Sassy, Sexy, and Stalked

by Wall, Shelley

  Adam took the opportunity to interrupt. “If anyone feels they can’t meet the deadline or has issues with what they are requested to do, contact me immediately. As the lead for the project, I want to be aware of any conflicts or issues.”

  “As do I,” Reva added. “I’d like to take that one step farther though. We will meet in my office every week until the project is complete. Be prepared by bringing your status updates with you. That should include a brief description of what was completed prior, what is left to do, and any hiccups or roadblocks that we need to be aware of.”

  “I’d like to see all of them the day before to review the content before we discuss them with Reva,” Adam interjected.

  That was enough. His desire to control what she heard and saw was evident in every word and action. It had to stop. “Adam, I appreciate that you want to be so thorough. However, this doesn’t need to be that formal. I’d like everyone to submit the information directly to us in this meeting with no prior review or critique. We’ll discuss it together and address issues. I don’t want to stifle the flow of information nor accidentally leave something out.”

  Adam glared and shut his mouth. Reva noted the tight lines around his lips that signaled his frustration but ignored them. She delved into the papers that were handed out and the remainder of the meeting was spent discussing the project plan.

  When Reva finally drove home that evening, she had a headache. Rubbing her temple, she noted the pain seemed to crawl up her forehead and nag at her. Not only had Adam been argumentative and disrespectful throughout the meeting, one of the team members had returned to discuss it that afternoon.

  “I wasn’t sure whether to tell you this or not,” she had started, “but I think you should know that some of your staff are saying very negative things about you.”

  Reva hated the cowardice of people complaining behind her back but there was nothing she could do. The nature of gossip was that it was said without the target’s knowledge—therefore the target had no recourse but to act with grace and ignore it.

  “Really?”

  “Yes, they’re questioning your decisions on this project.”

  “Who’s they?”

  “I’d rather not say but he—”

  “So, is it a they or a he? If it’s only one person, that’s a lot different than a group.”

  “Technically, he has said a lot of things to a group of staff, which I overheard. A great deal of them blaming and derogatory toward you.”

  Reva smiled and kept her composure. “There’s nothing I can do about gossip. If the things you heard weren’t directly said to me, it would be wrong to reprimand someone based on hearsay. Not to mention that, while I expect everyone to do their jobs with a good attitude, it’s not possible to force someone to like me.”

  The woman eyed her suspiciously and rose to leave the room. “But he’s making some pretty big accusations. I just thought you should be aware, that’s all.”

  “What kind of accusations?”

  “He inferred that you were delaying his project and interfering to the point of causing errors. That your plans were wrong and he had had to fix a lot of your mistakes.”

  Reva wanted to laugh. Isn’t that what people commonly do when they can’t accept their own responsibilities? “I believe a psychologist would call that transference…when a person transfers individual problems or issues onto someone else. Look, I am not going to get into the details on his project and discuss performance issues with another staff member. That’s neither fair nor appropriate. Let’s just say that mistakes were made and the steps we’re taking now should correct them and get us started down the right path. I really appreciate you coming forward with this. Your loyalty is refreshing.”

  “It seemed wrong. Be careful and watch your back.”

  Reva had checked the shiver that crawled up her back. A few years ago, she might have marched to the gossipmonger’s office and reprimanded him. Though his name had never been given, it seemed pretty obvious. It wasn’t easy to hear this type of thing and not take it personally. She softened. “I really appreciate you telling me this. It was very considerate of you.”

  “I thought you needed to know.”

  “I did. And thanks.” She had offered a smile to the employee, accepting the loyalty and kindness behind it.

  Reva stood on her street and shook her head in frustration remembering the exchange. She opened her mailbox and removed the stack of envelopes and paper, and admitted the conversation had been awkward and stilted. The employee had wanted her to know more but seemed unwilling to give details.

  She glanced through the mail one by one, then stopped at a single sheet of paper with a typed message. Even the feel of the paper seemed cold and threatening. Todd’s footsteps caught her attention as he strode toward her.

  “Hi there.” He smiled and the troubles of the day melted somewhat. “Interesting mail?”

  She nodded and passed the slip of paper to him.

  CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

  Wouldn’t you rather be at home eating dinner with a hubby and kids than working late at the office?

  What the hell? Todd’s mouth dropped as he gazed at the glaring words on the paper. So he had been right. Someone was watching her. Not just the neighborhood like a burglar would, but Reva.

  Todd flipped the paper over to search for handwriting or other marks. None. He frowned. “You know what this means, right?”

  She nodded. Her eyes were as big as marbles, the skin over her cheeks paled instantly. “We need to call the police back.”

  Her hand shook as he engulfed her fingers in his larger ones. She froze. Why would this happen now? Did she have a magnet on her back that attracted this type? Had he decided to follow her home after all? What had she done to deserve it all?

  “Reva, planting yourself here in the street doesn’t change it or fix it. Let’s go inside, okay?”

  Except she didn’t want to. It was safer outside in public view. Bad things didn’t happen there. They happened inside, where no one could see or know. She looked around searching for a face to associate to the note. The face she’d tried to leave behind. He wasn’t there, of course. There was an art to that type of punishment. It had to be unexpected and unwitnessed.

  ***

  “Um…want to fill me in on what you’re looking for? An escape route maybe? Or someone in particular? I’m here, Reva. Right in front of you.” The words jolted her attention back to him. He stroked her arm but she backed away. “We’ll handle this, okay? He’s not going to do this to you anymore. I swear it.”

  “You can’t stop it. You don’t know—”

  “We can stop it and we will. You, me, the police, your family, your neighbors. You’re not alone.”

  Across the street, Jeff from the baseball team jogged by and waved. “Hey, you two!”

  Not alone.

  Except, he had left the note to remind her just how alone she really was. And that he knew exactly where. The jackass hadn’t counted on me, though. Todd put an arm on Reva’s shoulder and guided her toward the house. “We’re going to make that call to the police, then you’re coming home with me. We’ll call your family and let them know as well.”

  “No. It’ll just make it worse.”

  He quirked a brow. “You really believe that? Or is that just something he told you to keep you from talking? Think about it. If you talk, he’s exposed for what he is. If you don’t, he can keep going. Putting you through hell. No, you were never meant to be quiet Reva. Sure, he beat it into you—but that’s not who you are. And it’s not who you need to be right now. We’re telling everyone. You hear me. Everyone.” He could almost feel the color return to her cheeks as he held her against his chest. The shaking stopped.

  “Okay.”

  They made the calls. The police came and the curious neighbors peered out windows. A couple walked by to check on them. It was the second time a police vehicle had been in the neighborhood in a week, and that raised everyone’s curiosi
ty. Once the car had pulled away, Todd knocked on doors and spoke with each of her closest neighbors. By the end of the evening, it had traveled as far as three blocks. A neighborhood watch had been formed.

  Reva’s family was less calm. Two hours later, his small house was overflowing with people and a buzz of Spanish and English. He had to really concentrate to understand what had been said, but somewhere in the mix he thought the brothers had decided to take turns at her house on the couch.

  “She’s staying here with me,” Todd interjected.

  A short family eruption followed the statement, before Reva’s dad held up a hand. “No. Todd’s right. He won’t know to look here. If the boys stay at her place, he’ll run into a big surprise if he even thinks about trying something.”

  “Good point,” Ben added.

  Todd frowned. It would be unlikely any predator who appeared at her door would make it out without a sound beating. “You call the police immediately if he shows, or you see anything. Understand?”

  Ben ignored him. “Reva, you need anything from your house?”

  “Pretty much everything but this is overkill, guys.”

  Todd recognized that she had spoken less than a handful of words while the family rambled away. Didn’t they see the tension in her face? They all looked her direction.

  Reva tossed her hair back and met their gaze. “I know how to deal with this. It’s not that big of a deal.”

  “Not that big of a deal? Are you kidding me?” Todd barely managed to keep his voice controlled. “The man has already beaten you into the hospital and now he’s sneaking around in your backyard watching you—not to mention that note. Reva, this is definitely a big deal. It’s a huge one. Besides, even in normal circumstances, no one ever failed by being over-prepared for a situation.”

  He wanted to shake her. Instead, Todd pulled her to him and motioned for the others to leave. They’d all had their say. And had a plan.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “I don’t know. It just doesn’t feel the same. Nick wouldn’t do this.”

  “You probably never thought he’d hit you either when you met him. You thought he was better than that. Right?”

  She quieted for a minute. “I wanted to believe it. To believe he was a good man.”

  “He probably wanted to believe it himself. And he wanted others to also.”

  She pulled back and Todd lifted her chin. “So we take away his advantage and bring it all out into the daylight. Everyone knows and everyone watches. He’s too much of a coward to come near you in that situation.”

  Reva put a hand to his chest and dammit if he didn’t completely forget all the protective instincts and let his mind go back to the night before and the feel of that same hand stroking gently against his torso. Todd rubbed his eyes with a thumb and forefinger and forced the thought away. Or at least to the background. Was he really that messed up? The first thought he had was to get her back in the sheets?

  “Why are you here, Todd? This is a big mess. Why would anyone want to be a part of it if they didn’t have to? I don’t have a choice—can’t really run away it seems. You. You have options.”

  Did he? He supposed he could just walk away and let her figure it out on her own. And she would. Reva was smart and strong, even if she didn’t see it. God knows he didn’t really like or need the drama. Still, after all the crap he’d gone through with Annie, it had become obvious that as organized and devoted as he was with business—he’d never really put a lot of effort into a relationship. He thought he had but when you’re with someone that doesn’t really care about you, it’s easy to just do what they ask and let things flow. To keep them happy. It’s easy to believe that’s how it should be. He had always been good at most things he tried, so it never occurred to him that more effort made it more satisfying. Other than with Eric, of course. Eric was worth the effort. Being his dad was the best thing he had. Until now.

  “Most of the things that are worth having are worth working toward. Only the unimportant ones come easy, Reva, and that’s usually because we don’t care about the outcome.”

  She gave him a puzzled look and he realized he had spoken in tongues as far as she was concerned. But it made sense to him.

  “And maybe the good ones sneak up on you just like the bad things do. It’s hard to tell the difference.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

  Adam shook his head to clear the vision of matted bloody hair from his mind. It shouldn’t have gone like that. He had just talked to the woman at the park and told her to leave him alone and mind her own business. He hadn’t done anything wrong, just hiked up his music. Big Deal. Without warning, she’d lunged at him.

  There had been no call for her to get all up-tight anyway. He’d been there before. She sat in the grass with a bag of bread at her side, tearing off bits and throwing them to the bevy of pigeons that surrounded her. He hated pigeons. They were nasty birds, good for nothing but making a mess. She crooned at them, and as the sun hit her back, he realized it was Reva. Reva was sitting there, throwing tidbits to the worthless crowd of worthless creatures, encouraging them to huddle around and waste time. Waste space. Make his life difficult.

  He had no desire to see her at the park only minutes after he’d left work and expected to leave her behind also. The fact that she bothered with the pigeons made him bristle. Even more so when she shouted over her shoulder, “Turn that noise down!”

  The music was good and lively. It filtered through the park and added joviality to the afternoon. He had no intention of turning it down. He hit the plus button on his volume and noted her glare as the sound grew.

  Reva approached, the look of frustration evident in every forceful step. “I said to turn it down, not up, you idiot. Can’t you listen to the peacefulness of the park rather than that commercialized crap?”

  Adam ignored her. She could order him around at work but she had no business following him to the park. Didn’t she get it? He wasn’t interested. She might be attracted to him, but as much as he considered it, there was just no way. Sure, she was pretty in a way. Yet, she was incredibly difficult to get along with. He stepped toward her with his normal forced smile.

  “Reva, we have to quit meeting like this.”

  “Huh? Reva? Who’s Reva?” The woman looked perplexed. She hesitated to step further toward him. “Are you okay, dude?”

  Then, without his understanding, he looked down at her face covered with gravel from the park road and blood. Her hair was matted against her scalp and frothy with wine-colored shampoo. Only it wasn’t shampoo that oozed from her head. He stared at the startled expression on her face. It had begun as surprise but now what lay their permanently embedded in her features was—forgiveness. Why? He didn’t need her forgiveness. She was the one that followed him around, made his life miserable at work, then tried to seep into his off-time. As he stared longer, the features changed. It wasn’t Reva. She was shorter and a bit plumper. Her hair, though now matted, was straighter.

  What the hell?

  ***

  “Unless this Nick guy has a way of transporting himself from one place to another quickly, he’s not your peeping tom,” Officer Teckley stated on the phone. “According to our investigator, he has been at work every day at his job in Florida. In the evenings, he’s apparently joined a bowling league with his new girlfriend and, according to a neighbor, brings home a trophy almost once a month for some contest they’ve won…fairly consistently. Neighbor said he was obsessed with winning it. The guy’s quite charming and handsome. The girl’s a bit of a mouse though. Do me a favor, make a list of everyone that you’ve had an altercation with in the past month. Add to the list any new acquaintances that seemed random or odd. Email the list as soon as you get the chance, or you can fax it to the number on the card. We’ll canvas the neighborhood again too.”

  He has a new girlfriend. A bit of a mouse. Go figure. Reva imagined that people had thought her a mouse too.

  Reva measured th
e words with a solid amount of foreboding. Something in the back of her mind, said think. She had missed something. Something important—relevant. A coldness settled over her. Think. How would this keep happening? What started it?

  She looked at the clock on her desk. She had officially stared at the computer screen for fifteen minutes without typing. Not one single keystroke. She hadn’t taken her office phone off do-not disturb. Yet, from the flashing light, it was evident the messages had piled up. She hit the speaker button and typed in her code to hear them. Oddly, the first message recorded a time of three in the morning.

  “Reva, Adam here. I’m not going to be in today. I’ve had a personal thing come up and I need to be off for a day to take care of it. Nothing critical, but it needs addressing. The project shouldn’t be affected much. I can make it up over the weekend if needed. I’ll take a day of vacation. Thanks.”

  Reva exhaled a sigh of relief. One less piece of drama to deal with; she had more than her quota. The remaining messages had come just in the last couple of hours during her morning meeting. No big crisis but a few things needed immediate attention and she dived in. The day surged by and when she looked up that afternoon, she was amazed that the time showed five-thirty and all the staff had left for the day.

  “Hey.” Todd smiled when she arrived.

  Reva appreciated the comfort and warmth that came with the expression. “Hey back,” she acknowledged.