Catching the energy between the officer and his sister, Mason cocked an eyebrow at Olivia with a question in his eyes. She just gave him a little smile, confirming he wasn’t the only one noticing the attraction.
“I can’t believe all of this is going to wind up having a happy ending. I bet it’s not what that bastard would have guessed.” Liz said.
At the mention of the man responsible for the destruction, the group grew quiet and became more solemn. Fiona sighed. “How did he latch on to Olivia in the first place? What’s this guy’s deal, anyway?”
Olivia looked at Mason just as Brad turned to him and said, “Mason? Did you want to take this?”
As he looked around the table at each of the people who were important in Olivia’s life, he realized that they’d become important to him, as well. They deserved to know what she was up against.
“Most of you may know some of what I’m about to tell you, but for those that don’t, I’ll start from the beginning. His name is Robert Mendez, and he’s a stalker that preys on women. He’s also the man who recently shot me and killed my partner.”
There were various gasps heard around the table as people who hadn’t known the connection took in the news. Jackie squeezed her daughter a little tighter against her body, while Tom sat up a little straighter and put his arm around her shoulder. Melody gripped the stem of her wine glass with a trembling hand and struggled to control her tears at the memory of her brother coming so close to death.
Leaning forward, Paul put his elbows on the table. “So, what the hell does he want with our Livvy?”
“And, more importantly, what are we going to do about it?” Liz added.
Fiona grew thoughtful. “It might also help if we knew a little more about him. I realize it may be painful to discuss,” she glanced at Melody and gave her an apologetic smile, “but, can you tell us anything specific about him?”
Mason laid everything he’d learned about Mendez out to the small group, including his capacity for murder, and told them the story of his own encounter. Throughout his retelling, Olivia held his hand, knowing how difficult it was for him to discuss his partner being shot.
About halfway through, Jackie got up and took Abby into the living room to play. Melody stood up. “I’m sorry, I already know the story, and it hurts every time I think about what could have happened.” She excused herself and went to join the mother and daughter.
After everybody was on the same page, the remaining people sat around the table silently for a moment. Brad stepped in to fill the quiet. “I know the situation is bad right now. We’re dealing with a dangerous man who is threatening someone we all love.” At that, he gave Olivia a little wink. “However, there are a few things we can do to help mitigate the danger until he’s caught. First off, we need to make sure Olivia isn’t left alone, especially in public.”
As Brad took over the conversation, Mason felt residual anger and frustration sitting hot and painful in his chest. Telling the story of what had happened to him and Ryan hadn’t gotten any easier. Needing a moment to get his bearings, he quietly got up and moved into the kitchen.
He was trembling as he opened the refrigerator and stood there staring blindly into the cool interior. After a moment, he managed to gather his wits and grabbed a beer before closing the door. Tom stood on the other side and gave him a long look.
He handed him the bottle opener. “That’s a tough story to have to tell.”
Mason took a hard pull from the bottle before replying gruffly. “Try living it.”
Tom looked directly into his eyes. “I have.”
Mason didn’t know what to say to that. There had been a look in the other man’s eyes he’d recognized from the moment they’d first met.
Tom opened the fridge and got a beer out for himself. “After the war, I spent months wrapped up in what happened over there. I felt that same mix of guilt, memories, and rage that you’re probably harboring.”
Mason didn’t know how to reply, so he took another sip of beer.
Leaning against the counter, Tom looked at him. “It’s not an easy combination to live with. Until recently, I still hadn’t figured it out. Hopefully, it won’t take you as long to come to terms with what’s happened.”
“How did you?”
He glanced towards the living room where they could hear Abby being tickled and laughing unrestrainedly. “You find other ways to be grateful, and things worth living for. You do it knowing that by doing so you honor the men who died in your stead.”
Mason looked over to see Olivia talking earnestly with her sisters and nodded at Tom. “I just didn’t want any of this ugliness to touch her, and instead I brought him to her doorstep, got her beaten up, her café torched…” Unconsciously, he rubbed at the ache in his chest. “If I thought it would make her safer, I’d walk away from her right now.”
“But you don’t.”
“Dammit, no, I don’t.” Mason drew a frustrated hand through his hair. “This guy isn’t someone who just changes his mind and moves on. Once he’s picked his target, he latches on and will stop at nothing to get ahold of her. In the cases we suspect he’s been involved in, it wasn’t just the victims affected. Family members were hurt and betrayed, cars were run off the road, there was even one victim whose parents had a bomb placed in their mailbox. This guy always managed to get his girl….and then they were never seen alive again.”
He blew out a breath. “He’s bad news, Tom. Big, ugly, bad news. And the worst thing about it is that I don’t know if I can keep her safe.”
And there it was.
The ultimate truth all his concerns boiled down to.
The one fear that was driving a spike into Mason’s heart; he wasn’t sure he could win against this guy.
Until a month and a half ago, Mason had always been confident on the job. Not cocky, but confident that he could do the work, find the clues, take the steps, and get his guy. For the most part, that’s what he and Ryan had done.
All of that was before he was shot, before his partner was killed, and before he’d come to…well, if not love, certainly care very deeply about the woman sitting at the dining room table. The same woman now being stalked by the guy who’d shot him.
“Hell,” Mason said, slightly under his breath. He put the beer down on the counter. It was probably better if he didn’t drink too much. He needed to stay alert.
“I know Olivia and Jackie thought we were joking the other day,” Tom broached cautiously, watching the thoughts flitter across Mason’s face. “But my offer was sincere. If you need help taking this guy out, I can help.”
Mason carefully searched the determined intent in the other man’s eye, and then shook his hand. “I really appreciate it. To tell the truth, I may need another set of eyes and ears I can trust to do the job. I’m really hoping it doesn’t come down to that, though.”
Tom nodded. “We can hope. In the meantime, let’s get back over there and come up with a plan.”
The pressure that had been building up in Mason’s chest eased a little. As the two men made their way back to the group at the dining room table, he realized Tom could wind up becoming a very good friend, indeed.
Olivia looked at him with concern in her eyes as he sat down next to her. “Sorry about that.” He glanced around the table at everybody. “So, as I was saying, we need to come up with a good way to make sure Olivia stays accompanied by at least one other person. I hate to say it, but not having the café could help.”
“Or, it might hinder us, since she now has an open schedule,” Fiona interjected, giving her sister a little bump in the shoulder.
He gave her a quick smile. “I hadn’t thought of it like that, but you may have a point.”
Olivia rolled her eyes. “Sure, go ahead and joke about it now, but wait until you have to sit with me through all those boring meetings with my insurance agent.”
Fiona scowled. “Ooh, I hadn’t thought about that.”
“Hey!” Olivia laughe
d. “At least you’re not the one stuck with a babysitter 24/7.”
“Well,” Mason said, “for the most part, I should be able to stick with her. However, there will obviously be times when someone else will have to step in. The main thing is that she not be left alone. Not even for a minute.”
“I learned that one the hard way.” Jackie spoke from the dining room doorway. “I promise I will not be making that mistake again. Heck, I may even come into the bathroom stall with you when you go pee from now on.”
Olivia laughed. “I don’t think we have to go quite that far.”
“Well no, maybe not, but she should be accompanied to the bathroom, at least,” Paul pointed out.
“Ugh, as much as I appreciate that you’re all willing to do this for me, I have to admit, the idea of being watched every minute of every day is going to wear thin very quickly. For all of us, I’d imagine.”
“Well, unfortunately,” Brad said, “it will be for the indefinite and foreseeable future, until we can get a bead on this guy. Nobody knows where he is now or where he may have been staying. There’s already a BOLO out. I don’t know how often you’ve watched the news lately, Olivia, but we also had our public relations office working with the local media. They gave them the details and the sketch you and CeCe came up with the other day.”
Olivia grimaced distastefully and apologized. “I have to admit I’ve been avoiding the reports. I caught one of them on the first day, and I couldn’t watch it. However, I’m glad that they’re getting the word out about him.”
“Well, that’s understandable. I can’t say that I blame you. At any rate, we’ve also been in contact with the Boston PD — thanks to Mason — and have been making sure both departments are aware of the situation and up to speed. They’re looking into a few leads and should be getting back to me in a few days.
“The point is, we’re on top of this and working hard to find him so you can get back to your life as soon as possible.”
Olivia smiled at her friend. “Thank you. I can’t tell you how comforting it is that you’re taking the lead on this case.”
“Well, I have to tell you, I almost got pulled off of it by my superior when he found out we’re friends. It took some pretty fast talking on my part and a word from Mason here.”
Before Olivia could respond to that, she felt a tug on her shirt, and looked down to find Abby pulling on it with her bottom lip pouting out.
“What’s up, sweetie?”
“I want pie!”
Instantly, the tension in the room eased as everybody laughed. Olivia bent down and picked the little girl up, giving her a squeeze. “You do? Well, it’s a good thing I made your favorite, then.”
Melody came into the room and sat at the dining room table beside Brad. “Don’t you wish you could be that age again and have nothing more to worry about than when you’re going to get dessert?”
Looking pleased that she’d come to sit by him, he gave her a boyish grin. “Too bad we didn’t realize how good we had it back then, huh?”
As if by unspoken order, the group got up and began to clear the table. Liz and Mason took over doing the dishes while Olivia cut and served pie. Fiona refreshed drinks, Tom made another pot of coffee, and the rest of the evening was filled with fun and light-heartedness, as everybody decided to set aside the big issues, at least momentarily.
Chapter Forty
Constant vigilance required an adjustment for everybody, but none more so than for Olivia herself. The following weeks were filled with errands, as Olivia and Mason met with the insurance agent a number of times and dealt with the café’s building manager, as well as stayed in contact with Brad at the police station.
However, she was surprised that despite it all, she was actually enjoying herself. She found Mason to be funny, considerate, and easy to live with….not to mention incredibly sexy. It would be easy to imagine spending her life with him, if not for everything else happening around them.
She still mourned her café, especially in the mornings when she’d normally be getting up to open it. It never would have occurred to her that she could actually miss waking up so early.
Instead of focusing on the sting of loss, she decided to throw herself into the work of opening her new restaurant. In her off hours, Olivia began researching various styles of décor, and spent hours combing through different aesthetics on the internet and brainstorming the kind of atmosphere she wanted. She’d even made an appointment with an interior designer.
It came as a pleasant surprise to find Mason had definite opinions on what looked good, and was comfortable talking about paint colors and the pros and cons of different fixtures. She found his thoughts to be insightful and she liked that he insisted that form should follow function in his design choices.
The days could have been a lot worse.
Granted, it was still hard work. She worried Mason might be wearing himself thin. Luckily, Fiona was able to come home from school after her finals, and helped take over some of the time. She was also the main reason Olivia found herself on a holiday shopping excursion in the middle of a Saturday during one of the busiest weekends of the year.
Olivia looked at the front entrance to the mall and paused, taking a deep breath to help calm her nerves. It had only been a few weeks, but she was surprised at how anxious she felt being in a crowded area out in public.
Mason and Fiona stood on either side of her while she collected herself. Liz was well ahead and striding towards the doors before she realized everybody else had stopped.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, walking back to the little group.
Olivia laughed self-consciously. “I know it seems silly, but I haven’t really been around a bunch of people since the incident. I’m a little nervous. What if he’s here?” A thought struck her. “What if he’s watching us right now?” She swiveled her head around, trying to see if she saw any suspicious characters loitering nearby.
Mason placed a hand on her back. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
Determined, Olivia shook off her fear and nodded. “Yes. Fiona’s right, I need to get Christmas gifts. This guy may have taken away my café, but he is not taking away my holiday.”
“Right. Besides, you’ll have us around you the whole time.” Fiona reassured her.
Liz hesitated, and then began digging in her purse. “You know, I was going to hold off giving this to you until Christmas morning, but I think it may be more useful now.
“Why does everything you want always wind up in the bottom corner of your bag where it’s the most difficult to find?” she asked rhetorically. After another moment of foraging, she pulled out an item with triumph. “Aha! Got it.”
“What is it?” Fiona asked curiously.
Liz smiled. “I found this the other day and thought of you, Olivia.” She revealed a slim, pink, sparkly cylinder with a black cap at one end and a keychain attached to the other side.
Mason began to laugh. “Is that what I think it is?”
Olivia took it from Liz’s hand. “What the heck?”
“It’s pepper spray. All done up in girly packaging and ready to be attached to your keys so you never forget it.”
Fiona laughed and grabbed it from Olivia. “Cuuuuttee! Please tell me you got one for me, too.”
Liz shrugged. “You’ll have to check your stocking on Christmas morning.” She winked at her younger sister before turning her attention back to Olivia.
“Pepper spray?” She never thought she’d be the type of woman to carry pepper spray around with her. Maybe even more surprising was how much it had instantly calmed her nerves.
“This is really thoughtful of you. Thanks, Liz.” Olivia immediately began threading it onto her keys.
“It’s not a lot,” Liz cautioned. “It’s basically good for only one surprise hit. Still, it might give you the opportunity you need to get away.”
Nodding, she examined the little canister. Suddenly, she felt silly for her momentary weakness. O
livia sucked in another fortifying breath and began walking towards the mall’s double doors.
“You know…I wouldn’t complain if you wanted to change your mind…” Mason mentioned hopefully.
Olivia laughed, and felt the last of her hesitation leave, “I know. Melody told me what a big fan of shopping you are. I’m sorry, Mason, but I really do want to get a few things.”
Stoically, he nodded. “Well, then, let’s do this.”
Two hours later, laden with bags, Olivia was feeling tired but satisfied. She gratefully snagged a table at the coffee shop and piled her bags onto the chair beside her. At some point, Fiona and Liz had split off to do a bit of shopping themselves, but they’d all arranged to meet up and to get coffee.
“I wonder where they could be.”
“Probably just got stuck in a line somewhere,” Mason assured her.
***
Halfway across the mall, the two sisters were weaving their way through the crowd when Fiona changed course. “Fiona! We can’t go in there. We’re already running late. Olivia is going to kill us.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I just wanted to check the prices on the new Samsung,” she said, stepping into the busy Verizon store.
“Why? You already have a perfectly good phone. Besides, didn’t you just get an upgrade?”
Fiona cast a guilty look at Liz. “Actually…”
“Oh no, not again. I love you, sis, but sometimes your head can be stuck in the clouds.”
She looked down. “I don’t know what happened. I went out with a few friends to a bar the other night – you know, to celebrate the end of finals? I could have sworn I had it on me, but when I went to plug it in, it was gone.”
“Don’t you think she has enough on her plate right now? She’s going to shoot you when she finds out. Isn’t that the third phone you’ve lost? Those things aren’t cheap, y’know.”
“Which is why I haven’t told her. I don’t want her to feel like she has to replace it again. I was going to price them, and pay for it myself this time. If everything works out, I can have it replaced by Christmas.”
Secret Hunger (The Harper Sisters) Page 27
