Chapter 1 #2
“You could have done something else to let me know you were here. I thought you were my stalker. I could have hurt you if I reached my stun gun in time!”
“I apologize for not finding a better way to alerting you to my presence.” His speech was oddly formal.
“After calling your name several times and seeing the outright panic on your face, I thought… I guess I thought you might be in real danger. I didn’t see anything or anyone as I approached but you seemed…
scared shi—uh, terrified. I shouldn’t have touched you. ” He grimaced. “I really am sorry.”
She nodded her head slightly, acknowledging his apology.
“Just so you know I’m not lying to you, and I am who I say I am.” With slow and steady movements, he reached into his pocket and brought something out. He kept his eyes on her the whole time. He flicked open his wallet so she could see his driver’s license.
She cursed under her breath. His lips turned slightly upward. Well, at least he wasn’t super pissed or freaked out. He probably just thought she was off her rocker. Still, he should’ve found a better way. Her reaction was his fault. Mostly.
Still being cautious, he slowly eased off her. “Can I let you up now? You’re not going to try to hit me if I let you up, right?”
“I, um, I… Yes. No.”
Dylan cocked an eyebrow at her and waited.
She cleared her throat and tried again. “I’m sorry. Yes, it’s okay to let go of me. I won’t hit you again.” Although the idea was tempting and he deserved it. Maybe not a thousand volts of a stun gun but the smack to the jaw definitely.
Releasing her hands, he rolled off her and stood, all in one graceful movement. He put his wallet back in his pocket, straightened his t-shirt, and offered her a hand up. She noticed how easy it was for him to haul her to her feet. She hadn’t stood a chance against him. She drew a shaky breath.
Her first impression had been spot on. He was big, well over six feet, with wide shoulders tapering to narrow hips.
Under the tight sleeves of his shirt, his arms were well defined.
He was lean and obviously in shape. She trembled as she remembered the hardness of his body—all muscle from head to toe.
His dark blond hair had a bit of a wave, and softly curled around his collar.
Raleigh glanced down at herself and attempted to fix her red, V-neck summer sweater and her black pants, so they were straight again, hoping they hid her wobbly knees. She tried to straighten her hair, but it was hopeless. Her hands still shook. She was just making it messier.
“You want to tell me what’s going on?” Dylan asked in a quiet, steady voice.
She nodded. “Just give me a minute.” She stumbled into the hallway. He’d been telling the truth. Her kitchen door was wide open. She’d left it open when she was bringing in the groceries. Leaving her door wide open in the middle of the day in New York was not the smartest move at the best of times.
Now, with her stalker lurking, a dumb thing like that just invited trouble.
She went and quickly shut the door, throwing the deadbolt. Raleigh bit her lip again. If only that was enough to keep her stalker out. Turning around she saw Dylan leaning against the doorjamb of her bedroom, his blue eyes studying her.
His expression was inscrutable.
Great. She really needed him to be at the event with her this weekend. If he backed out now, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to make herself go. And then her stalker would win.
Focus, she reminded herself. She needed to keep her focus. If she let her mind go there, she would fall apart.
Walking past him, down the hallway to the living room, she indicated the sofa as she sat in the chair across from it. She carefully avoided looking at the flowers that sat on the windowsill, knowing what was there.
Dylan took a seat on the sofa.
“I, um, I thought you were my stalker.”
He nodded. “Again, I apologize for startling you. But why did you think I was your stalker at that moment? I mean, has he approached you physically before?”
She still struggled to get a read on him. He looked blank. Maybe it was a thing they taught at the police academy. How to look impassive all the time.
“No. Never. I don’t even know for sure my stalker is a he.
” Raleigh sighed. This was the part where people went from being sympathetic to thinking she was a psycho.
“I just came home and discovered my knife on the wrong side of the sink and the yogurt in the fridge is alphabetized.” Raleigh waited, but his face didn’t change.
“My bedroom door was closed. I always leave it open. When I opened it, I saw the impression of a head on my pillow. I’m a creature of habit and I always fluff them when I make the bed. ”
Dylan remained silent but nodded.
Raleigh’s throat ached. Crying wasn’t an option.
She blurted out, “I moved to New York last year, and everything was great until about six weeks ago.” A shudder ran through her body.
“I’m not sure what Lauren told you, but I’ve never seen him…
the stalker. I know he exists because of what he does here—the changes he makes, the games he plays. ”
She babbled, but she couldn’t stop herself. It helped some of the fear drain away. She tried to look neutral, but her face undoubtedly reflected her terror. Even sitting here in her house with a cop, she felt totally powerless.
“Is there anything else? Any other signs of your stalker besides the knife, the yogurt, and the pillow?” His voice held more of an edge this time.
A little less helpful-bystander-with-a-victim, a little more cop-dealing-with-a-lunatic.
The faintest hint of disbelief was visible in the set of his features.
Her hackles rose. “Look, I know what it sounds like, but it’s true.
” Anger helped banish her fear. She had to be strong.
No one else would do it for her. “Look at those flowers! I bought lilies and gardenias. Only lilies and gardenias.” She still avoided looking at the vase but pointed to it. “He always changes the arrangement.”
Dylan glanced at the flowers, but he seemed mystified.
She rolled her eyes. “Orange and white flowers. I bought orange and white this week.” She frowned. “Is there a red rose in the middle?” It came out as croak like a huge frog had taken up residence in her throat.
When he nodded, her stomach rolled. She closed her eyes and willed her the bile back down to her belly. She took a deep breath and exhaled, then opened her eyes.
“The towels in the bathroom will have a sickly-sweet smell, like old roses. Oh, and the toilet paper roll will be over instead of under.”
Dylan wordlessly got up and went to her bathroom. He came back seconds later and nodded. His expression was back to stony, but she could see the doubt in his eyes.
Raleigh blinked rapidly and swallowed hard. She wasn’t going to break down. Not again. Not when she’d promised herself there would be no more tears over this stalker. He was winning if she cried, and she would not let him win.
“Does anyone have a key to your place?” he asked.
“Just Mrs. Yardley. She lives next door. I gave her a key in case I get locked out.”
He nodded. “Have you known her long?”
“Since I moved here. She’s eighty if she’s a day and she doesn’t get out much so if you’re thinking she has anything to do with this, you can just stop now.”
Dylan raised an eyebrow at her vehement defense but didn’t comment. “Okay. Show me the knife.”
Raleigh got up and gestured for him to lead the way.
It was a struggle to keep it together, but she studied him to distract herself.
His back muscles rippled as he walked. His jeans fit snuggly around his hips.
She remembered what he’d felt like on top of her a moment ago.
Good. Solid. Physically, he was someone who could protect her.
When he reached the kitchen, he stepped to the side and leaned on the fridge as she entered.
“There.” She pointed. “I’m right-handed. I always leave the dirty dishes on the left side of the sink. That way I can use my right hand to put them in the drying rack after I wash them.”
She wanted to be done explaining. It seemed so pointless. For all the people she’d told, only one had believed her. Lauren, but she was out of town for the next couple of months, helping out with her cousin Lilah’s six kids while Lilah recovered from an emergency hysterectomy.
Raleigh had no one here who could help her. She turned to face Dylan and leaned against the sink.
“And you’ve reported this at the local precinct?” he asked.
“Yes, but the officers didn’t believe me. They think I’m making it all up.” She lifted her chin a fraction. “Is that what you think?”
He studied her for a moment before his expression softened. “I think you’re terrified. And no one wants to be terrified.”
She blinked. It wasn’t exactly a statement of support, but at least he wasn’t trying to admit her to a psych ward. When her gaze met his, a warming sensation started in her stomach. The knots loosened slightly. “So, what happens now?”
His blue eyes remained steady on hers. The kitchen was small, and Dylan seemed to take up all the space.
If he backed out of accompanying her this weekend, she was screwed. She had a sudden, crazy impulse to throw her arms around him and beg him to come with her.
Hell, she wanted to beg him to stay with her now. She wanted him with her every moment until her stalker was caught. A flash of her in Dylan’s arms lit up her brain like the Fourth of July. She shivered.
“Now, tell me what’s in store for this weekend so I can put some sort of plan together. I need details if I’m going to keep you safe.”
Her knees went weak with relief, and she stumbled a bit.
He reached out and steadied her with one hand. “You all right?”
“Um, yeah. Sorry.” She straightened up again. “I’m just really glad you’re going to come with me.”
“No problem. I promised Lauren I’d help.”
“I really appreciate it. When Lauren said she had a cousin who was a cop, I couldn’t believe it. I’m so grateful to both of you for your help.”
He still had his hand on her arm. The contact made her insides turn to jelly.
Her plan was to have Dylan take on the role of her boyfriend for the weekend. Then they could share a room with no one asking questions. She swallowed. It had seemed like such a good idea at the time. Now, as she looked up at Dylan, she wasn’t so sure.
“Uh, why don’t we go back into the living room, and I’ll tell you what you need to know.” Just having to pretend he was her boyfriend might prove to be well beyond her acting skills. Dylan Black was something to behold.