Chapter 14
Shannon
Everything happened so fast. One minute, I was crouched near the gate, picking up the litter that had been left outside my house, and the next, a black car was swerving toward me at speed. They had to have been drunk. A sober person wouldn’t drive like that.
“I’m okay, really,” I repeated, though my hands were still trembling. “Just a little shaken.”
“I’m going to fucking kill whoever that was,” Jace fumed, pulling me tight against his chest. His arms were solid around me, his warmth seeping into my skin and grounding me in a way I hadn’t realised I needed.
I could feel the erratic thud of his heart beneath my cheek, the anger still coiled tight in him, and it made my own knees feel weak with a strange mix of fear and relief.
Isla approached, a phone pressed to her ear, her voice low and serious. When she hung up, she stepped closer, giving me a careful once-over. “Are you hurt, Shannon?”
I shook my head, and Jace’s arms tightened instinctively as if he were afraid I might disappear if he loosened his hold. I knew I should step away, should give everyone some space, but after the fright I’d just experienced, I needed him there, holding me upright, reminding me I was safe.
Isla turned her attention to Jace. “I had my contact run the plates. The car was stolen late last night.”
“Fuck,” Jace swore. “Do you think it was them?”
I glanced up at him. “Think it was who?”
He looked down at me, perturbed. “The catfish.”
Unease crept over me as I refused to entertain the notion. “No. Surely this was random. If they stole the car, they were probably drunk or high.”
Jace’s expression softened. “They drove right towards you, Shannon. It was targeted. They were trying to frighten you.”
My brow creased into a frown, mouth set in a tight line. Why would anyone want to frighten me? I hadn’t gotten a proper look at the driver. All I’d seen was a face obscured by sunglasses and a peaked cap.
I’d come downstairs this morning, about to make a start on Zara’s breakfast, when I’d noticed all the rubbish that had been dumped outside my front gate. I thought maybe it had fallen off the back of a collection truck or something, because that had happened a few times before.
A chill tiptoed down my spine and a sinking feeling filled me when I noticed Viola standing at her door, arms folded as she surveyed the scene.
Her expression was flat, and she didn’t look shocked.
She looked judgemental. Was she seriously judging me for almost getting run over?
Meeting my gaze, she shook her head and tutted. “The company you keep, Miss Guerin.”
Okay, what the hell did that mean? Her tone said I should be ashamed somehow, and it took all I had not to fire back at her before she turned and walked back into her house.
“What is her problem?” Isla muttered.
“I could make you a list,” I responded, dumbfounded by her attitude. If it were any of my other neighbours, they’d have come running over to express their concern, but Viola had acted like it was all my fault.
Wait, was this her doing? Was that Gary in the sunglasses and hat driving the stolen car?
The probability was almost comical, but I had been expecting retaliation after what Jace had said to them.
Viola and Gary were annoying, but were they dangerous?
No, I didn’t think so. They wouldn’t do something this crazy, but then, if it was the catfish, why were they suddenly going after me? It didn’t make sense unless …
“I need to talk to you,” I said, pulling Jace into my house and shooting Isla a grateful nod before I closed the door.
“What is it, Shan?”
I searched his gaze. “Have you told anyone about your plan to …” My words fell off as a flush claimed my cheeks. “To convince me to give you another chance?”
His expression warmed as he reached out to push some hair behind my ear. “No, but I think Angus suspects. Why?”
God, it was so embarrassing to talk about this. “Well, I know your dad ruled out everyone in your close circle, but if they’re now gunning for me, it seems like it could be someone who knows we’ve been spending a lot more time together.”
“Fuck,” he swore again, running a hand over his stubble. “It can’t be any of them. It just can’t be.”
“No, you’re right. I saw how they all reacted last night, and they just seemed hurt that they’d been suspected.
No one acted guilty. Maybe it’s a stranger, and they’ve been …
” I trailed off as a shudder went through me.
“Watching us,” I finished at last, and Jace instinctively stepped closer, his posture protective as though he was just as perturbed as I was at the idea of having a real life stalker instead of a mere online impersonator.
“There was a bunch of rubbish outside my gate this morning. If this was intentional, it means they dumped it there so that I’d come out to clear it, and they could frighten me. This was obviously a threat to scare me into staying away from you.”
A myriad of emotion passed over Jace’s features, most notably fury, before he stepped back and pulled out his phone.
“I need to talk to my dad.” A pause as he ran his gaze over me.
“You and Zara should come stay at my parents’ house for a couple days.
Whoever was driving that car knows where you live, and I don’t want you on your own. ”
I should’ve felt grateful for the offer, but it only made me angry. Not at Jace, but at whoever was trying to terrorise us.
“I won’t let them run me out of my own house,” I said, standing firm.
His look was determined. “I’m not leaving you and Zara here alone. Who knows what they’ll try next.”
“I’ll have some security cameras installed. It’s actually been on my to do list for a while. Plus, I already have an alarm system.”
“None of those will help in this situation. Alarms and cameras deter burglars, not lunatics who want to break in and hurt you. Someone could get into this house and cause a lot of harm before anyone responds to your alarm going off, Shannon.”
His words created a hollow feeling in my gut.
The thought of a stranger wanting to do me harm was terrifying, but the idea of them going after Zara was even more so.
Jace was right. We needed protection, but I wouldn’t impose on Matilda and Jay.
They’d already done so much for us over the years, and staying at their house was a hassle I wasn’t prepared to inflict upon them.
Besides, if things progressed, and I needed to stay someplace else, there was always my parents’ apartment.
They kept it for the occasions when they visited, and I had permission to use it whenever I pleased since it was always empty.
“Just until we find who it is. Please,” he begged.
“I’m not being run out of my house, Jace.”
He stared at me for a long moment, his expression frustrated and tense, before he countered, “All right, I’ll just have to stay here, then.”
My eyes bugged. “What? No, there’s nowhere for you to sleep. I don’t have a guest bedroom.”
He shrugged. “I’ll take the couch.”
“Jace, listen—”
His hands came to my shoulders, firmly clasping them as he stared me down.
“We’ll step things up and find them, Shannon.
They’re obviously losing the plot if they’re coming here and trying to scare you in person.
This will only be temporary, and then I’ll get out of your hair.
I can’t leave you and Zara alone, not after what I just saw.
If anything happened to either of you, I could never forgive myself. ”
The fervency of his words had me relenting. I saw his fear, and I felt it, too. If the catfish wanted to harm us, then I needed to do everything I could to protect myself and my daughter, and having Jace around was better than sleeping in the house alone.
“You won’t be very comfortable on the couch.”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll make do. But first things first, you really do need security cameras. Dixon knows all the best systems. He and I will take care of that for you today.”
“Okay, thank you.” I was grateful because I had a lot of work to get through, and installing cameras wasn’t something I was capable of. I tended to get vertigo if I had to go up a ladder.
I hated that I barely left the house all day.
That this person had managed to frighten me enough to stay indoors.
From the brief glimpse we’d caught, none of us had been able to discern if they were male or female.
Could it have been Dean? It made sense in a way, but in another way, it didn’t.
He was cocky and arrogant with a massive ego, but could he be so obsessed with Jace and me that he’d do something like this?
No, I didn’t think so. Something felt off.
I was still missing a big part of the picture.
Jace and Dixon went through all the rubbish that had been dumped outside, hoping to find a clue, but it was all generic food wrappers and plastic containers.
They went out to shop for the security system, and when they returned, I went up to my bedroom, hoping to keep out of their way while they installed it.
Jace wouldn’t tell me how much it cost, but when I went on the internet and looked it up, I discovered the price tag of over two grand.
Bloody hell. I knew he wasn’t short on cash, but I still needed to figure out a way to pay him back.
There was lots of drilling noise and ladders being carried about, and then an hour or two later when the drilling and banging stopped, I heard a lot of low, gruff squabbling. A few minutes later, there was a soft knock on my bedroom door.
“Just a second,” I said, closing out the code I’d been working on as I went to see what Jace needed. He stood there, scratching at the stubble that lined his jaw and looking sheepish. “So, we have the cameras installed, but we’re, uh, having a little trouble with the hard drive.”