipped down to me. “No more conversation. You see him, you pull out your phone immediately and you dial nine-one-one. Even if he’s near but hasn’t tried to engage you, you make note of it, keep the card of the officer assigned to your case, you call him or her and you report it. Yeah?”

This sounded like good advice and Vance Crowe looked like a man who knew what he was talking about so I nodded.

“You want more good news?” he asked.

“Uh… yeah, more good news is always good.”

He nodded.