Cole rushes down to my side and wraps me in giant arms. Instantly I feel safer, but I hand him my phone, feeling numb. I haven’t told him everything about the trouble I’m in. I guess I’m just now realizing the true danger of my situation. The last thing I want is to involve him, but I don’t know what else to do. I don’t have anyone else. In shock I stare at the toilet, not really looking at it, and just let him read the messages. I can tell he’s reading and rereading like I did.
“Who’s this from? Howard was your business partner, right?”
“Yes. And I don’t know exactly. Shortly after I first moved here, I got a call from some old man talking about how he wanted to get ahold of Howard and he didn’t believe I wasn’t in contact with him so he would keep in touch.”
I could see Cole’s face turn grim even in the dim light, and he pulled me closer to his naked chest.
“You should have told me. Don’t worry about it though. I’ve got you now, and I will use everything in my power to keep you safe.”
A single tear rolls down my cheek, and I know with all my heart he would die for me. The problem is I would die for him, and I find myself more worried he would do something crazy.
He pulls me up and we walk back to bed. We crawl in and spend the next however many hours silently worrying about each other and unable to find sleep. I can only hope this old man is full of shit and I am overreacting. I rack my brain for all the details I remember about Howard, making a mental list just in case I can use it to find him.