Page 23 of Summer Ride

He wanted to block out the things she’d said about her past, knowing that they were probably far worse than he could imagine. Worse than she had let on in the short conversation where she’d avoided his gaze, probably out of fear of what she might see in his eyes.

With the two notes appearing now, did that mean the man was out of jail?

How had Axel gotten away with it? Shouldn’t the man be rotting away in a jail cell?

Then he remembered Kara mentioning that the police had believed Axel was her pimp and her boyfriend.

Hadn’t she told them what had happened to her? Didn’t they believe her? Why didn’t her parents come to get her?

Did her family know where she was now?

For all he knew, Axel had been locked up during the same time Kara had been and maybe he had just now gained his freedom.

How many years did they lock up a man for kidnapping, rape, and pimping out a thirteen-year-old? Even if they believed Kara had been a willing party?

One thing was sure, he needed more information. He needed to know Axel’s full name. How long he got put away for. If he was really free.

He wanted to know her parents’ names as well.

What he needed was a private investigator or someone with ties that could get him answers. Maybe Brett could help or knew someone who could?

He watched Kara climb out of her car at her apartment building and head up the stairs to gather her things.

He pulled out his phone and was about to shoot a text message to Brett when Kara reappeared.

Instead of heading to her car, she rushed across the parking lot. The moment he noticed panic in her eyes, he was out of his truck, holding her.

“What?” he asked, scanning the parking lot.

“He’s been here. He broke in,” she said against his chest.

“Get in the truck. Lock the doors.” He pushed her towards the driver’s door. “Call nine-one-one.”

He waited until she did, then headed towards her apartment.

The door was wide open, most likely from her rushing out of it. It didn’t look broken or busted in, so he moved further inside.

Every light in her place was on in the small space. As far as he could tell, there was nothing out of place. Until he stepped into the bathroom.

There on the mirror that hung over her large dresser were the words painted in red.

“Tag. You’re it.”

Chapter Seven

Explaining to Brett and one of his friends, who was a police officer, what had happened was nerve-wracking. Especially considering she’d been doing everything in her power to avoid any interaction with police for the past seven years.

Per her brief conversation with Carter before the others had arrived, they agreed to only give the cops minor details of her past.

They didn’t think that giving them all the details would make a difference at this point. Someone from her past had broken into her apartment. Period. Because of the type of message that he’d left her, she believed it to be Axel.

For now, she told the police that Axel Johnson was an abusive man from Kara’s past and that he was threatening her at work and had just broken into her apartment.

All of which was true.

When they asked her how she knew it was Axel, she explained that he’d used the game tag as a method of controlling and torturing her. Every time she’d almost gotten away from him, he had hunted her down and told her that he’d enjoyed the game of tag.

She didn’t go into too many details but told them that he’d punish her when he found her. She didn’t tell them that he would punch her until she passed out. Didn’t mention that she’d only tried to hide from him twice, both times by stuffing herself in the closet or cupboard in the hotel room. Hoping that he wouldn’t find her and use her or sell her that night.