Her Only Defense

by Kami Larke

  “She’s very stubborn.”

  Steve exhaled heavily. “All right, let me pull up the list of events. I think the lectures and classes are over for the day. There’s no telling where she would have gone for dinner. Your best bet, if you can’t reach her on her phone, will be to catch her upstairs at the Voodoo for the party tonight,” he rattled off as he reviewed the schedule of events from his computer screen.

  “What time does the party start?” Jade asked, sitting on the edge of her seat.

  “In about ten minutes,” Steve told her. “It might take that long to find an elevator and get up there.”

  “What about the service elevators?”

  “Those are in use as well. Right now, they are stocking and replenishing the restaurant and bar area up there, getting everything ready for the exclusive party. I doubt we could get up on one of those, but we can try.”

  “Okay. I’m going to leave my bag here. We have to get up to the party and find Abby. And Rob.”

  “Do you know for certain if the LVPD has received this notice?” Steve asked.

  “I don’t know for certain. They could have also been too busy to pick up a fax or the phone or answer an email.” Jade shook her head.

  “Let’s take a minute and call them. Does she have a restraining order on this guy?”

  “She has a PO, but it’s on the wrong damn guy. He was clever, he hired someone to deliver the letters for him. We fingered the wrong guy.”

  “Are you sure you have the right guy this time?”

  “Dead certain.”

  Steve reached for the phone on his desk and hit a button. Jade didn’t think too much about his having the police on speed dial, she knew she would if she were working in a casino hotel in Vegas.

  Chapter 20 ~ abby

  Abby made her way down the slightly curved staircase at the Voodoo bar. Everyone was having a good time. She was a little concerned she had lost track of Rob but figured he would catch up with her later. Reaching the bottom, she paused to take a sip of her drink before moving to mingle with some of the authors and readers who had purchased the full week pass for the convention.

  “A.D., how are you?” Abby said as she spotted her friend. Abby wished she could be as flamboyant as her friend. The erotica author was wearing 6” heels and a dress that looked like she had been poured into it.

  “Hey, Abby, how’s it going?” The shorter woman gave her a one-armed hug and introduced her around the group of people she was talking to.

  “Girl, I love those shoes,” one of the other authors said enviously.

  Abby smiled as she looked down at the Louboutin heels she had splurged on. She tried really hard not to think about the price tag that went with them.

  “I treated myself. I think it paid off. My lectures went over well, and I didn’t get sick being in front of that many people,” she joked.

  “Do you have a WIP?” one man asked. Abby thought A.D. had introduced him as Matt. She cast a subtle look at the name tag everyone was required to wear to all events before responding.

  “When have you ever met an author who doesn’t,” Abby replied. “I have a sequel to my Bron Tucker series planned, and I’m itching to get started on it. There are a few others in line, but that is the one my fans are yelling for.”

  “Awesome,” he said with a smile. Abby sipped her drink, hoping someone else would take over the conversation. The four lectures and classes she had hosted that week had really done her in as far as talking about herself went. She wanted to hear about other authors and what they were working on. Most of her classes had been populated by fans, not authors.

  “So, you’re an editor?” she asked Matt. The colors of the badges indicated editor, publisher, author, or reader.

  “Yes, I do YA. Nothing along your lines, but I do like reading your Tucker books. Nice, hard-hitting, and fast-paced. Just what I need to get YA story lines out of my head.” He laughed.

  A.D. spoke up. “Then you really should try some of mine, not quite as cloak and dagger as the Turner series, but they still hit you in the feels.”

  “Oh, God, yes.” Abby agreed. “You should really try Break Down. I read it, and it about destroyed me.” She turned slightly and gave A.D. a wink. Matt was cute, but she knew A.D. would get more pleasure out of getting to know him better than she would.

  Thankfully, talk turned to other authors and their works. Abby looked around, searching the crowd for Rob. He really shouldn’t have been so hard to spot, as tall as he was, but the dark venue, along with the lights and sounds from the strip far below made it hard to see anyone.

  “If you’ll excuse me, I need to find my, umm, Rob.”

  A.D. gave her a wink, and Abby flushed slightly as she stepped away from the group. She stopped at one of the bars and had the bartender freshen her drink as she lounged against the bar, still searching for Rob.

  Accepting the drink, she strolled to the end of the bar area, where a clear barrier kept people from falling off the roof.

  “There you are!” Abby spun around, stunned to see Jade standing next to her.

  “Jade! What, how?” She sputtered as she was pulled into a hug.

  “Girl, I had to come. I’ve been trying to get hold of you all day. Where’s Rob?”

  “He’s around here somewhere, I’m sure,” Abby straightened and began to look around.

  “You mean you two got separated?” Jade asked, her tone intent, placing a hand on her arm to keep Abby in place.

  “Jade, what’s going on?”

  “Come on, we need to find somewhere we can talk.” Jade towed her away from the bar.

  As they neared the edge of the rooftop, Jade slowed. The lights were a little lower here, but so was the sound. Not as many people ventured this far away from the lights and the bar on the rooftop.

  “It’s Rob. It’s been him all along,” Jade told her urgently.

  Abby shook her head. “What are you talking about? It’s been him what all along?”

  “He’s the stalker.”

  Abby shook her head vehemently. “No, it was that kid, Derek whatever. He was the stalker. You got his confession that he delivered the letters to me.”

  “He delivered them, yes, but he wasn’t the one who wrote them. Rob did. Rob is the stalker. We have to get you somewhere safe.”

  Abby felt like she had been poleaxed. “I don’t believe it,” she whispered.

  “Abby, we got a search warrant for his place. It was like something out of a bad movie. He had a box in his office that was filled with pictures of you. He even had pictures of Peanut.”

  A shiver went up her spine. “Shit. Let’s get out of here,” Abby said urgently. They turned and moved toward the elevator bank, Jade leading the way. A sharp cry had her hurrying forward. She gasped as she saw her friend lying on the ground, a bright red mark across the side of her face, mutely telling her why Jade had fallen.

  “I knew if I waited long enough I would get you to myself,” a deep voice said from her left.

  Abby turned her head and gasped. Rob stepped from the shadows with a twisted grin on his face. Her hand went numb and she dropped her glass, not even noticing when the liquid splashed on her shoes.

  “Rob, I -I was just headed—”

  “I know where you were going. Did you really think Jade can keep us apart? We have something special, my dear Amy. I know you know it, I know you feel it. Come with me,” he reached out his hand to her.

  “My name is Abby, not Amy,” Abby slapped his hand away in anger. “I do not want anything to do with you. You have to leave.” She turned, intent on alerting security. The instant her back was to him, Rob pounced, one hand around her face, covering her mouth, with his other around her waist, lifting her and dragging her back, into the shadow cast behind the steakhouse room and the upper deck of the bar.

  “We’ll just go through here, take a nice ride down the elevator like the lovers we are and go to our room.”

  Abby fought the panic that threatened t
o engulf her. More than Rob, panic was her enemy right now. Drawing a breath was difficult because of how tightly he had her mouth covered, but she forced herself to take one anyway. Her right hand was trapped by his arm around her middle, but her left was still free. She brought it up, trying to hook it under his hand across her mouth.

  Unable to pry his fingers off her mouth, she went the opposite direction. Cringing, she opened her lips. Pressing with her hand, she forced a finger in her mouth and bit down hard. She was instantly rewarded with a sharp gasp as he loosened his grasp on her.

  Feeling her feet touch the ground, Abby instantly went into defensive mode. The heels on her shoes found their targets as she stomped hard on his feet and caused him to bend over in pain. Turning, she jammed her elbow sharply into his face. As he staggered back slightly, she managed to break completely free from his arms. Bringing her knee up sharply, she caught him square in the stomach as she brought her fisted hands down on the back of his neck. The force of the impact knocked her shoe off, but she barely noticed. Feet pounded on the floor of the bar as patrons and security alike rushed to see what the commotion was all about.

  Feeling hands gripping her upper arms, Abby turned intent on fighting off her new attacker. The black T-shirt with SECURITY emblazoned across it flashed before her, and she barely managed to stop herself from punching the man in the face.

  “Are you okay?” A.D. fought her way through the crowd. She had lost track of Abby after she had left her with Matt. The security guard released her as A.D. reached her.

  “Ma’am, can you tell me what happened?” The security guard asked.

  “He, he.” Abby panted. A.D. looked over at Rob, now lying on the ground nursing his broken and bloody nose. Stepping closer, she looped an arm around Abby’s waist.

  “He’s been stalking me,” Abby told the guard. “I’d much appreciate it if you would call the police and have him hauled off to jail, where he belongs.”

  The guard nodded. “Right.” He looked at Rob and back at Abby. “I’m Steve Andrews, head of security. Glad I didn’t tangle with you, lady. I’d say he got the raw end of this deal.”

  Abby was too far in shock to really heed his words. All she cared about was Jade and making sure she was okay. The cool desert air blew around her, making her shiver as the adrenaline burned off.

  “Where is Jade?” Abby blurted out.

  A.D. tugged Abby closer to her and shifted her so she could see Jade, who was now sitting up, someone tending to her.

  A.D. hugged her tight. Two other security guards picked Rob off the floor and held him tightly, preventing him from running away.

  “I really need you to come down and give a statement, ma’am,” Steve told Abby, almost apologizing for requiring her to do so.

  A.D. nodded. “Give us a minute. I don’t think she wants to ride in the elevator with him.” She jerked her head toward Rob. “Besides, she wants to check on her friend.”

  Steve nodded as he moved over to where Jade was being tended by another security guard. After a brief conversation with her, he moved on to where Rob was standing, bleeding and surrounded by Voodoo patrons and the other two security guards who were doing their best to run the onlookers off. Steve spoke to them, but Abby couldn’t make out what was being said. Not that she really cared, she was more interested in making sure Jade was okay. As soon as Steve moved away, she limped over to her friend and sat next to her, holding her hand in silence.

  A bar towel had been handed to Rob, who used it to staunch the flow of blood from his nose. Even with the pain he was in, Rob managed to still look daggers at Abby. She shook her head. It was the second time she had managed to bloody his nose, but this time, she had no remorse about it.

  “This isn’t over.” Rob promised her, his voice muffled by the broken nose and bloody towel.

  “I rather think it is,” Abby said. “I do have to ask. Why?” She gave him a puzzled look.

  Jade looked between them. Even A.D. looked puzzled.

  “I think I know,” Jade offered. “You are almost identical to his deceased wife. Did you know that?”

  Abby shook her head. “I knew his wife had died, but the article I read didn’t have a picture of her.” She turned sad eyes to Rob, who was still glaring at her, an unholy look on his face.

  “You were meant for me. You will be mine. You are supposed to turn to me for protection. That’s how it’s supposed to be.”

  Abby shivered as his words sank in. The elevator chimed, and the doors opened. The security guards hustled Rob into the elevator. Abby felt a chill go through her as she realized he never once took his eyes off her as the doors slid shut.

  Steve turned to Abby. “I’ll pull the security footage, just as backup, and we really do need to get your statement. The police have already been called and are on their way. Your friend said there is a restraining order in place?”

  “Yes. I don’t even know if the damn thing means anything in Nevada. Besides, it was for the wrong man. We thought it was the messenger, not my bodyguard.” Abby ran her hand through her hair in frustration.

  “I’ll find out for you,” Steve promised. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, but I wish it had been under different circumstances. I’m a huge fan, Miss Taylor.”

  Abby shook her head. Fans in every corner, every walk of life. She helped A.D. as she started to guide Jade to the elevator, pausing as she noticed her uneven gait.

  Looking down, she was shocked to see one of her shoes missing. Jade’s eyes followed her and she started to giggle helplessly.

  “Babe, what happened to your shoe?” she asked with an incredulous tone.

  Abby blinked. “I… I don’t really remember.” A.D. grimaced. Abby could understand why. When she showed A.D. the receipt for the shoes, she joked Abby needed to get an insurance policy on them, they were so expensive.

  “Ah, I think I found it,” someone said to her. Steve turned and saw one of the patrons holding out the missing shoe to him. Smiling, he took it and knelt before Abby.

  Carefully, he dusted off her foot and slid the shoe into place. Standing, he helped her get Jade to the elevator and waited for the car to return to their floor.

  Chapter 21 ~ abby

  Abby pled her case with the convention to no avail. She still had to do the book fair on Saturday morning. It seemed every fan who came to her booth had heard about the events of the night before. Several asked if she was going to use it as fodder for a new story line. She didn’t know how she made it through the morning. Fortunately, Jade managed to change their flights to the first available flight after the book fair closed. A.D. elected to leave with them, as she also was being plagued by fans wanting the details from the night before.

  The flight home was done in silence. None of the three women felt like talking and rehashing the events of Friday night. Abby had given her official statement that night, while A.D. accompanied Jade to the hospital. Jade had been checked out and cleared to fly home. A.D. was simply in shock. It wasn’t every day they actually lived out one of the crazy plots of a book.

  As they collected their bags, the three of them hugged. A.D. was picking up her rental car to go back to Alabama. Jade convinced Abby to rent a car and drive back to Columbus from Atlanta instead of taking the shuttle bus.

  As Abby pulled into the drive at Jade’s house, she sighed.

  “I can’t believe I was sleeping with my stalker.”

  Jade laughed. “It’s kinda ironic really. You thought you had found love, and it was just obsession.”

  “Will I ever find love?”

  Jade looked over at her. “Yeah, you will.” She leaned over and gave Abby a hug. “Come get Peanut and go home. You have a new apartment and a new life starting for you.”

  Abby smiled as she helped Jade take her things in, then collected her dog. Peanut’s ecstatic yips and jumps left her with no doubt the dog had missed her.

  The drive across town was quick, and Abby snapped the leash on Peanut and pulled her luggage
from the trunk. As she made her way into the building, Charles greeted her with a smile.

  “Miss Abby, welcome home! Your apartment is all spruced up and waiting for ya. They sure did a bang-up job of it.” He took the bags from her and walked with her to the elevators. “I really think you’re going to like it.”

  Abby smiled, shaking her head slightly. She struggled with a kind of melancholy as she exited the elevator and walked down the hall to her apartment.

  “Thanks, Charles. I appreciate all your help.” Abby unlocked the door and let Charles take her bags in. She was still standing in the hall when he set them down and rejoined her at the door.

  “It sure is good to have you back,” he said, smiling broadly at her.

  Abby didn’t notice as he left. Sighing, she closed the door and turned the lock. Stepping into the living room, she felt peace descend. She was home. She was safe once more. She could begin again.

  About the Author

  Kami Larke started writing in high school as a member of the annual staff, school newspaper, and for a local newspaper. In college, she earned side money by editing papers for other students and formatting resumes for classmates.

  She now lives in Salem, AL with her faithful dog, Peanut, and is working on her next book.

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