by Marla Monroe
“I agree,” Austin said.
“Let’s get you home and make sure you’re locked in. Then we’re going to see if we can find it in town and ask them some questions,” Caleb said.
“Guys, I don’t want you to get hurt. It’s probably all a coincidence. I mean, it’s a small town. You’re going to see the same cars and trucks around all the time, right?” she asked.
“Not up here on the mountain. That’s why we all moved here, to get away from nosey neighbors,” Caleb told her.
“Promise me you’ll be careful, guys. I just found you. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“We promise, honey. Nothing is going to happen to us.” Austin squeezed her hand, then returned his own to the wheel to turn down her drive.
They walked her to the door, then had her lock it behind her before they strode all the way around the house, checking each window and door to be sure they were all secure. She followed their progress from window to window, then waved from the front window as they climbed into the truck and backed out of her drive.
Selena sighed. She really worried about them going after that car, but hopefully they wouldn’t find it. She couldn’t figure out what it would be doing following them around, because that was what it seemed like it was doing.
She busied herself spreading the quilt over the guest bed, then draped the other one over her reading chair. That would keep her warm if she fell asleep while reading again. It went perfectly with the green chair.
Maggie followed her around after she’d finished the food Selena had poured her. The cat kept sniffing at her feet, and then when she sat at her computer, the fat cat sniffed all over her before hissing at her and spreading out in her bed.
“Don’t go hissing at me, cat. I’m the one who feeds you. Remember that.”
Maggie lifted her chin, then turned around, presenting Selena with her back before she curled up again. Selena chuckled, then worked on editing for a couple of hours before closing the computer down and stretching.
Maggie stood and stretched, as well, arching her back, then stretching her front legs out before jumping down from the desk and heading toward the bedroom. Selena walked into her room and began removing her clothes while Maggie created her spot on the bed near where Selena’s feet would be once she climbed into bed.
First, she planned to read for a little while. She pulled on her sleep shirt and curled up on her chair with the quilt around her and opened her e-reader. She was nearly at the end of her current book and wanted to finish it before heading to bed.
* * * *
Selena glared at Maggie when she found the latest hairball. This time it was in the middle of her office chair.
“Really? You couldn’t jump down to do it?”
Maggie turned around and licked down her back, ignoring her leaving Selena to clean the chair. It was a good thing it was a leather chair and not a cloth one.
The crazy cat was getting her back for being gone all day Saturday and overnight into Sunday. She thought about Austin’s suggestion that Maggie needed a companion. Maybe that had merit. But it could go seriously wrong if she adopted another cat and they ended up fighting. She’d have to think about it a little more before she took action. There could be consequences, and she was well versed in the sort of consequences that Maggie could provide.
Selena spent the better part of the day editing her book before realizing she’d gone without lunch again. She stopped and stretched, then pattered into the kitchen to fix a sandwich. While she ate it, she wondered where Maggie was. She’d jumped down from her bed on the desk nearly an hour earlier and hadn’t shown her whiskers since.
Selena finished her sandwich and walked into the living room to find the cat lying in front of the door. She stood, then scratched at the door, yowling as she did.
“What is it, girl?”
Selena walked over and unlocked the door but looked out the window to be sure there wasn’t anyone on the other side of the door. She didn’t see anyone but noticed a large manila envelope lying on her welcome mat. She narrowed her eyes in an attempt to see if there was an address or name on it, but the only thing she could make out was her name scrawled across the front.
She opened the door, pushing Maggie out of the way, and snagged the envelope before closing the door and locking it again. She studied the writing on the front but didn’t recognize it. Of course, the only handwriting she would know would be her agent, her editor, or one of the clients she worked for. She didn’t know anyone in town well enough to know their writing.
Selena carried it into the kitchen, where she programmed a cup of coffee and slid her finger under the envelope’s tab to open it. She’d just taken a sip of the coffee after it was finished when she poured out the contents of the envelope and froze.
Inside had been a note and a handful of enlarged photos of her and the guys. One showed the three of them holding hands at the flea market. One was of them sitting close in the truck, while another one had them standing on her front porch. The ones that sent a chill through her, though, were the ones of her between them in various stages of undress with the two men kissing and loving on her.
How had they gotten those pictures? Selena’s blood turned to ice, tearing through her veins and slicing into her heart. Why would anyone be following them, much less taking pictures of them like that? Her stomach lurched at the implications. Someone wanted to scare her. She picked up the note with two fingers and read over it.
We don’t want your kind here. If you continue to have relations with those two men, we’ll post these pictures all over town so that everyone knows the kind of person you are. Either leave or stop seeing them. You’ve been warned.
Selena stared at the note in disbelief. Would they really post the pictures around town? They weren’t exactly G rated. There were several of her in her bra and one without it but with Austin’s mouth on her. She jumped up and ran around the house closing all the blinds and curtains. Fear washed over her like a cold wind on a winter’s day.
She needed to tell the guys but didn’t want to bother them at work. She’d call them after they would be getting home. Nothing was going to happen before then.
Selena tried to get back into editing but couldn’t pay attention well enough to catch her errors. She then tried to write on one of her own books and still couldn’t concentrate. She settled into her reading chair and tried to lose herself in a book, but after thirty minutes of not being able to get past the first few pages, Selena gave up and paced the floor with Maggie watching her from the bed.
“What have we done to anyone to deserve this, Maggie?” She stared at the feline, who looked just as pissed as Selena felt.
She stopped pacing and walked back into the kitchen and fixed herself a glass of wine. Yeah, it was before five, but she needed it. By the second glass, she felt a little less anxious but was still upset.
“I mean really, Maggie? How are we bothering anyone? We aren’t having sex out in the town square or making out on Main Street.”
The cat just stared at her, twitching its whiskers but not making a sound.
Finally, it was close enough to five that she felt as though she’d waited long enough to call the guys. She dialed Austin’s number because she thought he’d be the calmer of the two. The phone rang three times before he answered.
“Hey, honey. How are you doing?” he asked.
“I’m okay. Can you guys come down to my house when you get finished working?”
“Sure, Selena. Is something wrong? You sound odd.”
“Oh, I’ve had a couple of glasses of wine, so I’m probably a little tipsy.”
“Celebrating something?”
“No, just had a rough day. Wanted to see you guys if you can come by,” she said.
“No problem. We’ll be heading that way in about thirty minutes. That soon enough?”
“Yeah, that’s fine. Love you, Austin.”
“Love you, too, hon. See you soon.”
S
he ended the call and stood in the middle of the living room trying to think. She should make them a meal since they were coming to see her. She wasn’t hungry but they would be, considering all the work they had been doing.
Selena decided on something easy and quick. She threw together the ingredients for spaghetti and made up some garlic toast so that all she had to do was drop the noodles in boiling water and push the toast into the oven.
The scent of the sauce filled the house with its spicy aroma. She poured another glass of wine and sat on the couch waiting for the men to arrive. She didn’t know what they could do about the situation, but she needed them with her.
She jumped up as soon as she heard the big truck pulling into her drive. Selena checked the window, then threw open the door as they climbed out of the vehicle.
“Hey, babe. What’s up?” Caleb hurried over to her and pulled her into his arms.
“Why the frown, hon?” Austin rubbed her back, then pulled her out of Caleb’s embrace to hug her tightly against his chest.
“Come inside. I made spaghetti. I figured you’d be hungry when you got here,” she said.
They walked inside, and Caleb’s eyes narrowed. “Why are all the blinds closed and curtains pulled?”
“Has that car been out front again? Why didn’t you call us? I told you to call us, babe.” Caleb walked over and grasped her arms. “Are you okay?”
“No, no, the car hasn’t been back as far as I know, but someone left something on my front porch that you need to see,” she said and pulled from Caleb’s grasp and led them into the kitchen, where she’d left the envelope on the table.
She’d stuffed everything back inside because she couldn’t stand seeing the photos lying there while she’d been cooking. She pointed at the table.
“There it is,” she said and leaned against the counter, not wanting to see them again. The knowledge that someone had been able to see her when she’d been vulnerable and naked spooked her.
Caleb looked at Austin, then walked over and picked up the envelope before dumping out the contents on the table.
“What the fuck?”
Chapter Twenty-One
“These were left on your doorstep?” Austin asked, picking up the note.
“Yes. Maggie was sitting at the door hissing, which is why I even opened it. I looked out the window, but the only thing I saw was that envelope.”
“That’s why all the windows are covered,” Caleb said.
“I was afraid they were out there taking pictures again. Why would anyone do this?” she asked. She had to try twice to rub her nose.
“According to the note, they don’t like that the three of us are involved together,” Austin said, handing the note to Caleb.
“Assholes. Why can’t they just keep their nose out of other people’s business?” Caleb said.
“It’s that witch, Martha,” Austin said.
“Doesn’t sound like her in the note. This sounds a little creepy. She’s direct, not creepy,” Caleb said.
“You’re right. I can’t even begin to think who it could be,” Austin said.
“What are we going to do?” Selena clasped and unclasped her hands.
“What do you mean? We’re going to ignore them,” Caleb said.
“I don’t want pictures of me like that pasted all over town, guys.”
“They aren’t going to do that. Someone will see them putting them up. They don’t want to be found out.” Caleb shook his head.
“But the note said they’d do it. What if they really do?” she asked.
“We’ve got to figure out who it is and stop them from bothering you like this again,” Austin said.
“How?” she asked.
“We’ll trap whoever it is.” Caleb looked confident that they could do it.
“How?” she asked again.
“We’ll enlist our friends to help. Don’t worry about this anymore, Selena. We’ll take care of it.”
“I’m scared that they’ll try something else,” she told him. “Someone like this could be dangerous and hurt one of you.”
“Are you wanting to stop seeing us?” Austin asked, his voice going very quiet.
“No, but I don’t know what to do.”
“You don’t have to do anything. We’ll figure it all out. Now put it out of your mind and let’s eat. You need to relax, babe.” Caleb led her into the kitchen, where he turned on the burner to get the water to boiling. “Something sure smells good.”
She let them help her finish up cooking their dinner and emptied the bottle of wine so that by the time they’d finished eating, she was nearly sloshed. She managed to eat more than she thought she’d be able to with everything on her mind. Then by the time she’d finished the third glass of wine, she was cleaning her plate.
Austin chuckled as she tried twice to close the dishwasher door before managing it. She pulled herself back up to a standing position and attempted to walk a straight line toward the kitchen table.
“You’ve had quite a bit to drink. I think it’s time for someone to get into bed,” Caleb said.
“Will you stay with me?” she asked in a sleepy voice.
“Of course, babe. Not leaving you alone at night until we stop this asshole. Now let’s get you ready for bed.” Caleb clasped her hand and urged her toward the bedroom.
“So sleepy. But it’s early,” she whined.
“Maybe so, but I doubt you’d manage to stay awake for even the opening credits of a movie. Once you sit down you’re going to be gone, baby girl,” Caleb said with a soft chuckle.
She figured he was right, but she hated going to bed without a bath. She had enough sense to know that she couldn’t stand up to shower safely, and if she got in a warm tub of water, she’d only fall asleep and drown.
“Here you go, hon. Let us undress you and get you between the sheets,” Austin said.
She groaned and lifted her hands so he could pull her T-shirt over her head. Then she stepped out of her jogging pants and collapsed onto the bed while Caleb pulled off her socks. She’d been walking around in her sock feet all day, never thinking that she’d see the guys. Now she felt embarrassed that she’d been wearing sweatpants and a T-shirt that said Cats are better than men.
“Climb in, babe.” Caleb urged her into bed, then pulled the covers up to her chin. “We’ll be there soon. We’re both pretty nasty and need a shower.”
“You won’t leave me?” she asked around a yawn.
“Nope. One of us will be with you all the time, babe.”
“S-okay.”
She yawned again and closed her eyes, expecting that she’d be asleep in seconds. She hated that she’d gotten drunk and spoiled any fun they might have had, but then she thought about that note again and it dampened her enthusiasm. With that, she settled into the mattress and fell fast asleep.
* * * *
“Go get us a change of clothes and our guns. I’ll stay here with her,” Caleb said.
Austin nodded. He agreed that they needed to remain armed just in case. They’d refrained from keeping their guns with them once they’d moved to the mountain, believing they’d never need them there.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can. I’ll shower there before returning,” he said.
“Good idea. Make sure you lock everything down before you come back,” his friend said.
“Will do.”
“I’m going to call everyone and let them know what’s going on. Between the twelve of us, we should be able to figure out a solution to this,” Caleb said.
“I still can’t believe someone would be this crazy.”
“Believe it. There’s a lot of crazy in the world.” Caleb looked back at where Selena was sleeping.
“No bullshit.”
“Hurry back.”
Austin jumped into the shower once he arrived at their place, then quickly dried off and dressed. He packed a large duffel bag with their clothes and added the guns with extra ammunition. Then he systematically checke
d all the windows and doors before heading out to the shop to do the same there. Once he was satisfied that everything was locked down tight, he loaded the truck and drove back down to Selena’s house.
He knocked lightly so as not to wake Selena. He truly doubted she would wake up even if he pounded on the door, but he didn’t want to take that chance.
“Hey, man. I’ve been talking to the guys, and we think we have an idea of what to do,” Caleb said when he’d walked into the living room.
“Go take a shower, then you can tell me what you guys have cooked up. Everything is in the duffel bag, including the guns,” Austin told him.
“Good. I’ll be back in a few minutes. Why don’t you fix us some coffee?” Caleb asked.
“I’ll have you a cup ready when you get out.” Austin walked into the kitchen as the other man strode toward the bathroom.
He programmed a cup for himself, then set up the next cup for Caleb. By the time he’d gotten out and dressed, the cup of coffee was waiting on him on the kitchen counter. Austin waited while his friend took a sip of the hot liquid.
Caleb carried the mug over to the kitchen table and sat down. Austin did the same.
“What have you figured out?” Austin asked.
“The best thing to do is flush this guy out and capture him. In order to do that, we need to lure him into a trap.”
“How are we going to do that?”
“We’ll leave the curtains open just enough that he can focus a camera through the crack and lure him up to the house. The guys will all be stationed around the house, and once he gets close enough and is focused on what he’s doing, we close the net and capture him,” Caleb said.
“You know Selena is going to be nervous knowing that the man could be out there. And what happens if he doesn’t take the bait?” Austin asked.
“There’s always the chance that we’ll have to try this several times before we catch him. I figure the best time would be on Friday night. If not, we’re going to postpone the barbeque until the next weekend and set it up for Saturday night, as well. That’s when he got these pictures,” Caleb said.
