Rachel’s eyes lit up when she began to detail her personal reading list, and other books she’d read that she had enjoyed. She quietly confessed that she liked Emily’s fantasy series the best and asked when the next volume was coming out. Emily laughed softly and promised Rachel it was currently in the works and would be on the shelves before she knew it.
Joe inched forward and he stood just behind his sister, wanting to be a part of their conversation. Emily effortlessly drew him in, and told him about authors she knew of, who wrote sports oriented novels for kids his age. She promised him that if he liked just one series she’d mentioned, then she would be proud of his effort of trying something new. He toed the dirt as he considered it. Finally, Joe promised he would look them up.
Rachel chuckled and patted him on his side, and then she turned to hand Emily the book. Now that they’d chatted, Emily knew exactly what kind of message to write. She took the pen in hand and gave Rachel words that she hoped would always hearken back to that day for the teen, and not just be a cold, impersonal signature that she’d seen so many authors offer at signing events.
“Here you go,” Emily said and touched Rachel’s hand as she passed her the book and pen. “We’re going to head out now. But I thank you for reading and I hope you’ll continue.”
“Always,” Rachel promised. “You write it and I’ll read it.”
“Sounds like we both have a plan then, doesn’t it?” Emily teased.
“Yes, ma’am,” Rachel nodded.
Emily searched her eyes for a second and saw only honest, youthful wonder in Rachel’s gaze. She smiled again and then rose from the bench. She felt Gabriel’s hand immediately close around hers and Emily stepped back until she was by his side. They moved to turn and leave when Mr. Hopkins asked if they could have a photo. Emily closed her eyes and swallowed hard.
“Mr. Hopkins, if we allow a photo, we ask that you not post it on any public forum or online site until a few weeks have passed,” Gabriel said, his tone serious and offering no room for refusal. “As you can imagine, it’s very hard for Emily to have any kind of privacy, even when she’s on vacation, as she is now. We don’t want others to learn of her whereabouts and make what should be a relaxing trip into a free-for-all. Do you understand and agree?”
“Oh, of course,” he immediately answered and nodded. “Here we are doing the same, aren’t we?”
“We don’t mind at all. Just promise us that you’ll help protect her privacy,” Gabriel pressed.
“We won’t post it at all, if that’s what you want,” Mr. Hopkins replied.
“That is what we want.” Gabriel smiled.
Emily noticed, however, it didn’t quite make it to his eyes. He and Noah were the ever-watchful guards and she loved their attentiveness where she was concerned. Gabriel gave her fingers another light squeeze and she turned back to take a few photos with the family.
Emily forced herself to smile into the camera, not wanting the Hopkins family to sense the distress that was beginning in her gut in earnest. She could feel the sweat beading up along her spine and trickling down it as her nerves began to get the better of her. It wasn’t these people she was reacting to, it was the damn camera. She wondered in that moment if she’d ever look at one the same way again.
Noah watched Emily’s face carefully, reading her distress clear as day. Yet this family had no clue that she was putting on a brave face for their benefit. She’d calmed down when she and Rachel had sat talking at the table, but the second the camera came out, she lost a good bit of her color. He shifted from one foot to the other, itching to call a halt to the whole thing and get her out of there.
Gabriel inched closer and his elbow brushed against Noah’s arm, willing him to calm down. Noah glanced at Gabe, saw his arms folded across his chest and his stoic expression, and he nodded his understanding. He stopped moving and instead stared at Emily, hoping she could remain strong as Stan snapped away.
After what felt like the tenth photo, Emily stepped away from the cluster they’d formed. Rachel shook her hand one last time. Emily told them all to have a fun afternoon, and with that final comment, she resumed her place between Gabriel and Noah. She strode away from the Hopkins family without looking back, seeing that Garrett and Kaden were doing that for her. She rubbed her hands down the front of her jeans, trying to remove the sweat that had formed there from her small panic attack.
“You handled that like a pro, Em,” Noah quietly praised her.
Emily emitted a shaky little chuckle, but still managed to smile up at him. “I am a pro at it, Noah. This is what I do for a living. I write and I meet fans. Get used to it, sweetheart, ’cause it’ll always be like this.”
“She called me sweetheart again.” He grinned crookedly and looked over at Gabriel.
“That she did.” Gabe smiled and looked down at her as they stopped beside their blanket. “I know you were enjoying this outing, Emily, but we drew too much attention just then. We need to leave.”
“Of course, love.” Emily continued to smile as she repeated the endearment she’d directed his way that morning in the cabin. She was determined to hold on to the good that was happening that day, and not her brief upset there at the end.
Gabriel winked at her and began gathering their food and supplies. Emily knelt to help him and she felt his hand pass over her hair.
“I’m proud of you too, honey,” he said softly.
“Thank you. Both of you,” Emily said in response. She looked from Gabriel to Noah before she refocused on the task at hand.
In less than five minutes they were back in the SUV Kaden had brought them to the park in. Emily sat between Noah and Gabriel in the second row, her hands laced through theirs. She watched as Kaden circled the parking lot, slowing behind the Hopkins’ sedan. He waited until Garrett gave him a quick nod before he resumed normal speed and left the area behind.
Emily glanced at Gabriel and arched an eyebrow.
“He was getting their tag number, Em,” Gabriel said in answer to her silent inquiry. “We’ll give their names and information to Braden, and he’ll find all of their online profile pages, email accounts, and the like. He’ll make sure they don’t post any mention of your whereabouts or those pictures they just took.”
“Better to use caution and assume that they’ll post them anyway,” Noah added. “We never leave such things to chance, baby.”
“Oh,” she managed to say. “Well then thank you, Garrett, for thinking of that.”
He met her eyes in the review mirror and nodded slightly. “You’re welcome, Emily. I know that was unexpected, but you made that little girl’s day.”
“I don’t regret meeting her,” Emily said with a shake of her head. “She was precious. And so was her little brother.”
“That kid would have followed you home like a puppy,” Kaden chuckled. “He was more star-struck than his sister, though he was trying to hide it. He kept inching closer while you and Rachel talked.”
“Yes, I noticed,” Emily smiled. She looked out of the window and watched the tranquil scenery roll by for several minutes. Her mind wandered, but it repeatedly came back to one thought, one idea that wouldn’t leave her. Kaden’s words had struck a chord in her and Emily needed to speak up and talk it out. This time, she was determined that’s what they would do – talk and discuss, not shut her down.
“Guys, in your experience on the job, do predators shy away from the object of their desire over time, or do they get closer? Do they give up if things look challenging or do they find ways to make contact regardless?”
Both Kaden and Garrett glanced at her in the rearview mirror again. Gabriel’s eyes turned downwards towards her, just as Noah’s did. Emily looked from one to the other until her gaze locked on Gabriel’s.
He sighed, but spoke, giving her an honest answer to the insightful question. “Emily, most often, once such a perpetrator fixates on one individual, they look for ways to make contact. They may try to substitute another person
who bears a striking resemblance to the one they truly want, but that never satisfies their appetite. They want the one they’ve mentally laid claim to, and sometimes others are just a practice run to get them ready for the person they actually intend to take.”
“How do they make contact, Gabe?” she asked quietly.
“All depends on the person. No two are exactly alike. Sometimes, they leave gifts or mementos. Others send pictures, like your stalker has done, trying to let the victim know that they are seen and appreciated by the predator. As if the photos prove there’s a connection between the two and the stalker wants to tell the victim that they’re not alone, that someone out there sees them and values them. It’s a twisted version of what’s really going on, but to the criminal, they think what they’re doing is a loving gesture.”
“While there are others who will get physically close,” Gabriel went on to say “They will walk right past the person they’re fixated on, maybe on a sidewalk or in a grocery store. They may hand the victim something they’ve dropped, just to be helpful and get a chance to look directly into their eyes. Any way or means to touch them, they’ll seek out such opportunities and see such moments as a small victory. As if the moment their eyes locked, the victim acknowledged there was a connection between them. That usually just speeds things up, for they think the victim is encouraging contact and asking to be taken.”
“I see.” Emily chewed her lower lip while she considered what Gabriel had just shared with her. “You know, the sheriff told me after the first three packages arrived, that he thought this person was someone I knew. Maybe someone I’d never really given the time of day to, as in noticing them as a potential or suitable partner, but someone who had dreamed of us being together nonetheless.”
“He said that?” Noah asked, his brow furrowing heavily.
“He did. I told you he asked if I’d ever spurned anyone or refused anyone other than Jonathan. I told him I hadn’t. But he still thought that this stalker was a hometown person with a crush that had gone from wishful thinking to a full-blown case of want. He was afraid that if their desire turned to frustration, I would be in real, physical jeopardy.”
“And yet he only sent two young deputies by every so often to check in on you?” Noah bit out, his ire rising.
“No, he came by too. So did Jasper, Eric, and Lance. All six of them made the rounds and swapped out with each other. The sheriff gave me their numbers and had me enter them into my phone, so if I ever felt scared I could call them directly.”
“And did you ever call them?” Gabriel asked.
“No. I was grateful he gave me the ability to call on them, but I never did. Well… Wait a minute. That’s not exactly true. I did call Andrew. But I initiated that, because I looked his number up in the phone book and called him when the first envelope came. I considered calling Jasper, but his number was unlisted, so I called Andrew instead.”
“What made you trust him over all the others?” Garrett asked as he turned around in his seat to look directly at her.
“I don’t know,” Emily shrugged. “I’ve been around Andrew since junior high and we see each other at the gym sometimes when I go to work out. He’s sweet and I thought he could help me keep it all quiet. He immediately called the sheriff, and Strauss came to the house that day. He and Andrew were the only two to know about it initially, but when the second envelope came a week later, that’s when the sheriff pulled in the other deputies I mentioned and tried to make sure I was surrounded by protection.”
“How did this Andrew take what was happening to you?” Garrett pressed.
“He was not happy about it at all. In fact, he was even angrier than he was the night Jonathan pulled his stunt. But all the men acted that way, the day the sheriff brought them in on what was happening.”
“Go back through that day for us, Emily,” Gabriel said. “Think through each man’s behavior and describe it. Help us see them as you did.”
“Okay… Well, the sheriff was methodical, organized, and calm. Though a little twitch in his jaw let me know he wasn’t as cool on the inside as he appeared on the outside. But he was the leader of that group and he fulfilled his role well, never letting his emotions cloud his judgment.”
“Jasper and Lance each gave me a hug after the debrief was over and told me how sorry they were that such a thing was happening. They promised that they would do their best to watch the area. Jasper even offered to let me move into his parents’ home, telling me I could have his old childhood bedroom, but I refused to put anyone else in jeopardy. I know his parents well from church, and I’d never want to see them hurt because they took me in.”
“Eric and Ryan didn’t say much initially. Eric had that same tick in his jaw that the sheriff did and I remember him shaking his head repeatedly in disgust. He offered to go through my house and make sure there were no bugs or devices planted that could give someone the drop on me, and the sheriff agreed. Eric did that the very next day, but he found nothing.”
“And Ryan?” Noah prompted her. “He was verbose the night we went to your house and learned what was going on. In fact, he was sharing so much that Andrew told him to be quiet.”
“That took some nerve,” Kaden smirked.
“Yes. I was close to wringing Andrew’s damn neck,” Gabriel grumbled.
“Oh, Gabe,” Emily chuckled, “you probably scared him to death. You and Noah are so much larger than he or even Ryan is.”
“And don’t think we didn’t use that to our advantage,” he replied, unapologetically. “We had them caving in no time.”
“I can only imagine,” she sighed playfully.
“But back to Ryan,” Noah redirected her. “Tell us, Em, what he said or did.”
She nodded. “Ryan was quiet initially. He listened to everything the sheriff said and he looked over all the photos with the others. After Jasper got through talking with me, Ryan promised that he and Andrew would patrol my street regularly and that they wouldn’t let anyone harm me while they were on watch.”
“Did he hug or touch you like the others did?” Noah asked.
“Um… I think he may have touched my hand when he gave me a cup of water. Nothing untoward though. Nothing like the hug Jasper or Lance gave me.”
“And Eric is the one you said used to sleep with Heather?” Kaden asked.
“Yes,” Emily sighed. “She and Eric had a relationship. Julie went out with him too, before he and Heather got together. And I think Becca and Melanie went out with Andrew at different times over the course of the last two years. None of it worked out, and as far as I know, all the girls are single now.”
“Gotta love small towns,” Kaden laughed under his breath and shook his head.
“What are you talking about? You come from a small town.” Noah made a sour face at him and it only made Kaden laugh all the more.
“Yeah, but I wised up and now I live far away from there,” he retorted.
A frown pulled Gabriel’s features in tight and his brow furrowed. Emily noticed the strain around his eyes and she swept her thumb across the back of his hand to take away whatever had upset him.
“I’m still trying to understand why Heather and Becca came to your house,” Emily said to Gabriel, ignoring Kaden and Noah’s banter. “Do you think one of the guys leaked information and told them I was away?”
“Don’t know, Em,” he said with a shake of his head. “Ross is supposed to be working on phone records, to see if either woman has talked with one of the deputies of late. We’ll see.”
“And you’re all focusing heavily on the deputies,” she went on to say. “You don’t act as though you think this suspect is another person in town? Why look at just them?”
“We’re not looking at them exclusively, honey. We’ve pulled the gym’s membership and their sign-in logs, to see who might have been around you during some of those initial photos. We’re considering who might have come inside your house before the first packet ever arrived, trying to determine w
ho might have gone inside your bedroom and into that cedar chest.”
“Ethan and Lawton will soon have a warrant to extensively interview your neighbors, to see if any of them noticed a person hovering too close to your home. And Braden is trying to verify if anyone has accessed the video surveillance of your house through Andrew’s computer. A lot is happening behind the scenes.”
“And yet you’re looking into the deputies too?” Emily asked again.
“We are,” Gabriel said with a sly smile. He couldn’t get anything past her, and he loved it. Loved her ready wit and her intelligence. Loved that she could go toe to toe with him and give as good as she got. He was just glad some of her gumption was coming back so she would.
“Okay,” she chuckled and leaned into his side. “So tell me, handsome: who’s your money on?”
“Hey, now,” Noah warned playfully.
“You’re just as good-looking, calm down.” Emily lifted her hand and threaded it through his blonde hair to reassure him.
“I know I am,” he played back at her, grinning like the rogue he was in the moment.
“Just not beautiful, right?” She remembered his earlier insistence that men could not be called beautiful; and for some ungodly reason, Emily wanted to rib him with the term in front of his teammates.
“Ugh!” Noah shivered. “Bite your tongue, woman.”
“Woman?” she asked indignantly.
“You guys sure you’re not already married?” Kaden asked dryly.
They all shared a laugh together before Emily realized Noah had distracted her from getting an answer from Gabe. She wondered if it had been deliberate, or if Noah was truly picking at her as he liked to do. She looked back up at Gabriel and saw him watching her intently.
Emily realized he was waiting for her to ask again, but she saw a small amount of hesitation flit through his blue irises. She decided to let it lie for now, and talk more when it was just the three of them again. Gabriel slowly inclined his head, and she knew that she’d made the right decision. She trusted him not to lead her astray and so she leaned back against his side. His arm wrapped protectively around her and she smiled as Noah took her hand back in his.
Theirs To Claim (Predatory Desires Book 1) Page 24
