Vengeful Shadows

by Bronwyn Green

  “Kennedy thinks you’re full of it and that the whole relationship is a fake. She’s been trying to get me to confide in her.” Aidan waggled his brows. “Believe me, mate, I’ve been tempted.”

  Zander shook his head. “The other?”

  “Barnes is predicting the date for the wedding.”

  If Zander were honest with himself, he’d admit the thought had crossed his mind. More than once. Especially last night. The simple act of offering comfort had drawn her further into his heart than he would have thought possible.

  Fragile happiness mixed with a healthy amount of fear swirled in his gut as he looked down the highest roller-coaster hill he’d ever seen.

  “Are you even listening to me?”

  He glanced at his friend. “No.”

  “This is becoming a disturbing habit, York.”

  Zander shrugged.

  “I need someone to cover my seven o’clock class tonight,” Aidan said.

  “Can’t. Got dinner with Tessa’s parents.”

  Aidan’s brows rose. “Maybe, I should get in on Barnes’ pool after all.”

  Zander shrugged and tried to focus on the pile of ungraded Abnormal Behavior papers on his desk. It was pointless to try to focus on the intricacies of Multiple Personality Disorder and the criminal mind when all he could think about Tessa.

  “You’re in sad, sad shape, mate,” Aidan said with a laugh, bringing Zander back to the present.

  He grinned and shrugged. “What can I say? Tessa is…” He didn’t know how to finish that thought or how to define what she’d become to him in such a short time. “Wait until you meet a woman who—”

  “Been there. Done that.” Aidan interrupted, grimacing and heading for the door. He paused with his hand on the doorknob. “Hey, when Kayla gets here, can you let her know that the exams have been graded and ready for her to enter in to the database?” Evidently, he was anxious to change the subject.

  “Sure.” Zander glanced at the clock. Ten-forty-five. Their student worker should have been there a while ago. “I’ll leave her a note if she’s not here before my next class.

  Aidan nodded and shut the door behind him, leaving Zander alone with his thoughts about Tessa.

  * * * *

  “Can I help you?” Tessa asked the young woman sitting in the shelter’s lounge.

  The girl shifted in her seat. “I’m just waiting for my friend.” She gestured toward the counseling area. “She’s…back there.”

  “Let me know if you need anything.” Tessa tried to focus on the paperwork in front of her. Four new families had checked in over the weekend. There was something about the beginning of the school year that upped the violence levels in abusive homes. She needed to fill out requisition forms for more supplies, but she couldn’t concentrate.

  A young woman covered with cuts and bruises emerged from the therapists’ wing. She moved gingerly toward the information desk where Tessa sat.

  As she drew closer, Tessa noticed her gauze-wrapped wrists. Victims of assault often attempted suicide. God knew, Tessa had considered it. The woman cleared her throat and tugged down her sweatshirt sleeves. “I need to make an appointment with Marybeth for Thursday.” Her voice was raw as if she’d been sick. Or screamed herself hoarse. Her friend in the lounge area approached and hovered protectively near her.

  Tessa flipped the schedule to Thursday. “She’s got mid-morning and late afternoon open. What works best for you?”

  “Morning,” the woman croaked.

  “Name?”

  “Kayla Matthews.”

  Tessa filled out an appointment reminder card and gave it to Kayla. The girl turned and shuffled toward the door with her friend, and Tessa noticed her hair. A thick hank of long, blonde hair had been hacked off close to her scalp.

  A chill ran through Tessa. Some guys liked to take souvenirs. Weston had kept her underwear.

  A hand touched her shoulder, and she whirled around, fists clenched.

  “Whoa, Tessa. Are you okay?” Marybeth asked.

  Tessa flattened her hands against her thighs. “Sorry. I’m just having one of those days.”

  The therapist patted Tessa’s hand, understanding evident in her eyes. “I was going to ask if you could help facilitate a recovery group this evening. But, if it’s too much, I can find someone else.”

  “Actually, I have plans tonight.”

  Marybeth grinned. “Time for the monthly Maycroft love fest or a date?”

  “Both, actually.”

  “I don’t usually say this in a professional capacity, but are you insane?”

  “It looks that way.” She was also beginning to regret inviting Zander. What had she been thinking? Bitsy would do her level best to humiliate him. Especially since, she’d be able to compare him to the undoubtedly royal pedigree of whatever suitable prospect they’d invited for her to meet.

  It wasn’t bad enough that a crazy person was stalking her. She was also knowingly turning a perfectly wonderful man over to the Queen of Evil. A man with whom she could easily see herself spending the rest of her life. But that wouldn’t be happening. Not after a night of maladjusted domesticity. She’d be lucky if he stayed through dinner.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Hey, boss lady,” Emily greeted from behind the desk as Tessa walked into the library.

  “Hey, Em.” Tessa tried to shove aside the events of the morning, but she kept seeing the bald spot on the back of Kayla Matthews’ head.

  Her assistant’s brow furrowed. “Are you okay?”

  Was there anyone she knew who wasn’t asking her that question lately?

  “Yeah. I’m fine. So how was your date last night?”

  Emily smiled, her dreamy expression at odds with the spiked-leather collar around her neck. “It was good. Really good. David is great. I really like him.”

  “I’m glad.” At least, someone’s love life was going well.

  Who was she kidding? She didn’t have a love life. She had a sex life. After Zander met her family, she probably wouldn’t even have that anymore.

  “Oh I almost forgot. The books you ordered came today. They’re in your office.”

  Emily opened and emptied boxes while Tessa began the monotonous task of checking titles against the inventory list. It was still preferable to worrying about her stalker or pondering the state of her non-relationship with Zander.

  A low-toned bell rang, announcing the arrival of a patron.

  “I’ll go cover the desk,” Emily volunteered.

  When she returned a moment later, she carried a frighteningly familiar sight. “This was on the desk.”

  Tessa’s stomach rocketed through the floor as she stared at the envelope. “Did you see who brought it?”

  Shrillness edged her voice. She forced herself to take a deep breath. The sick bastard had been in here. Just a few feet away and she’d had no clue. She wiped cold, clammy hands on her skirt. The fact that he’d gotten so close, unnoticed, chilled her. She rubbed her hands up and down her arms, trying to get warm.

  Her assistant shook her head, her expression concerned.

  Tessa extended her hand and accepted the package. Metal clanked inside. A river of ice sluiced through her middle. The package, bulky and weighted, had the same handwriting as the others.

  With trepidation she couldn’t quell, she peeled back the flap. Inside was a lumpy object covered in lurid gift wrap. She emptied the contents on her desk. A piece of notepaper fluttered to the floor, landing face up.

  You’re next.

  She forced her trembling hands to still and pulled off the paper, touching it as little as possible. Steel handcuffs glittered under the fluorescent lights. A crusted, brown substance stained the metal. Blood, she realized. Bile rose in her throat. Long strands of blonde hair snarled in the chain connecting the cuffs.

  “Holy hell,” murmured Emily. She stared at Tessa, eyes wide. “What is going on?”

  Numb, Tessa slumped against the wall. “I’ve been getting no
tes.” Who would do this? Whose blood and hair was it? Where was she now? Was she even alive?

  Recognition kicked her in the stomach. The hair was the same color as the girl’s she’d spoken with at the shelter this morning. She’d also had bandages around her wrists. Tessa eyed the crusted blood on the handcuffs. Maybe, the wounds hadn’t been self-inflicted.

  Tessa’s hand flew to her mouth. Had that sick bastard hurt Kayla because of her?

  This can’t be happening.

  Emily picked up the phone. “I’m calling the police.”

  Tessa shook off her immobility and reached for the receiver. Rage and worry coalesced. “I’ll do it.”

  When Duritz walked into the building a short while later, she led him to the chilling gift.

  “I think we can safely assume that you’re in danger,” he said.

  “Duh!” Emily stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips.

  The detective ignored the interruption and carefully placed everything in evidence bags. When he’d finished, Tessa drew him into her office.

  “There was a girl at the shelter this morning.” It was difficult to speak around the boulder-sized lump in her throat.

  Duritz stared at her as if willing her to continue.

  “She had bandages around her wrists and a hank of hair missing from the back of her head.” She gestured toward the evidence bag he held. “The same color as that.”

  He nodded. “I’ll check into it. In the meanwhile, you should be aware that Weston Bridger has had several assault charges brought against him in the last three years. In all instances, except the latest, the charges have been dropped.”

  Tessa nodded, franticly trying to ignore the swirling feeling in her stomach at the sound of his name. He’d probably threatened the women or paid them off. If she’d reported him in the first place, he might never have had a chance to hurt those other women. Guilt felt a lot like nausea.

  She still couldn’t shake the feeling that he wasn’t responsible for the notes or the handcuffs. But who did that leave? She sighed. Somehow, her life had become a movie-of-the-week when she wasn’t looking.

  Duritz scribbled something in his ever-present notebook. “I’ve been checking into the names, you gave me earlier. Have you ever given testimony against any of them in court?”

  She shook her head. “Usually, the therapists are the ones who do that since the information comes up in counseling sessions.”

  Frowning, he jotted down another note.

  A thought glimmered at the edges of her mind. “Wait.”

  He looked at her hopefully.

  “Jennifer Schull.”

  “Who?”

  “There was a little girl who used to come to the library after I’d started my internship.”

  Tessa could still see the child’s tangled, blonde hair and haunted blue eyes. The little girl had been a regular after school. She’d do her homework and help Tessa shelve books.

  The child had been Tessa’s shadow for months before Tessa had noticed there was a problem. Jennifer had begun hiding from her stepfather. Once, she’d begged Tessa to let her spend the night at her house. She’d asked Jennifer why she was so upset, and the girl began to cry. When Tessa had hugged her, she’d yelped in pain, reminding Tessa of the sound newborn puppies make. She’d lifted the back of Jennifer’s shirt and found a collection of mottled bruises. Some fading, some fresh.

  “She used to come in several times a week. Eventually, she told me that on the nights her mother worked late, her step-father abused her—beating her when she didn’t cooperate. That night when he came to pick her up from the library, I wouldn’t let him take her and called the police. Social services got involved, and he eventually went to jail.”

  Duritz nodded and rapidly jotted notes. “Do you remember his name?”

  “His first name was Edward. His last name might have been Schull. If I remember correctly, he’d adopted her before the abuse started.”

  “I’ll check into this and let you know what I find.”

  After the detective left, Tessa sank into her chair and stared out the office window. Edward had been one sick freak. During their investigation, the police found hours of videotaped footage he’d recorded of Jennifer and her friends playing in her bedroom. He’d also set up cameras in her bathroom.

  Tessa had never felt comfortable with the man, even before she’d found out what he’d done to Jennifer. After the trial, Jennifer and her mom had come into the library to thank Tessa. Shortly after that, they moved across the country to start over. Tessa hadn’t seen the little girl since.

  Was it possible that her stalker was Edward? He’d received a twenty-year sentence, but with prison overcrowding and good behavior, she supposed he could have been released by now. It had been eight years.

  Bare branches outside her office window clicked their skeletal fingers together, tapping an ominous message. You’re next. You’re next. You’re next. Gripped by the eerie rhythm, it took her a few moments to notice the knock on her door. She swiveled in the chair.

  Emily slouched against the doorframe, concern emanating from her heavily shadowed eyes. “Why don’t you go home? I’ll cover your shift.” She squatted by Tessa’s chair. “You can stay at my place if you want. I’ve got big dogs.”

  “I’ll be okay. I’m just a little shaken.” Tessa leaned forward and gave her assistant a hug. “And no way am I leaving you here alone.”

  Emily’s eyes narrowed. “Is it that guy? The one who left all of those messages the other day?”

  Tessa shook her head. “It’s not him. He’s perfectly safe, I promise.”

  Safe on most levels—all except the ones that would break her heart.

  “Maybe you can get him to stay with you. I’m worried about you being alone.”

  Tessa’s heart lurched in her chest. “Em, I need you to promise me something.”

  “Sure. What do you need?”

  “My friend, Zander, is coming by here later to pick me up. Don’t mention any of this to him. Promise me.”

  Confusion furrowed her assistant’s brows. “But—”

  Tessa shook her head. “I’ll tell him. I just don’t want to do it here.” And she really didn’t want to do it before dinner with her parents. This night was already going to be stressful. It was better to wait until afterward.

  Emily nodded, but she didn’t look convinced. “Okay. Just be careful,” the younger woman said as she hugged Tessa.

  * * * *

  As Zander entered the library to pick up Tessa, a young woman with a nose ring, several eyebrow piercings and dreadlocked pink hair looked up from a computer keyboard and glared at him.

  He approached the desk. “Hi. I’m looking for Tessa Maycroft.”

  “You and everyone else,” she muttered.

  At least, that’s what he thought she’d said.

  “Just a moment, please,” she said more clearly. She rose and knocked on Tessa’s office door.

  Tessa opened it a crack and murmured to the young woman. When Tessa caught sight of him, she smiled. Pointing to the phone cradled between her shoulder and ear, she held up five fingers. He nodded and wandered to the fiction section to wait. Browsing, he absently paged through a book, his attention fixed on Tessa’s shadowy figure pacing behind the shades in her office.

  “Usually, you get more out of a book if you look at the words,” a wry voice said.

  He turned to find the young woman from the desk shelving volumes behind him.

  “I’m distracted.”

  “No kidding.” She arched a brow at him as if challenging him. “So how long have you known Tessa?”

  “About two years. Why?”

  The girl’s stance amused him, but he wasn’t about to let her see that. She reminded him of a father who wasn’t ready to let his teenage daughter date.

  She shrugged. “Just curious.”

  Dismissing the girl, he watched Tessa, haunted by his speculation that morning. She still paced the confines
of her office, her body held taut. Even from this distance, he sensed her wariness. He didn’t want it to be true, but he was almost positive. Sometime in her past, she’d been raped, or at the very least attacked.

  The thought sickened him. The idea of Tessa hurting, at the mercy of some sadistic bastard, made him want to hurt in return. He wanted to cause extreme amounts of pain to whoever had harmed her. A fresh pang of loss sliced through him when he realized he might never know. Tessa might never trust him enough to share her grief with him.

  She emerged from her office and glanced around the library. When she spotted him, some of the rigidity left her shoulders. She waved, and he started to head toward her.

  The young woman who still shelved books nearby, blocked his way, her eyes fierce and angry. “You should know that if you hurt her, I’ll kill you myself.”

  Causing Tessa anguish was the last thing he wanted. “If I hurt her, I’ll let you.”

  Her eyes widened at his response, but she nodded and stepped aside.

  He passed, but he felt her following closely.

  Tessa shoved a manila folder into her bag and smiled at him. “I see you met Emily.”

  He turned to Emily. “We weren’t formally introduced.” He offered her his hand. “I’m Zander.”

  She nodded and took it, the warning still evident in her eyes.

  They left the library and locked up. Tessa insisted on making sure Emily got in her car safely. He couldn’t stop himself from wondering if that’s how her attack had happened. Getting into a car after dark… He would drive himself crazy if he kept following these twisted lines of thought. Forcing the haunting images away, he focused on Tessa and the direction to her parents’ house.

  Tessa dawdled on the doorstep, rather than enter her childhood home. She turned to Zander. “Let’s ditch dinner.” She grinned. “This will only end badly.”

  Teasing light filled her eyes. Earlier traces of her uneasiness had vanished.

  He slipped his hand around her nape and drew her forward. His mouth hovered over hers. “I’m tough. I can take it.”

  She closed the distance between their lips and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss.