Later though, the children would disappear and the small dishes of ice cream would trade out for pies with whiskey sauce. Even as Ronan picked up one of the small scoops of ice cream with chocolate sauce, Tierney turned to Diana, "Peach, please."
The owner was serving up dishes herself in line with her staff all gathered behind the counter. Reaching behind the counter, she pulled out one of the pies for Tierney. Though the serving was smaller than normal, Tierney was grateful. There was no way she'd make it all the way down the street with businesses serving up their usual portions. Her second fire station cookie was still in her pocket.
So she’d happily eaten from a kid's ice cream dish with the silver fork and licked every last bit of it off.
Diana and Tony, her husband, had decided the Crawl was an opportunity to try out new pies.
"Peach pecan is good," Tierney said as she set her dish in the bin they'd left out.
Ronan had polished off the small ice cream already and wound up in a conversation with someone else. At which point Diana scanned the room and held up one finger. "You got a minute, hon?"
"Sure." That was odd.
Tierney followed her through the swinging doors and down the back hallway. Diana leaned back against the wall and looked to be sure they were alone. Her arms crossed as though she was unsure about what she was going to say.
"I heard the firefighters saying that you were concerned about an old stalker?"
Oh God, where had she heard that? Were they simply going to tell the whole town? But the information wasn't wrong, and Tierney wouldn't lie.
"It's true," she said. If the firefighters were talking, everyone would believe it. Though she knew Ronan wouldn't have given away her real name or any of that pertinent information, she wondered what everyone now knew.
"Well, I'm sorry, hon," Diana looked disappointed. "I'd have told you before if I'd known, but this guy came in looking for you—"
"What?" Blood froze in her veins. Tierney knew the answer, but she waited. She tried to calm down and ask pertinent questions. "Who?"
"He didn't say. Just asked if I knew how to find you."
"How to find Tierney Doyle?"
Diana nodded, a small frown settled between her brows as if to say 'who else?' But that was a relief.
Diana went on. "I didn't recognize him. So, I said yes.”
Tierney nodded slowly. She had to work to school her expression in such a way to not make Diana feel bad for what she'd said. She couldn't get mad and lose information. She now needed to wring out every last drop of detail.
"Then he asked if I knew where you lived. So, I just gave him a funny face and said, I don't give that information to people I don't know."
"Thank you!" Tierney felt the words come out in a gush. "That was the right thing to do."
Diana tipped her head back and forth as if she wasn't sure she agreed. "I told him I'd be glad to tell you he stopped by, but he didn't want to leave his name. Damn. I'm sorry, I should have told you. He didn't want me to tell you and we were busy ..."
"It's okay! Please don't worry, Diana." Though Tierney was now worried for Diana. She changed tacks. "When was it?"
"Three? Maybe four months ago?" She thought for a moment, "Might even be six."
If they hadn't found the emails the night before, Tierney would have been stunned by that. Now she understood Elliot had been working his way into her world for some time, somehow managing to stay off her radar.
"Can I ask you a question?" She leaned in close, hoping no one was listening.
"Of course, hon, anything."
Tierney already had her phone out. Holding up the screen, she tapped at it to make sure the full name didn't show at the bottom. "Was it this guy?"
"No, this guy had darker hair."
"Hold on." Tierney flipped through the images she'd made. "More like this?"
"That's your guy?" Diana asked and when Tierney nodded, Diana shook her head. "That's him. I haven't seen him again, though. So that's good news?"
Tierney nodded, though she didn't think it was.
Diana was still going on. "I'm sorry, hon. But I didn't tell him where you live or anything. Maybe he gave up."
If only that were the case, Tierney thought.
She was stuck with things escalating but also not mattering. Elliot would never give up. If not now, he would show up later. It was clear he'd found her and was keeping tabs.
Just then the doors to the back hallway crashed open and Ronan came barging through. "Are you okay? What happened?"
He stopped, leaning one hand flat against the wall as though holding himself up. He sucked in a deep breath. "I lost you. Don't do that again."
Oh, shit. She hadn't even thought about Ronan not knowing where she was. Diana had asked her, and she'd simply walked back here. "I'm sorry."
Was she going to be constantly in this man's sight? Under his thumb just so she wasn't under someone else's?
Tierney would have to think about it. She turned back to the restaurant owner, who'd taken time out of the busiest night of the year to give her information, even if it wasn't as cut and dried as Tierney would have hoped. "Thank you, Diana."
"Anytime. I'm just sorry, it wasn't better news."
Ronan looked at her funny, and Tierney tried to motion with just her expression that she would explain later. Reaching out, she took his hand in hers, enjoying when his fingers laced and held on tight. She hadn't meant to worry him, but there was something that melted inside her at the thought of it. Outside the diner, she relayed what Diana had said.
Then when they were down the block, in between the diner and the bakery where they promised to meet Talia because she'd originally been Tierney's date for the crawl, Ronan turned and stopped. "I was talking to Zucker in the diner. Word has traveled and everyone knows we're looking for some old stalker of yours."
She'd already figured that out. If she hadn't, she would have been stunned by Ronan's next words.
"He said some guy came asking about you, even seemed to be offering money in exchange for information."
Elliot was paying for information?
That was news, though it certainly smacked of the Vander clefs. "Diana saw him, too."
Ronan tugged on her hand, stopping her and pulling her back slightly. "Diana saw Vander clef?"
"Yes," Tierney said.
Ronan was still shaking his head at her. "I showed Zucker all the pictures. It wasn't Elliot."
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Tierney held Ronan's hand tightly and surveyed the street, her gaze scanning back and forth. As they stepped out of the diner, she realized the place was already more crowded than when they'd stepped in. The surge of people contained fewer families, and the crowd started to feel sinister to her, as if Elliot could be around any corner.
Still, she moved forward even as everyone moved around her.
"Hey! There you are!"
Tierney didn't know where to look and she turned almost a full circle with the best smile she could muster. "Talia!"
She found her friend in the crowd, probably because it was still early enough for the group to be respectful. The sea of strangers parted as Talia and her motorized chair cut a relatively straight path through. Her hair was pinned up with beads and flowers, her makeup flawless, her coat belted tight against the cold. Why did this town have to have the Crawl before the weather fully thawed?
Tierney didn't know but, leaning down, she hugged the woman who'd become her best friend since moving to town several years ago.
"Hey, Talia!" Ronan greeting her, waving his free hand as he clutched Tierney's hand into his other one more time.
Talia raised one eyebrow at the clear signal. "I see you're not my single buddy anymore."
It hadn't occurred to Tierney that Ronan was really doing anything other than just protecting her. All feelings seemed to be on her side alone ... the same as they'd always been. But Talia had seen them together before, and only now was she commenting.
&nb
sp; Was it true?
Tierney felt her back stiffen. She didn't quite know how to answer so she laughed awkwardly and tried to shrug it off. "He's my hired muscle."
Beside her, she felt an instant reaction in Ronan. At her palm, she felt a change in his grip. What did that mean? Surely, he'd felt her confusion when Talia had asked her ridiculous question.
Had she said the right thing? Wasn't he just her protection? Was there more actually going on than just her high school crush, flaring back up after a decade? If so, had she just dumped on him?
Tierney didn't have any answers and she wasn't going to get any soon. Right now, she needed to be vigilant. Because apparently, Elliot had been here probably off and on for months. He'd been in her email account, logging in as her and occasionally reading everything that came in with her none the wiser.
She suppressed an obvious shudder, though she still felt it down her spine. That meant he knew where she ordered her lingerie and which team Sean still played little league with. More than any of that, it meant he knew about Sean. He knew her son's birthday and had almost certainly figured it out. Sean had even been born two weeks early. It didn't change his parentage but made it even more obvious.
Taking a deep breath, Tierney was relieved she'd sent Sean with Raven.
Once again, she scanned the growing crowd. Not only had Elliot been here, but so had someone else who'd come asking about her. Someone she wouldn't recognize. Involuntarily, she clenched Ronan's hand tighter and once again wondered what signals she was sending.
Would everyone think they were together? As far as everyone knew, this was her late sister's husband. Did it look like she was making a move? Could she afford to care what it looked like?
"Yeah," Ronan said, laughing in a tone that echoed her own awkwardness. "I'm the fake boyfriend. So that anyone who sees her knows she's safe."
Tierney's heart stopped. She unlaced her fingers and shook her hand violently free.
She ignored the heartbreak that roared through her, too fierce for an attachment that didn't exist. One she'd told herself repeatedly wasn't real. That part she would just have to deal with. The rest was more pressing. She'd known she couldn't do this, but she'd kept slipping, kept thinking it was okay. If Ronan was staring down every guy who passed and showing the world that he was keeping her safe ...?
"No!" She turned and stared at him.
"What?" Both Talia and Ronan looked at her like she was crazy.
Tierney's gaze jumped back and forth between the two of them. "Just, no. If I look like I'm with you, it will definitely make you a target. More than just being seen with me."
Much more.
She couldn't handle that. They all thought they could handle Elliot. Dad Doyle did. Ronan did ... everyone who heard puffed up their chest and acted like her savior. Acted like she was just scared. But she was right. They had no clue what they were up against.
Ronan shook his head as though she were being crazy. Exactly as she thought. When he tried to grab her hand again, she shook him off.
"One—I know Elliot and you don't." She was getting mad that he didn't believe her. She turned to Ronan, staring him down as if he should know better. "Come on. This is stalker one-oh-one. He's possessive. We might only be safe because I've been single."
"Tierney, I'm not going to let anything happen to you," Ronan said. "Which is why I should be right beside you."
Though she understood that, Tierney also knew Elliot. She appreciated Ronan's desire but felt the tension growing at the edges of her face, down her back, through her toes.
Was his desire to be brave and heroic enough to stop Elliot? She didn't think so, because Elliot was pathological about getting what he wanted.
This time, when Ronan's fingers lace through hers, they were less tense. He'd decided she was crazy. That she was over-inflating the situation. She'd let him have it later, now was not the time for a fight.
He tugged her and Talia away, the whir of the machinery of Talia's chair grounding Tierney's thoughts. The thing was heavy, Tierney thought, and Talia was a master with it. She navigated well, and Tierney had learned to watch for curbs and move to driveways and accessible ramps.
"Come on." Talia took the front and tugged her along. "We're going to blend in and look normal ... as normal as three people at a small town, singles-pub-crawl-turned-community event possibly can."
They were already moving, Ronan trailing along behind. Tierney tried to get herself together to ask reasonable questions of her friend. "Did you get the bakery covered?"
"You know I wouldn't be out here if I didn't. Feels a little wrong to abandon my staff on a big night, but I worked the early shift."
"You've worked almost all the shifts without much time off. You've earned it," Tierney added with a smile that wasn't forced but was a bit tamped by her paranoia and vigilance.
"The tips are going to be really good tonight. That should be a bonus to everyone who's on shift. I told them as long as there was enough food for a crowd, they could eat what they wanted.”
"Damn," Tierney grinned for real this time. "I have been working at the wrong place."
Talia just shrugged and grinned as if to say maybe you have.
They made it another block, the going slow even without Talia's chair. The crowds grew noticeably thicker, with officers and volunteers alike attempting to control traffic and directing people to park well off the main road. Participating businesses were lit up and festooned with color coded streamers. Ivy Dean and the town staff running the Crawl had carefully curated the decor, making it obvious which businesses were participating and creating a clear path down Main street.
The stores in between were mostly dark, either out of respect or because they simply hadn't stayed open. For most, this was beyond their normal hours. A few intrepid souls stayed open in the middle of all the rush even without actively participating.
Tierney, Ronan, and Talia made it to the next stop and as they opened the door, the bell jingled.
The hair on the back of Tierney's neck suddenly stood on end.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
"What is it?" Ronan asked, his panic picking up along with Tierney's.
"He's here," she whispered the words.
Her soft tone didn't lower his heart-rate or unclench his fist. He'd only seen the man in photos and Ronan was already beating himself up for letting Vander clef get past him. "You saw him? Where?"
She looked as frustrated as he felt. Her fingers were still interlaced with Talia's on the other side, but Tierney shrugged and waved her hands as best she could. "I didn't! I just feel it."
"Could you just be paranoid?" Lord knew he was. He understood. Sometimes he went into a burning building and just had a bad feeling. Sometimes, whatever it was didn't happen. Firefighters liked to believe that their bad feelings were born of gut knowledge and subconscious clues. They also liked to believe that if the bad thing didn't happen, it had been through their own successful efforts to stop it. But Ronan had no proof for that.
The problem here was that Tierney knew Elliot Vander clef intimately—or at least she had. Ronan had never seen the man in person and had been left to study old photos and the mock-ups Tierney had made. He wasn't entirely confident that he would recognize the man at a glance.
"I'm not paranoid." The edge in her voice cut him. She was mad. He shouldn't have said it and his chest caved in with a shamed sigh.
It wasn't paranoia if someone really was after her. He’d seen more than enough evidence with his own eyes that suggesting she was paranoid would be way out in left field. "I'm sorry."
"Thank you." But the words were low and she didn't look at him.
Still, he turned and scanned the crowd, doing his best to locate Vander clef. A sting ricocheted through his arm and he knew it was Tierney slapping him.
"Don't!"
He held back a yelped "ow."
"We don't want him to know that we know he's here. I'm pretty confident that he is."
Ro
nan almost shook his head. Was she confident or not? But she knew the man and he didn't. Who was he to say what a proper reaction was? Maybe he did need to brush up on his Stalker 101.
Still, a sweet feeling melted through him as Tierney reached out and laced her fingers through his one more time. She motioned Talia in front of them, oblivious to the revelations in his head.
He was falling for her.
No. He wasn't.
He'd already fallen.
She'd snuck under his skin when he wasn't looking, when he believed his defenses were locked down. She'd slipped past without his even knowing until it was far too late. She'd probably been there for some time, and he'd been too stupid to see it for what it was until he was threatened with losing her. The new things he'd learned about Tierney—Emily Gallagher—only made him admire and want her more. Involuntarily, his fingers twitched in hers, and he wondered how much longer he could hide this.
But she was talking, and he turned to watch her lips move even as he tried desperately to pay attention to what she was saying.
"We head in. We hang out. We act normal. Try to use this chance to turn around inside and sweep the area. Of course, try not to look like you're doing it."
"Talia?" Ronan asked her, but she quickly replied.
"I know who I'm looking for ... at least as well as I can at this point."
Just a few weeks ago, he'd had no idea that all wasn't exactly as it seemed. All of a sudden, when the shit hit the fan, the Doyles had lept into action. They'd secreted Sean away somewhere that they believed was as safe as it could be. They rallied around Tierney and educated the troops, stunning everyone. Honestly, even Ronan had a hard time believing that Ewan and Aileen Doyle had pulled off a secret of this magnitude for so long. If anyone had asked, he would have said neither of them was even capable of a lie.
He didn't begrudge them any of it, though. The good deed they’d done taking in Tierney at sixteen when she'd been in danger, and possibly even a threat to them and their family, was above and beyond. So far, no one that he'd talked to had faulted them for this either.
Down in Flames (Wildfire Hearts Book 5) Page 11
