Chapter Fourteen
Lianna felt the best she had in months, maybe years. Her body was languid, her muscles felt loose and limber. As she reached the bottom of the wooden stairs leading to the ocean, she easily picked up her jogging pace. It was cold this morning, with a thickness to the air that promised rain soon. The sun was tucked away behind the clouds, peeking out occasionally to remind everyone it was still there.
Lianna had second guessed her decision to run alone, but then quickly dismissed her doubts. If anything, it was even safer than usual. With the uptick of police and attention drawn to this trail, she was probably in the most secure place.
Running faster, she hoped the speed would push the negative thought bubbles away. Every so often, one would pop up and try to dampen her feeling of contentment. Had Gabe really needed to get to work suddenly on a Sunday? Maybe he did have an important case to work. Or maybe he doesn’t care about you the same way you care for him.
Shoving the bad thoughts aside, she rounded a tree, their tree. How pathetic was it that she got warm and fuzzy memories from being propelled into a giant maple tree? But it was by Gabe . Stepping over tree roots and dodging fern bushes, Lianna pushed herself along the dirt and gravel trail. Just as her lungs began to burn, she ducked into the tunnel under the train tracks. When she re-emerged a few seconds later, the vast ocean appeared before her.
As always, Lianna stopped and took it all in. The sight, the smell, the sounds, the ocean was her grounding place. Regardless of her state of mind, looking out over Semiahmoo Bay, which led to the mighty Pacific, always humbled her. Its vastness reminded her that she was one of the small fish on this planet. Its beauty making her proud, fortunate to be one of its many.
To her left, several eagles perched on oversized rocks watching for their breakfast. Straight ahead, she could see the peaks of the Gulf Islands in the distance. Just under the cloud line, they protruded from the water, before disappearing into the heavens above. On her right, the North Shore Mountains were already snow-capped—it would be a good ski season. Spinning full circle, she inhaled deeply to fill her lungs with the salty air. When Lianna felt centered, she turned back to finish her run.
The muscles in her legs protested now that they had time to cool, but she pushed on. She had just rounded her favorite tree when she skidded to a halt. There, about ten feet in front of her, a man stood blocking the path. He looked up at the sound of her startled breath and their gazes locked.
Lianna recognized her neighbor immediately, but that did nothing to lessen her unease. Tim remained frozen, looking unsurprised to see Lianna there. Despite her heart beating exceptionally fast for her slow pace, she forced a smile.
“Morning.” She injected as much enthusiasm as she could.
Tim was wearing jeans, a flannel jacket, and work boots, not exactly exercise attire. Often locals would come down the hidden steps to clear their minds. Teenagers would smoke weed and couples would sneak kisses on the jagged rocks alongside the ocean. Tim was most likely just in search of the water’s wisdom.
That theory went up in smoke when instead of returning her greeting, he narrowed his eyes in silence. Odd . He pushed a hand through his already harshly slicked back blond hair, then jammed it into his pocket. Alternating his weight from foot to foot, he seemed agitated.
“Is he your boyfriend?”
“Pardon me?”
“Are you screwing him?”
“What?”
Lianna was so unnerved from the disgusted look on his face and equally disgusting words, she instinctively stepped backwards. Her left foot rolled over an exposed tree root, tweaking her ankle. The pain flashed up her leg before subsiding, but it hurt enough that she leaned her body weight against the tree in search of relief.
Sparing a glance at her ankle, she heard gravel crunching ahead. Panicked, she jerked her head up to see Tim walking towards her. There must have been enough fear in her eyes to stop his approach. The neighbor’s face was gentler now, almost remorseful as he slowly reached out.
“I didn’t mean to scare you. I just want to talk.”
But Lianna wasn’t listening. She saw his hand reach out and she reacted. All of her senses, especially her sixth one, were screaming for her to get away from this man. Pushing past him, she bumped his shoulder in her haste and started hobbling towards the stairs. She felt his long fingers on her arm moments before he tugged it hard enough to turn her back towards him.
“I’m trying to talk to you,” he said sternly.
“Get off of me!”
Twisting in his grip, she tried desperately to tug her arm away. As she squirmed, his voice turned ugly again.
“All of a sudden that guy is around, and you don’t need me anymore? I should have never bothered warning you!”
“What are you talking about? Let me go. Please.”
This time when she jerked her arm, it slipped free. Lianna registered the pain as his nails dug into her skin, but adrenaline forced her to turn and flee.
She couldn’t outrun him but tried anyway. Tim’s heavy breathing reached her ears as he followed her up the stairs. Not trusting him at her back, Lianna turned towards him and began to ascend the stairs backwards. Tiny pieces of wood splintered her palms as she blindly gripped the wooden rail for balance. He was less than five steps behind her now.
A frenzied panic stole the air from her lungs as she struggled to take a complete breath. Her vision tunneled, making the two of them all that existed in this moment. Tim’s breathing was coming in severe gasps, but his eyes seemed eerily calm. He slowed and put his hands on his hips.
“This is the only place I can talk to you, so stop!”
Lianna started putting distance between them, eight steps, ten. Then she tripped, falling backwards until a wooden riser painfully jarred the middle of her back. Tim capitalized on her mistake and double-timed it up the remaining stairs. He lunged, reaching for her ankle.
Lianna cried out, kicking at him with her good leg, but he caught her around the calf. Using her elbows to brace herself, she thrust out her bad ankle. The kick landed, catching him off guard he slipped down two stairs, his knee slamming down with a thud.
Tim was temporarily preoccupied grasping his knee. This was her only chance. Turning, Lianna’s ankle throbbed as she fumbled to stand. Biting back the pain, she ran as fast as she could towards the top of the stairs.
“Help!”
The word choked out of her. But no one stirred above, the forest on either side of the stairs hauntingly quiet. Tim was yelling after her but based on the distance of his voice, her kick had slowed him down significantly. Light filtered through the clearing ahead, signaling the top of the stairs was close. Not risking him catching up, Lianna put her head down, bore the pain of her ankle, and didn’t turn around again.
****
Gabe stepped out the front door and caught a raindrop on his forehead. Shrugging, he was still half wet from his hasty shower anyway, but he hustled to the car. He had just opened the driver’s door when his phone buzzed. Without looking, he swiped right to answer it and was bombarded.
“He’s following me!”
Gabe knew the sound of Lianna’s voice better than a bear knew the smell of honey. As habit, he still pulled the phone away from his ear to check the call display.
“What? Lianna?”
Every hair on his body stood straight up.
“What if he comes to my house?” She sounded close to tears.
“Who’s following you? Where are you?”
“I’m at my house, but I need to go. He’s coming up the stairs, he tried to grab me. I don’t know why he’s so mad.”
Lianna was breathing hard, her jumbled words coming out in gasps.
“Who?” Gabe roared the question. His fear for her outweighed his need to comfort her.
“Tim.”
Gabe stilled for a moment. One hand on his hip, where his holster should be but wasn’t. The other gripped his phone so tight it risked pulverizing in his hand. Is he in the house? How could this have happened so fast? Gabe thought her neighbor was a creepy fool who needed to keep his eyes to himself. He clearly had underestimated the man.
“Is he in the house now?”
“No, he followed me up the stairs while I was jogging.”
Piecing the story together, he figured out she meant the stairs leading to the ocean trail. Lianna told him she was going to run before he left her bedroom this morning. Had Gabe not been trying to get out of there so fast, maybe he would have registered what she said and issued a reminder about running alone.
Furious with himself, he jogged to the back of his vehicle and opened the trunk of his SUV to retrieve his firearm from its locked safe. Quickly loading it, he took off in a sprint down the street. It was faster to just cut through the neighbors’ backyard on foot than drive.
“Stay in the house, I’m coming towards you.”
“I’m out front.”
What!
“Damn it, get inside.”
“I need to know if he’s coming. I won’t hide inside and wait.”
Cringing, Gabe thought of Tim sneaking around the back of the home, or from the side catching her off guard. But it wasn’t worth the effort to argue now, so he pushed himself faster. He was too upset to reason.
“I’m almost there. Stay on the line with me until I can see you.”
Gabe was flustered, and he never got flustered. At least not on the job. If anything, years of training had helped him hone his nerves into usable energy, helped him focus on the minuscule details and tasks. But Lianna’s panicked voice in his ear had him frazzled.
Gabe’s heart was in his throat when he reached her street. It was only one block over, but it seemed to take an eternity. When her front porch came into view, he saw her pacing, arms wrapped around her midsection, her head on a swivel. Finally, she spotted him, and he swore her bottom lip started to quiver.
Disconnecting his cell, he closed the last few feet between them, noticing for the first time that she was limping.
“Where is he?” he snarled.
“I don’t know. Down there somewhere. I was able to slow him down a bit.”
“Get in the house, lock the doors and stay there until I get back. Understood?”
Lianna nodded, but stood rooted to her spot.
“Go!” he yelled when she still hadn’t moved, then turned away before he could see the confusion or hurt in her eyes. The sound of her steps growing fainter, then the door closing with a click told him that she was obeying.
Gabe stalked towards the stairs as he dialed the emergency line, knowing he was handling Lianna too harshly. He should have taken her into his arms and held her until she knew it was safe. Shit, he could have at least asked if she was okay. But once he saw her, once he had a visual confirmation that she wasn’t seriously injured, his panic was gone.
The fear he felt for her instantly turned to rage. All thoughts pivoted to the man who tried and maybe succeeded in hurting her. Possession surged through him. She was his and no one would hurt her.
When the familiar sound of, “nine-one-one, what is your emergency?” came across the line, he quickly spat out his identification and detailed the situation.
“The subject is believed to be a danger to the public. I am armed and am approaching.”
****
A few hours later, Gabe leaned against the back wall of the local police department’s interrogation room. Arms crossed, he watched the detective question Tim in the adjacent room. Gabe felt comfortable here. Not that he had been in this particular station before, but they all had the same feel to them. The same cold stale air, the same bad lighting. They also gave him the same buzz, a jolt of electricity. Tim’s questioning had only begun about fifteen minutes ago and thus far all he had done was apologize. Currently he was crying.
Turning his back to Tim, the detective rolled his eyes, before offering to grab the suspect some water. The lull in conversation presented Gabe with unwanted time to think. The day’s cruel events replayed like a highlight reel in his mind. A patrol car had picked up Tim before Gabe had gotten to him. In retrospect, that was for the best or it may be Gabe in the interrogation room right now.
Gabe had insisted that the officers speak with Lianna at her home. The last thing she needed was to be stuck in a station for hours. She had been through enough and just wanted to be with her kids. Lianna had permitted him to place his arm around her shoulders while she gave a victim statement but was rigid. The whole time hugging her arms around her midsection, like she was protecting herself from him. And why not? He was confused at his own behavior.
During the interview, she revealed the other incidents that occurred in the past few weeks. One of them, a dark figure on her security cam footage two nights ago. She found a half dozen dead spiders on her front porch the following morning. That was the first time Gabe had heard of it. When he and the officers took her phone and viewed it, it was without a doubt the shape of a person. Gabe then took over the questioning.
“You didn’t think that was important enough to tell someone?”
“I did try to tell you.”
“Not hard enough. It doesn’t seem complicated to say someone left half a dozen spiders, which you happen to be terrified of, at your front door! And what’s the point of the damn security camera if you don’t take the time to actually look at the alerts?”
“I did look! I just couldn’t figure out what it was, I thought it could have been an animal.”
“What kind of animal walks on two legs?”
This went on until Detective Harden, the lead on her case, interrupted. Clearing his throat, he suggested Gabe get some fresh air. In fact, Gabe was confident that the only reason they obliged his request to be present at Tim’s interrogation, was because they wanted to give Lianna a reprieve from Gabe. Which he hadn’t done lightly.
Much to Lianna’s chagrin, Gabe stayed until her father-in-law arrived at her home with Harris and Annie. Pulling Charles aside, Gabe filled him in on the harassment and threats Lianna had been receiving. She had told him a very watered-down version of the events, which further pissed off Gabe. Now at least she had family looking out for her too. Gabe was pleased when the man immediately thanked him, before promising to encourage Lianna to seek a protective order against her neighbor.
Before leaving, Gabe also tested the theory of Darren being behind some of the incidents. While Tim was clearly the aggressor today, Gabe wasn’t sure that Darren was blameless in some of the previous sinister events. When Charles looked utterly perplexed, Gabe realized that Lianna hadn’t mentioned her difficulties with her brother-in-law to him either. He wasn’t the only one hiding things.
Lianna hadn’t spoken to Gabe since the detective had so politely kicked him out of her interview. She huffed and puffed a few times but that was it. Now, here he stood two hours later, tired and pissed. His anger was equal parts with the crazy neighbor and himself.
Something had to give. Gabe really needed sleep or caffeine. Remembering he also had some hefty personal issues that demanded his attention once he was finished here, he decided on the caffeine. Stepping out to grab some in the liquid variety, Gabe ran smack into Detective Harden.
The lanky man’s elongated features made him appear taller than he actually stood. Curtis Harden was amazingly unremarkable, not handsome but not unattractive. The epitome of average, with mousy brown hair and brown eyes. He could fit in undetected anywhere. Gabe suspected that the man used it to his advantage, because behind those brown eyes was a sharpness that told him Harden was not to be underestimated.
“Detective, I wanted to apologize for stepping out of line during your investigation earlier and wanted to thank you for letting me eavesdrop now,” Gabe said.
Eyeing him skeptically, Harden replied, “It’s Curtis. Now what is it I can do for you, Sergeant?”
The man saw right through Gabe’s fluff, but there was a lightness to his tone.
“Well, since you asked, I’ve got a suggestion. Mention me when you go back in there.”
When Harden looked perplexed, Gabe clarified. “Ask about the guy he saw leaving Lianna’s this morning. She mentioned that Tim seemed to be especially angry about me hanging around, maybe that will get him talking now.”
A knowing look crossed Harden’s face, as though he had finally figured out the dynamic at play here. Slapping Gabe on the shoulder in a show of camaraderie, he nodded before yelling for someone to bring him a glass of water. Not waiting for an answer, the man walked back into the interrogation room.
Gabe liked Curtis. A straight shooter who seemed interested only in getting to the bottom of this. Harden was the type of man you wanted on your side and the type of detective he wanted on Lianna’s case.
Grabbing a coffee that was sure to taste like liquefied cardboard, Gabe hurried back into the observation room. The scene that met him confirmed that Harden had taken his advice. Tim was now spewing from the mouth, but it wasn’t exactly what Gabe thought he would hear.
The neighbor was swearing up, down, and sideways that he would never do anything to hurt Lianna. That he had always looked out for her. When he said she seemed to surround herself with men that had bigger biceps than brains Gabe covered a growl by clearing his throat.
“Lianna is na?ve. Those guys take advantage of her. Her husband did and now this new one is too. He looks at her like she’s a piece of meat. I saw him there this morning and I needed to tell her, let her know she doesn’t need them. She has me. I have to protect her.”
When Detective Harden asked what Tim felt the need to protect Lianna from, the man clammed up, refusing to say any more. Gabe sighed, before turning the knob beside the light switch down. He needed a break from that greaseball’s voice. It was either that or completely burn his bridges in this department by barging into the interview room and strangling the guy.
Gabe pulled out his cell and glanced at the screen in case he didn’t hear the ring or feel the vibration. Nope, Lianna still hadn’t contacted him. Raking his hand down his face, he tried to rein in his frustration. There was so much he needed to do and sitting there felt like stalling.
First, he needed to apologize to Lianna if she would talk to him. Then he had to figure out how to keep her safe from an unknown number of threats. After last night, Gabe knew he wanted a future with Lianna. That was only possible if he could gain her trust. But the most pressing task was dealing with the other woman in his life, thousands of miles away, who had the potential to upend it all. Turning the volume from the interrogation room back up, he settled into his cold, hard folding chair and sighed at the long night he had ahead of him.
****
Lianna spent the rest of the day soaking up every cuddle and snuggle she could from the kids. They had finally fallen asleep on either side of her in bed, watching their favorite Halloween movie for the fifteenth time since October first. Crumbs were the only evidence that remained of the home baked cookies she allowed them to eat while watching.
Those kids were like vultures, sensing her weakness and swooping in for the kill. Now she remembered why she instated the “no eating in bed” rule. Every time she moved, the crumbs on the sheets grated over her skin like sandpaper.
Annie rolled over, her outstretched little hand smacking Lianna square in the face. There was no way she would get a second of sleep smashed between these two tonight. Resigned to curling up in one of their twin beds, she pushed down the blanket. Carefully slipping out of bed, Lianna was careful to not wake them. She grabbed her cell from the bedside charger. Then she crept from the room, gently closing the door behind her.
Feeling restless, she decided to head downstairs for a snack. A barrage of thoughts circulated through her brain, and she knew she’d never get rest until she talked some of them out. Dialing as she walked, the phone connected just as she opened the fridge and pulled out the water pitcher.
“Hey,” Isabela’s groggy voice answered.
“Did I wake you?”
“Nope, I was just reading through some briefs. Can’t sleep?”
“Nope.”
Lianna was starting to feel guilty for calling Isabela every time she needed to vent. Since Izzy had moved into the same time zone, she tended to reach out to her more. The fact that Isabela was a few hours away and they could see each other so often fortified their relationship. It also made Lianna feel bad for constantly dumping her drama on her.
The two women had talked earlier in the evening and Lianna had gone through every detail of the day. She was doing amazingly well if she did say so herself. Considering that she was chased and assaulted by her neighbor this morning. Perhaps the fact that she had gone through the encounter several times, first with the police, then her in-laws, finally her girlfriend, helped her process it. She was shaken by the experience, but not frightened. Confused was the best word to describe her current state.
“As usual, something feels off. In all the years I’ve lived beside Tim, he has never touched me, let alone threaten me.”
Sure, he was awkward, and Lianna wouldn’t say she felt comfortable in his company, but she didn’t feel afraid either. Her trusty sixth sense hadn’t set off any alarms when he was around before today, but she was starting to seriously question her decision making.
Stifling a yawn, Isabela wasn’t as conflicted over the neighbor’s actions.
“If Tim was so harmless, why did he chase you? Even after you hurt yourself.”
“Maybe I imagined some of his anger. He was trying to tell me something, but I wouldn’t listen.”
“You didn’t imagine the new set of claw marks on your arm.”
Isabela had her there. Lianna regretted not finding out why Tim had sought her out so vigorously. Most of what Tim said she didn’t hear because her heart was beating so forcefully in her ears. Perhaps this whole misunderstanding dated back to the butchered raccoon on her garbage. It would explain why he disliked Gabe so much.
A knock at the door caused her stomach to go into a tailspin.
“Shit, someone just knocked on the door.”
“Don’t answer it.”
“Hold on, I’m going to peek out the window to see if I can tell who it is.”
Lianna had a sneaky suspicion she knew who was at her door and welcomed this interaction. Gabe had called several times, so she knew they were due a conversation. Based on his recent behavior he felt entitled to an audience whenever he damn well pleased. She may be in love with the man, but that didn’t mean she would allow him to pull her strings like a puppet. Been there, done that. Well, not anymore.
Gabe may have needed sex, she offered it, now he felt stuck mopping up her mess. No matter how much she wished his affection originated in something stronger than lust, she refused to be pitied. He had been so angry with her earlier and she really couldn’t blame him. He signed up for an orgasm or two, not babysitting duties. It was apparent they would have a very awkward discussion in their near future. She seriously doubted either of them would be happy at its conclusion.
A quick glance out the window beside the door deflated the hope she had of it being Gabe.
“Izzy, hold on, I think it’s Darren. His back is to the door.”
“Your miserable brother-in-law, who told you off the last time you spoke? At least stay on the line with me.”
“Okay.” Pulling the door open, the man turned and it was in fact Darren.
“Catch you at a bad time?” Darren said flatly.
“Izzy, I’ll call you in the morning.”
“Call soon as he leaves!”
“Bye.”
Disconnecting, Lianna put on a brave face as she focused her attention on her visitor.
“Hey, Darren, I wasn’t expecting you.”
Narrowing his eyes in the snake-like way he’d perfected, he scolded her. “Then you shouldn’t be opening the door for strangers, especially given your recent series of unfortunate events.”
Lianna glared at him in response, stupefied at how he could use what had happened to chide her. He must have accurately read her expression because he wiped the smug look off his face.
“Look, I need to talk to you, can I come in?”
“No.” The word was out of her mouth before she even had time to mean it.
Darren looked surprised but didn’t challenge her.
“Okay. I ah…” He looked dejected and maybe a little nervous. “I shouldn’t have treated you or spoken to you the way I did the other night. But honestly, I’m a little pissed that you thought I could do the deranged things your weird neighbor did. Just because I don’t like you, doesn’t mean I have time to tip-toe around like a teenager pranking you. I’m actually running the family business we all profit so well from,” he said from atop his soap box.
“Was that an apology, Darren?”
The pointed tone seemed to irk him, but she was too tired for this. She was physically exhausted and mentally sick of him treating her like crap.
He nodded. “Yeah, I’m sorry.”
The man even managed to apologize with an air of superiority. As usual, Lianna took the high road.
“Apology accepted. No one wins when families fight.”
Darren opened his mouth to issue a retort but quickly thought better of it, simply nodding again. Then he stood there looking at her as if he were weighing something in his mind.
After several silent moments, Lianna broke the quiet. “Why did Justine Starks come to see you at the office?”
“How do you know about that?”
“Is that your answer? Because if Nicki hears that…”
“Whoa, there is nothing to tell! I said the same thing to the detectives I spoke to during the board meeting. She was looking for a job.”
“Then why didn’t she apply like everyone else?”
“She wanted discretion. Not that this is any of your business, but at the end of the year she would stop receiving alimony. She wanted a glorified position with zero skills because we made out in high school. I told her I was sorry I couldn’t help her and that was that.”
Lianna watched him, wishing she could determine if he was telling the truth.
“Was there anything else? I gotta get home.”
“No.”
“Lock the door behind you and don’t open it again unless you know who’s on the other side. Next time you might not be so lucky.”
Lianna watched him walk to his car without a backwards glance, his tone chilling her to the core. Obeying his command, she closed the door and locked it. Then she immediately went to the alarm panel and activated it. Unsure if it was Darren’s words or the man’s icy presence, something told her she shouldn’t ignore his warnings.