“She what?” Kynan exclaims.
I tell him about her protests in front of Pet World, the restraining order, and the subsequent arrest. Kynan actually chuckles, but he gets my point why our hands are tied.
“I’m worried he’s going to do something else to Abby,” I say, the ultimate reason for my call.
“But he has the dog back,” Kynan points out.
“And nothing has happened to him. I think that will make him bolder. He hates Abby. I just have a bad feeling he’s not done with her. Can you send someone to stay with her until I get back?”
Kynan gusts a breath of frustration. “I’ll switch out with you. I’ll send Bebe over now to stay with her and put Malik outside to watch over things. Then I’ll head your way and cover the evening dinner, and you can come back here to handle whatever you need to handle.”
Christ, that’s overly generous, but I don’t hesitate to take him up on it. I also tell him he’s the best boss ever.
?
I don’t tell Abby I’m returning early, and I’ve asked Bebe not to say anything. I only sent Abby a text that said I would feel better with people there to watch over her, and she didn’t argue. I have no clue if they told her that Malik would be there watching the perimeter.
It’s going on six o’clock by the time I pull up to Dr. Schoen’s property. The clinic is closed, all the lights off, and Bebe’s car sits behind Abby’s in the driveway. I don’t see Malik or his car at all, but I know he’s around. When I pull my SUV beside Abby’s, I shoot him a quick text. Thanks for watching over her. You can head out.
His response is simple—just a thumbs-up emoji.
Slinging my duffel over my shoulder, I trot up the stairs, readying the key to her apartment. I’ve had a key since the fire as Bubba, Princess, and I have been staying here with her.
My chest squeezes painfully at the thought of Princess, the sweetest girl, now back in the hands of that monster.
I slip my key in the lock, turn the knob, and walk in. My gaze lands on Bebe and Abby sitting at the small kitchen table, and I’m surprised to see Bebe’s fiancé, Griff, on the couch surfing his phone. Griff doesn’t work for Jameson and is, in fact, FBI. But he’s not here in any official capacity. I suspect he just wants to be near Bebe.
Abby jumps up from the chair and exclaims, “Kellen… what are you doing here?”
I don’t get a chance to answer her as Bubba barrels at me from the far side of the couch. I drop my duffel and squat in front of Bubba, giving him attention. I’m sure he’s sad and confused that Princess is gone.
When Abby reaches me, I stand, prepared to pull her into my arms to console her. I know she’s sad too.
But I freeze as I look at her face and take in the bruise on her cheekbone. I reach out to touch it and then pull back. “What the fuck is that?”
At first, she looks confused, then presses her fingertips to her face. “Oh, just a small bruise.”
“From what?” My voice bristles with anger.
Abby cuts a glance at Bebe who shrugs and says, “Might as well tell him everything.”
My eyes move back to Abby. “What’s there to tell?”
“Well,” she drawls hesitantly, “it got a little dodgy with Levi Hellman today.”
“Dodgy? You said he came into the clinic, leashed up Princess, and left. You said you were fine, but you’ve got a fucking bruise on your face. Did he do that to you?”
Abby wrings her hands. “It’s nothing, really.”
“Did he fucking hit you, Abby?” My words are sharp, and she flinches.
And then she lifts her chin, stubbornly refusing to answer me.
There’s more than one way to get the information I want, so I move over to the laptop I’d set up on the kitchen counter when I installed the surveillance equipment. It records everything.
Abby gasps as she understands what I’m about to do. She scurries after me, grabs my shirt, and attempts to stop my momentum. “Don’t, Kellen. It’s only going to make you mad—”
My head whips her way, and I pin her with a glare that has her hand falling away and her mouth snapping shut.
I navigate to the recorded files that are date and time stamped. I easily locate the clinic cameras, including one in the lobby and one in the examination area.
Abby called me today at about quarter after twelve, so I go back ten minutes and easily locate the front lobby. I watch Levi stroll in with a leash in one hand and that fucking gun on his hip.
I move to the camera in the exam room, cue it up to the right spot, and hit play.