by Lila Kane
“You—you’re agitated. And it’s making me nervous. I don’t want you to be upset.”
Finn’s laugh was harsh. “You don’t want me to be upset? Fuck that. Of course I’m upset, but I’m more worried about you, Charlotte. He could have killed you. He could have—Shit.” Finn ran a hand through his hair and glanced at Curtis. “I’m sorry.” Then he looked at me. “I’m sorry. You don’t need this. It’s fine. I’m fine.”
Curtis set his pen down. “I don’t have many more questions for now. I can keep it brief, Mr. Moore. If you’d like to step out, we won’t be long.”
Finn glared at him like he couldn’t believe he’d suggest that. But I was grateful. Curtis was on my side, and I felt more comfortable around him. It was all facts with him. Curtis was thinking with his brain and Finn was thinking with his heart.
“It’s okay,” I told Finn, my voice gentle. “I’m okay. It’ll help if you just…”
Finn propped his hands on his hips, bowing his head so his chin almost touched his chest. When he looked up again, he’d recovered, and he walked to me and took my hand. “I’ll be right outside.”
He didn’t look at Curtis as he left, shutting the door behind him.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, clenching my hands on the back of a chair.
Curtis shook his head. “There’s nothing to apologize about. It sounds like your ex has a pattern of this kind of behavior, and after what’s been happening, I think he might be starting it up again.”
“I’m worried about my family.”
“I can send someone to them if necessary or contact the police in their area. Have you been in touch since you left the relationship?”
My eyes stung. “No.”
“It might be smart to give them a heads-up about where things stand with you. Let them know what’s been going on. For their safety and your peace of mind. And if I need to get in touch with them, for their safety of course, they’ll know who I am. Are you comfortable with that?”
I forced a nod. It was just my mom and my sister, but Curtis was right. It was smart. And I missed them more than I could say.
He made another note and said, without looking up, “I’ll need their names. I’ll be looking into Mark Dublin, to check on his location and the basics. Then I’ll dig deeper.” His head came up this time. “Is that okay?”
“Yes. But…will he know you’re looking into things?”
“I’ll be careful. I understand it might make him more upset on his end.”
I nodded. That made me feel better to some extent. No doubt Mark would be angry once he found out I wasn’t playing by his rules anymore.
“I’ll keep you updated, Charlotte. I don’t want you to feel like you’re out of the loop or that you can’t come to me if you feel uncomfortable. I agree with Mr. Moore that this needs to be dealt with, but it needs to be on your terms, too.”
I blew out a breath and nodded. “Okay.”
“I’d like to assign Dustin to you—”
“Wait, like a…bodyguard?”
Curtis leaned back in his seat. “Just temporarily. For when you leave the building, to make sure your apartment is safe before you enter. To be on-hand in case something happens.”
“I don’t leave the building. Not often.”
Curtis smiled. “Then he’ll have an easy job. But I want him to stay close. Just in case. I trust him, Charlotte. He’s quiet. He’ll give you your space. But he’s sharp.”
“It’s going to be really boring for him to follow me around.”
He rewarded me with another smile, and it relaxed me even more. “Dustin’s a pro at following around boring people. It’s part of the job. Here’s my personal number—to reach me the fastest.” He stood and passed me a card. “And I might have more questions.”
“Okay.”
“I need you to let me know if anything else happens. Right away. The faster we can get a lead on Mark and his whereabouts, the faster we can find him and put this to an end.”
Doubt flickered in me once more. “What if it’s not him?”
“Based on the little you already told me, it’s him. Like I said, he has a pattern. To be that controlling during your relationship, it’s very likely he’d continue that behavior after the relationship was over. He still thinks you’re his, Charlotte, and he’s smart enough to bide his time to make it happen.”
I shivered and crossed my arms over my chest.
Curtis touched my shoulder. “Don’t worry, he’s not smarter than us. And he’s probably getting impatient. He’ll keep trying to work his way into your life and he’ll make a mistake. We’ll catch him.”
I tried to believe his words, though it was hard. Mark had been sneaky in the past. He wasn’t likely to make any mistakes. Not if it meant losing what he wanted.
Curtis excused himself and left the office. I heard the low tones of his conversation with Finn and didn’t miss the anger in one of the voices. Finn’s. I hope I hadn’t gotten Curtis in trouble.
When Finn entered the room again, he shut the door behind him. “You should really eat something.”
I frowned. “Don’t be mad.”
Finn faced the windows, his shoulders tight. I could hear him breathing in and out and recognized his technique for coping with anger. Better than Mark’s, which I appreciated.
“You kicked me out,” Finn said. “I couldn’t help you before because I was an ass and I left you. And I feel like I can’t help you now because you don’t want me to know what happened.”
Walking up behind him, I said, “I’m embarrassed, Finn. I let Mark treat me the way he did for longer than I should have. I was an idiot and didn’t see the signs in the beginning of our relationship. I…”
Finn turned, eyes flashing. “You weren’t an idiot, Charlotte, and you never have been. He chose to treat you the way he did and he’s going to pay for it. I just want to be able to help.”
“You are helping. I promise.”
When he didn’t look convinced, I wrapped my arms around him. He straightened at first but then relaxed against me. “Let me in, Charlie.”
His nickname for me traveled straight to my heart. I closed my eyes and squeezed him tighter. “I’m trying.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
When we finished with the self-defense class, Paige was still smiling ear-to-ear. “Maybe I should wish for more things knowing they actually come true sometimes.”
I smiled at her as we walked to the locker room. “He was cute, I’ll give you that.”
“And he got the hold just right. Now I’m going to have good dreams tonight.”
Her mention of dreams sobered me some. I’d realized this morning I hadn’t had the dreams about Mark for several months, and they started right when Finn came into the picture. When he stayed over.
Gritting my teeth, I tried to shake that line of thought. No, it wasn’t Finn. It was the move. The change. The stress.
Glancing at Paige, I asked, “Now what are you going to wish for?”
Paige tilted her head, considering. The cute instructor she’d wished for talked with a few women after class, but waved as we headed out. We waved back and Paige smiled again. “His number.”
Laughing, I opened the door to the locker room and stopped on the precipice.
Paige eased past me. “I’ll go in first.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No worries. See? Self-defense class was a good idea. We can kick anyone’s ass.”
She was right. I felt a little better about defending myself, not that I was sure I’d remember any of it if I was in the position to need it. But this, just like moving and starting over at Oasis, was another step to moving on. To reclaiming my life.
“You going to Finn’s tonight?” Paige asked, pulling her gym bag out.
“I don’t know. I’d really like to stay at my own place. I’m not used to so much company. Not that I don’t like it—it’s just…been a while since I’ve been around so many people.”
She smiled. “Come to the daycare. You can be around dozens of screaming kids all day and that’ll cure you. You’ll be used to it in no time.”
“Dozens?” I asked. “You really have that many kids already?”
“Not yet, but soon. This week is the first official week we’re open, though we’ve had calls about drop-ins and filled ten more spots for next month.”
“That’s a good thing, right?”
Paige nodded, untying her shoes and sliding on sandals. “The discount helps. I think that’s why more people are considering living here instead of outside Oasis. If they already work here and they can get a discount for housing and daycare—it makes sense. Are there going to be discounts for food and items at the mall, too?”
“I’m working on it.”
We left the gym as my phone lit up with a message from Finn. Apologizing in advance.
I frowned and then yanked in a breath when someone appeared in my periphery. “Dustin,” I breathed. “You scared me.”
“Sorry, Ms. Evans,” he said, nodding at Paige.
“I thought you were going to meet me at my apartment.”
He nodded, following us to the elevator. “I was, and then Mr. Moore asked if I’d seen you. He was worried you hadn’t been by yet.”
“I told him about the class,” I said as we got in the elevator.
He nodded again, tucking his hands behind his back as we rode up. “Then he followed up with another call saying he remembered about the class and asked if I’d wait for you downstairs anyway.”
My sigh came out as a laugh. That’s what the text was for. “You really didn’t need to come down. In fact, you don’t have to come up with us now. Paige is with me.”
He stood to the side as we exited on our floor. “It’s my job. I’m happy to do it.”
“Don’t you have a family to go to?” Paige asked as she pulled out her key card.
“No,” Dustin answered easily but didn’t elaborate.
Paige wiggled her eyebrows at me, and I laughed. “Call me about this weekend,” she said before continuing down the hallway to her apartment.
I reached into my bag to pull out my card and then gasped when Dustin’s arm blocked my way. He held a finger to his lips. My gaze went from his to the door, which was already open a few inches.
“Go down to Paige’s place and lock yourself inside with her,” he whispered, drawing out his gun.
My heart thudded hard, and I nodded mutely, turning for Paige’s. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dustin peek into the apartment. Worried for him, I angled back. He saw me and shook his head once. “Go.”
Halfway down the hall, Paige stood outside her door, key card still in hand. Her door was already open as well.
“Paige,” I hissed, trying to keep my voice down. “Did you open that?”
She shook her head. I waved her to me. “Don’t go in. We have to—”
My phone buzzed. I pressed the answer button, hoping it was Finn or even Powell, before computing it was an unfamiliar number.
“Hello?” I said.
The voice stopped me cold. “Hi, Charlotte.”
My hands shook, and words caught in my throat. It was Mark. He had my number. Paige gripped my arm, eyes full of concern and even a flicker of fear.
“I know you can hear me,” Mark said, his voice soft. The musical tone he’d always used when he was about to teach me a lesson. “How’s your friend?”
I glanced at Paige while my heart raced out of control. She squeezed my arm, mouthing Who is it?
Backing against the wall, I leaned against it to support my weight. Then I scanned the hallway. How did he know I was with someone? The cameras?
My lungs constricted. Or he was here. Somewhere.
“Mark,” I said, trying to keep my voice even. “You have to stop calling me.”
“I just want to talk, Charlotte. No harm in that, right?”
“Where are you?” I asked, my voice shaking.
“In Portland. Where else would I be?”
Then who opened the doors? How did he know what was going on?
“I don’t believe you,” I whispered.
There was a smile in Mark’s voice when he answered. “Just a little motivation for you. We should talk. I’ve changed, Charlotte. Give me a chance.”
“Hang up the phone,” Paige hissed.
Dustin left my apartment, frowning when he saw me and Paige in the hallway. I hung up the phone and pointed. “Her apartment was open, too.”
His gaze whipped to her door and he lifted the gun. He pointed with his free hand. “Stay here.”
Paige met my eyes, huddling with me against the wall while Dustin checked her apartment. “That was him? On the phone?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“He wants to talk.”
“Hell, no!” she burst out. “Did he do this?”
I looked to my apartment and then to Paige’s. “I think so. To scare me. But…how?”
Paige’s eyes widened. “You think he’s in there? Or he was in one of our apartments?”
I shivered but shook my head. “He would have had to check in downstairs. They wouldn’t have let him up without our permission.”
“Then what’s going on?”
After another moment, Dustin returned, his gun holstered and phone pressed to his ear. “I’ve got Powell on the line.”
“He just called her,” Paige told him, anger in her eyes. “The son-of-a-bitch just called her on the phone.”
She said it loud enough for Curtis to hear. Dustin listened for a moment and then confirmed the order before hanging up.
“Let’s get inside,” Dustin said, gesturing to my apartment. “Powell is on his way up.”
Paige linked her arm through mine as my phone rang again. Dustin tensed, automatically reaching for it.
“Wait,” I said before he could grab it. “It’s Finn.”
“Inside,” he answered, touching my arm to get me moving.
Paige guided me back to my place as I spoke with Finn.
“How was the class?” he asked.
“Fine. Finn—”
“I forgot. Sorry about Dustin.”
“No, it was good he was here,” I said.
“What happened?” Finn asked, voice turning serious in an instant. “Is he with you now?”
“Yes. It wasn’t—”
“Damn it,” Finn said. I heard shuffling on the other end of the phone and his muffled curse. “I knew I should have been there. Are you okay? I’m coming down.”
“You don’t have to. Curtis is coming—”
“I’m coming down.”
He ended the call, and I stared at the phone for a long moment before dropping it into my pocket. Inside the apartment, I set my bag by the door and pressed my hands over my face.
Paige rubbed my arm, concern in her voice. “Charlotte?”
“I’m so sorry. You shouldn’t have to deal with this.”
“This isn’t your fault, and don’t be silly. I’m your friend. I’m here for you,” Paige said. She pulled me toward the living room. “Come on, let’s sit.”
But we’d barely made it to the couch before Finn and Curtis arrived. Finn strode inside and walked straight to the couch. His hair was wet like he’d just gotten out of the shower and he wore sweats and a T-shirt.
“Are you okay?” Finn asked, eyes pinning me. “What happened? Are you hurt?”
I couldn’t answer before he pulled me off the couch and into his arms. My voice was muffled against his chest when I said, “I’m fine, Finn.”
But he still ran his hands over my arms and let his gaze roam my face like he didn’t believe me.
“Her door was open when we got up here,” Dustin said, addressing Curtis.
Curtis looked around, eyes sweeping the space. “No one inside?”
Dustin shook his head. “Ms. Hammond’s door was open as well.”
Finn kept his arm tight around my waist when he turned. �
�No one in there either?”
“No, sir,” Dustin said. “No damage that I could see either.”
Curtis nodded and addressed me and Paige. “I’d appreciate it if you’d take a look around. Make sure nothing is missing and nothing has been moved.”
“I don’t think anyone was in here,” I said.
Curtis’s eyes met mine. “Why do you think that?”
“He was doing it to scare her,” Paige said. “He called her after Dustin went inside.”
Finn’s gaze whipped to mine. “He called you? Mark?”
I winced at his name and nodded. I eased back from Finn as much as he would allow, my lungs feeling tight.
“What the hell?” Finn said.
Curtis stepped up to me. “May I see your phone?”
I fished it out of my pocket. “It was a short call. An unlisted number.”
He continued to hold out his hand. “Still.”
I gave him the phone, and he started pressing the screen.
“How the hell did he get her number?” Finn asked. “Or get a key to her apartment? I thought you’d stepped up security—”
“He might not have had a key,” I said. “Or even been in here at all. He said he was still in Portland.”
“And you believe him?” Finn asked, looking incredulous.
“She might be right,” Curtis said, interrupting our conversation but keeping his eyes on the phone. “There are other ways to unlock the doors.”
“How?” Paige asked.
I swallowed. “The computers.”
The room was silent a long moment before Curtis handed me back my phone. “We’ll look into it. I need to know exactly what he said to you.”
After another hour talking to Curtis and getting Paige situated for the night in a separate apartment, I stood in the spare room of Finn’s place with my bag after he insisted I stay the night.
It didn’t feel like home. But hardly anywhere did these days. Stripping down in the bathroom, I turned on the shower and stepped inside. Finn was on the phone the minute we walked inside the apartment, and I left him to his calls.
I trusted Curtis would figure out the problem. Tonight, I was ready to let him. I mentioned going to the police, but he said short of filing a report, there wasn’t much else they could do unless something more happened.
