Chapter Twenty-Four #2
“I’m glad we both came back,” he softly says.
“And I promise I’ll do whatever I have to do to keep you and Lilah safe.
Nothing will happen to either of you while I’m around.
” He pauses a moment, looking thoughtful, as if choosing his next words carefully.
“I know I never showed it in the past, but I care about you, Abbie. You and Lilah. I was never interested in having a family, but with you two…I don’t know.
I guess I see a different future for myself. ”
There’s an unshakeable resolve behind his words and I believe him, wholly and completely…and that kind of terrifies me.
Is there really a possibility of a future here, even a small one? Could we ever really be together? Be a family?
I don’t know. I’m not sure that I can trust Jake to still be here when there’s no danger. When life is normal and mundane and Lilah is grumpy because she didn’t get her nap, or I work late a few days in a row because the clinic is super busy.
He’s saying all the right things right now, but that’s not enough for me. Not anymore. I need to see it. I need action.
If I’m going to put my heart on the line, I need more assurance than just his word that he won’t break it again.
As we walk out of the restaurant after dinner, I feel like I’m floating on air despite my belly full of pasta and tiramisu. Jake is holding my hand again, and it feels good to have his strong, thick fingers wrapped around mine.
“So, did you like this place?” he asks as we step out into the cool night air. “Should we come back sometime?”
I grin up at him. “Yeah, I like it a lot. We definitely should come back…”
He tenses, his eyes going wide as his face drains of color. At the sudden shift in his demeanor, I freeze. Frowning, I turn to see what’s startled him so badly and I let out a gasp of shock.
Jake’s car is a horrible mess. His tires are slashed and the windows have all been smashed except for the windshield.
Across the glass in smeared red letters is a message:
FUCK OFF… OR DIE
“Oh, my God!” I whimper, stumbling backward. My heart is beating so hard I think it might burst, and a single thought pushes its way to the front of my mind — Lilah. I quickly dig my phone out, my fingers trembling as I swipe the screen to unlock it and I immediately call my dad.
“Hey, Abbie,” he answers and he sounds calm and steady, which instantly eases some of my worry. “How’s it going? How’s the date?”
“Dad, is Lilah okay?” I ask, my tone breathless.
“Uhhh…yeah. Vivianne is upstairs giving her a bath right now.” His tone grows sharper with urgency. “Why? Has something else happened?”
“Yeah.” No point in lying to him. “Jake’s car has been vandalized.”
“Oh, my God! Are you two okay?”
“We’re fine.” My voice is shaking, though, and I don’t sound fine. “I just wanted to make sure Lilah was okay. Jake and I need to figure this out now, though. I’ll tell you more later. Just keep my baby safe.”
“Of course. You stay safe too, and call me the moment you’re done with the police and on your way home.”
“I will.” I hang up the phone, tears filling my eyes. I’m overwhelmed with a mixture of relief that Lilah’s fine, and fear and frustration that this nightmare just won’t end.
Jake wraps his arms around me and moves his body so he’s blocking the car from my view.
“That fucker,” he growls. “It has to be that guy—the weird one who was trying to talk to you when we got here.”
I stare up at him, wide-eyed. Stuart was here. It makes sense. But…
He digs his phone out and dials a number as he grumbles, “Either way, it’s worth mentioning to Peterson.” He puts the call on speaker so I can hear the detective when he answers, “Hello? This is Peterson.”
“Peterson? Hey, it’s Jake Ashford. I’m with Abbie in Willow Creek at La Bella Noche , that new Italian place. My car’s been vandalized and another message was left.”
“Shit. What does it say?”
“Fuck off or die,” Jake growls.
Peterson snorts. “Subtle. Okay, do me a favor and take a picture of the message and any damage to the car. I’m going to call Willow Creek PD and have them come over there to process the car and tow it.
It’s their jurisdiction, so I’ll have to go through them to get access to the scene.
Once they’ve taken your statements, can you and Abbie get a ride back to Ivy Glen and meet me at the police department? ”
Jake glances at me and I give him a small nod.
Then, to Peterson, he says, “Yeah, we’ll do that. Thanks. See you soon.”
He hangs up and wraps his arm back around me. A shiver runs through me, despite the warmth of his embrace, and I swear it feels like someone’s watching me. It makes me nauseous. I feel violated. Again.
“It’ll be okay,” he assures me gently, pressing my face against his chest. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
At his words, a blanket of comfort settles over me and I relax into his hold as we wait for the police to arrive.
It’s only a few minutes before a police car drives in with its lights flashing, and soon after that, a tow truck. The cops gather our information and take pictures of the car—Jake does so as well with his phone. They also make a request for the security footage from the restaurant
“We’ll let Detective Peterson know what we find,” one of the officers tells us as Jake’s car is towed away. “You two can head back to Ivy Glen now.”
“Thanks,” Jake mutters. Looking at me, he says, “I’ll get us an Uber, okay?”
“Yeah, okay.” Guilt slams through me. This is all my fault. If it weren’t for me, Jake never would’ve gotten mixed up in this. “I’m so sorry this happened to your car, Jake. If I hadn’t dragged you into my mess maybe…maybe…”
He takes my face into his hands and drops a kiss on my forehead as I close my eyes and let tears run down my cheeks. “Hey, look at me.”
His command may be no louder than a whisper, but I feel the demand vibrate through every part of me.
Our eyes meet, his blue to my brown, and it’s as if he’s looking right into my soul.
“I don’t fucking care about a stupid car, Abbie.
This is not your fault, and I don’t want you to waste another second thinking that the actions of this piece of shit are your doing.
I would do anything, sacrifice anything, to keep you and Lilah safe.
Everything else, it doesn’t matter. Tell me you understand that. ”
I feel stunned. The conviction in his voice is unlike anything I’ve ever heard from him before. “I understand.”
“Good girl.”
Quickly brushing his lips over mine, the tension breaks as he steps away to order a car and I wrap my arms around myself.
God, I hate this. I hate that the people I care about are at risk because some psycho won’t leave me alone.
Lilah already spends so much time away from me as a result… what if I have to give up Jake too?
The mere thought makes me nauseous.
Jake returns to my side and our car arrives a couple minutes later. We don’t say a word during the fifteen minute drive back to Ivy Glen, but he doesn’t let go of my hand the entire time.
Detective Peterson is waiting for us when we arrive at the Ivy Glen police station.
“Thanks for coming, you two,” he greets us as we step out of the Uber. “Come on in and we’ll get formal statements and everything out of the way.”
Jake and I follow him inside and to his office. Peterson shuts the door behind us and moves to sit at his desk, pulling out papers from one of the drawers and picking up a pen.
“All right.” He looks up at us. “Now, tell me what happened.”
Jake and I go back and forth, giving Peterson as much information as we can, though it’s hard since neither of us actually saw anything happen. Just the aftermath.
“There’s a patient of Abbie’s that you should look into,” Jake insists at one point. “He was at the restaurant, and he seemed way too eager to get her attention. I’ve got a bad feeling about him. His name’s Stuart.”
“Why do you suspect him?” Peterson asks.
Jake shoots me a look. “He seems too eager around her. Too desperate for her attention. Plus, he was at the restaurant. We ran into him when we first got there.”
Peterson nods and types something on his keyboard. “All right, we’ll get his information and check him out.”
“I really don’t think it’s him,” I murmur.
Glancing up, Peterson gives me a sympathetic look. “It doesn’t hurt to look.”
I suppose that’s true. Still, something about this situation just doesn’t feel right. I can’t put my finger on why that is, but… it’s just a lingering discomfort in my gut.
“Okay, so here’s the deal.” Peterson drops his hands from his computer’s keyboard and sits back in his chair.
“Since the restaurant is in Willow Creek’s jurisdiction, it’ll take a day or two to get through all the red tape and get the evidence they gathered sent over, but we’ll look over everything once we have it.
We’ll also bring in this patient of yours, Abbie. Just for questioning.”
“I want some protection for my dad and Vivianne. Lilah has been staying with them.” My voice is sharper than I mean for it to be, but my panic comes back when I think of Dad, Vivianne, and Lilah possibly being in harm’s way. “Can you put a full-time detail on them or something?”
Peterson frowns and lets out a hesitant sigh. “Usually we only provide that when a murder’s taken place, but…I can pull a few strings. See what I can do. I can put one on you too.”
“No, that’s okay. The drive-by patrol is good enough for me. I just want to make sure my daughter is safe.”
Peterson regards me for a long moment, and I think part of him wants to argue the point further.
However, he just nods. “Sure. I can try and make that happen.”
“All right.” I sigh. “Thank you for everything, Detective.”
He looks between the two of us before saying, “Just be careful, okay? This guy’s escalating things and we don’t want to give him a reason to do something worse.”
Jake and I exchange a look and my heart twists painfully in my chest.
“We’ll be careful,” I promise Peterson, though my eyes never leave Jake. “I swear.”