Afraid in the Dark (Stalker Series Book One)

by Rita Hestand

  "I can see a big change in you, Jesse." She admitted.

  "Can you?" He looked straight into her eyes. "Well, enough of that. This stalker thing, you think it will get worse?" He asked with curiosity.

  "Yeah, the worst part is, whoever it is knows where I live. Knows I work at the hospital."

  "God, honey, I wish you hadn't told me this. Now I’m gonna worry myself to death over you." He admitted.

  "I've got friends here Jesse. Please don't worry."

  "This Dex guy, is he your boyfriend?"

  She thought about that and didn't know how to reply. "I was dating him, but I'm not sure now. To tell the truth, I'm not sure if I can trust him now. The only one I know I can trust….is you and Neely.!"

  "Why? What's changed with you and this Dex?"

  "Jesse, I have to admit this stalker thing has me in knots. Until this stalker thing is settled, I'm not sure I can trust Dex."

  "Why, what's happened?" His eyes narrowed on her now.

  She bent her head. "He pressed me for sex, and we sort of cooled it. I still want to marry first." Melanie told him. "It's the same reason that Brad and I didn't get along at the end. Things were tense and he pressed me too."

  A slow smile spread across Jesse's face. "I'm glad you feel that way. I remember when we were kids and we joked about getting married, when you got just a tad older you told me you weren't having sex until you married."

  "Did I? When?"

  "When you found out Maureen was having sex with Carl." Jesse chuckled.

  "Oh yeah, I did. Do you think I’m too old fashioned Jesse?"

  "Nope. I think you are smart. And I'm glad you haven't changed in all that time."

  "Were you this charming when I went with you Jesse?"

  "Nope, but I learned."

  She laughed.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The first car lot they visited had several cars in good shape. It was a rather nice lot and well kept. A salesman came out to help them quickly. Dressed in a nice suit, he adjusted his tie as he introduced himself, shaking hands with Jesse. "I'm Ralph Walters. What can I show you today, folks?"

  "She wants to see some nicely used Chevy's." Jesse told him. "Something dependable."

  He nodded. "I've got some real nice ones over here that aren't too old and in excellent shape."

  He led them to a group of Chevy's and Jesse waited until she picked one out to check out.

  One was an almost new Impala, a beautiful diamond blue. Melanie fell in love with it, but it was $15,000. She wasn't sure she could swing it on her salary yet. Jesse spent some time looking at the engine and after a while he came around to the driver's seat and smiled, "It's in good shape."

  She nodded, "I really love it."

  "Well, maybe we should look at a few places and then you can decide."

  The salesman overheard them, "We got a payment plan you can fit it to your budget. We worked through several banks."

  Melanie came up to the man, "I really like it. Let me have a look around a bit and I'll get back to you."

  "Okay, but you won't find anything like that one around. You look like a nice lady, and you don't have no ring, so I assume you are singled. You'll need a reliable car, and that one is. I can tell you that. The old lady that owned it, she barely drove it, kept it up and I've been waiting for just the right customer to come along and grab it. It's a great buy."

  "I believe you, but I'll get back with you."

  "Sure, here's my card." He handed it to her.

  They went to several lots and she found a couple of others she liked. Jesse checked them all out. But at the end of the tours, Jesse looked at her. "Which one did you like the best?"

  "Honestly?"

  "Yes…" He grinned. "You liked the Impala, didn't you?"

  "Yes, I did. How'd you know."

  "I know you pretty well Melanie. Besides, out of all of them, that one had the best-looking engine and least number of dings in it. It's a good car and it will last you a while. Won't have to worry about you on the highway." He grinned.

  She laughed.

  "Well you are coming home for visits, aren't you?"

  "Only if you promise to save me from my folks."

  "Deal." He grinned.

  "Should I take money out of my account and pay it off, or should I just make payments?" She asked.

  "Make payments. It builds good credit. And if you earnestly don't want to use your inheritance, you will learn that you must have good credit these days. Leave that money in the bank to draw interest. It won't last all your life you know. You'll buy a house one day, or something very expensive. So, hang onto it as long as you can, for security."

  "Good advice." She smiled.

  It was late by the time they finished looking around so they went to dinner. He took her to a nice seafood place and they talked all through dinner. She'd forgotten how easy it was to talk to Jesse. She was still trying to get over his confession too. But he hadn't said any more about it. HE didn't have any idea how much it meant to her to hear him say how he felt. Deep down she'd been hurt that he never came up here for her.

  Unsure of her own feelings yet, she didn't say anything about it either.

  "So, what do the police say about your stalker?"

  "They are working on it. They want to check Brad out, and then I'm assuming you. And maybe Dex too."'

  "You said you weren't sure if you could trust this Dex? What about me, do you trust me?"

  "I've known you too long Jesse, I do trust you. You've kept my inheritance a secret all this time."

  He smiled. "And this Dex?"

  She bowed her head. What could she say about that. "I don't know Jesse. I like him…. but I don't totally trust him anymore. I mean when it came right down to it, what is the difference in him and Brad? I told him we should cool it, and he's already working on a replacement."

  "How do you know that?"

  "I caught him in the stairwell."

  "You think maybe he was just trying to make you jealous?"

  "I don't know. And I don't care. Like Brad, he wanted to take our relationship further, without benefit of committing to me in any way. I'm just old fashioned enough to believe that is what engagements are for, commitment."

  Jesse didn't say anymore.

  But as they came out of the restaurant, a storm had blown up and it was pouring rain.

  By the time, they got back to her apartment, it was really storming.

  "Jesse, I hate for you to go home in this." She glanced out the patio door.

  "Well, I don't have much choice." He snickered.

  She looked around her apartment, "You could stay here, on the couch, if you want to… I don't have to go to work until late tomorrow."

  "Melanie…I don't think that's a good idea…"

  "Don't be silly…."

  "What would your friend down the hall say?"

  "Dex? It's none of his business…"

  "Are you trying to make him jealous?" Jesse asked.

  "No! I just don't care at this point what he thinks."

  "You sure about this?"

  "Of course, we grew up together Jesse. I trust you." She smiled.

  "Thanks…I appreciate you saying that." he winked. "And I want you to know, despite my ill-timed confession, I would never try to take the advantage. You see, I like your home-grown values Melanie. I always have. I respect you, and I always will."

  They watched television for a while, and then she got out some blankets and a pillow for him. She helped him make the pallet on the couch and then turned to him.

  "I want to thank you for taking me to look at cars."

  "My pleasure Have you made a decision about the Impala?"

  "I'd love to get it, just don't know if my bank would give me a loan on it."

  He lifted her chin, "Honey, you have five million dollars in your bank, you could have just about anything you wanted there."

  "I know, but, that's the whole point. I don't want to live on that assumption th
at I have that money. I want to build credit like any other person would, on my own merit, not my grandparents money.

  "You are just hard headed enough to not want to use it. Look, my bank would." He told her. "And lots of people co-sign loans for others. I'd be glad to."

  "Your bank?"

  Jesse smiled. "I'll co-sign the loan for you if you need it."

  "You'd do that for me?" She asked a little stunned that he would back her loan.

  "I would. Besides, I don't think you should draw attention to that money right now. The less people know about it, the better."

  "Why?" Her eyes rounded.

  He almost laughed. "Because I know what kind of person you are, Melanie. It's that simple. And, I know you have the money to pay for it now, but I don't want to see you taking it out and compromising your principles over this. It's really quite a noble gesture on your pat. I'm sure your grandparents would be proud of you for doing it too. And there is good reason right now. The less people know about that money, the better, and the safer you will be. Drawing attention to that money right now, could jeopardize your safety."

  "What do you mean?"

  He frowned and moved about restlessly. "Someone is stalking you, the last thing they need to know is that you do have money. Or where it is at. It's possible, that someone already knows you have it, but they don't know where. So, exposing that would put you in greater danger. With this kind of trouble, it's best just to keep things quiet for now. Trust me on this."

  "You're right." She gasped. "But who else would know I have it?"

  "Honey, the internet is full of computer nerds who know how to get info for people. It wouldn’t be that hard. So, I vote you don’t' expose it right now. Besides, if you really want to live off you own money, you need to build some credit for yourself. You may need it someday."

  "You know I didn't want to take that money. I felt guilty, like it wasn't really mine. I'd rather have them alive than their money."

  He smiled. "I know that…but you can't change things. Don't worry about the money. I'll co-sign the loan for you and we won't talk about that money, agreed?"

  "Agreed."

  His expression was so serious as he stared into her eyes now.

  She couldn't take her eyes from his. She'd so misjudged Jesse. So, misjudged so many.

  "Thank you for that. Well, let me sleep on it." She told him.

  "Good, if you change your mind about the car, let me know and we can go see about it tomorrow before you go to work."

  "Thank you again," she tiptoed and kissed him on the cheek.

  But she paused and his head turned and their lips almost touched. There was no tension, just pure attraction that had her heartbeat accelerating. It had been a long time since Jesse had kissed her. What would it be like?

  She drew breath.

  He pulled away. "I'm not here to seduce you Mel, as tempting as that is."

  "You called me Mel, like you did when we were younger. You were the first to call me that…"

  His eyes glittered into hers. "Get some sleep."

  She stared at him now and his gaze connected with hers. "Well…goodnight."

  "Good…" he started to say goodnight, but lightning flashed and she saw a shadow on the patio and ran into Jesse's arms.

  "W-what's wrong?" He asked as she cuddled against him.

  "There was someone on my balcony. I saw a definite shadow."

  He put her away from him, put his fingers to his lips to tell her to be quiet, then crept toward the balcony door.

  She was so terrified, she was shaking.

  Jesse threw open the door and looked out. It was raining hard now but when he glanced over the balcony railing, he saw a figure running through the apartment yard and fleeing down the street. The fire escape ladder was pulled down. Melanie hadn't imagined it.

  "Did you see them?" She asked when he came back in.

  "No, but someone was running over the yard."

  "Could you tell if it was a man or woman?"

  "No, they were wearing sweats and a hoodie, with the hoodie over their head. But it was kinda strange."

  "What do you mean?" She stared up into his puzzled face.

  "I mean, they ran like a girl."

  "It was a female?" She gasped.

  "That's what I'd call it."

  "Oh, my God, I never thought about a woman… I mean, seriously, a woman?"

  "Maybe it was just someone who lived here and was running to get out of the rain."

  She shivered so hard she nearly fell. He grabbed her to him and hugged her. "You are scared to death, aren't you?"

  She nodded and cuddled closer. "Too many things happening…" she snuggled into him, her lips were on his neck.

  "Come on," he pulled her down to the couch and took her in his arms. He didn't try to kiss her or make love, he just held her and comforted her. He did kiss her head a couple of times murmuring sweet reassuring things to her.

  Being with Jesse than anyone else she had been with. Dex made her feel safe, but Jesse had something else that reassured her that maybe it would all be alright. Jesse really cared about her, and she was still trying to tuck that into her heart.

  It felt so good to be with someone she didn't have to worry about, she snuggled against him and soon went to sleep.

  He wrapped both arms around her and sunk down on the couch, holding her close. "Get some sleep, sweetheart." He murmured as he drifted off too.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  A knock at the door, woke them both up. Melanie jumped up, pushed back her hair, and straightened herself, then glanced at Jesse, who was trying to wake up. He rubbed his hand over his face, opened his eyes and then sat up. She looked at him sheepishly then smiled.

  When he realized, she was standing up, he did too, with a big sheepish grin on his face, "Good morning."

  "Good morning," she smiled again. "Someone's at the door."

  She walked to the door, looked through the peephole and sighed heavily.

  She threw open her door to find Dex leaning against it stiffly. He started to barrel on in, but saw Jesse standing right behind her.

  "Oh…I see you have company. I'll come back later." Dex said, his eyes going sharply to Jesse.

  Then he looked at her, her clothes were wrinkled and her hair in disarray, and they were both yawning. His brows narrowed in the middle. It wasn't hard to figure what he was thinking.

  Melanie knew how it looked, and Dex probably thought she did it out of spite. But he was wrong, very wrong. Jesse had comforted her last night and protected her too. And he hadn't laid a hand on her. He hadn't demanded anything of her, and she appreciated that.

  "Did you need something?" Melanie asked.

  "No-no, I'll talk to you later." Dex said and slowly walked away.

  Melanie closed the door. Part of her wanted to call Dex back, and the other part wanted to let him go, forever. It made no sense, the incident on the stairs shocked her, and she wasn't sure how much she could trust Dex, nor her feelings for him either. He had charmed her once, he could do it again, she feared.

  Jesse moved to the counter. "I'm sorry Melanie. I'm sure I know what he's thinking."

  "No reason to be. Sorry. You did nothing wrong." She told him. "Let him think what he wants. A real relationship is built on trust, not suspicions'. Want some coffee?"

  "That'd be nice. I'm not here to cause trouble between you two."

  "Look, we aren't a couple, we aren’t engaged, we aren't anything." She told him.

  "If you say so."

  "Are you a breakfast person?" She asked with a twinkle in her eyes now.

  "Actually, I am." He moved in front of her now and opened her refrigerator. "Mmm. You've got bacon and eggs and bread and butter. How about I cook and you get the coffee ready?" He smiled when he turned around.

  "You cook?"

  He looked a bit surprised. "Well, I am a bachelor. If I wanted to survive I had to learn."

  She chuckled, "I guess you are right about tha
t. Well help yourself."

  He washed his hands then took out everything he'd need from the refrigerator.

  "So how involved are you with this Dex?" He asked out of the blue. "I mean I don't want to do any damage to your relationship with him, if you really care about him. I'll go explain."

  She thought about it a minute, then glanced at Jesse. "I'm not really sure, Jesse. A couple of days ago, I could have told you, but not now. And I don't want you to explain. Dex will think whatever he wants to. Up until a day or so ago, I knew how I felt, or thought I did. But now, I'm not so sure. Am I crazy Jesse, I can't seem to pick the right men. I don't want a man that dumps me at the first sign of trouble. Nor one that wants to jump my bones either."

  He shook his head. "No, you're just young and a little impulsive sometimes. But not crazy."

  When it got quiet he turned to look at her as he watched the bacon on the stove.

  "I did see someone on the balcony." She murmured.

  "I know…" He shot her an appreciative glance. "I saw how bad you were shaking."

  "How do you know?"

  "Because the person running was probably who you saw. I bent over the railing, and the escape ladder was down. Someone had used it to escape, it had to be the one I saw. It had to be a woman too. That's how she got up here. One thing you can do, is ask the maintenance man if he can lock your ladder up for a while. You'd have to tell him what happened, but it might be wise. And report it to the police too, so they don't write the place a citation for locking it."

  "You're pretty certain it was a woman?" She asked.

  "Yeah, I am. Something about how a woman moves that a man can't copy." He smiled.

  "But what if you were right last night. What if it was just someone getting out of the rain."

  "Yeah, but I know it was her. Because the fire escape ladder was down, that's how I know. There's no reason for it to be down, is there?"