Chapter 13
Liz
Cops were very perceptive people. It was kind of a requirement of the job.
It was for this reason that I was avoiding eye contact with Brock.
Nate and I sat a respectable distance apart in an interrogation room at the police station going over the events of the last few days.
Could he tell that Nate and I’d had sex?
Was I giving off some sort of vibe I wasn’t aware of? God, did it even matter?
Last night had been fucking incredible. That whole we had sex all night long thing I read about in books had never really happened to me.
Okay, so we didn’t go at it all night. A girl needed her sleep and chafing was a thing, so after two rounds in the bed and one in the shower, we went to sleep.
Still, though, I felt like a new woman. My heart was all fluttery whenever we locked eyes, and I wanted to get my hands on an Olympic gold medal and hang it around Nate’s dick for its fantastic performance.
I’d licked it, tasted it, rode it, and been speared by it.
I felt I could confidently judge its performance as being worthy of the gold.
In an unfortunate turn of events, reality existed.
It was easy to forget about the real world with all the delicious post-orgasm hormones floating around in my brain, but there was a world outside Nate’s bedroom, and someone was stalking me in it.
If I wanted to go another round with the sexy fighter beside me, and maybe make something real, I needed to sort this stalker shit out asap.
“Let’s go over everything from the top so I’m not missing anything.” The big cop shifted in his seat and focused his gaze on me.
So, I did. I explained the note, the silver car I kept seeing, and everything that happened after arriving home the day of the break-in. “I’ve thought a lot about this and the most logical person it could be is my ex, Kyle.”
I spent the next twenty minutes going over everything I knew about him. No, he had never hurt me but yes, he had grabbed me and there were threats. Didn’t own weapons that I was aware of, but anything was possible. No, I hadn’t talked to him since I’d moved here after the breakup.
He clicked a few buttons on the computer and pursed his lips.
“Looks like he has been charged in relation to stalking twice before but the charges were dropped both times. Not exactly a boy scout, is he?” Brock snapped his notebook shut.
“I can see why you suspect this guy, but the note doesn’t fit.
Why would he try to get you to quit your job?
Could be someone from an anti-feminist group or something.
Always a lot of ugly chatter online from them. ”
I slumped in my chair. “I don’t know honestly. Whoever it was knew my car. It has to be someone I know.”
“I don’t mean to scare you, but they could have been watching you. I’ll see if anything came of the forensic sweep of your apartment. In the meantime, be extra vigilant and try not to go anywhere alone.”
“She won’t.” Nate interlocked his fingers with mine, and I squeezed his hand, grateful for the support.
I had no intention of bringing this drama to the door of my pregnant sister, and I didn’t have anyone else I could count on in town.
I could have taken a few days off work. I could have gone to see my parents in Vancouver.
I didn’t want to run. What would that solve except pushing this week’s problem to next week?
I needed a permanent solution, not a temporary one.
Unfortunately, that might involve waiting for this guy to try something again.
The sun was already setting when we left the station.
Nate and I had both come straight from work, so we had separate vehicles parked on different sides of the parking lot.
So much for not going anywhere alone. I hadn’t realized how dumb this was until I stepped into the twilight and eyed the dark interior of my car from half a football field away.
“I’ll walk you to your car.” Nate fell into step beside me, and I was grateful for his presence.
I had never felt this vulnerable before and it was like bugs crawling over my skin.
He checked under the car and in the backseat before moving aside and letting me slip into the driver’s seat.
“I’ll see you back at my place, I’ll be right behind you.
” He waited until I nodded before slamming my car door and heading towards wherever he’d parked his bike.
I hit the lock button on my door and threw the car into drive.
The hair on the back of my neck was already standing up, which was ridiculous since I was within sight of a police station.
Still, I breathed a sigh of relief when I merged into traffic and picked up speed.
My heart rate started to calm as I turned onto Nate’s street but when I pulled into the driveway and saw the dark house sitting before me, it picked back up again.
I must have beat Nate here, which wasn’t a surprise since I left first. The question was, did I wait for him to get here or just go in myself?
Paisley was with her mom tonight as per their custody arrangement.
The fact that the house was dark and quiet was normal.
Right? I watched as four of the slowest minutes ever ticked by on my cell phone screen.
I listened and watched for Nate’s bike but after six minutes he hadn’t arrived.
My foot tapped against the floor, my eyes glancing in the rearview mirror every few seconds.
I navigated to my contacts and was about to call Nate when I changed my mind and searched the number for the police station instead.
After a few transfers, I had Brock. “Hi Brock, it’s Liz.
Is Nate still there, did he go back inside for something? ”
There was a long pause. Too long to be good news. “No, is he not with you?”
I quickly explained the situation. “So, now I am sitting in the driveway, waiting. This can’t be a coincidence.”
“Stay put with your doors locked and wait until you hear back from me.”
“Wait, what are you going to do?”
“I’m going to drive the route he would have taken home and see if I can find him. Wait there!”
The speed with which he hung up was concerning.
If my anxiety wasn’t so high, I could have fallen asleep, I was tired right down to the marrow of my bones and after this was done, I would never take feeling safe for granted again.
It was fully dark now. I glanced down at my phone debating calling my sister just to have someone to keep me company.
Before I could hit the call button a rustling of leaves caught my attention out my driver-side window.
I held my breath. After a moment, a stripped orange cat came charging out of the bushes and I let out a breath.
As soon as I turned back to my phone I was showered with glass as my driver’s window shattered.