by Olivia James
He poured tea into a tumbler. "I'm fine. Why do you ask?"
He kept answering questions with questions, sending them round in a circle.
"Because you seem tense," she repeated. "Not quite yourself."
There was that tingle again, this time far more insistent. She remembered back to Luke at the meet and greet where he'd talked about intuition and how people often didn't listen to theirs. Her ears were wide open at the moment. She wasn't going to ignore it.
"Is Mom really okay?"
The fact that Julia wasn't anywhere to be seen was strange. She normally wouldn't take a nap if she knew Shaw was coming over.
To her shock, Oliver slammed down the iced tea glass on the kitchen counter, the liquid sloshing over the side and onto the granite.
"I fucking said she's okay," he yelled. "Stop asking me questions about your mother."
Holy shit. She'd never seen Oliver even remotely upset, and now he was mad. His face was red and his lips were pulled back in a snarl, baring his teeth. Shaw's heart accelerated and her stomach twisted into a knot. And that tingle? It was an all-out pain in the back of her neck now, screaming at her to get the hell out of that house and go home. She didn't like her stepfather when he was in this mood.
"Okay," she replied in her most soothing tone. "You know me, I'm just worried about Mom. It's all good. So...yeah...I think I'll head home and call her later when she's up from her nap. Obviously, if she's sick she needs her rest."
"You can't go."
"I'll call Mom later," she assured him, taking a small step back. She didn't want to upset him even more with any sudden movements. He still appeared to be furious with her. "And I'll get out of your hair. I'm sure you're really busy."
By the time she'd realized his hand had snaked out and grabbed her by the arm it was too late. His grip was too tight to be shaken off easily, although she'd tried to yank it back.
Sweat pooled at the back of her neck and her heart thudded in her ears. She had a bad feeling about this. Very bad. This wasn't right. Looking into his eyes, they appeared cold and glassy. Almost dead.
"You can't go," he repeated, his grip punishing as she twisted her arm to loosen his hold. "I'm tired of you ignoring me, acting like you're better than everyone. You don't get to treat me this way. You need to understand."
She was beginning to understand a whole bunch and none of it was good.
I'm ignoring you?
"I want to understand. Why don't you help me?"
Dammit, Shaw had left her car keys on the foyer table along with her coat. Also, the kitchen was at the rear of the house so she would have to run back through to get to her keys and out the front door to get to her car. Just how far was it? How long would it take her? She was in good shape and much younger than Oliver but if he caught up to her before she could get away?
He jerked her arm again, twisting it painfully. She was going to be a mass of bruises tomorrow.
If I live that long.
"Don't patronize me. I've reached out to you over and over again, but you've always ignored me. I've made you my whole life. Ignored my messages and gifts."
Shit, was he...?
"I didn't mean to ignore you, Oliver. And I want to help you. Tell me how I can help you."
Her voice sounded high, breathless, and squeaky. It shook far too much and he had to know that he was scaring her. It looked like that was the plan.
"You gave your attention to him," he said, his face so close to hers she could feel his coffee-soaked breath. His tone was accusing as if she'd mortally wounded him. "Him. He was all you could think about, wasn't he? I saw the way that you looked at him. You ignored me, Shaw. I'd do anything for you. He wouldn't do what I've done. He couldn't even understand what I've sacrificed for you. I knew the minute your mother showed me one of your videos that we were meant to be. It was fate that brought us together. Can't you see that? Can't you see it?"
Oliver was shouting now, his face a mask of anger and frustration. A wash of cold fear ran through Shaw's veins, her brain frantically working on a way out of this situation. Luke wasn't here to save her and heaven only knew where her mother was. Or what Oliver might have done with her...
Her stepfather was her stalker.
And she'd walked right into his home. Right into the lion's den.
Make than an unstable lion. He was clearly deluded.
"I can see it," she said, keeping her voice down and calm. It wasn't easy. She wanted to scream and yell. She wanted to run but she doubted she'd get far. She was going to have to use her brain to get out of this. "I can totally see it now. I just didn't realize it before. But I can see it now. I didn't mean to ignore you. I'm really sorry about that. I won't ignore you anymore."
His expression scrunched up, his eyes narrowing. "You think I'm stupid, but I'm not. I know that you only want him. You're just playing with me. I'm not going to let you make a fool of me, Shaw."
Shit, she had to do something. Right now. He wasn't buying her bullshit.
Her brain cranked through several scenarios, but she discarded each one as flawed. He wasn't going to let go of her easily and even if he did, he probably wasn't going to let her walk out of there. At this point, his behavior was completely unpredictable. She had no idea what he'd do next.
That's what made him so dangerous. That's why she needed to get out of here. Sooner rather than later. Every instinct that she possessed was standing up and yelling at her to get out of there, run, hide, do whatever she had to do, but do not stay. She could feel the hairs stand up on her arm one after the other, the gooseflesh rising as she contemplated her few options. None of them were any good.
The front door was too far but the back door... She might be able to make it if she could get him to let go. She needed just a second, a single distraction and then she could dart outside. There were lots of trees she might be able to hide behind and eventually, if she ran far enough, there would be neighbors. It was a long shot, but he was older and she was pretty sure he didn't work out or go to the gym.
But how to distract him? She couldn't just point to the window and say, "Hey, what's that?" That only worked in the movies. Her gaze frantically ran around the kitchen and then rested on the styrofoam container of hot soup sitting right next to her on the kitchen counter. It wouldn't be burning hot but it would be warm enough.
I just need a head start.
Inching her right hand closer to the container, she moved her head so that she was looking directly into Oliver's eyes. Hopefully blocking his view of her arm. She could hear the roar of her heartbeat inside her head, feel the blood whipping through her veins. Every sense she had was fine tuned to this moment and place. She had to choose the exact right second.
"I don't think you're stupid at all. Obviously, you're an intelligent and successful man. I just don't know you as well as I should. We should talk and get to know each other better. Is my mom out for the afternoon? Will we be interrupted? Or is she here in the house?"
Hopefully alive and well. Hopefully she just went shopping or to run an errand. Please let her be okay.
"We won't be interrupted. We–"
He didn't get any further. Adrenaline pumping, Shaw's trembling fingers curled around the container. She'd only get one shot at this. As quietly as possible, her thumb flicked off the lid just enough. She sucked in a breath and hurled the soup with all of her might directly into his face, aiming right for his eyes.
Don't take the time to celebrate.
Howling with pain and fury, Oliver dropped her arm and raised his hands to his face to wipe away the chicken soup that was currently dripping down his chin and onto the floor. She didn't wait around to see how successful he was going to be. Darting far enough away that he couldn't reach her with an outstretched limb, she ran to the back door and didn't look back. The nearest neighbor was to the right and that's where she headed.
The frigid outdoor air hit any exposed flesh immediately, almost sending her to her knees. Stumbling for a m
oment on a tree root, she righted herself and took a quick look over her shoulder. He was exiting the house.
The chase was on, and this was one race she couldn't afford to lose.
24
Investigative work could be tedious as hell. Long hours, lots of coffee, and even more research. If Luke was working a cold case, he might be elbow deep in dusty old files that had been stuck in boxes in some dark warehouse somewhere. Today, however, he was hunched over his laptop running license plate numbers from the red light cameras outside of the sports bar, and damn, if that wasn't a busy as hell street.
He'd already run the lights to the west and the north and was now about halfway through the east. So far, he hadn't found anything much. There were a handful of names that had police records, and he'd set them aside to look at more in-depth, but frankly he'd been hoping to see Eric Bishop or James Hornsby. At this point, Luke would have been happy to find anyone even remotely connected to Shaw whether her barista, mail carrier, or pizza delivery guy.
So far, Luke had hit one wall after another trying to figure out who was harassing and stalking Shaw. It didn't say much for his investigative skills that he couldn't find one lone male that was pissing him off royally. Logan and Reed were probably trying to figure out a way to get rid of him but in a nice way.
Shaw was being patient as well, but he could see that the stress was taking its toll on her. She wasn't as quick to smile and the shadows under her eyes seemed darker and more pronounced.
And Luke? He wanted this whole clusterfuck to be over once and for all. He hated to see Shaw this upset and scared. She didn't deserve this. She was too wonderful to have all of this shit happening to her.
He was falling for her. Hard and fast. It hadn't been long, but Luke wasn't a kid anymore. He knew what he was looking for in a woman and what he didn't want. This wasn't about the sex - although that was off the charts good. It wasn't about whether she was beautiful or anything like that.
It was how he felt when they were together. It was as if she was the puzzle piece that had been missing from his life. She was all the things he hadn't even known he wanted but now that she was here, he didn't want to be without her for a single day.
Yeah, I have it bad. But I don't care.
It wasn't the greatest time in his life to fall in love and have a committed relationship, but it wasn't the worst either. They could make it work if they wanted to...and he definitely wanted to. Did Shaw? All signs pointed to his feelings being returned, but until her life was stalker-free their relationship had to wait on the back burner. It wouldn't be fair to ask for more right now.
Heaving a sigh, he checked the computer program running the plate numbers and spitting out names one after the other. Eighty-six percent done. It would be finished in a few minutes. Maybe he'd order in a sandwich so he could go through the names with records. He'd missed lunch. Again.
"I'm glad you're here. I found something."
With a grin on his face Ryan bounded into the room, holding up a photo.
"I could use some good news. What do you have?"
Plopping down in the chair next to Luke, Ryan held out the picture. "I was looking at all of the footage from the last few days around Shaw's house. Guess what I found? Her friendly neighbor from across the street hanging around her back door and looking in her sliding glass windows."
Luke's heart leaped with excitement. This might be the break they were waiting on. Hornsby. He'd acted weird and now he was looking into Shaw's windows when she wasn't home?
"Let's give this to the police. They can bring him in and question him," Luke said, studying the photo of Hornsby with his nose pressed up to Shaw's windows. Ick. "I'd love to do it myself, but I think we might just piss them off and we need to keep a good relationship with them."
Ryan grimaced. "Can I say that it's incredibly creepy that he's peeping in her windows? Christ, that's perverted."
"I knew there was something wrong with that guy." Luke reached for the phone. "I'll call the investigator in charge–"
His hand hovered over his phone, the name that popped up on the laptop screen capturing his attention.
"Are you okay?"
Luke's arm dropped to his side. "I don't think so. Look at the name that the computer found. I was looking through the plates that went through the red light cameras around the bar."
Leaning down, Ryan squinted to read the name. "Oliver Stephenson. You've lost me. Who is he? Another ex-boyfriend?"
"No, he's her stepfather."
"They live in the area, right? It might just be a–"
"Coincidence," Luke finished for him. "You know what Logan says about coincidences. And no, they don't live in that area."
His gut agreed. The older affable man didn't fit the usual image of a stalker but what did they really know about him? Not much.
"I don't like coincidences that much either," Ryan said, shaking his head. "What are you going to do now?"
That feeling of foreboding had come over Luke. He didn't like this, and he sure as shit didn't want Shaw anywhere near Oliver Stephenson until they checked him out thoroughly.
"Shaw sent me a text a little while ago. She was going to get some soup and take it to her mother. Oliver asked her to." Decision made. "I'm heading there right now. I don't want him in the same room as she is until we've cleared him."
Ryan held up the photo. "What about Hornsby? He's a peeper at the very least."
He was but he wasn't an immediate threat to Shaw. Stephenson was.
"We'll deal with him later. Right now, I want to get to Shaw."
"Then I'm going with you."
"I hope I won't need your help."
"I hope you don't either."
But just in case, it wouldn't hurt. In mere minutes they now had two suspects. Only one could be the stalker. Was it the creepy neighbor or the easygoing stepfather?
Time to find out.
Shaw had a painful stitch in her side and her lungs ached so badly she could barely suck in oxygen. She'd never been much of a runner, but no one had warned her that running in the cold winter air was far different than a jog on a spring day.
It just plain hurt.
When she'd pictured hiding behind trees, her brain hadn't quite put together the fact that there weren't any leaves on those trees. The bushes and shrubbery were bare. There wasn't much to hide behind so she'd had to keep running, only taking a break here and there to hide behind a big rock or a big tree trunk.
The entire time she could hear the thud of his feet on the damp ground, persistent and relentless. It was only when he stopped to take a breath that she felt safe enough to do the same. She couldn't see him from where she was at the moment but she could hear him, the footsteps sounding like drums in her ears.
If I don't catch my breath soon I'm going to puke.
He paused again and this time she ducked behind a gathering of rocks, trying to catch her breath. She couldn't keep this up indefinitely. With the way he'd been chasing her, she'd had to move side to side which meant she wasn't nearly as close to the neighbor’s house as she'd hoped to be by now. She might need another plan. A better one.
Luke's words were now haunting her, coming back loudly and clearly in her head.
Don't let them take you anywhere. Fight for your life if you have to. Play dirty because he will too. Hit them in the most vulnerable areas. Scream, yell, and don't go quietly. Make it as hard as it could possibly be.
Quickly scanning the area, Shaw realized that she was closer to the road than the neighbor’s house. It might be better to head there, out in the open instead of back here among all of these trees. Would Oliver try to hurt her in broad daylight on an open road?
She had no idea the answer to that but if she went to the neighbor's home and no one was there, she'd be shit out of luck. She'd then have to make another run for the road to get to other people.
So I'm going to run to the road.
Decision made. Whether it was a good one or not was still
to be seen. She could hear Oliver's footsteps again, slower this time though. He had to be as fatigued as she was, if not more. She needed to slow him down a little, but she didn't have any more soup.
A branch. One was lying on the ground within reach. It wasn't so big that she couldn't lift it, but it was large enough that it might do some damage if she gave it a major league swing or two.
Fight for your life if you have to.
She didn't know what Oliver had planned for her, but all indications were that it wasn't anything good. Heaven only knew what he'd done to her mother. She might be out shopping or she might be hurt somewhere. To find out, Shaw had to find someone to help them.
Turning so she could peek over the top of the rocks, she reached for the branch, dragging it closer to her and wrapping both hands tightly around the rough bark. Oliver had paused for a second, puffs of fog coming from his mouth as he breathed heavily. He looked right and then left, then right again, spying the rocks. She ducked back down but it wouldn't make any difference. He was going to run straight for her location. It was the only logical place for her to be.
Time to fight.
Closing her eyes for a brief moment, she gathered all of her courage and energy. There would be no dress rehearsal. This was it. Failing wasn't an option.
She took a cleansing breath and adjusted her grip just as he rounded the rock formation. Leaping to her feet, she twisted her body and pulled the branch back before throwing all her weight forward, the thick wood whistling through the air and crashing right into Oliver's knees. He went down with a scream of pain, immediately curling into a fetal position to protect himself, cursing her the entire time. Another blow wouldn't do much more damage and she had the head start she'd been needing.
"You fucking bitch!"
Tossing the branch away from his reach, she took off for the road as fast as she possibly could. She'd had a short rest and she needed to push her body far past what she'd ever thought she could do.
Pumping her arms and breathing fast, she raced through the bare trees, her gaze on the ground so she wouldn't trip over a random tree root, rock, or branch. Just a few feet away she could see the end of the grass and the beginning of pavement. She was so close.
