15. Owen
CHAPTER 15
Owen
I growl as we make it to the cat and give the area another quick scan. There’s no sign of Spencer, so I holster my weapon and crouch. “He tied him up and left him here.”
“Is he hurt?” Zoe asks, tears coating her tone as she continues to obey my demand, staying behind me as I crouch before the cat.
I look him over. He’s tugging against a string tied to his back paw, securing him to the tree. Mewing instead of hissing, which is a good sign. “I don’t think so,” I say, gently reaching for him. “I’m going to help you,” I say to the cat, eying him in the hopes he won’t take this out on me.
He stills, as if he can understand me, and I get to work on the tie, noting as the cat shifts that there’s another fucking letter underneath him.
“Almost,” I say, working the string. Zoe is kneeling next to me, petting his head, the cat leaning into her touch. “Got it.” The tie comes loose, and I lean back, expecting Gregory to run for it like he usually does after he gets what he needs from us.
I flinch as he leaps toward me, climbing up my chest until he’s practically clinging to my shoulder. I stand up, cradling the shaking cat in my arms.
“It’s okay, buddy,” I say in a soothing tone, my eyes widening as I glance at Zoe.
She’s smiling, but tears are rolling down her cheeks as she looks him over where I hold him. “He’s not hurt,” she says, relief drenching her tone. She bends and scoops up the letter, anger radiating from her as she opens it.
This could’ve been so much worse. Don’t you see? You see what your silence and indifference toward me is doing to me? You’ve pushed me to this level. Next time, I won’t be so nice. Lose the guy and agree to meet with me. I just want to talk to you. Once you hear me out, you’ll understand why we should be together.
Ice fills my veins as I read the letter, her holding it so I can see every single word.
He’s escalating, just like I was afraid of.
She folds the letter, sucking in a sharp breath as she looks at the cat, then me. “I almost wish he’d been here,” she admits as we start the walk back toward her building. “Is that awful?”
“No,” I say as we reach the back door. “You want this done. You want closure. It’s understandable.”
She shakes her head, folding her arms around herself.
I try to put Gregory down, but he clings to me and protests with a meow.
I raise my brows, and Zoe laughs a soft, broken sound. “Guess he’s warmed up to you.”
I force out a laugh. “I guess,” I say, glancing down at the damned cat. “All it takes to get on your good side is saving your life?”
Zoe sighs. “If he hadn’t left the letter, I would’ve assumed Gregory just moved on to another feeding location.” She shakes her head. “This is getting worse, right?” she asks, motioning to the cat with the letter in her hand. “This…it’s more intense than destroying flowers and obsessively texting.”
I nod.
She blows out a breath, turning to open the door. I follow her inside, and she sets the dishes of food and water on the floor in the break room. Gregory almost reluctantly releases me, hopping down to eat. Once he’s done, he’s immediately climbing back up my leg and into my arms.
“Again,” she says after remaining contemplatively silent. “I wish he would’ve been there. Whatever the result, we’d have an ending, right?” she sighs, rubbing her palms over her face. “Maybe I should answer his texts.”
My eyes flare, but she continues.
“Draw him out,” she says, shrugging. “I could ask him to meet me somewhere and then maybe…” she groans. “Then nothing, right? It’s not like the police can arrest him for texting me and leaving letters. Does tying up Gregory count for an arrest?”
I shake my head. “He didn’t hurt him.”
“If we didn’t go out there, he would’ve starved to death,” she counters.
“I know that,” I say. “I’m not saying what he did isn’t unhinged, but he didn’t physically harm the cat,” I say, indicating the purring, now sleeping, bundle in my arms. “So we can’t press charges for animal cruelty. You drawing him out would only give me a shot to speak with him, try to scare him off, but the risk isn’t worth that.”
A small, frustrated whimper comes out of her, and I extend my free arm, drawing her to me.
“When is this going to end, Owen?” she whispers against my chest.
I hate that I don’t have a solid answer for her.
“I don’t know,” I admit. “But you’re safe with me, and it looks like Gregory isn’t going anywhere now. We just have to stay vigilant. Caleb has never let me down before. He’ll get a lock on him, and I’ll do everything in my power to put an end to this.”
She looks up at me, exhaustion lining her features. “Why do I feel like this is going to get worse before it gets better?”
“Because you have good instincts,” I say. “I won’t lie to you. This stunt…” I look down at the sleeping cat in my other arm. “It’s a bad sign.”
“He’s becoming more violent.”
I nod. “His plea for you to meet with him isn’t because he wants to make amends with you, Zoe,” I admit.
“It’s because he wants to hurt me,” she says. “Like I supposedly hurt him.”
I press my lips into a firm line. “I’m not going to let that happen.”
She lays her head against my chest, reaching up to pet Gregory. “I know,” she says. “I just don’t want anyone getting hurt in the process.”
I hate that I can’t guarantee that for her. I can only hold her, protect her, and hope to hell we catch a break and I can settle this, once and for all.
“Looks like you have a cat now,” I say, trying to shift the topic and distract her. “How about we go shopping? He’ll need a bed and some food dishes at your place, and toys.”
Her smile is everything in this moment, hopeful and grateful, and I’m just fucking glad I put it there.
“That sounds perfect,” Zoe says, moving out of the break room, grabbing her bag on the way toward the front entrance. “And you’ll stay with us too, right?”
“Of course,” I assure her. “I’m not going anywhere.”