7. Chapter Seven
Chapter Seven
HATTIE
Most days, I did my best to leave work before seven, so getting out of here at six thirty on a Friday was a pretty good feat. It had been a slow, quiet night, which was strange, since the place had been packed only a few days ago.
I climbed into my car and started it up, then pulled out my phone and opened the text thread that included Savannah and Brittney, as well as Sarah and a few others who’d been added over time. Savannah and I had been close with Brittney since she’d moved to our small town in middle school. When one of the girls had added Sarah, I worried that the conversations would be awkward. Rhett had almost married her before he and Bella, who’d been dancing around each other for years, finally got together. Luckily Savannah was more interested in finding out whether Sarah’s hot firefighter boyfriend had any single coworkers than she was in making the situation uncomfortable.
All the single ladies
Me: GIF of a bottle of wine pouring into Snow White’s mouth.
Me: I totally need this after this week.
Brittney: I can come out that way tomorrow night. Margaritas at Mamacitas?
Savannah: Oh, yes. They’ve got a new smoking hot bartender.
I rolled my eyes. She was ridiculous.
Kelly: Totally. Let’s do it. Jack is out of town this weekend.
Cece: Oh, bummer. Owen might be on shift again tomorrow, so I’ll be home with the baby.
Brittney: Have they not hired another full-time guy yet?
Cece: Not yet.
Savannah: Bring her!
Cece: Grace? To a bar?
Savannah: Why not? It’s not like she’ll be the one drinking.
Brittney: Rachel said she can come too. She’ll hold the baby.
Cece: Sarah?
Sarah: I’ll ask Jay if he can stay with Nora.
I set my phone in the cupholder and pulled out of the parking lot. The moment I did, bright headlights shone through my back window as a car came out of nowhere. I didn’t remember seeing anyone else leaving the restaurant, but I supposed they could have come out while I was texting the girls.
With a shrug, I turned up the radio and sang along with Taylor Swift’s newest release.
As I approached a stoplight, it turned yellow. Crap . Wincing, I hit the gas and made a left turn. The car behind me sped up too and ran through what I had to assume was now a red light.
In a hurry much?
When I turned again and the car behind me did as well, a niggle of unease wormed its way through me. This didn’t feel right. Dylan’s voice echoed in my head, reminding me to take the possibility of a stalker seriously.
I was being paranoid, though, right? Letting the bossy detective and his paranoia infiltrate my mind like this?
A moment later, the car behind me revved its engine and sped up quickly, its lights blinding. With a screech, I jumped and clutched the steering wheel tight. Certain it was going to hit me, I braced myself. But the impact never came. I glanced in my rearview mirror, my whole body tense. The car, thank god, had backed off. I let out a relieved sigh.
But that uneasy feeling was even stronger now, and fear had the hair on my arms standing up.
What if I did have a stalker? And now he was following me back to my apartment?
“Hey, Siri,” I said. “Call…”
Shit. If I called Rhett, he’d give me a lecture on the dangers of online dating. Kyle had a very pregnant wife and two kids; I didn’t want to get him involved in this. Not to mention he’d stress enough for both of us. Not exactly what I needed right now. Dylan had told me to call if any more weird things happened, right?
“Dylan,” I finally said.
“Calling Dylan,” the automated voice responded. A moment later, the phone rang through the car’s Bluetooth.
When he picked up, I didn’t give him a chance to say more than my name before I said, “This is all your fault.”
He barked out a laugh. “What’s my fault?”
I stole a quick glance at the car behind me. “I’m paranoid now.”
“Good. You should be.”
With a shaky breath, I peered into the rearview mirror again. “I think someone’s following me.”
“You think?” he clipped.
“I’m being ridiculous.” I gripped the steering wheel tighter and straightened. “Tell me I’m being paranoid.”
“I can’t.” There was a rustle on the other end of the line, then he asked, “Why do you think someone’s following you?”
“A car pulled out of the parking lot behind me. Then it ran a red light and made the next two turns I made. At one point, it sped up so quickly I was sure it would rear-end me.”
A growl rumbled through the speakers, so visceral it vibrated through me. “You’re not being paranoid.”
My heart plummeted. “Great.”
“Where are you?” Clicking sounds came through the phone, like he was typing on a computer.
“I’m on Glenn Street, coming up on the elementary school.”
“Turn right at Winding Way.”
I made the turn, and once I’d straightened the wheel, I glanced in the mirror again. The car turned too, remaining a short distance behind me. Dammit.
Voice trembling, I asked, “Now what?”
“Irving Street. Another right.”
I followed Dylan’s instructions, and when the car made the turn too, I held back a sob.
“One more right at Adams.”
“I’m going around in a circle.” I huffed.
“Exactly. There’s no logical reason for anyone to drive in a circle like that. Is the car still there?”
“Yup.” Oh god. Someone really was following me. “Should I pull over?”
“No,” he clipped. “Do not pull over. Do not stop.”
“There’s a four-way stop coming up.” Not to mention several stoplights between here and my apartment.
“Roll through it,” he said. “Or make another right. But do not come to a full stop.”
Although I was white-knuckling the steering wheel, my hands shook. What if the person following me tried to run me off the road?
My heart, which was already pounding, took off at a breakneck speed.
“Hattie, did you hear me?”
“Yes.” I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. “Do not stop.” I forced a deep breath in, but when the tire pressure warning light lit up on my dash with a ding, it all escaped me along with a sharp cry. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“What?” Dylan’s voice was tense, harsh.
“My front tire is low. Again.” What the heck? Randy promised I wouldn’t have any more issues with it.
“He must be letting the air out,” Dylan mumbled, like he was talking to himself.
“What?” I screeched. Blood rushed through my ears and my vision tunneled.
“Need you to stay calm, Hattie.”
I scoffed. That was easy for him to say. He wasn’t being followed around town by a psychopath.
“I promise I won’t let anything happen to you.” He chuckled softly. “Your brother would kick my ass.”
I rolled my eyes, though I was thankful for the levity. “Didn’t you yell at me earlier for laughing?”
“Yes. But now I’d rather make you laugh than let you spiral into a panic.”
“I’m not panicking.” I left off the yet part of that statement.
“You’re not far from Kyle’s house,” he said. “Head there.”
“No. I’m not leading the stalker to Kyle and Tina’s. They have two kids and another one on the way.”
The last thing I wanted to do was get my family involved in this. I’d never hear the end of it. Maybe this was what I deserved for trying to meet people on the internet. I’d picked up a stalker.
“Fine. Come here, then.”
I blinked at the infotainment screen, where Dylan’s name was lit up. “What?”
“I live a couple of blocks from Kyle’s, so I’m the next closest option you have.”
“Maybe I should just go to the police.” The station was less than ten minutes from here.
“I agree.” He sighed. “That’s why I said come here.”
“Here? I thought you said the police?—”
“I am the police,” he interjected. “Come to me.”
“Oh, I meant the police station.” Though his house was closer, and I wouldn’t have to worry about any stoplights.
“Hattie…”
His voice had that bite again, the one that made it clear he expected me to obey. Was that his cop voice? Despite being irritated by his demand, I couldn’t stop the shiver that coursed down my spine.
“Kyle’s house or mine. Pick one. Those are the only choices you’ve got.”
How had I not noticed this side of him in the twelve years I’d known him? In any other situation, I would have pushed back against his bossiness. Right now, though, I was desperate to get to safety. I looked into the rearview at the car still following me and gripped the steering wheel even tighter.
“Fine. How do I get there?”
DYLAN
I breathed a sigh of relief as her headlights shone down my street.
“You see me?” Standing on my front lawn, I waved a hand.
“Yeah.” Her voice trembled, but she wasn’t panicking.
I hated how scared she sounded, but I was impressed by her levelheadedness.
“You’re almost here. Doing great,” I said. “Pull into my driveway.”
She’d barely come to a stop, the back of her car still in the road, before she threw the door open and darted straight toward me.
I opened my arms and brought her tight against my body.
She shook with adrenaline and fear, her breaths coming in gasps now. Fuck. I’d never wanted to punch a wall—or better yet, the asshole following her—more than I did in that moment.
This prick was messing with the wrong person.
I tightened my hold around her as the dark-colored vehicle sped up and flew past my house.
“7KL4TBC.”
“What?” she whispered against my chest.
“License plate.” I repeated the digits in my head as I pulled my phone out and texted Aiden, asking him to pull the registration for a Toyota with this license plate.
“I need to call this in.”
She pulled back and peered up at me, her eyes glassy. “What?”
“He’s escalating. I need to get the department involved so we can start an investigation.”
I didn’t plan to mention the possible dead end we’d hit with the gas station. According to the attendant, the surveillance cameras only held on to a recording for so long before it was erased to make space for new footage. The guy didn’t know how to access it or how long footage was saved, so we planned to go back tomorrow to speak to the owner.
She nodded and blew out a shaky breath. “Okay.”
“That means you need to tell your family.” I pulled back and gripped her shoulders, forcing her to look at me.
“Now?”
“It’s no skin off my back if they hear about your stalker from someone else—and you know they will; you know how this town is—but is that what you want?”
She shifted her weight and sighed. “No. Especially my parents.”
I nodded. “Come on, I’ll drive you over.”
Lips pressed together, she nodded. “I guess it’ll look like I’m being responsible if I show up with the police.”
I couldn’t help but smirk at her reasoning.
It faded quickly, though, as uneasiness settled in my gut. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, I led her toward my SUV.