by Chloe Lang
They came up the steps of her front porch. A vase of red roses was at the foot of her door. “These must be from one of your brothers.”
“My money is on Mitchell. He’s the most sensitive of the three of us.”
“Musicians always are.” She bent down to retrieve the vase as Jason put the key in the door. “It might be from Lucas or both of them. You never sent me flowers, Jason. A girl likes getting flowers you know.”
He cupped her ass and led her inside. “I know exactly what this girl likes and you know it.”
“Devil.”
“Vixen,” he said with a laugh. “Well? Which brother are these from?”
She opened the tiny envelope and felt her heart seize. “It’s from him. From the stalker.”
* * * *
Jason’s body tensed. He took the card from Phoebe’s trembling fingers. Reading the message filled him with protective rage.
You looked beautiful at the wedding today, Phoebe. You have no idea how much you mean to me. Please stay away from the Wolfe brothers. I wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to them.
Love,
Your Secret Admirer.
He held her close. “It’s going to be okay, baby. Trust me.”
“I do, but this is so crazy.”
“You let me handle crazy. You stay put while I check out the house.”
She nodded.
With his gun out, he checked every nook and cranny of her place. The fucker wasn’t here and there was no sign that he’d ever been.
“We’re alone, honey.” He put his arm around her. “Let’s get you in a warm bath. I will take care of everything.”
“Thank you. I don’t know what I would do without you.”
He filled the tub. “I’ll bring you a glass of wine and something to nibble on after I make a few calls.”
She slipped into the water. “Who do you think this guy is, Jason?”
“Honey, it’s too early to say.”
“Please. I know you have some ideas.”
“It might be Andy McCrae,” he admitted.
“If it is, then my worries are over. He’s harmless.”
He wasn’t about to remind her that the stalker had hacked into both his brothers’ phones. Definitely not harmless. “When was the last time you saw him?”
“A year ago, at least. But who else could it be? You have other suspects, don’t you?”
“Yes. I’m worried that Mitrofanov or Lunceford or both might be pulling the strings on this, baby. Until I know for certain, you will not be left alone.”
She smiled. “You three are more alike than you think.”
He kissed her. “When it comes to your safety, we are in total agreement. Relax. I’ll be back in a few minutes to check on you.” He exited, leaving the door to the bathroom open.
He walked into the living room with his cell and ROC in one hand and his gun in the other. He brought the phone up to his ear. Looking around her place, he spotted so many items and photos that reminded him of how their life had once been. It’s going to be again.
Two rings later, Lucas answered. “Hey, Jason. How’s our girl?”
“She just got flowers delivered from the stalker.”
“I’ll be there in five minutes. I’ll call Mitchell on the way. The wedding reception just ended. He’s packing up the equipment.”
Jason hung up the phone.
After putting his wet clothes in her dryer, he walked into Phoebe’s kitchen. Next to a couple of bottles of merlot, which he knew to be her preference, he found an unopened bottle of Jack Daniels, his favorite drink. Phoebe didn’t drink hard liquor. Ever. Beer or wine were as strong as she drank. Why did she keep a bottle of Jack on hand? In his heart, he knew why. For me. She keeps it for me.
He got out a couple of glasses and poured each of them a drink. He’d finally seen the old smile on her face tonight, and that had sent his heart soaring. No fucking psycho was going to harm a single hair on her head. He’d give his life, if necessary, to make sure she remained safe.
What if the stalker turns out to be Kip Lunceford? He drank the entire contents in his glass, sending the biting whiskey down his throat.
He fired up his ROC that Brown had given him and the rest of her new team.
Lunceford had escaped. Was he Phoebe’s stalker? Even if he were, Kip would be a fool to come to Destiny for Phoebe. And a question kept swimming around in his head. Why her?
She and Lunceford had little connection. Sure, the maniac loved pulling strings, especially when it came to the Knights. Megan, their wife, was Kip’s ex. Lunceford even liked screwing with the whole town. But it just didn’t make sense that he would zero in on Phoebe.
Looking at the files Brown had already shown him, he poured another shot. “What am I missing? What don’t I know about this?” Rage still simmered close to the surface inside him. He looked at the flowers. They’d come from a florist, so there likely wouldn’t be prints of any use on the vase. The florist was located in Clover, about ten miles from Destiny. Perhaps there were prints on the note, though. Also, there might be a possibility the florist saw the son of bitch’s face. He’d go with Nicole to Clover to check that out first thing in the morning.
He slammed the roses into the trash. There had been fear in Phoebe’s eyes when she’d read the card. He cursed under his breath.
With the glass of merlot and a plate of fruit, cheese, and crackers, he walked back into where he’d left her.
From the tub, she looked up at him. “What can we do about this stalker issue?”
He smiled. “You haven’t changed a bit, baby.”
“What do you mean?”
“Always straight to the point. This is what you’re going to do. You will enjoy your bath.” He grabbed a towel and put it around his waist. “And I am going to take care of everything. Understand?”
She nodded. “I’m glad you’re here, Jason.”
He’d always been awed by her courage, but never more than now. The last three years had been tough on him but even more so on her. She’d seen her brother fall hard and land in prison. She’d walked away from love, and he and his brothers had let her go. No matter what kind of knocks life dished out to her, she kept getting up, kept fighting.
Whoever the creep turned out to be, Jason would make sure the psycho never bothered her again. Breaking any law was something he’d never thought possible for him. But now, he knew whatever it took to make sure Phoebe was safe he would do, including killing the motherfucker, with or without legal cause.
His cell rang and Phoebe’s eyes widened. He looked at the screen. “It’s not him, baby. Relax.” The caller was Agent Brown.
Her shoulders sagged. “I guess I’m just a bit jumpy,” she said, taking a sip of wine.
“Understandable.” He put the phone to his ear. “Hello.”
“We got a hit on your stalker issue, Jason,” Brown said. “We know who he is.”
Chapter Eleven
Lucas bolted past Jason, who had opened Phoebe’s front door for him. “Where is she?”
“Getting dressed in her bedroom.” With only a towel around his waist, Jason held a phone to his ear. “She’s fine. Go see for yourself.”
Lucas found her sitting on her bed in a robe. “Baby, are you all right?”
“I’m okay.” Phoebe’s trembling hands told him she was nervous.
He put his arms around her and held her tightly. “It’s going to be okay, sweetheart. I’m sure Jason has a plan started already. We’ll have this guy before you know it. In the meantime, we will be by your side at all times.”
“I got here as fast as I could.” Mitchell’s words came from the other room, as did Jason’s.
“She’s with Lucas in the bedroom, Mitch.”
He and Phoebe met Mitchell in the hallway.
She wrapped her arms around Mitchell. “All three of you are here. For me.” Her voice shook.
The three of them returned to the living room where Jason was now dressed
and still on the phone.
Lucas wondered who was on the other end of the call.
“I’ll let you know what I find out in Clover tomorrow.” Jason clicked off his phone. “I’ve got news. That was Mr. Black’s replacement, Agent Brown. I asked her to help me on the stalker issue.”
“Bringing in the CIA is a good thing.” The serious tone in Mitchell’s voice was unusual, but given what was going on was about Phoebe, it was not unexpected. “What did she say?”
Jason stepped in front of Phoebe. “Turns out that Andy McCrae is your stalker.”
“I can’t believe it.” She shook her head. “He might be strange, but I actually feel better knowing it’s him. Andy couldn’t harm a fly.”
“How does Brown know it’s him?” Lucas still thought the SOB needed to have his face pounded into the ground. Any man who harassed women deserved that and much more. McCrae hadn’t stalked just any woman. He’d stalked Phoebe.
“You’ve heard about what the Feds can do with phone records. Dylan had run all of the calls Phoebe had received through his channels. Nothing. Brown stepped it up several notches. She’s got quite the pull. We got a hit. One of the calls came from a burner phone that McCrae purchased with his credit card.”
Mitchell snorted. “Not too smart.”
“Criminals always screw up in the end.” Jason touched Phoebe’s cheek.
“What an idiot.” Lucas remembered how the TBK tech appeared around town. He looked more like a deadbeat loser, with his long stringy hair that always seemed in need of shampoo, than a brilliant engineer.
“I doubt he was expecting the CIA to get involved.” Jason patted his gun, which was holstered to his side. He meant business, deadly business. “Besides, all the other cells McCrae bought weren’t purchased with credit cards.”
Mitchell nodded. “It’s good for our team that the bastard finally slipped up then.”
Jason continued. “Brown hit all the databases at the Agency. More credit card transactions popped up. McCrae has been in and out of the county for weeks, mainly staying at the motel in Clover.”
Phoebe sighed but her trembling had stopped. She was strong and brave. “That’s only ten miles from Destiny.”
Mitchell turned to Lucas. “No wonder the fucker knew to call you and me when we came to her house.”
“He’s a tech. Getting our numbers would be simple for him.” Lucas held Phoebe’s hand and squeezed. “The rat must’ve been skulking around town and scurrying back to Clover for cover when necessary.”
She looked directly at Jason. “I thought Andy was in California at his new job.”
“McCrae hasn’t been to work in a couple of months,” he told them. Phoebe shrugged, clearly still having trouble accepting that Andy McCrae was behind all the calls.
Lucas pulled her in tight. “It’s almost over, baby.”
“I know, but it is so strange to finally know who my stalker is. I need to call Corey and Shane.”
Jason handed his cell to her. “Use mine.”
All of Lucas’s and his brothers’ focus was on getting the fucker. Once the creep was dealt with, then they could move on to building a life together with Phoebe.
“I’ll put him on speaker, in case he has some questions for you, Jason.”
“Hello,” Corey answered.
“Corey, it’s Phoebe. Good news. The Wolfes have found out who my stalker is.”
“I just found out, too. Andrew McCrae. I’m in my car and headed that way.”
“Is Shane with you, Corey?” Phoebe’s concern for Shane was never far from her thoughts.
“No. I tried to call him but he didn’t answer.”
Lucas saw Jason’s face darken with frustration and Phoebe’s tighten with worry. They were jumping the gun. Shane could be anywhere, but with Jason’s ever by-the-book way of doing things and Phoebe’s overwhelming sisterly love, Lucas understood why.
“You know our brother, sis.” Corey’s voice held all the years of frustration and worry that the entire Blue family had for Shane. “He’s probably with some girl.”
Corey’s idea of where his brother might be didn’t seem to change Phoebe’s demeanor one bit. She was still concerned about Shane. Given all that had happened three years ago, Lucas, too, was worried. By the looks on Jason’s and Mitchell’s faces, he knew they felt the same way. But that was something to deal with later.
Right now, they had a stalker to take down. “Corey, how soon will you be here?”
“Almost there, I’m just around the corner. See you in sixty seconds.”
The call ended.
“Once Corey gets here, me and my brothers will head to Clover, baby.” Jason touched her cheek. She nodded. It was good to see that they’d gotten past the old hurts. “Not only is he your brother, but he is a US marshal, so I trust him to protect you.”
“Me, too,” Mitchell agreed. “If that fucker is there, he’ll be sleeping and we can get the jump on him.”
“Lucas and Mitchell, please raise your right hand,” Jason instructed.
Mitchell’s eyebrows rose up. “What for?”
“I need to deputize you both before we leave.”
Lucas nodded. This was one time he was on board with Jason’s by-the-book way of doing things.
Time to take down the motherfucker.
* * * *
Phoebe dialed Shane’s number again. Still, no answer. “Where could he be, Corey?”
“You know how he is, sis.” Corey sat next to her on the sofa.
She was so glad Corey was with her. He and Shane were the best brothers a girl could have. She never doubted they would do anything for her. But of the two, Corey was solid as a rock. Before the drug conviction, she would’ve sworn Shane was the same. “I’m worried sick about him and about the Wolfes.”
“Of course you are.” Corey grabbed her hand and squeezed. “Your guys will be fine. They know how to handle themselves.”
“I still can’t believe Andy McCrae is behind all the calls.”
“Believe it or not, the evidence is very clear.”
“Will he get jail time? He hasn’t hurt me.”
“Harassment is very serious, Phoebe, but the courts will have to decide what McCrae’s penalty is. Maybe we should talk about something else.”
“Small talk isn’t going to help me relax. Not until they get back from Clover.”
“It might not relax you, but maybe it could distract you,” Corey said. “Speaking of the Wolfes, are you back together with all of them? It sure appears so.”
Phoebe smiled. “We’re better than we were, but we’ve still got so much to work out. You should’ve seen Jason’s face when you said you couldn’t get ahold of Shane. He automatically thinks the worst.”
“Can you blame him, sis? It’s going to take time for our brother to earn everyone’s trust again, especially Jason’s.”
“How can he and I get past what happened with Shane? It’s like a wedge between us that just won’t go away.”
“What Shane does is Shane’s to deal with, Phoebe. You deserve happiness. Don’t let our brother’s mistakes drag you down. Jason loves you. So do Lucas and Mitchell. You four belong together. Mom and Dads know it. I know it. Hell, even Shane knows it.”
A knock on the door made her jump to her feet.
“You expecting anyone?” he asked in a hushed tone.
“No.” It was too soon for her three men to have returned from Clover.
“You stay here.”
She nodded, feeling her heart pound hard in her chest. She grabbed her purse and pulled out her gun. Even though she wasn’t defenseless, Phoebe was glad to have her big brother, a man who was a highly decorated former Marine and now a US marshal, with her.
“It might be Shane,” she whispered as he got to his feet.
“Might be. Let me find out.” Corey brought out his weapon. He peered through the peephole. “Nothing to worry about, sis.” He holstered his gun. “It’s only our parents.”
&nb
sp; “Did you tell them about my stalker?” She put Lady Equalizer away.
“Not me. I’m betting Shane did, though.” He opened the door.
“Honey, are you okay?” Her mom ran to her side, taking a seat next to her on the sofa.
“I’m fine, Mom. What are you doing here?”
“You know exactly what we’re doing here, young lady,” Dad Curtis said in a tone that always sent a chill up and down her spine. “We’re here because we heard about your stalker.”
Dad Eddie shook his head. “Phoebe, you shouldn’t have kept us in the dark about this. We’re your family.”
“I know, Dad, but you’re dealing with so much already.”
Her mom grabbed her hand. “Honey, we’re your parents. We are supposed to take care of you, not the other way around.”
“But I’m a grown woman, and with Shane just home from prison—”
“Stop right there. You always take on more than you should, but let us worry about Shane.”
“Seems to me, sweetheart, you’ve been dealing with a ton of stuff yourself.” Dad Curtis took a seat on the other side of Phoebe.
Dad Eddie put his arm around Corey’s shoulder. “And what about you, young man. How long have you known about this stalker?”
“I swear, Dad, I just found out this morning.”
Her mother sent Corey one of her famous disapproving looks. “We’ll talk to you about that later.”
Phoebe was puzzled. “How did you find out, anyway?”
“Shane,” Dad Curtis answered. “He called the diner an hour ago. We were there putting away the supplies from the catering van. He filled your mom in on everything.”
Her mom let out a long, worried sigh. “No more secrets, baby. Promise me.”
Seeing the concern in her parents’ eyes crushed her. This was exactly why she had tried to keep the stalker issue from them. But now that they knew, she was glad to have them in her corner. They were the best parents in the world. “I was just trying to protect you, but okay, I promise.”
“Do you know where Shane is?” Corey asked.
All three of their parents sighed.
