Lethal Allure: Cowboy Justice Association (Serials and Stalkers Book 2)

by Olivia James

  As creepy as it was for a neighbor to watch her so closely, she didn't want James to be sick either.

  "Maybe he went out of town again," she suggested, unlocking the front door. The lamp she'd left on in the living room shone reassuringly as they both entered the much warmer house. "He travels quite a bit."

  They dumped their coats on the back of a chair along with her purse, and she led Luke into the kitchen.

  "Do you want marsh–"

  The question died in her throat when she flipped on the kitchen overhead light. A small birthday cake was sitting on her table. A card next to it. The candles were lit.

  And they hadn't burned down all that far.

  Someone had been in her house.

  It was a complete clusterfuck of unimaginable proportions. Shaw was upset and in tears, rightfully so, but that had made it more difficult for him to get the answers to the questions he desperately needed. He didn't want to overreact, but he didn't want to underreact either.

  "Are you sure it wasn't your mother?"

  "No, she's at home with her husband."

  They'd opened the card carefully. Luke had made her use a tissue in case there were prints on it.

  "This is definitely not my mother."

  The card wasn't signed but it sounded just like her not-so-friendly online troll. He'd used the same words and style. As predicted...

  He'd escalated.

  "He's been in my house, Luke. My home. He knows where I live."

  Luke was furious about the whole situation. Once they'd eliminated Shaw's mother or any of her friends, they'd called the police to report a break-in. He'd marched Shaw back out of the house and into his car to wait for the cops to arrive. Normally he would have checked out the house himself, but he wasn't carrying a firearm and she was so upset he didn't want to leave her alone.

  The police had eventually arrived and Luke had greeted them, giving the officer in charge his business card, and letting them know that Shaw was a public figure who had been harassed online by a so-called fan.

  Clearly, from their actions they didn't give a shit. Shaw lived in a small town outside of Seattle and King County. He didn't expect the cops to have a great deal of experience with a stalker, but it appeared that they didn't have any at all.

  They asked Shaw some questions, mostly about her love life, which was all well and good because Luke wanted to talk to her latest ex as well, but they didn't seem to pursue any other line of investigation. They didn't check outside for footprints. They didn't care about fingerprints or DNA off the envelope. They didn't want to see the folder of messages she'd previously received. The officer in charge kept assuring her that it had to be one of her friends because there was no sign of forced entry. Who all had a key?

  Shaw, her mother, and Melissa. That's it.

  Luke assured the officer that his sister had been with them earlier this evening and that there was no way she did this. To prove it, he texted Melissa and asked her, showing the reply to the cop.

  He was ready to tear his hair out when his boss Logan Wright walked in the door. What in the hell?

  "What are you doing here? How did you get by the cops? This is a crime scene."

  Logan's brows rose. "Do they know that? Because there's no yellow tape and I just walked up and into the house. As for what I'm doing here, you did give your business card to the officer in charge, right?"

  "I did."

  "He called me to let me know that if you interfere in their investigation he's going to arrest you. He wanted me to warn you. So here I am. Warning you."

  From the smirk on Logan's face, he wasn't taking the warning any more seriously than Luke did. As in not at all.

  "What investigation? They've asked a few questions and then tromped all over the crime scene. If we could have gotten any evidence, it's all fucked up now."

  "They're not taking this seriously?"

  "Not from what I can see but I might be biased."

  "In other words, they're not doing what you would?"

  "Exactly.” Luke rubbed at his aching temple where a headache was beginning to bloom. "Jesus, let me introduce you to Shaw."

  Shaw was sitting only a few feet away on the couch where the officer was asking her the same questions again. She must have answered them the same as well because he was walking away to talk with one of his other men.

  "Shaw, this is my boss Logan Wright. Logan, this is Shaw Parker."

  They shook hands and Logan took the seat that had been vacated by the cop. "It sounds like you've had one hell of a birthday, Ms. Parker. I'm sorry that this has happened to you."

  "I'm sorry, too." She gave him a watery smile but then it turned into a frown. "Forgive me, but...how did you know?"

  Logan nodded toward the officer. "Luke gave the officer his business card and they called me."

  "Oh." She blinked in confusion. "Do they want you to help?"

  Smiling, Logan shook his head. "That would be a definite no. They're quite adamant that they can handle this. On the other hand, Ms. Parker, you have the right as a citizen to hire a private investigation firm if you wish."

  "I wouldn't even know where to begin with something like that."

  "I might be able to make some recommendations."

  What was my boss talking about? He was going to hand this case over to someone else?

  "In the meantime, do you have a place to stay tonight?"

  "She can stay with me," Luke said firmly. "That's not a problem."

  Shaw's front teeth were sunk deeply into her bottom lip. "I could call my mom...or Melissa..."

  She didn't sound like she wanted to call her mother. Not to Luke. He could take her to Melissa's place if that's what she wanted. His sister was wide awake after his call and pacing the floor waiting for more information.

  "I'd really like it if you stayed with me."

  He was ready to get smacked down but he couldn't stop from saying the words. He'd only known this woman a short time but everything inside of him was screaming in his head to protect her.

  "Yes."

  Just one simple word. But it changed everything.

  It changed them.

  11

  The only word that could sum up Shaw's feelings at the moment was violated.

  That's how she felt more at this moment than at any point in her life. Some unknown person had come into her home while she wasn't there. They might have rifled through her belongings, touching personal items. She didn't like the feeling at all, and that's why she was in Luke's shower trying to scrub away the dirty feeling that hung over her since she'd found that cake on her kitchen counter.

  There simply wasn't enough soap to get rid of the icky emotions, however, so she eventually stepped out of the shower and into a pair of flannel pajama pants and an old oversized sweatshirt. Her hair was damp at the ends and her face had been scrubbed clean of any trace of makeup. When she looked in the mirror, she basically looked the same but she didn't feel it. Her life had been turned upside down.

  She'd been so arrogant to think that she couldn't be touched by something like this - naive too - which was a laugh and a half because as someone who had studied human psychology, she should have been more prepared for this.

  I should have known.

  Was it her optimistic nature that made her assume that everyone and everything were going to be all fine and dandy? In her job, she heard really terrible problems. People were in real pain. Had she been giving them her best? She wasn't so sure now. Perhaps she had been too glib, too rosy in her advice. Some situations were fucked up and this was one of them, but she was sure she was far from alone. People went through bad crap every day. This was simply her turn.

  One thing was for sure. She was going to be different when doing her job now.

  Placing her towel in the hamper Luke had pointed out, she padded into the kitchen on sock feet to find him dressed just as casually and stirring a pan of something on the stove. The two dogs she'd been briefly introduced to when she
arrived immediately jumped to attention, their brown eyes gazing at her even as they squirmed in their seated positions.

  "They want to run up and greet you, but I haven't told them they can move yet."

  Luke did seem to have trained his canine companions well. When he'd opened the door they'd practically ran him over with their excitement, but when they'd realized that he wasn't alone they were beside themselves with joy.

  A new human! Yay! Let's smell her and give her kisses!

  He wasn't having any of that. He'd quickly said their names in a stern voice and then told them to sit.

  Heck, I almost sat down too.

  Two furry bottoms had hit the floor, tails wagging excitedly and tongues lolling out. They'd even stayed there as he gave her a tour of the house and led her into the bathroom where she could get comfortable. There had been a few whines and one lone bark, but they hadn't moved.

  He turned from the stove, setting the pan on a potholder on the counter. "I made us some hot chocolate since we didn't get any before. I thought the heated milk might help you sleep."

  "I'm not sure if I could keep anything down. Honestly, I'm not sure if I'll sleep at all. I don't want to close my eyes."

  Because then she kept seeing that creepy birthday cake.

  With a tentative hand, she reached out and stroked one of the dog's ears. It whined and nuzzled her hand with its nose, trying to get more affection.

  "Are you okay with them? I can tell them to go lie down if you want me to."

  They were looking at her with such love and longing there was no way she could banish them to the two large cushions in the corner of the living room. That was far too cruel. Their tails were wagging a mile a minute and they looked like they wanted to jump out of their fur coats.

  "I like dogs. I'm just not around them very much."

  "Well, they're friendly as hell. They might lick you to death if you're not careful. They love people."

  They certainly did. Shaw sat down on the tile floor and petted the dogs, letting them shower her with affection for several minutes.

  It helped. Their complete and total adoration was like a balm to her shattered soul and she allowed herself to luxuriate in it, all the while knowing it was only temporary. Eventually she'd have to stand up and deal with the mess that was currently her life.

  Luke held out his hand to help her up from the floor. "Cold noses and warm paws. The perfect antidote to a shitty day."

  "They do help." She accepted the steaming mug and let him lead her into the living room. "I'm not sure how I'm supposed to feel."

  They settled onto the couch next to one another, the dogs at their feet. It was only then as she sipped her hot chocolate that she really noticed her surroundings.

  This was Luke's home. They hadn't known one another long so she wasn't sure what she had expected but this wasn't it. Okay, maybe she had expected a sixty-inch flat screen and sports memorabilia all over, but that wasn't what she was seeing. There were throw pillows, a colorful afghan draped over the back of a chair, and floor to ceiling drapes that pooled at the bottom.

  Yes, there was a television but it wasn't any larger than her own. The only real stereotypical bachelor item was the leather recliner with a small table next to it with the remote. If she'd been shown a picture of this living room, she never would have thought he lived there.

  "How do you feel?" he asked. "I would imagine that there's no right way to deal with something like this. If you want to scream you can, although my neighbors might call the cops. They can be a bit nosy. If I work too many long hours, my neighbor kitty-corner drops off a tray of lasagna so I won't starve."

  I just bet she does.

  "She probably likes you. She might want to go out with you."

  "Alice? She's about eighty and tells me these wild stories about when she and her late husband Earl used to swing with the other couples in their neighborhood back in the ’70s. Not this neighborhood, by the way. I don't think she'd want to date me. I'm too conservative for her. She makes a damn fine lasagna, though. A nice strawberrry and rhubarb pie too."

  "I think you just might be spoiled," Shaw observed. "All the women in your life want to do things for you."

  His eyes twinkled at her statement. "You think so? What are all of these females doing for me, pray tell?"

  She let her gaze wander around the room. "I bet they decorated your house, for starters."

  Laughing, Luke nodded in agreement. "My sisters did this. I would never have picked out half of this stuff, but they said it was important. It’s nice but I'm not up on the latest in home decor. I trust them for that."

  "It is nice."

  He rubbed his stubbled chin. "If you don't want to talk about what happened tonight we don't have to.”

  "No, it's fine. It's just that I'm sort of numb. I feel so violated and I keep expecting this huge wave of anger to well up inside of me and then I'll do that screaming that you suggested, but I don't feel any of that. I feel...exhausted. Like I just ran a marathon. I want to curl up and sleep for a million years but intellectually, I know that's my brain trying to shut everything off and push it away so I don't have to deal with it. Eventually I'll have to wake up and get out of bed, right? This is so crazy because I want to rest but there's no way in hell that I'm going to sleep tonight. Absolutely no way."

  "You don't have to sleep if you don't want to. We can stay up all night playing Monopoly...or any other board game. Or we can watch television, or the pups will let you throw that ball right there over and over and over again until your arm falls off. Whatever you want to do."

  Shaw didn't know what she wanted to do. Except...

  "I think that I want to talk about it," she finally said. "If I talk out loud it might help me try to make sense of this in my brain."

  "Then we'll talk about it."

  There was an uncomfortable silence that followed until she realized he was waiting for her to start. Okay...here it goes. She started with the first question off the top of her head.

  "How do you think he got into my home? I'm sure that the door was locked when I left and when we returned."

  Strumming his bottom lip with this thumb, he contemplated her question. "I've been thinking about that myself. Since those asshole cops wouldn't let me walk around your house and investigate, I can only give you some theories."

  He didn't sound happy. In fact, he'd growled that last sentence and his eyes had gone an icy gray.

  "They pissed you off."

  She didn't phrase it as a question because it wasn't one. It was clear he was mad.

  "They did," he confirmed. "I get their point of view. There was no forced entry - at least that's what they say. It's your birthday so someone could have genuinely tried to surprise you. Also, they might be putting this down to a jealous ex-boyfriend since I was there. They were probably frustrated as well because there wasn't much they could do for you. They couldn't give you a restraining order because they don't know who did this. All they could do is make a report and tell you to be watchful and careful."

  "But you think they should have done more."

  "Yes," he growled again. "They could have tried to get prints and DNA from the envelope and card. They could have looked for tracks outside the house and maybe found a shoeprint. They could ask the neighbors for any surveillance footage they might have. They could also grab traffic camera footage from the nearest red light. They could have offered to try and find the IP address of those messages. They didn't do any of that."

  Shaw opened her mouth to respond but she didn't get the chance. Luke wasn't done.

  "If they were really motivated, they'd find out about your daily routines. Who delivers your mail, makes your coffee? Who sees you on a regular basis? They'd check them all out. They'd also tell you to get some goddamn home security instead of saying that you should be careful and watchful. Fuck, you need security cameras installed around your home inside and out, plus an alarm system. Then the next time your number one fan comes sni
ffing around he'll get a big surprise."

  He didn't have to say that if she'd had a security camera there would be no questions as to whether it was a friend that had been in her home tonight. Melissa and Taylor had both suggested that she at least get a doorbell camera months ago but she'd been adamant that she didn't need it.

  She'd been wrong.

  "I see you have some strong feelings about the abilities of the cops at my house."

  Sighing, he rubbed at the back of his neck. "I get it. I really do. These small community sheriff offices are understaffed and underfunded. They don't have the budget to have a forensics team. They don't routinely look for DNA unless someone has been murdered or assaulted. They don't deal with cyber security and they sure as hell don't have the resources to follow you around for a day or two and figure out who you come into contact with on a day-to-day basis. That's why my bosses put together their firm. They wanted to help."

  "But these police don't want your help?"

  "They don't. They just want your issue to go away, and most of the time it does, but I don't think this guy is planning on that. He's getting bolder and he's moving closer."

  Was that code for wanting to get closer to her? She had a feeling it was.

  "To me?"

  "Yes. To you." He reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder, his strong finger massaging the stress-knotted muscles. She closed her eyes and tried to relax and enjoy the attention. Luke was doing everything he could to take care of her. "As for how he got into the house I don't think he came in through the front door. So many people now have doorbell cameras, I doubt he would chance it. I think he came through either the back door or a window."

  Once again, the thought of someone in her home made her shudder with revulsion.

  "How did he time it just right? The candles were barely burned down."

  "Now that I don't know. Yet. He might have just been lucky."

  "If we'd come home earlier–"

  "Don't even think about that. I would have been with you and nothing would have happened. I wouldn't have let him hurt you."