Stroke Of Fear

by Alla Kar

  Sliding my foot forward the water engulfs my foot, then my ankle, now my calf. It’s so smooth, refreshing. I close my eyes and let myself remember. Let myself try and love it again.

  “Come on! Faster. Faster. Dig,” Coach yelled from the edge of the pool. I was swimming. My arms and legs moved in time with each other. My breathing evened out with each stroke. I was moving faster than the others. I saw them behind me when I turned and shoot of the edge. I was free. Moving quickly. Brilliantly. It was perfect. This was my life.

  I gasped for breath when I plunged from the water. Tearing my cap and goggles off, I tossed them to the side as I crawled up the side of the pool. “Great time, Depp.” Coach Bethany slapped my butt and wrote something down on her clipboard.

  Hannah reached over and pushed my shoulder. Her dark hair hung from her ponytail, wet and stuck to her chest. “Bitch, you always beat me. One day—one day, I’m gonna whoop your ass.”

  “You wish,” I said, sitting down on a chair close by. A few other swimmers climbed out and ran toward the locker room. I’m sure they were trying to keep away from Coach Bethany’s wrath.

  “Boy’s turn!” Coach yelled. “Girls, get some rest. Maybe try and think about swimming instead of boys.”

  Hannah rolled her eyes. “She’s so nuts. Just because she doesn’t like boys—” I elbowed her and gave her my best shut the hell up look.

  “Let’s go get dressed.” I stood up and started to dry my hair. Grabbing my goggles, someone walking my way caught my eye. Michael. He was shirtless, swimming bottoms tight against him. His gray eyes darted toward mine and a smirk crawled up his mouth.

  “Well, someone doesn’t like to let anyone else win, ever.” Michael’s arm wrapped around me and he brought me close to his chest. He had long lean muscles. Swimmer’s muscles.

  “Can’t give them any hope. You taught me that.” He leaned down and kissed the edge of my mouth.

  “I’ve taught you other things, too. Lots of them. And plenty more where that came from.” I laughed and shoved against his chest.

  “Ready for Jason’s party this week?”

  He nodded, nuzzling my neck. “Am I ever? We can finally have some alone time. Since coach…” He trailed off and looked over my shoulder. “What the fuck are you looking at?”

  I turned and saw Chase, a guy on the guy’s team, staring at us. “Nothing, man. I just glanced up.”

  “You were staring at my girl’s ass. I saw you!” Michael’s jaw tightened.

  Chase shook his head back and forth. “No, I wasn’t, Michael—”

  “Shut the fuck up. I saw you! You fucking…” He stopped when Coach hits him on the back of the head with her clipboard.

  “Is there a problem here?”

  Michael hadn’t taken his eyes off of Chase. The blue in his eyes was darker. It wasn’t not right. I bit my lip and shook my head back and forth. “I’m leaving,” I said, looking up at Michael. I try to plead with him.

  His eyes darted toward mine and everything was fine. He was…smiling? What. The. Fuck? “See ya later, baby. I love you.”

  “Are you okay?” Tanner asks.

  My eyes focus, and I look up at Tanner. “Yes,” I whisper, my throat hoarse. Why hadn’t I seen it before? He was going crazy in front of me and I didn’t try and stop it. I let him go crazy.

  “Are you sure?” He touches my rib. “We can go slower if you’re not ready.”

  “I’m ready.” Taking another step, the water seeps higher, sloshing around my feet. My toes sink into the mud, but I keep going until the water is at my hips. Tanner’s grip on me tightens. I’m here. You’re safe. Always. His words rattle along in my head. We’re here for each other. To help one another.

  “Darlin’,” Tanner whispers behind me, his arms wrapping firmly around my waist. “You’re in the water.” He nips at my neck, and I feel his erection growing against me. I smile and let my fingers graze the water’s smooth surface.

  “You’re hard.”

  He chokes out a growl and pulls me toward him. “I’m extremely hard. You make me that way.”

  Christ. “Well, why don’t you show me how much you want me?”

  “Oh, I wish I could. But, you know we have that meeting in an hour. And baby girl, it’s gonna take way longer than that. I’ve got plans for you.”

  Goddamn. My swimsuit bottoms are soaking and not from the water.

  “I’m so proud of you,” he says.

  “I’m just standing here.”

  “When is the last time you’ve done this?” he asks, pushing my hair away from my neck.

  “Years.”

  Sliding his lips against my skin, he whispers, “Progress.”

  Turning, I grab a handful of him and he lifts his brows in warning. “Progress,” I say.

  His eyes widen but a smile rides along his strong jaw. “You’re a really bad influence. Here I was trying to let you keep your virtue and be a true southern gentleman. Then you go and get me all wired up. Tsk. Tsk.”

  “Right, because we all believe you don’t want to do bad things to me.”

  Tanner grips the back of my neck and forces my face up to his. “You better stop talkin’ to me like that, or I’m going to forget my morals and do what I really what to do to you right here on the fuckin’ dock.”

  Fuck, any chance of me not melting into a puddle just blew out the window.

  “Now,” he whispers. “Let’s get your pretty ass in the truck before I slip my fingers under that swimsuit.”

  Smiling, I let him drag me back toward his truck.

  * * *

  “Just one more kiss,” he whispers. My back is against the outside door of my cabin. My legs are trembling. If he wasn’t pushing against me, I’d fall onto the ground and quiver like a child. He’s fucking my mouth with his. His tongue grazes mine, then my bottom lip and down my neck.

  “This is the fifth one more kiss. Not that I’m complaining,” I say through heavy breaths.

  My vision starts to darken on the sides from the pressure of his dick against my stomach. I wish it wasn’t so late, and I wish Cassie wasn’t listening on the other side of the door right now.

  His rough hands grab the bottom of my ass and he lifts me onto his waist. “Goddamn, baby…you’re so fuckin’ beautiful.” He’s whispering in my ear, trailing kisses down my neck.

  “Excuse me.”

  Startled, Tanner drops me to the ground and turns around quickly. Jake is standing on the bottom step, staring up at us. His cheeks are red and each fist is clenched at his sides.

  Oh fucking great. “Jake not now—”

  “I just need to talk to Tanner. Alone.”

  I cross my arms over my chest. “So you can try and fight him again? I think not.”

  Jake rolls his eyes but Tanner places a hand on my back. “Go inside, darlin’. Let us have a talk.”

  My mouth drops open, but Tanner gives me a pleading look. I mumble underneath my breath and open the door.

  “Fuck,” Cassie says, holding her head. “Warn a girl before you walk into a room.” She backs away and rubs her knuckles against the spot.

  “So you were spying on us?”

  “Do you see anything else to do around here?”

  I laugh and we both turn to press our ears against the door. “Can you hear anything?” she whispers.

  “Nada.”

  She growls and looks out the peep hole. “The bastards moved away from the door,” she grumbles.

  Running toward the window, I look out. “Shit. They’re over there by the boy’s cabin. Assholes.”

  Cassie walks to her bed and flops down. “So, how are the swimming lessons going?”

  I gawk at her. “How do you know about that?”

  She tosses her chestnut hair from her shoulder. “Come on. You have a bathing suit on, Aub. It’s pretty obvious. You don’t swim, so why would you have that on?”

  “To suntan.”

  “You’re already tan, and I know you. You’re trying to learn
again. I’m glad. It’s time.”

  I nod and reach over to give her a hug. “Where’s Eric?”

  She shrugs. “Not my boyfriend, remember.”

  I lift an eyebrow at her.

  She groans. “Playing X-Box in the game room.”

  “That’s what I thought.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Tanner

  “Kick it like this.”

  Kelley, the cutest ten-year-old in the world, furrows her brow and tries to mimic my kick. She nearly falls on her butt in the process, but gets the ball to me.

  I smile and give her a thumbs up. “Okay, now like this.”

  She pushes her small glasses up her nose, and bats her huge blue eyes. This kid is going to be a heartbreaker when she gets old enough. “Like this, Mr. Tanner?”

  “What did we talk about?”

  She smiles, but red rushes toward her cheeks. “Tanner, not Mr. Tanner.” I give her a wink and kick the ball back to her. She’s on my team for the soccer games. She’s terrible, but the cutest damn thing you’ll ever lay your eyes on.

  I’m waiting for her to kick it back to me when I see her gaze over my shoulder. Turning, I see a man standing at the edge of the woods away from the cabins.

  He’s not moving. Just staring. What. The. Fuck. “Hey, Kelley, we’ll practice some more tomorrow. You want to go ahead and go back to your cabin? It’s almost supper time.”

  She nods her head vigorously. “Bye, Mr. Tanner.” I scowl but watch as she skips away.

  The man is still standing there when I turn my head. A white hat covers his face, but I can tell his hair is darker. He’s in some kind of old clothes, ratty and dirty.

  Cupping my hand around my mouth, I call out, “You lost?”

  Nothing.

  “You lost?” I repeat.

  Slowly, he moves his head back and forth. It’s Jason-ish. I wouldn’t be surprised if he brought an axe out from behind him and started chasing me down.

  A car horn blows and I turn to see Aubrey waving at me. “Going to town to get some ice cream. Want something?”

  I shake my head. “No, go ahead. I’ll see you when you get back.”

  She and Cassie drive away. I’m glad. I don’t want them anywhere near the axe murderer over there. When I turn back around, he’s gone.

  Shit. Swallowing the nervous lump in my throat, I start toward the woods. Come on, don’t be a pussy, Tanner. The trees are thick, and I have to break some braches nearly off to get through. How in the hell did his big ass get through here?

  It seems like I’ve been pushing through the shrubs forever, before the trees start to come less and less. When I push through the last tangle of limbs, I come into a clearing. It’s almost bare, except for a campfire, a pile of leaves and some drawings in the dirt. Someone is definitely camping here. Why so close to a camp full of kids?

  The leaves and twigs are pushed together into a bed. A bed. My throat is fucking dry, but I swallow the lump. Digging my phone out of my jeans, I dial 911. Someone is spying on the camp. And it’s fuckin’ creepy as hell.

  * * *

  “Can you describe what the man looks like?”

  An officer with a potbelly and pants too small for his waist glares over his glasses at me.

  “I told you. He was tall, bigger and had a white cap on. He didn’t come too close. He basically fled as soon as I turned around.”

  “Um-hmm,” he mumbles, scribbling on his tablet. “You say you saw his camp through there, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “These are popular woods around here. Someone could definitely be camping out there and be harmless.”

  Anger is rising, but I try to force it back down. “Doesn’t Camp Awesome own this property?”

  “Yes, they do.”

  “Then they would need permission to be there? He doesn’t. Obviously, Mrs. Jones doesn’t know anything about it.”

  At least Mrs. Jones is worried. She’s talking to another officer off to the side. One hand is wrapped around her waist and the other covering her mouth.

  “Right. Well, we had some guys go check it out, but they didn’t find anyone. Or any clues. Our hands are tied.”

  I’ll tie his hands all right. “Look, so you’re sayin’ you can’t do anything? Because we have a camp full of children. What would happen if someone was killed? Or a bunch of them? How would you feel then?”

  Snatching his glasses form his wide nose, he looks down at me through beady eyes. “Listen, kid. We can only do so much. We’re not super heroes.”

  “Obviously. Thanks for nothing.”

  I stalk off before he can say anything else. You’ve got to be fuckin’ kiddin’ me. There is a strange guy creeping around a camp full of kids and the police aren’t going to do shit. What the hell else is new?

  Eric is standing out on the porch of our cabin when I walk up. “What’s up with the police? What happened?”

  “Some guy is creeping around. I called the cops. He has a camp set up in the woods close by.”

  “What the…let me guess? They can’t do anything about it?”

  “Hit the nail on the head.”

  “Fucker. Want to play some X-Box?”

  Wow, one track mind.

  Eric and I spend the rest of the afternoon in the game room hogging the TV from most of the kids. When Cassie and Aubrey get back it’s already dark. Aubrey’s cheeks are bright red, and I see a Victoria’s Secret bag in her hand. I want to reach over and pull everything out, but I don’t.

  “Some kid told us the police were here earlier,” Cassie says, sitting down in Eric’s lap. “Why?”

  “Guy was creeping around the camp. He set up camp in the woods close by,” I say. I pat Aubrey’s leg, and she gives me a fake smile.

  “Did they find him?” she whispers.

  I shake my head. “No, they barely looked.”

  She has every right to be nervous. She had a guy stalk her for weeks before trying to kill her. Now some guy is creeping around. I’d be freaked out, too.

  “Why don’t we go back to our cabin and watch a movie?” Cassie pulls out some DVDs. “I bought some.”

  Eric sticks his hand in the bag and pulls out a few. “These are all chick flicks.”

  “Well, hello, I’m a girl. Haven’t you noticed?”

  He waggles his eyebrows. “I’ve noticed.”

  Aubrey’s quiet on the way to the cabin. She’s looking around, no doubt searching for any sign of a creeping man.

  “You don’t think it could be him, do you?”

  She tucks a dirty blonde strand behind her ear. “I called last night. They said he was still there. So, logically I know it’s not him but…”

  “You’re still afraid.”

  She nods. “Yeah. I guess I’ll always be afraid somewhat.”

  Easing my hand around her waist, I pull her closer. “You’re gonna be fine, I promise. I’ll keep you safe.”

  We watched some chick movies, but I hadn’t even been paying attention. Neither had Aubrey. Her eyes shot toward the window every two seconds. The blinds moved from the air conditioner, and she jumped. It fucking hurts to see her so frightened. I want to beat the fuck out of anyone who makes her this scared. No one should live on pins and needles.

  Eric and Cassie are making out on her bed when I tap Aubrey’s thigh. “Take a walk with me?” I ask.

  She squeezes my hand. “Is that such a good idea?”

  I smile. “Just to get some fresh air. We won’t go far.”

  She nods and follows me outside. The wind is chilly, so I take off my hoodie and hand it to Aubrey. She smiles and slips it over her thin tank top. If I’m not careful she’ll have all my clothes in her closet soon. We move toward the path between the cabins and walk along under the large oaks. No kids are in sight, and I see Mrs. Jones’ cabin light is off.

  “Tell me about Michael,” I say. I know she doesn’t want to talk about it, but I need to know about him. I need to know what I’d be going up against if he
ever did get back to her.

  She frowns. “I don’t like to talk about him.”

  “I know. Just a precaution.”

  Her eyes close when the wind blows back her hair. “He was so great at first. Brought me flowers. Took me out for dinner. Always pulling out my seat and paying for our meal. And I guess it just changed. He started to get jealous over nothing and calling me twice an hour. He went crazy.”

  “Did he not get help?”

  She shrugs. “I mean, he never talked to me about it. I never brought it up because he started to scare me. Then my parents made us break up. I was nowhere around him anymore.”

  “He was obsessed with you?”

  Sighing, she moves her hair from her hazel eyes. “Yes, very much. It was like he had to have me or no one else could.”

  “But you did call? He was at the prison?”

  “They said so.”

  “Did you call your mom ‘bout it?”

  She shakes her head. “No, they’ll make me take that medication again.”

  I know I’m prying, but I want to know. “What medication?”

  “For hallucinations. After we broke up, I started to see him everywhere. My parents thought I was delusional. But, in reality, I think we all know it was really him.”

  Goddamn. I don’t even know the guy, and I want to beat the fuck out of him. “You know you’re safe with me, right?”

  Stopping, she buries her head into my shoulder. “I do. Thank you.” She’s quiet for a while, snuggling into me. “What did Jake want the other night?”

  A smile lifts from my mouth. I can’t help it, the guy gets on my damn nerves, but he’s…decent. “Wanted to make sure I’d treat you right. I guess he realized you’re really not into him.”

  “Jake?” She lifts a brow. “He said that?”

  I hold my hands out in surrender. “I guess he cares about you more than I thought. Even if he pushed you over a cliff.”