Little Red Valentine (Enigma, Maine)

by Iris Abbott

  “I really like what I see,” he gave her a big teeth-baring smile. “How soon can we go live with this?”

  His wolfish grin told her he was talking about more than the website and she felt heat unfurling in the bottom of her core and spreading to the rest of her body. “Umm, I will check everything over one more time after I leave here. I can have it up and running by tomorrow morning,” she promised. She packed up her laptop without looking at Mitch and then hastily made her getaway using work as an excuse.

  ****

  A loud bang near the back door made Scarlet jump. It also brought her back to the present. She was shivering even though the heater was running full blast. Another loud noise had her surging out of her office chair and to the phone. She really panicked when she discovered the landline was dead. She gulped in deep breaths of air. “It’s the storm,” she said over and over again. And the loud noises coming from the back of the house as well as the dead phone line could be explained by the storm, but Scarlet wasn’t taking any chances. She’d done that once in Boston and had almost died. She’d come to Enigma to be safe and right now she was feeling anything but safe.

  She scrambled into her bedroom locking the door behind her. She dumped the contents of her purse onto the bed until she spotted her mobile phone. She frantically grabbed for it. Then without second-guessing herself, she scrolled through recent calls until she found the main number for Gannon Security. “Please pick up,” she begged as the ringing continued on the other end. She knew someone there would be able to help her!

  “Hello,” the deep voice resonated through the phone. “Gannon Security, this is Justin Gannon speaking.”

  Scarlet nervously chewed on her bottom lip. She thought about hanging up the phone. Surely she was overreacting. Another bang from outside caused an anguished sob to escape before she could stop it. She didn’t care if she was imagining things. She was terrified and she needed help.

  The voice on the other end of the phone was more insistent now. “Hello! Who’s there?”

  “Justin, this is Scarlet Valentine. I’m at my grandmother’s old cottage,” she whispered into the phone. “I hear a lot of noise outside. Something is banging around like someone might be trying to get inside.”

  Justin breathed a little bit easier. “Relax Scarlet. We can get some pretty nasty storms out this way and tonight is one example of Mother Nature’s awesome power.”

  Scarlet wanted to believe he was right, but he didn’t know the full story. Before she knew it she was blurting out the horrible truth to a client. “I left a stalker behind in Boston! What if he’s found me?”

  Justin couldn’t help the obscenity that passed through his lips. Mitch had made it clear that he had his eye on Scarlet. His brother was not going to be happy with this latest information and that was an understatement. “Lock yourself in your bedroom and wait until you here from Mitch or me,” he demanded.

  “I already did that,” she admitted with a shaky voice. “Please hurry.”

  Justin was already dialing Mitch’s mobile number even before he broke the connection with Scarlet. “Where are you,” he demanded without any preliminary greeting.

  “Well, hello to you too,” Mitch greeted his brother. “I was discussing security for an upcoming party with Alessandro Russo, Phillip Saint John, and Logan Justice. Those witches of theirs sure are social, and get this. They want to host a masked ball at Russo’s castle to celebrate Valentine’s Day. I’ve never been a big fan of such a mushy day, but this year all the fuss will be worth it just to watch them squirm!”

  Any other time Justin would have made some inane comment about the absurdity of a vampire, cat shifter, and time traveling wizard participating in a masked ball just to please their respective wives. Now though he had other more important things to say. “Mitch I just got a phone call from Scarlet. She heard some loud noises outside the cottage and got scared enough to lock herself in the bedroom before calling Gannon Security.”

  Mitch chuckled. “I’m sure it’s just the wind from the storm. Did you try explaining that to her.”

  “Yea, I did. That’s when she informed me she was being stalked when she left Boston.”

  Mitch slammed on brakes right there in the middle of the highway. Thank goodness there was no one behind him. “Damn it! I knew I should have done a background search on her as soon as she showed up in Enigma and caught my interest.” He did a three-point turn on the deserted road and drove toward the cottage Scarlet now occupied. “I don’t want to take any chances with her safety. I’m on my way to her place right now. Meet me there as soon as you can just in case I need backup.” That wasn’t likely, but better to be safe than sorry. At least until he knew exactly who or what he was dealing with.

  He drove at breakneck speed on the highway that bisected the woods. He made a quick turn into the almost hidden driveway and then practically stood on the brake to come to a screeching stop in front of Scarlet’s cottage. Well so much for trying to sneak up on an intruder he thought. He jumped out of the large black SUV. His heightened sense of sight and smell weren’t detecting anything out of the ordinary. He should perform a perimeter check of the cottage, but he was in too much of a hurry to get to Scarlet. He went straight to the front door and knocked.

  He waited a few minutes, but there was no answer. He called her from his mobile phone, but the call went unanswered too. He ran a hand through his hair and then bent down to inspect the lock on the door. It was too easy for a security expert like him to pick the lock, which only served to add to his frustration. His wolf was howling on the inside to claim Scarlet. It had been ever since she’d set foot in town. She seemed to have other ideas however. She’d done everything in her power to avoid him since their first run in, so he’d been biding his time and giving her space. Now it looked like time was up for both of them. The threat of danger escalated his timetable.

  He opened the door and silently closed and locked it behind him. He looked around the inside of the cottage. Nothing looked disturbed and he didn’t detect anything out of the ordinary. “Scarlet,” he called into the silence. “It’s Mitch Gannon. Justin told me you needed help. Come on out so that I know you’re all right.” He waited but there was no response. He walked toward the master bedroom in the back of the cottage on silent feet. He rattled the doorknob. “Scarlet, everything is okay. Let me in.”

  Scarlet moved off the bed and cautiously made her way to the door. She placed one hand on the lock, but hesitated. How did she know it was really Mitch on the other side? The door shook and the knob rattled. “Scarlet open this door right now,” Mitch demanded. That settled it for Scarlet. Only Mitch Gannon would be standing there making demands and growling at her. She turned the lock and yanked the door open. She squinted in the dim light and as soon as she recognized Mitch she flung herself into his arms.

  Mitch was startled when Scarlet flew into his embrace. He heard a low strangled sob and tightened his hold on her. He rubbed one hand over her mass of tangled waves and the other over her back making comforting circles as he went. “It’s okay darling,” he whispered in a husky voice. No more sobs were forthcoming and Mitch released the pent up breath he’d been holding in relief. He sat on the edge of the bed and cradled Scarlet in his lap. “I’ve got you now and I promise nothing’s going to happen to you,” he whispered in a calm voice that belied the worry churning in his gut.

  Scarlet nestled closer to the warm body holding her in its comforting embrace. It was true that she and Mitch had not gotten off to the best start, but she felt safe in his arms. Safer than she’d felt in a long time. Finally after a couple of minutes she lifted her face from his chest. “Thank you for getting here so soon. Somehow I thought I’d be on my own for a while yet.” She shuddered at the thought of facing a deadly intruder on her own. Once had been more than enough.

  Mitch felt the tremors roaming through her body and hugged her closer. “Luckily I was already in my car and not too far away when Justin called me. He’s on his wa
y just in case I need backup.” His eyes stared into hers, dark black into golden brown. “I’m not very happy with you right now.”

  When she put more space between their bodies he folded his arms across his broad chest and continued to stare her down. “Justin told me you left behind something in Boston,” his eyes narrowed. “A stalker,” he arched a brow. “I can’t believe you haven’t mentioned this to one of us before now. You’re in danger and we only run one of the foremost security businesses in the country.” His sarcasm was evident in the bite of his voice. “And you can’t plead ignorance, because you’ve been working on our website for weeks now. You know exactly what we do for a living. And I’m sure you’ve garnered just how well we do that job.”

  Scarlet chewed on her bottom lip. How could she admit she had been almost just as scared of Mitch when she first met him? He made her feel things deep down with just a look. Things that no one else had ever made her feel and it scared her much more than a stalker she was hoping to have left behind in Boston. And that was why she’d been trying her best to avoid him.

  “I know how well you do your job, Mitch. That was never in question. I was just hoping he wouldn’t be able to find me here.” She let out a heart-wrenching sigh before continuing. “I just wanted to feel like I was living a normal life without eating and breathing fear. I’m sick of constantly looking over my shoulder and jumping at every unknown sound I hear. I just wanted to forget about it. Leave it all behind.”

  “Sticking your head in the sand doesn’t make the danger go away,” he warned. Scarlet visibly paled and Mitch cursed himself for being so insensitive. He just didn’t want her to take any chances. If being harsh got his point across and helped keep her safe then so be it! He shoved one hand through his already tousled hair. “Look if it makes you feel better, I can tell you that I didn’t see any signs of an intruder when I arrived. Of course I was so worried about you I didn’t exactly sneak up to the cottage. If someone was here they might have heard me and scurried off into the woods to wait for a better opportunity to get to you.”

  Scarlet hugged herself. “And that’s supposed to make me feel better. Gee your attempt to calm me is working rather well.” She was sure the sarcasm in her words was not lost on Mitch, if the narrowing of his eyes was anything to go by.

  “Calm equals complacent and complacent can equal dead. That’s not going to happen, not on my watch anyway. You need to pack a bag. You can’t stay out here by yourself. It’s too isolated. And at the very least I need to add a state of the art security system. I also want to change out your door and window locks and replace them with commercial grade locks. I of course know what I’m doing, but I was able to pick the lock on your front door in two minutes flat.”

  Scarlet backed up a step. She didn’t like the way Mitch had barged in and was trying to take over her life. Yes having a stalker was terrifying and as she’d almost found out in Boston it could be deadly. She’d survived then and she’d survive now. She didn’t need another man trying to take over her life. After all wasn’t that how this whole mess started?

  “You can’t come in here and start barking orders. I need to stay here in my own space. You said yourself that you didn’t see any signs of an intruder.” She shrugged a shoulder and tried to seem unconcerned. “I must have just overreacted to the storm. I’ll be fine here on my own.” She was careful to add the last part. She didn’t want Mitch to think she was inviting him to camp out at her cottage. The space definitely wasn’t big enough for the two of them.

  “I think you might want to reconsider that,” another voice said from the doorway. Scarlet and Mitch both turned to see Justin standing there with a grave look on his face.

  “What did you find?” Mitch asked his brother the beta of the Enigma wolf pack and his second in command.

  “Her phone line was definitely cut. And a back window has gouge marks around the casing that look fresh. I’m certain there was an intruder here,” he looked at Scarlet. “It’s a good thing you kept your head long enough to call Gannon Security and an even better thing that Mitch was nearby. A few more minutes and the intruder may have just smashed the window to gain entry.”

  Mitch moved closer to Scarlet. “That settles it. You can’t stay here. Surely you realize that now.”

  Scarlet wasn’t about to give in that easily. She glanced from Justin to Mitch and then back to Justin. “Maybe I can stay with Justin.” She might feel safer with Mitch, but there was her peace of mind to consider. An awful noise sounding a lot like a snarl escaped from Mitch’s curled lips. Taken aback by the out of place reverberation Scarlet took an instinctive step backward. She couldn’t help but notice that Justin did the same.

  “Justin will be there too. We share the family home. Besides the two of us have some work to do.” He looked at his watch, “and the sooner we get it done the better, so hurry up and grab enough things to tide you over for a few days. It’ll take me at least that long to get this cottage up to snuff when it comes to security.”

  Scarlet bristled on the inside at being ordered around, but she didn’t have much choice. She couldn’t stay here that was for sure and she hadn’t had a chance to make any friends in Enigma. Not that she would want to put any new friends in danger by putting them in the path of an obsessed lunatic. Somehow she couldn’t work up the energy to worry about Mitch Gannon. She knew deep down inside that he could hold his own against anyone even a crazy stalker like Travis Linden.

  She went to her room without further argument. It wouldn’t take her long to pack. Suddenly she was just too tired to bicker, and she couldn’t wait to get away from the little cottage she’d hoped would be a haven. She stuffed several changes of clothes and all the toiletries she would need into a medium sized suitcase. She returned to the living room to find Mitch and Justin with their heads close together engaged in deep conversation. They both stopped when she took a few steps toward them lugging the suitcase behind her.

  “Here let me get that for you.” Mitch sauntered over and picked up the piece of luggage as if it weighed nothing, which to him with his superior strength was the truth. He wrapped his free arm around Scarlet’s waist and deftly led her out to his SUV. “Ride with me tonight,” he commanded. “You won’t need your car before tomorrow anyway,” he insisted. “And my SUV is much more capable of handling this stormy weather.”

  Scarlet was emotionally drained and in no shape to argue. She let him help her into the passenger seat. She froze when he reached over her to fasten the safety belt, but she didn’t protest. He made her nervous and he evoked feelings, she wanted to forget, but she very well couldn’t tell him that. Instead she leaned back and finally relaxed into the soft leather of the seat. She should be nervous about going off with someone she barely knew. Mitch dedicated his life to protecting other people she reminded herself. His company had an impeccable reputation not just in the state of Maine but all over the country. Surely she’d be safe with him.

  Mitch got behind the wheel, started the ignition, and began driving. He glanced over at Scarlet. Her eyes were closed and she seemed comfortable, but he could still smell the cloying scent of fear that clung to her. The thought of her stalker tracking her to Enigma affected her more than she wanted to let on. She might be able to fool the average person, but there was nothing average about Mitch.

  “My house is about twenty-five minutes from here. You have plenty of time to fill me in on everything you know about who would want to break into your cottage and why.” Actually it was a straight shot through the woods and he could run it in his wolf form in less than ten minutes. Tonight he’d have to follow the highway, which meant driving around the forest instead of taking the shortcut. He made a mental note to show Scarlet the path as soon as possible. It might come in handy and he believed in covering all the bases.

  Scarlet shivered at just the thought of having to dredge up such nasty memories, but she knew Mitch was right. If he was going to protect her she needed to tell him everything that she could ab
out the unpleasant situation surrounding her. She took a deep breath and wrapped her arms around herself for added encouragement. “I had a stalker in Boston. It’s the main reason I packed everything up and headed to Enigma when I inherited my grandmother’s cottage. It was hard for me to leave behind my parents, and the friends I’ve known all my life, but I felt like I didn’t have a choice.” Not if she was going to survive, but she didn’t want Mitch to think she was being melodramatic, so she kept that statement to herself.

  “I heard about the stalker from Justin. I need more details. Do you know the stalker’s identity and exactly how long has he been harassing you?” His voice came out harsher than he intended, but the thought of someone trying to hurt Scarlet really shook his usually rock steady composure.

  Scarlet let out a little sigh as she prepared to give out intimate details of her life to a causal acquaintance. “His name is Travis Linden and he lived in a neighboring townhouse. We would run into each other occasionally here and there in the neighborhood. He asked me out several times, but I wasn’t interested and I kept telling him no. After a couple of months strange things started to happen.”

  She shuddered and Mitch reached out to turn up the heater. “What kind of things. I need details, so I know exactly what kind of danger we are dealing with here. In my job it pays to be thorough,” he added before she could object to all his questions. “You need to know that I am not going to let anything happen to you, but your cooperation would go a long way in allowing me to keep that promise.”

  Scarlet nodded her agreement. “Someone started leaving presents by my door. At first it was innocent things like flowers or chocolate, but sweet soon turned into disturbing. The last gift was a see through piece of lingerie complete with crotchless panties. I was repulsed by such an intimate gift from a secret admirer, so I just left the package by the door.” She twisted a strand of dark blond hair around her finger. “I was hoping my admirer would get the hint that I wasn’t interested if I didn’t accept the gift.” She shrugged and her voice trembled. “Instead I think it was the final snub that sent him over the edge. The next morning the lingerie was still by my door, but it had been ripped to shreds.” A little sob escaped. “A stray cat lived in the neighborhood and I usually fed it several times a week. I found him a couple of days later.” She couldn’t stop the violent shudder that racked her body. “Someone had stabbed him and left him to bleed out by my back door.”