by Brenda Ford
“Fuck.” I drop my phone so hard to the ground I’m surprised it doesn’t smash. “Fucking hell.”
“What? What is it?” Brad gushes. “Not another message? Please tell me it isn’t another message?”
I can’t answer him. All I can do is clap my hand to my mouth in shock. This can’t be real; it has to be a nightmare or something. I must be asleep. But if that’s the case then why the fuck can’t I wake up?
“Is this us?” Brad demands while looking at the brand new picture. “Us now? Just a minute ago?”
The tears are of sadness and fear this time around. We are being God damn stalked. The office was empty. It definitely was empty, but someone was here, and they snuck a picture of us having sex on Brad’s desk just a moment ago. The cocky bastard sent it to me for a reason, because he or she – probably she if my theories about the mean girls are correct – wants me to be scared. And I am. Fearful for my life.
“They must still be here.” Brad doesn’t react with fear. Instead he turns to anger. “I’m going to find this fucker and call the cops on them. Get them locked up for this. It isn’t right.”
I don’t want him to leave me, but I’m frozen with fear. I’m struck with an ice cold terror that encases my limbs in lead.
Chapter Eighteen
Brad
“Asshole.” I grab the baseball bat that I always keep by the side of my desk just in case. “If that fucker is here then I’m going to get them. They can’t just get away with this shit. It’s fucked up.”
Knowing that someone has been peeping on us is weird, it even manages to give me chills. This goes beyond office gossip now, all the way to criminal offense. This is probably the sort of thing that I could go to the cops about… but I would rather teach this prick a lesson on my own. There’s too much blood tearing around my body to calm the hell down. While Tami looks ice cold and frozen, I’m burning up with temper.
“You wait here,” I hiss, waving my hand behind me. “I will go and find out who it is.”
“No.” Tami grabs on to my shoulders hard. “No, don’t leave me here by myself. I’m scared.”
“But you can’t come with me. I don’t want to be worried about you as well.”
But the wide eyes panicked look that Tami gives me tells me all that I need to know. She isn’t going to be anywhere without me so I’m going to have to wrap my head around the idea that she’s coming. I indicate for her to follow me and I start creeping around the building. My heart pounds in my throat, mostly because I have no idea how dangerous this person could be. It could be the mean girls just trying to stir up more trouble or it could be something much more sinister. It’s starting to lean more towards the frightening way.
“This couldn’t be your ex could it?” I whisper as we make our way in to the canteen. “That guy?”
“Why would it be him?” she asks, her voice thick with tears. “He didn’t care about me when we were together. There’s no way in hell that he’s going to care about me now. We’re long done.”
“But maybe it was okay when he was done, but he doesn’t want you to be.”
She falls into silence which scares me. Perhaps it is this guy and he’s on a jealous rage. I don’t know anything about him, other than he let this beautiful woman go because he’s a fool, so I don’t know what he’s capable of. Now, it’s in my mind that I’m going to end up faced with some idiot dude with a grudge.
“There’s no one here.” Tami presses against my back. “Why isn’t there anyone here? You don’t think they got away, do you? They could have been long gone way before they even sent the picture.”
“We can’t be sure of that at all, can we? We need to keep looking.”
I still have that feeling, the idea that someone is in here, so I need to keep on going. I tug Tami behind me and make my way around the rest of the building, visiting every damn office and cupboard as I go.
“Fucking hell,” I groan. “I think you might be right. I think the bastard is gone.”
“Now what?” She throws her hands in the air in frustration. “What do we do?”
“You want to go to the cops or what? We probably could with this and turn it in to something criminal.”
I can already tell from her face that she doesn’t like this plan. I know why as well, because it makes it that much more real. Once we get the police involved it will blow up and become something so much bigger. Just more drama for us to deal with, which we don’t need. But if it keeps us safe then would it be worth it?
“I don’t know. I don’t really want to show the cops pictures of us having sex.”
“But it’s stalking, isn’t it? It’s an issue. It would be much better it just it over and done with.”
“I don’t know. I don’t know.” Her head falls in to her hands. “This is too much for me.”
“Okay, okay.” I hold her tight. “I don’t want to overwhelm you. Maybe it would be better to just go home.”
“Yes.” She nods hard against my chest. “Take me home. I just want to get out of here.”
She wants safety, we both do, and we clearly can’t get it here. So, I grab my keys, the only thing that I have left to get, and I head towards the exit. I take longer than normal to set up the alarm system. It’s something that I do automatically every day, but now I need to be more careful. Whether it’s an employee or not, it’s someone creeping around and doing some terrible things. I don’t like it at all.
“Come on then.” I swing my arm over her shoulder to protect her. “Let’s get you home.”
She’s silent all the way home, but she doesn’t need to speak for me to feel her shaking. She’s trembling hard with terror and that makes me sad. I would never regret getting with Tami, it’s the best thing that I have ever done, but I do feel bad for all the trouble she has had to face because of it.
“Let me stay with you,” I whisper, once we reach her apartment door. “Don’t be alone.”
Her eyes meet mine and I can see the true depth of her sadness. “I don’t want to be alone.”
She unlocks the door and pulls me inside, but not because she desperately wants to drag me in to bed with her, but because she needs me. It surprises me how much I like being needed by her. I never wanted to be another tower for someone else to lean on. Not when I have always been that for my brothers. But I am more than happy to be whatever Tami needs me to be right now. I’m pleased that she’s letting me be her comfort.
“Do you need anything?” I whisper to her. “A drink or something to eat? I can order in.”
“I don’t know. I don’t know if I’m hungry or anything. I don’t know how I feel right now.”
I use an app on my phone to order some food and drinks for us both. Even if it doesn’t get eaten, I would rather have something here to give us the choice. “There, pizza is on the way.”
We climb on to the couch together while we wait, and Tami leans in to me. She puts some sit com on the television for us to lose ourselves in, but I can tell that she’s as distracted as me. Those pictures. Those fucking photographs. Why did someone have to send them and ruin something so good? We were having such an awesome night and it all just fell apart. Who needs us to be so God damn miserable?
I need Wesley. He did say to speak to him if anything else came through because he might be able to figure it all out and that’s what I intend to do… as soon as I have done all that I can to comfort Tami.
Tami leans into me, her head in the crook of my arm as she finally sleeps peacefully. I honestly didn’t think she was going to be able to rest at all tonight so I’m glad that she has got there. I can’t though, my brain is absolutely wired. Everything that I need to do to sort this out keeps flooding me and I need to get started.
I feel bad as I slide my arm out from underneath Tami. I know that she’s probably desperate for me to remain close to her so nothing else can harm her, but this is a call that I really need to make now for my peace of mind. I make my way in to Tami’s living room so I won’t disturb her as I spe
ak to Wesley.
“Hey,” he answers sleepily after only the second ring. “What’s going on?”
“I haven’t disturbed you, have I? Sorry I just realized how late it is.” I glance at my watch. “It’s been a long day so I haven’t really got a clue what the hell is going on. Urgh, you weren’t in the middle of something?”
“Nah, no I wasn’t. What’s going on? Has something else happened with the messages?” Instantly he knows what this is about which only makes it more annoying because it shows how consumed I am by it.
“Er, yes. It has actually.” I sigh loudly. “Tami received some more today.”
“Pictures again?” My silence answers that for him. “Uh oh. What of this time?”
“Well, it was worse this time because it was taken in the office and sent moments afterwards…”
“You got freaky in the office?” Wesley laughs. “Damn, I’m impressed. This chick really has brought you out of your shell. I never would have thought that you’d be the one to do something so wild.”
“Yeah, yeah, that isn’t the point right now though, is it? I need your help with the pictures.” Much as I love my brother, I haven’t got the time for having the piss ripped out of me right now. “Don’t forget that.”
“Where are you? You aren’t at home, are you? Let me come and help you.”
“I’m at Tami’s and I don’t think I can leave her right now. She’s freaked out. Could I just send it to you?”
“More sex pictures of my brother, great, just what I need on a Thursday night” he teases. “Yes, send it to me and I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thanks, Wesley. And if you can’t, I’ll bring you the phone tomorrow to see what you think.”
“Yeah, I might need the actual phone to be able to get all the details for it. There are sometimes things hidden in the coding that I will need the actual device to find out.”
We talk for a little while longer about what we’re going to do next but I’m keen to get the image sent off and to let him get to work. I’m also excited to get back in to bed with Tami as well. To reassure her that I’m here. I’m sure that she hasn’t woken up yet because I would know about it. She’d be screaming, I’m sure. Freaked out.
“Right, well I will let you go,” Wesley finally says to me. “So, you can get me your picture and I can get to work. I will let you know as soon as I have something figured out. Hopefully soon.”
“Thanks, Wesley. You really are a star. I don’t know what I would do without you. You’ve been a real help.”
I sigh loudly and hang up the phone with my head hung low. I take a moment just to gather myself up before I head back into the room to sneak Tami’s phone. I do feel a bit like I’m violating her by sneaking into her private phone but this isn’t to see if she’s sneaking anything or to be shady, I just want to help.
“What the fuck?” I mutter as I click onto the photograph. It has come from a different number from last time, which doesn’t surprise me because when Wesley tried to call it, it was cut off. But there’s another message underneath this one. One which is really sinister. It even chills me.
I am watching you. I am always watching you, and you are going to regret everything.
“Fucking hell,” I mutter as I try to call but I’m not shocked to hear the same cut off sound. Someone is really fucking toying with Tami and me and I don’t like it. I will not let them stay one step ahead of me at all times. “Fuck you, asshole,” I whisper even though no one will be able to hear it.
Chapter Nineteen
Tami
I am watching you. I am always watching you, and you are going to regret everything.
“What the fuck does this mean?” I cry out with a shaky voice. “Who is watching me? Why?”
I drag my fingers through my hair, trying to shove the head ache away. That’s the last thing I need right now. The photos were bad enough, but these are direct threats and somehow, they feel more frightening.
“Plus, there’s this one from a new number. You are a slut, and everyone knows it. What the hell? The only thing this does is convince me more that it is Tawny and her gang because they’ve called me that before.”
“What? A slut?” Brad is hopping mad again. “I wish you had told me, and I could have fired them.”
I didn’t want them fired because I thought it would only make the drama worse. But now I’m wishing that I had just let Brad do whatever the hell he wanted. Maybe if they had seen that their behavior wasn’t going to be tolerated then everyone would have just left us alone. Me and Brad could just be happy right now.
“You can’t fire them though, can you? Not without proof and we don’t really have that right now.”
“No.” He shakes his head. “Wesley has been looking into it, but he’s going to need your phone for it.”
“Wesley?” I furrow my eyebrows. “You told your brother again about this?”
“I had to. He’s the only person I know who can deal with this shit.”
I don’t have any reason to cling onto my cell phone right now, not when it’s a source of so much stress, so I hand it over willingly. I do get a little relief as the weight falls off me a little, but I know that it will only come back. As soon as I’m given that cell phone back, it will all start over again.
“Okay, so we’ll go to the office, then I will head over to his place of work to see Wesley. Get him to take a real deep look through the phone and see what he can work out.”
“Right…” I don’t know if I like the sound of that because it means I will be in the office alone. But then again, that’s the only way this is going to get solved is with Wesley. He needs to be a part of this if he’s as smart as Brad keeps telling me. The only problem is the stalker seems to be smarter. “Okay, that’s fine.”
“You will have Angelo. He will take care of you, don’t worry.”
“Okay. Well, I’m going to need a shower if I’m going to face those bitches alone.”
Brad grabs me and kisses me reassuringly, trying to let me know that he’s going to be there for me. But he isn’t, not today. I’m going to have to face those girls who are after me all by myself.
“You’ll be fine,” he says quietly. “And if it is those bitches then we will get them. You don’t need to worry.”
“Do you think it’s them? Like really? It seems like it has to be, doesn’t it?”
He shrugs. “I guess so. It does seem like it. I can’t think of anyone else who would do this. But I don’t really want to think that it’s them either. That I hired people who could be like that.”
It’s hard to know that judgement is wrong, I sure know that it’s a difficult thing to admit. That’s what hit me hardest about Daniel. Just knowing that I was a dumb ass for such a long time. But then getting rid of him worked out for the best for me. Sometimes, you just have to admit it then you can trim the fat.
“Right, I guess that it’s time to face the day,” I sigh. “Luckily, it’s Friday.”
“True that!” he chuckles. “We will do something nice this weekend to make up for the shitty week.”
It seems like we’re doing a lot of that recently. Making up for shitty weeks, but at least we have one another. I don’t know how I would get through any of this without him. The end of this should be happy. That’s one thing to cling on to. The fact that when we get through this, all will be good.
“What do you want to do?” I ask as I head towards the shower. “How can we make it good?”
“Anything with you is a good time to me, so it’s up to you.”
I smile to myself, so grateful that at least we have this budding relationship, this building love, to work with. That’s something to always be happy about even if everything else has gone to shit. I have a bright side to look at and that’s all I need to give me strength.
“Let’s get out of the town. Go away just me and you,” I call out. “Escape from it all.”
Surely, no stalker will be that committed to following us, which
means we can just be me and him.
“Love it. I will plan it all this afternoon. I’ll solve this, then plan a weekend away.”
The past to the future. That sounds good enough to me. Especially when my future includes him.
I feel like all eyes are upon me. And this isn’t just paranoia I’m sure of it. Everyone really is looking at me, wanting to know why I’m such a fucking mess. I honestly don’t know why I bothered to come in today. I’m not getting anything done and I’m just a total melt down.
“Are you okay?” Angelo asks me while resting his hand on my shoulder. “Do you need anything, Tami?”
“Er, no I don’t think so. I think I’m fine.” I try to smile but I can’t make it happen. “Just… you know.”
“I’m about to go to lunch. I can grab you something if you want me to?”
I don’t have any food with me, but I shake my head regardless. I get that he’s trying to take care of me and that’s really nice of him, but I wouldn’t be able to put any food in. I couldn’t last night either.
“Okay, well I will have my cell phone with me so just give me a call if you need me.”
I nod, completely forgetting that I don’t have my own phone with me because Brad still has it at Wesley’s office. It doesn’t really occur to me that I am really going to be on my own now. Not until he arrives back.
“Shit.” My heart balls up in my throat. “Fucking hell, what am I going to do?”
I need to distract myself, to make sure that I’m not focused on everyone watching me. I open up my email, ready to start answering them instead. But I immediately spot something that isn’t quite right. An email that comes from someone I don’t recognize. Anything from anyone I don’t know frightens me right now. I click on to it, my pulse racing at the same time, and as soon as I see the threatening words, I freak out.
‘Yes, bitch. I can get you here as well. I can get you anywhere. You are not safe.’
