Feeling worn out, I dropped my head back against the cushion. “I know. I just…I didn’t want anyone to scare me out of my apartment. It’s the first thing I got without anyone’s help and I was really proud of that, you know?”
Dad hopped up, appearing even more upset. “You—” He stopped and spoke in a calmer voice. “I know what you’re saying, but you should have told me what was going on.”
I noticed how troubled he was and guilt started to jab me. I hated making anyone worry. Dad cursed under his breath before picking up my bag, and then he stalked off down the hall to the spare bedroom.
My cellphone rang inside my jeans pocket shortly after. When I pulled it out, I saw Mason’s name on the screen. He was the first person I’d wanted to call when I saw that creep in my apartment, but I’d decided against it when I remembered that his car was damaged because of me.
Sitting out on the couch, I answered the phone. “Hey.”
“Bristol, are you okay? I heard what happened.” The urgency in his voice triggered a hurricane of emotions.
I fought to squash my growing desire so I could get my words out. “Yeah. My admirer was at it again.”
I heard Dad coming back down the hallway and peered over my shoulder at him. Noticing I was on the phone, he walked to the kitchenette and started the coffee maker.
Standing, I turned my back, then lowered my voice so Dad couldn’t hear what I had to tell Mason. “He knew about the cameras, just like he knew the security codes to slip past the alarm.”
“What? You think he has the apartment rigged?” Mason asked, astonished.
“I mentioned it to the cops earlier. They didn’t find anything. Still, how did he know where to avoid looking? It must be that.”
He expelled a long breath before he spoke again. “I’ll stop by. We’ll take a look around the apartment.”
“Actually, I’m at my dad’s,” I told him.
“Oh, you finally decided to leave.” Satisfaction was evident in his voice. “It’s for the best, Bristol. The apartment isn’t safe.”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “I know, especially after seeing him there for myself.”
“So, what did he do?” Mason sounded so curious.
My cheeks started to feel hot. There was no way I’d tell him the details. “He just…looked through my stuff.”
“I see.” He took the hint. “How about we stop by your apartment tomorrow and check for bugs?”
I nodded while I answered, “Yeah. What time?”
“Around noon. I’ll be off then.”
“Thanks, Mason.” I smiled. No matter how much I feared putting him in danger, I really wanted to see him again; being around Mason felt so nice, like a breath of fresh air.
“It’s no problem, Bristol, just—”
“Doing your job?” I repeated his words to him while frowning.
He snorted. “No. More like trying to help you find some peace.”
That sounded better. “Thank you.”
When I ended the call and spun around, Dad was sitting at the island watching me with a quizzical look. “Who was that?” he asked as I moseyed over.
I leaned against the island. “A friend that’s a cop. He’s been helping me.”
Dad’s face softened. “That’s good. If you’re hungry I’ll order pizza.”
“Order pizza?” I dipped my head and peered up at him. “Dad, that’s not going to happen while I’m here. It’s not often that I come over. I’ll cook dinner.”
He seemed pleased by that, grinning. “Be my guest. At least you’re a better cook than I am.”
“You don’t even try.”
He smirked. “I hate cooking. If I ever do, it’s always pasta.”
Shaking my head at him, I chuckled and moved over to the fridge to find something to make dinner.
“Since you’re in town, you should visit your mother,” he advised.
I stared at him sideways. “I have a lot on my plate right now, Dad. I don’t need Mom’s antics too.”
His lips curved down into a frown. “She’ll keep thinking it’s me turning you against her. I thought you wanted us to get along.”
Taking out vegetables and boneless chicken tenders, I closed the fridge door and stood at the counter. “I’ll call her in the morning,” I replied with my back turned, placing the meat in the microwave to defrost.
“Good,” he said. “I’m sure she misses you.”
“I won’t tell her about what’s going on. She’ll make it a bigger deal than it is.”
“It is a big deal, Bristol,” Dad retorted in a serious tone.
Imprisoned by denial, I looked at him and said, “It’s just a guy with a crush.”
His features went hard, eyes burning red with fury. “A crush? Bristol, breaking into a girl’s apartment and scaring her isn’t a crush.”
“But—”
He flared his hand, cutting me off. “Stay here until they arrest the bastard.”
“Dad, I—”
“Don’t argue with me, Bristol. You can’t go back to your apartment, not until it’s safe. Do you understand?”
I bobbed apprehensively.
He slid off the stool and treaded over to the living room. Sitting on the couch, he started to skim over the blueprints sprawled across the coffee table that I’d noticed earlier.
Dad was right. My apartment wasn’t the safest place right now, but I had this feeling in the pit of my stomach that leaving meant my admirer was winning. I’d be damned if I let him win.
On Saturday morning I prepared breakfast and we ate together before Dad left for his construction gig in Fall River, almost half an hour drive from Middletown. I didn’t tell him that I was meeting Mason later at my apartment.
I washed the few dishes and killed time at the condo before taking off around noon. Mason was waiting by his rental car when I pulled into the parking lot. I felt a little displeased that he’d already changed out of his uniform. My friends were right, he looked great in it.
Like seriously.
He was still sexy in his casual shirt and jeans though. I bit my bottom lip as I imagined ripping off his clothes and ravaging the greatness he was surely hiding underneath.
Christ! This attraction was intense.
Mason flashed a tender smile as I approached. “Hey. How are you doing?”
I drifted back to my senses. “I’ve had better days. Shall we?” I nodded toward the building and started for the entrance. Mason followed.
“So, did they find any leads in the stuff he left yesterday?” I asked as we ascended the stairs.
“No,” he answered, regretful. “No prints. Nothing. Not even a lead to where he might have purchased them.”
“Yeah, I’m not surprised to hear that,” I mumbled. I was starting to feel so hopeless, like this ordeal would never end.
We turned down the hallway and continued to my door. I drew in a long breath and exhaled slowly before unlocking it. Mason entered first, just in case.
“Well, what do you know,” he said, picking up something from the kitchen island. “Another note.”
I shut the door and stepped closer, taking the paper out of his hand.
My love, please don’t leave our home.
If you spend another night away,
I’ll have to pay a visit to your father’s place.
Also, I don’t appreciate your cameras either.
We will meet when the time is right.
I was hoping we could make use of my gifts before the officers took them.
Too bad. I’ll get you something else when we’re finally together.
X
“Our home?” I seethed. “The nerve of him…” I handed back the note to Mason. “See, how would he know about the cameras unless he has my apartment bugged?”
“And he knew you’d stop by today. He followed you.” He placed the note on the island and walked to the window, peering outside for a beat. Coming back to me, he said, “Okay. Look for something sma
ll, maybe black or metallic, or just anything odd that you haven’t seen before.”
We began combing the apartment, checking under the cushions on the couch and under the coffee table.
“You know,” Mason tittered a bit while looking behind the TV. “I wish I was here under different, happier circumstances.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “You and me both.” I meandered across the living room to the plant by the window and dug in the soil.
“Really?” Mason confirmed in a playful tone. “That’s good to know.”
Riveted by a sudden feeling of shyness, I couldn’t reply to what he’d said.
He moved to the kitchen and opened up the cabinets. “So uh, if you don’t mind me asking, what happened with Tyler?”
His question caught me off guard. I stopped checking the books on my small shelf under the window and stared across at him. Mason finished going through the cabinets and turned around, waiting, curious.
“He, um…” I dropped my gaze to the floor and said lowly, “He cheated on me.”
Mason sputtered, “Asshole.”
I shrugged. “Yeah, well, that’s over with.” When I looked up again, a firestorm started in my stomach and heat soared through my veins.
Lust radiated from his body. His piercing eyes, the bulging veins in his neck, and the way his chest went up and down intensely was maddening. My heart palpitated, so loud in my ears. I was afraid that Mason would hear it in the dangerous silence that had filled the room.
“Um, w-we should…” I stammered and shifted in place, fighting for composure.
“Keep searching,” he said, gesturing to the hallway. I ambled off to my bedroom and stood in the doorway, remembering how that pervert had wandered around freely and touched my clothes.
Coming up behind me, Mason touched my elbow. I shuddered at the close proximity between us and continued into my room to relax my heart.
“I’ll search through the drawers,” I said with my back turned, walking to the dresser. “Wanna check the closet?”
“Sure,” he replied in low voice.
Unfortunately, like the officers on the day before, we didn’t spot anything out of the norm. Mason motioned for us to return to the living room. “There’s nothing here.”
I followed him out, not ready to stop just yet.
“Mason, I can’t give up.” I pleaded with him, “Let’s keep looking. Please.”
He offered a sympathetic smile before he began skimming the apartment again. We spent another few minutes rechecking under tables, the bed, lamps, behind the television, and in the bathroom.
Once again, we found nothing.
Mason threw up his hands, defeated. “Bristol, there’s nothing here. I don’t know how he knows these things, but I think we have to rule out the possibility that your apartment is wired. He must have figured it out some other way.”
I sank down on the couch, sulking. “It has to be bugged. How else would he know the security code?”
Mason sat beside me. “Okay, besides the company you used, who else knows the code or about the cameras?”
“No one,” I replied. “Not even my friends.”
His head went up and down at my words. After a moment, he asked, “What about your landlord?”
I scowled. “Mr. Farris? Well, he’s the one that recommended the security company and helped me changed the locks.”
Mason twitched his mouth, curiosity looming in his gaze. “He recommended the company?”
“Yeah…so?”
He didn’t answer right away, only stared off into space. It wasn’t rocket science to figure out what he was considering.
“No!” I sprang to my feet. “Mr. Farris isn’t like that.”
“What makes you so sure?” Mason jumped up as well. “You said it yourself, Bristol, it could be anyone.”
I placed my hands on my hips and rested my weight on one leg. “Not Mr. Farris. He’s a good person. He isn’t some pervert.”
At my words, agony warped his features. He slumped his shoulders in sorrow and peered down at the floor, blowing out a harsh breath.
“That’s what my sister said,” he whispered.
I inched forward. “What?”
Looking back at me, Mason explained, “A few months after my family moved to New Hampshire, my older sister met someone while she was part-timing at this café near her college. He was an employee at her school, a janitor. Ariel always had a smile on her face. She was nice to everybody. That guy took it for something else.”
I watched as Mason collapsed on the couch, appearing as if life had been drained from him. “He started sending her gifts—flowers, jewelry, cards, money, you name it. At first she didn’t think anything of it. She said he was just being nice. Then he showed up at her work upset one day because he’d seen her laughing and flirting with another guy at school.
“Ariel got scared and her boss chased him off, but that didn’t stop him from turning into a full-fledged stalker.”
“Oh my gosh,” I muttered, sitting down. “What happened?”
“He followed her around campus, dropped by her dorm, found her phone number by breaking into the school’s database and kept calling her at all hours, and he left her these… inappropriate love letters in her car and in her mailbox.”
Mason paused to catch his breath. His eyes reddened from fighting off tears.
“How did she stop him?” I pressed.
He turned his head and stared at me. Pain twisted his face so much that my heart ached for him.
“She didn’t,” he answered, his jaw stiffening. “Ariel complained to the school and she got him fired. Then she filed a restraining order against him, but that only made it worse. Instead of gifts, he started sending her threats. He violated the restraining order once and got arrested, but he was release in no time.”
Mason spun and peered into space, his breathing heavy with anger. “Over time, the stress, the fear of constantly looking over her shoulder took a hold of my sister. She stopped smiling. She didn’t go out with friends anymore. She quit her job. Everything for her just…stopped.” His voice cracked. “And then she….” He broke off again, overwhelmed by grief.
“What happened?” I urged, hopeful that Ariel had finally gotten rid of the guy.
A tearful Mason met my gaze and he said in a sad tone, “She killed herself, Bristol.”
I covered my mouth and muffled, “No!”
“Cops found his body two days later in his apartment. I guess he shot himself after hearing about Ariel. Bastard. He took the easy way out.” Turning away from me, he cleared his throat and wiped his face harshly with the palm of his hand. “I guess they both did. I just wish I could have done something for my sister, convinced her to keep fighting.”
Wanting to offer him some comfort, I began rubbing his arm. His skin was warm past the short sleeve of his shirt. “It’s not your fault, Mason. Ariel did fight. She filed that restraining ord—”
“It wasn’t enough,” he interjected, gritting his teeth. “What he put her through was terrible, but she shouldn’t have given up. My family and I… We were all trying to help her.”
“That’s why you’re helping me,” I said. “You don’t want it to be a repeat of what happened to Ariel.”
His expression turned rigid. “I didn’t think it was the same at first, but it’s—”
“It’s not the same situation,” I told him, squeezing his hand. “It’s not.”
He cocked his head to one side, regarding me as if I were naive. “Bristol, he knows where you work. He followed you to your dad’s place. He was watching us last Sunday, and he left a clear message on my car. It might seem small to you right now, but trust me, this is how it started for my sister. If we don’t figure out who he is, I’m afraid things will escalate. He will grow bolder.”
“I don’t think it’s like that,” I whispered, not wanting to believe it. I wasn’t Ariel. I was a fighter, and my story would have a different ending.
&nbs
p; For a moment, Mason sat there observing me. That warm feeling returned to my chest. I lifted my hand and stroked his cheek, wiping away a single tear that had broken free.
He covered my hand with his for a short time, and then eased it away. I wondered how he perceived my gesture, if I had crossed an invisible line that read: not now.
“Okay.” He sighed, not mentioning it. “Let’s get you back to your dad’s. I’ll keep searching for clues. If you think of anything, call me.”
We stood and headed to the door. I picked up the bag of water bottles I’d taken from my fridge. “I can’t believe I have to leave my apartment,” I groaned. “Damn it, this is so not fair.”
Surprisingly, Mason hauled me into his strong arms, hugging me tightly. His embrace was so warm and safe; I wanted to live there forever. Dropping the bag, I hugged him back, clinging to his shirt for dear life and inhaling his provocative scent. It felt so…good. I really enjoyed being near him.
But then Mason released me. My stomach plunged as the feeling of security flew away.
“It’s only for a while,” he consoled me. “Once we catch this guy we’ll do what it takes to put his ass in jail and you can feel safe here again.”
I nodded and forced a smile. What I really wanted was for him to pull me back into his arms and never let go.
Never.
We stepped into the hallway and I locked the door. I didn’t want us to separate just yet. No. I had to stay with Mason a bit longer.
“You know, it’s early. I’m not doing anything except sitting around my dad’s condo feeling anxious, and since you’re off duty right now…how about lunch?”
That sexy, crooked grin crossed his lips. “Okay,” he said.
“And,” I added as we started for the stairs. “No talking about my mess. I’d like to get this whole thing off my brain for at least an hour.”
“Sure,” he agreed, then he asked in a cunning tone, “So is this a date, Bristol?”
I laughed. “Just friends having lunch.”
Mason chuckled. “Friends, huh?”
“Yes.”
He allowed me to trek in front of him down the stairs. Reaching the exit, we continued to the parking lot. I dropped the water bottles on the backseat of my car.
Chasing Bristol (The Finding Trilogy Book 2) Page 8
