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Chapter no 26

The Housemaid's Secret (The Housemaid, Book 2)

The next morning, I rent a car.

Even though I told her she didnโ€™t have to, Wendy gave me the cash value of the rental, but Iโ€™ll be using my credit card to rent the car. I donโ€™t want this rental to be connected to her in any way.

Of course, thereโ€™s a reasonable chance that Douglas Garrick will suspect that I have something to do with his wifeโ€™s disappearance. But I will never, ever give her away. Even if he tortures me, which I honestly wouldnโ€™t put past him. A man who could do that to his wifeโ€™s face is capable of anything. โ€œHello, welcome to Happy Car Rental,โ€ a girl at the front desk chirps,

who doesnโ€™t look old enough to rent a car herself. โ€œHow can I help you?โ€

โ€œI reserved a gray Ford Focus,โ€ I tell her. โ€œI put in the reservation online.โ€

The girl types my information into the computer while I drum my fingers on the desk. As I stand at the counter, I canโ€™t help but notice a prickly feeling in the back of my neck. Like somebodyโ€™s watching me. Again.

I turn around. The store front of the rental car place is all picture windows from ground to ceiling, so somebody could easily be looking in. I almost expect to see a man with his face pressed against the glass, staring at me. But thereโ€™s nobody.

I shiver involuntarily. According to Mrs. Randall, Xavier Marin is in jail. No bail, she told meโ€”sheโ€™s evicted him. So why do I still get the sensation like somebodyโ€™s watching me? And this isnโ€™t the first time. I have felt this way at least half a dozen times since Xavier was arrested.

The truth is, I donโ€™t know who has been watching me all this time. What if it really is Douglas Garrick who has been following me around town? It doesnโ€™t quite make sense, because I felt these eyes behind me even before I started working for him. But I canโ€™t discount the possibility. Heโ€™s the one I saw when I was at that outdoor restaurant.

What if Douglas knows exactly what weโ€™re up to? What if heโ€™s out there,ย watching?

โ€œSo Iโ€™ve got your car,โ€ the girl says. โ€œItโ€™s the red Hyundai.โ€

โ€œNo,โ€ I say impatiently. โ€œI put in a reservation for a gray Ford Focus.โ€ Being anonymous and not drawing attention to ourselves is key. I learned that from Enzo.

โ€œI donโ€™t know what to tell you. It says red Hyundai here. We donโ€™t have a gray Ford Focus in our inventory right now.โ€

โ€œThis is unbelievable. I put in a reservation, and you donโ€™t even have the thing I reserved?โ€

She shrugs helplessly. This isnโ€™t even the first time this has happened to me. What is the point of placing a reservation if they just give away the thing you reserved? โ€œI donโ€™t want a red car,โ€ I say tightly. โ€œHow about a gray Hyundai?โ€

She shakes her head. โ€œWeโ€™re low on sedans. I can rent you a gray Honda CRV.โ€

I spend a moment debating whether an SUV would stand out more than a red sedan. Finally, I agree to the red Hyundai. Truthfully, I just want to get out of here. The purpose of this trip is to get Wendy out of town, but I donโ€™t think it would be so bad getting out of town myself.

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