Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Lana hadn’t been thinking when she’d called Max’s number. She’d just known that he would believe her. He would know what to do.
But having him in her house right now was overwhelming. She felt exposed and vulnerable all over again. Lana wanted to curl up and disappear where nobody could find her. Not even Max.
Especially Max.
She’d been surprised to see interest in his eyes while they’d been standing here in the kitchen. Maybe his claim that they were “practically family” wasn’t so accurate. But right now, she couldn’t deal with navigating their complicated history or her feelings for him.
She did trust him to keep her safe. Regardless of anything else, good or bad, that she felt for him.
“I trust you,” she murmured.
“Then let’s go sit down and talk this through. Make a game plan. We could even create a bullet list if you want.”
She almost smiled. “I do love a nice bullet list. With sub-headings.”
They settled on the couch, leaving a couple of feet of space between them. Lana thought of that long ago night they’d sat on a couch, watching a movie…
But then she pushed the memory out of her head. The past was over now. She had to focus on the present.
“Have there been any other incidents like this?” Max asked.
“A few other phone calls. It started about a month ago. Recently, I thought maybe Paxton Wayfair was behind it. Like he was playing some sort of mind game that he thought would benefit him in the Hearst case. But this, tonight? I think that was too far, even for Wayfair.”
“But no one has approached you in person? You haven’t seen any strange guys or cars driving by your house?”
She shook her head. “Not that I’ve noticed.”
Max’s expression was stern. “I don’t want to scare you. But here’s what concerns me. Tonight was an escalation. That suggests his original phone calls weren’t enough for him anymore. Soon, he might try to approach you.”
“Okay,” she said, her voice shaky. What did that mean? What was she supposed to do?
“I’m going to text Sylvie to see if she can trace the call.” He grabbed his phone and started typing.
“She can do that? The caller ID said unknown.”
“Sylvie has contacts at the phone company. She’s pretty good with this sort of thing.
” He glanced up, hesitating, like there was something else he wanted to say.
“But if it turns out to be a burner phone, that won’t help us identify the guy.
Unless we can find out where he bought it, or if he’s using that phone enough that we can track his location. ”
“Wouldn’t you need a warrant for something like that?
” Lana had tried cases using evidence from cell phone towers to prove a defendant’s whereabouts during the commission of a crime.
She’d also gotten wiretaps on a burner—with a warrant.
But that wasn’t the kind of information just anyone could access.
“Like I said, Sylvie’s pretty good with this kind of thing. Let’s just give her a chance to work. The fewer questions you ask about what she’s doing, the better.”
“Okay. I get it.” Lana didn’t want to break any laws that could undermine a case against the guy later on, but identifying and stopping him was a higher priority. Just so long as she wasn’t directly involved.
Max finished typing and set the phone face down on the coffee table. “I’d also like to install one of my security systems here. Some cameras outside, too, if you’re okay with it.”
“How much is that going to cost?”
He waved the question away. “Don’t worry about cost. I’ve got it.
But there’s something else you need to do.
Report this to the police. So they can open a file and do their own investigation.
Unfortunately, a stalker case like this one, without a clear suspect, isn’t going to get a lot of attention from them.
But you’re a district attorney, so that alone should pull some weight in their eyes.
They’ll at least give it a look. And if anything else happens, they’ll hopefully be quick to respond.
Like I said earlier, I want as many different people watching out for you as possible. ”
She already knew all that he was saying.
But this was surreal. Lana had been in the DA’s office for five years, ever since graduating law school at just twenty-four.
She’d prosecuted some very nasty people.
Yet she’d never experienced anything like this before.
There’d been a few threatening letters from guys she’d put in prison, but those came to her office and got intercepted by the mail room before she even received them.
Those attempts at intimidation had been sloppy, obvious even from the envelopes.
This guy was different. He was…insidious.
“Does that sound like a plan?” Max asked. “I can write it down in bullet list form if you want.”
Now, she smiled for real. “No. It’s a good plan, thank you. I really appreciate this.” It was a relief to know what to do. Whenever she had a major problem, it always seemed less monumental once she’d decided on her next step.
Max reached for her hand, crossing that gulf of space between them. His fingertips brushed her knuckles.
“Is this okay?” he asked, low and husky.
For just a second, Lana was back in her parents’ house ten years ago. That same thrill of eager anticipation flared in her chest.
“Yes.” Her eyes were intent on his. His pupils dilated, and she was sure he was remembering the same thing.
Then she blinked, and the impression was gone.
Max held her hand, but there was nothing sexual about the gesture. Just kindness and concern.
She liked this. Having Max here as a friend. He was a good man. The kind of person who gave his time and spent his hard-earned money to help other people. Just like he had tracked down the evidence against Ryan Hearst and was going to be the star witness who would bring that murderer to justice.
She did want Max in her life.
The old hurt was still there, the disappointment. But wasn’t it time to let that go?
“You said before that we could be friends. We could talk to one another about more than just work and Aurora. Does that offer still stand?”
His thumb moved absently against the back of her hand. “Of course.”
“Then I’d like to accept.”
He nodded, his expression softening further. “I’m glad to hear that.”
“What should we talk about?”
“Right now?”
Lana lay her head on the top of the couch cushion. Her eyes suddenly felt unbearably heavy. “Give me something else to think about. Tell me…why you started your company.”
Max sank down into the couch cushions, getting comfortable.
But his hand stayed tight around hers. “Well, I had the idea while I was still in the army. I worked with so many inspiring people, but there were a lot of things that frustrated me. I was always proud to serve, but I got tired of only following orders. Never getting to decide things for myself. And I didn’t think a position as general was going to be in my future, nor did I even desire a role like that.
I didn’t want power. Just a way to prove that I was more than my family history suggested I could be. ”
He didn’t elaborate, but Lana understood. While he’d been overseas, his parents and Aurora had been homeless for a time. Even before that, Lana got the sense that home life had been unstable for them.
“And I wanted to provide more for Aurora than I’d been able to before,” Max went on in his even, reassuring tone. “Oops. I forgot we weren’t supposed to talk about her right now.”
Lana smiled, eyes closing. She was starting to drift. “That’s okay. Just keep talking.”
His other hand now drew circles on the inside of her wrist.
“A former commanding officer gave me a loan to help me get started. I’ve always been grateful, so I’ve tried to help other people when they leave the service. Guys like Devon. They’ve done well by me, so far.”
“But what’s the goal?” she said sleepily. “Where do you see yourself in five years?”
He huffed a small laugh. “Very funny. I’ve been asking that question way too much during job interviews lately. What about you? You must’ve wanted to be a lawyer since you left the womb.”
She was tired, but not too tired to notice that he’d completely avoided her question.
“Almost.” When she and Max had met, way back when she was just a fourteen-year-old babysitter, she’d already known that she was heading for law school. “My uncle was a prosecutor.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“There’s plenty you don’t know about me, Bennett. But my uncle really inspired me with his philosophy about serving his community. I wanted to do the same thing. Help the vulnerable, be strong for the victims. I liked that I could help people by using my smarts.”
His fingers had stopped moving on her arm while she spoke. Like he was listening closely. “Mental strength, instead of physical. But still strong.”
“Right.” She yawned. “Plus, I was obsessed with Law & Order. My parents had no idea I watched so much of it.”
He was chuckling, his fingers resuming their hypnotic circles on her skin.
“I must’ve watched every episode by the time…” She trailed off, losing track of her words. She couldn’t keep going, couldn’t even open her eyes.
A soft touch brushed her hair away from her face.
“You can rest now,” he whispered. “I’m right here.”
Max was here beside her. She had to be dreaming already. So, she stopped fighting and let sleep take her.