Nate folded it and put it in his pocket to look over later. He wanted to check into the lawyer that would write something like this up. “Listen to the lady.”
“Who are you, and what do you want?” Gary asked.
“I’m Tessa’s friend, and I’m here to take care of her. You’re no longer needed.”
Gary turned red, and his hands clenched over and over. Nate wanted him to try to hit him because then he could knock him out.
He took a step toward the man and murmured, “I’m giving you one warning. You ever set foot in this house again or try to talk to Tessa, you’ll have me after your ass, and I know a lot of ways to kill a man and bury them so no one can find them.”
“Are you threatening me?”
Nate’s eyes widened dramatically. He pressed a hand to his chest and looked at Tessa. “I didn’t threaten him, did I?”
She smiled and shook her head. “No, I didn’t hear anything.”
Nate was a little afraid the man would have a stroke when he stood rigid and red in from of them with his mouth opening and closing, but nothing came out.
“Heed my warning well,” Nate said. “I don’t give second chances.”
Gary ran out the door, yelling, “You’ll pay for this.”
They heard the front door slam shut.
Nate watched Tessa go to her mother and talk softly to her before she straightened the blanket.
Then Nate stepped up to the bed and lifted Rosalyn’shand. “Hello, Mrs. Hicks. Do you remember me? I’m one of your son’s friends.”
“Oh, yes.”
He had to bend to hear her. From her raspy breathing, he knew she didn’t have long.
“I want you to know that your daughter isn’t alone. I promise she will be taken care of, and I won’t let anything happen to her.”
He saw the relief in her eyes and then the smile on her face.
“Thank you. I’ve been so worried.”
“You don’t have to worry. You get some sleep, and I’ll come to see you later.”
“All right. Thank you.”
He gently laid her hand down on the mattress and then followed Tessa out of the room. She closed the door until it was cracked open and then walked into the living room and looked around at all the boxes.
“It looks like you’re packing up,” Nate said.
“A lot of these are Jerry’s that I haven’t had time to look at, but I have been going through things. When my mom … goes, I don’t want to stay here anymore.”
“In the house or in the city?” he asked.
“Both.”
“Do you know where you want to go?”
“Jade told me about where she lives, and I thought I’d go there. It seems she’s the only friend I have left.”
“Why is that?”
“Most of them moved away, and the others didn’t like it that I had no time for them because I was taking care of my mother, or Gary scared them off.”