Emma was always happiest on those nights. She’d never know when she’d come down the stairs and he’d be there. Her step-mother would just casually set another place at the table.
It was like J.T. belonged there.
That was probably how she’d fallen in love with him, wasn’t it?
He’d be there, talking computers with her step-brother Ryan, or letting her step-sister Aislin crawl all over him. Or paint his nails bright orange.
That was probably it.
J.T. knew what it was like to be a real part of a family, though she knew his mother had died a few years earlier and his younger sister lived on the East Coast. He was comfortable with her family, from infants up to her dad. He fit.
And she’d been attracted to him for a very, very long time. He wasn’t like the men she met at school. They were mostly her age or a little older, but J.T. was almost thirty. He was established in his career, successful, and he was comfortable with who he was. Unlike the guys in her pre-law and political sciences classes. They were often competitive, with one another and with the women in the classes. And they were full of talks about their plans, what firms they were hoping to get in with. Somedays and maybes.
She knew what her plans for post-graduation were. She’d had them since she’d first met her Aunt Gretchen. Her dad’s sister was ten years younger than her dad and had spent the last fifteen years looking for lost kids. That business had morphed into helping families separated for whatever reason reunite.
Aunt Gretch had offered Emma a position as partner in the company she’d founded, on the condition that Emma graduated with honors from college. One day, she’d said, the business would be Emma’s, as Gretchen had never had children.
It was a cause so dear to her heart.
Maybe that’s what it was—the guys she kept running into around campus were too young in experience for her. Because of what her past had been like? Because of the uncertainty of living with an abusive parent?
Had one of those guys thought the rose and note were a great joke to play on her to get her attention?
She’d been asked out by quite a few of her male classmates, but had always turned them down. She’d made it very clear she wasn’t interested in relationships right then, that her career came first.
Had someone thought she didn’t mean it? Why were they doing this?
Chapter Four
“Thank you.” J.T. took the plates Dan’s wife Ally handed him and set the table. It wasn’t the first time Ally had put him to work, but J.T. didn’t mind. He missed family dinners. That had been one of the things his mother had insisted on—at least twice a week when he was in his teens the entire family—him, his sister, his parents, and sometimes both sets of grandparents would gather for a family meal. He’d not realized how much that meant to him until he’d lost his mom and half his grandparents within two years of each other, and was faced with knowledge that he’d never have one of those meals again.
But Ally and Dan did it every night. With as many of their seven kids as possible. Sometimes Emma, Kelly or Gracie would have other commitments, but most nights Emma on down to the twin babies were there.
Dan was really lucky, and J.T. knew the older man realized that. The only other man he’d ever met that prized family that much was his own father. J.T. was really looking forward to his dad visiting. Dan was great, but he couldn’t replace his own dad.
But tonight he wasn’t there to be a part of Dan’s family. He was there for her. And he was worried.
She was so quiet, far more than he was used to. They’d explained to her step-mother what was going on when they’d walked in, half an hour before Dan. Emma had chosen to ride with J.T. rather than her dad. She’d spent the entire drive quiet and almost brooding.
He didn’t like it. That was not the Emma he knew.
A rush of anger at the jerk responsible had his hand clenching on the plates and him fighting the urge to grind his teeth.
No one would scare or hurt her again. Not if he could help it.
They made it through dinner, then he and Dan slipped out of the family room while Emma went upstairs to grab a bag or two to take to his house.
J.T. sank into the chair near Dan’s desk while the older man closed and locked the door. J.T. knew there were things he and Dan would need to talk about without Emma or anyone else overhearing. While J.T. knew Emma deserved to be involved in everything the investigation would entail, there were some things the victim didn’t need to hear.
The idea of Emma being a victim of anything really pissed J.T. off. He knew her father had to feel the same anger.
“We’ll get him, Dan.”
“And you’ll keep me from ripping the son-of-a-bitch’s head off, right?”
“I’ll just remind you of the five daughters and two sons who still need you.”
“That’ll work. But still—“ Dan sighed. “A father wants to protect his child. It doesn’t matter how old or strong that child is. A real man does what he has to.”
“And that means being there for the entire family.” J.T. knew Dan would control himself—he’d seen the man in some hellaciously tense situations, and Dan had always kept his control. But this was one of Dan’s daughters… “Where do we want to start?”
“I need a list of all the men she’ll have come into contact with on a regular basis on campus. Then we’ll need to talk to her. See if we can eliminate some of the names.”
J.T. knew the statistics involved in stalking cases. Knew what patterns to look for. How many times had he studied social media posts to check for indications that the victims were being harassed online? “I’ll check her social media. She won’t like it, but we’re already connected online, so other than her emails, it won’t be too much of an invasion of her privacy.”
“Don’t soft glove her, J.T. I’d rather her be angry at us than a victim of a stalker. We know the odds. She most likely knows this guy.”
“If it is a guy.” J.T. was familiar with the possibility. One in nineteen men were stalked in some form or another—and most of those stalkers were women. It wasn’t impossible that it was a woman. Not as likely, but not unheard of.
“It probably is a man. Maybe one she’s turned down. We both know she’s a beautiful young woman. She draws attention wherever she goes. Add that she’s got a beautiful personality, it’s possible some freak took her the wrong way.”
All it took to attract a stalker sometimes was an initial moment of contact, or a casual glance. Nothing overt from the victim was needed, and stalking affected every socioeconomic and age bracket. No one was truly immune.
And almost two thousand victims died at their stalkers’ hands each year.
He would not let that happen to Emma. “I’ll keep her safe, Dan. No matter what I have to do. I promise you that.”
“Every instinct I have is urging me to bundle her up somewhere, where I can watch every moment of every day. But…”
“But you’ve got the rest of the family to protect. Most of them are kids. Let me, let the rest of the CCU, help you. You know we are here. And I’ll have my weapon on me at all times.”
“You’ll have to sleep sometime. I’ll call Ed, see if he can spare a watch for night time duty.”
J.T. knew the man’s limitations. This wasn’t a CCU or PAVAD type of crime. “It could have been an isolated incident. Though we both know the odds of that.”
“Especially with someone breaking into the car, in broad daylight. This guy was determined. And the contents of the note make me think this is just beginning.”
Chapter Five
He drove to his home by taking the most circuitous route possible. He didn’t think they were followed, but he wasn’t taking any chances. Not with her.
“I really appreciate this, J.T.”
“I’m glad you called me, and that I can help. Your dad—you, your entire family—you all matter to me. And I’ve got four available bedrooms for you to pick from. Some are decorated with rocket ships
from the Glendower kids, but they’re functional rooms. I’ve got a spare bed in two of the rooms.”
“Why did you buy such a big place?”
Because he’d been feeling sorry for himself. Feeling alone. He was almost thirty, hadn’t dated a woman seriously in more than five years, and he was lonely.
He’d gotten dissatisfied with the one bedroom apartment he rented near PAVAD, and his attention had strayed to the family picture he kept on the wall in his living room. The one where his family had been seated on the couch he’d actually brought with him when he’d transferred to St. Louis.
He’d made the decision that he wanted a house. Wanted something to put his stamp of ownership on.
And then he’d checked his finances and started the process of determining what kind of house he wanted and what he could afford. And then he’d overheard Marianna Glendower and Ally talking about what they were going to do with their houses after the women remarried. Ally had rented her home, but Marianna had wanted to sell.
So J.T.—who had been to Marianna Glendower’s home on a few occasions—had asked her some questions, asked the price, and a deal had been made.
It was impulsive, but he hadn’t regretted his decision. And in his spare time he used the skills his father had taught him to fix the house the way he wanted. The way he could see a future family needing.
If he ever had that family.
He wasn’t embarrassed to admit it. He wanted a wife and kids someday. He’d like to have those kids before he was too old to play with them.
“I hope to have a wife and kids someday, Em. Figured a house first might help.”
Her green eyes widened. “You have a particular woman in mind? I won’t be stepping on anyone’s toes, will I?”
He laughed. No. “No. No one in that role. I just believe in being prepared.”
***
OMG, was he serious? He’d bought a freaking house for a wife he didn’t have yet. For kids he didn’t know he’d ever get.
She felt a bit gooier toward him than she even had before.
He’d held baby Meghan tonight while Ally had nursed D.J. J.T. had laughed and made cooing noises at the four-month-old. He’d seemed to genuinely enjoy playing with the babies, and with five year old Aislin.
She’d just wanted to grab his cheeks right above the boyish dimples and the goatee he was trying so hard to grow and kiss the living snot out of him.
Even with a stalker on her tail, Emma still wanted that fool man.
Or maybe she just needed to shake the virginity she still possessed? Maybe that’s what it was—she was just horny or something?
She bit back a laugh.
No. That wasn’t it. She’d had plenty of opportunity, if that’s all she’d wanted.
That thought had her sobering. Was it one of those guys who’d started this whole thing?
She closed her eyes for a moment and tried to force herself to regain her equilibrium.
This stalker would not use fear to control her.
She had the opportunity here with J.T. that had been waiting on for a long, long time.
She would not let some crazy creepoid take that from her.
Time alone, in a private place, with the man of her dreams—wouldn’t she be stupid to mess that up?
Chapter Six
She’d never been to J.T.’s house before. She and Kelly had been to his old apartment once or twice, but this was different. A bachelor apartment was a lot different than a man’s home. Wasn’t it?
He unlocked the door and led her inside. “I repainted the living room already. It was a rose color. Pretty, but not exactly what I was looking for.”
The blue on the walls suited him. The furniture did not. “Still the same couch, I see.”
“It was my mom’s old couch. I grew up on it. When she died I asked Dad to bring it up. She’d long put it in the spare room over the garage. But… I needed it. It’s old and I know it. When I find a new couch I like, I’ll move this one to the office.”
She acted on impulse. “This couch looks perfect. How long has she been gone?”
“Three years in April. She had ovarian cancer. The doctors tried, but it was too aggressive.”
“I’m sorry, J.T. That must have been hard to watch.” She’d never really lost anyone she was close to. She’d never known her mother’s family—hiding from the authorities rather prevented that—and her paternal grandparents were gone before she and her sisters had been reunited with her dad. There were several aunts on her father’s side, and Emma was happy to say that she actually liked all of them. She’d met a few cousins in the last year, as well. But she’d never met the family members who had passed before she’d returned to the family.
She couldn’t imagine losing her dad or Ally or any of her siblings. Even Ryan and Ashlyn, her step-siblings, were as dear to her as Kelly and Gracie and the babies.
“So what room is mine for tonight?” She had one in mind, but there was no way she was brave enough to say it aloud.
“The one right next to mine. I want to make sure that I can hear you if you need me.”
“I hate being a wimp.”
“Being smart isn’t being a wimp. Trust me, if anyone knows that it’s me.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Look at me, Em, I’m a classic computer nerd. And my dad—he was totally different.”
“Did he make you think that because you were smart there was something wrong with you?” Her mother had taken every opportunity to make Emma and her sisters feel exactly like that whenever the older woman could.
“No. Not at all. I made myself feel like that. And the kids at school, too, I guess. My dad is larger than life. And I was definitely not. But he is a great man, and it was him that made me see that I was given the gifts I have for a good reason. And that I should use them. He’s a sheriff back in Illinois where I grew up. He still lives in the same house. It’s similar to this one. I think that is why I wanted this place so badly.”
His tone was open and easy, and he smiled when he talked about his father. “That’s great, J.T. I had some memories of my dad, you know. Not a lot, but enough to remember he was a wonderful dad. I tried to hold on to that when we were missing. And I knew he was out there looking for us—if he wasn’t dead, like she’d said. Somehow I convinced myself that he just couldn’t find us.”
“And he couldn’t. He looked for you guys constantly. And he had me searching online. I don’t think a week went by that we didn’t look for you. He had these age progression photos. They weren’t the greatest, but they were close enough. But we never found you.”
“You would have. Eventually.” She’d been waiting until Gracie was eighteen before she went looking. So that her mother couldn’t mess with her and Kelly that way. She hadn’t known her father had had legal custody of them until the day Kelly called with the news.
As soon as she’d heard that she put her backup plan into action. If she got Gracie to their dad fast enough, her mother couldn’t stop her. She had.
And there J.T. was, grilling in her dad’s backyard.
She’d taken one look at him and felt instantly drawn. He’d smiled at her, a nervous but infinitely kind expression. She’d figured him out right then and there. And she’d made a point of getting to know him.
To make sure her initial impression hadn’t been wrong.
He’d been there every time she’d needed him. Every single time. When her sister had been shot, when she’d needed a ride to the hospital, the time her tire had blown and her dad had been out of town and she’d not wanted to call the auto service—he had been there for her. Right when she’d needed, and as soon as she’d asked. Always.
And there he was again. Right when she needed him. And she hadn’t missed the gun he still wore at his waist. He was going to keep her safe.
“It’s a beautiful home, J.T.”
“Yeah. It needs a family. Who knows if that will ever happen to me—I may just wait a while until the m
arket improves. Sell it. It might get a bit creepy rattling around here alone. What am I going to do with a three bedroom place? Marianna had one boy in the attic, but I’m using that as storage. And another kid slept in the den—which is where my office is. There’s a full basement I plan to finish someday.”
Emma didn’t know what to do next. What to say, what to think. “I’m sorry to impose on you this way, J.T.”
He stepped up to her side and held out his hand. Emma put hers in his. She dropped her bag and buried her face in his chest. She hadn’t let herself process what she’d felt knowing someone had shown her exactly how vulnerable she actually was in this world.
What if the guy had decided to wait in her car? Or follow her home and run her off the road, or… any of the other crappy things she knew people could do to each other. She slipped her arms around his waist and just held him. “I was scared. I couldn’t tell my dad or Ally but…”
Chapter Seven
J.T. just held her. She was a little taller than average, but she was thinly built. Her hair was long and strawberry blonde and she wore it in curls designed to drive a guy crazy. Perfect for male fingers to tangle in. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever known.
And it really pissed him off that someone had targeted her. He’d seen what could happen to young, beautiful, vulnerable women. He would never let that happen to her. He told her that he’d take care of her, keep her safe. That she would be ok with him. He wasn’t used to being the guy the beautiful girl turned to.
J.T. had no illusions. He wasn’t the romantic hero type, and he’d certainly worked with enough men at PAVAD who did fit that description. Her dad was one of those guys, his boss Mal Brockman definitely was.
J.T. knew he was just the geeky sidekick who supported the other guys. But there he was, holding the girl-in-jeopardy and knowing that he was the one determined to make sure she was protected at all costs.
Stalking Page 2
