Chapter 7 #2
"You say that now, but when you consider what I can offer, I think you'll see that being with me is an advantage you can't afford to pass up.
" His confidence was nauseating, as if her eventual capitulation was inevitable.
"You were always meant for greatness, and I was always meant to help you achieve it. Some things are just destiny."
The call ended abruptly, leaving Genevieve staring at her phone in disbelief.
Abe opened his arms, and Genevieve leaned against him. For a moment, she was speechless. Then the reality of the situation hit her. She pulled away and looked into Abe's eyes. "I don't know if I should be furious or terrified," she said. "This is all too much. Jason is…seriously unbalanced."
Jason had shown his true nature, and unwittingly severed Genevieve's trust, which would protect her and make it more difficult to manipulate her. But Abe knew it wouldn't be nearly enough to stop him.
*****
While walking back to the car, Abe reflected on the phone call.
Jason's manipulation had been masterful.
He pretended to be warm and caring to position himself as an ally rather than a threat.
But underneath the charm, Abe had perceived the truth.
Jason genuinely believed that Genevieve belonged to him, and that made him infinitely more dangerous than a random fan driven by obsession.
The drive back to Abe's house gave him time to think about the psychological sophistication of what they were dealing with. Jason wasn't an impulsive stalker acting out of passion. He was a calculating predator who had spent months, possibly years, preparing to make his move.
Abe's growing feelings for Genevieve only intensified his determination to protect her, but he had to be careful not to let his emotions cloud his professional judgment. She needed his expertise as a detective, not his feelings as a man falling in love.
When they arrived at his house, Abe pulled Genevieve into his arms before they'd even made it through the front door. "You're safe here," he said, meaning it with every fiber of his being.
Once inside, Genevieve headed for the back patio, where the afternoon sun filtered through the oak trees in his yard. It felt like a sanctuary after the intensity of the day, and Abe was relieved that she was staying with him.
Genevieve curled up in one of the outdoor chairs. "How can he be so bold?" she said. "He called me without warning and mentioned my lunch with Brooke like it was the most natural thing in the world."
"In his mind, he's not doing anything wrong," Abe said, then settled into the chair beside her. "Jason sees himself as the wronged party in this situation. He believes he deserves your attention and affection, so monitoring your activities and contacting you seems justified."
"But why wait so long? Why resurface now, after all this time?"
Abe had been thinking about this question since their first encounter with Jason. "I have a theory about that, but you're not going to like it."
"That's okay. I need to understand."
"I think Jason's been planning this for a long time. Maybe since you left his band, but certainly since you married your second husband." He watched her face carefully. "The harassment you experienced when you were in his band was just the first phase."
"What do you mean?"
"Think about it," Abe said. "You rejected him romantically and left his band. Then you married someone else. Each of those would have been devastating blows to his ego." He leaned forward. "But instead of retaliating immediately, he disappeared. Why?"
She considered this. "I always thought he'd moved on and found other artists to focus on."
"Or he realized that possessing you required a different approach. Jason's smart, and he's patient." Abe could tell that Genevieve was beginning to understand. "I think he spent these years building his power base so he could come back to confidently achieve his end goal."
"You're saying his career trajectory has been about getting me back?"
"I'm saying it's possible. Consider the timing for a moment. He waited until he had his own label, strategic connections, and leverage in the industry. Then he made his move, just as you're on the verge of a major breakthrough with Pickford Recording."
"That's insane."
"It's calculating, and it's brilliant in a deeply disturbing way." Abe reached for her hand. "In Jason's mind, he's in a position of power. He believes he can offer you things no one else can. And…if you won't come willingly, he can make your life difficult enough that you'll have no choice."
"But I do have a choice. I'll never go back to him."
"I know that, and you know that." He squeezed her hand. "But Jason doesn't see it that way. In his mind, it's just a matter of showing you how much better your life could be with him, and how much worse it will be without him."
"He's not going away, is he?" Genevieve said.
"I won't lie to you and tell you not to worry," Abe said. "He fits a pattern. Certain triggers, like seeing you under protection or being offered a music contract that he wasn't responsible for, incite him to intensify his efforts."
They sat in silence for a moment. Abe perceived that Genevieve understood the situation, but it was overwhelming. He deliberately changed the subject to lighten the mood.
"Tell me about your first guitar," he said.
Genevieve looked surprised by the sudden shift. "My first guitar?"
"I want to know more about you beyond all this Jason drama. What made you fall in love with music?"
Genevieve considered the question. "I was ten years old, and my grandmother had this old acoustic guitar in her attic. It was probably worth about twenty dollars, but to me it looked like treasure."
"Did she teach you to play?"
"No, she couldn't play a note. But she let me take it home, and I taught myself using books and videos." Genevieve's voice warmed with the memory. "I drove my parents crazy practicing in my room for hours every day."
"When did you start singing?"
"That came later. I was maybe fourteen when I realized I could do both at the same time." She laughed. "Brooke used to complain that I was always humming or singing something under my breath. She said it was like living with a human jukebox."
Abe enjoyed listening to her talk and getting a glimpse into her younger self. Her eyes gleamed with genuine pleasure as she shared memories that had nothing to do with stalkers or career sabotage.
"What about you?" she asked. "What made you want to be a cop?"
"Honestly? I wanted to be a Navy SEAL first. The police work came later, after I got out of the service."
"Why the SEALs?"
Abe thought for a moment. "I wanted to make a difference, I guess. To protect people who couldn't protect themselves. When I left the Navy, police work felt like a natural extension of that."
"Do you ever regret it…the danger, the stress on relationships?"
"Sometimes," he said, "especially after my divorce. I spent a lot of years thinking I wasn't cut out for serious relationships."
"And now?"
He looked at her, sitting in his patio chair with the afternoon light playing across her features. His heart swelled with an emotion he'd thought was long dead.
"Now I'm thinking maybe I just hadn't found the right woman yet."
The admission hung between them, charged with possibility and the promise of something deeper than the crisis that had brought them together. Genevieve's cheeks flushed slightly, but she didn't look away.
"I've been thinking the same thing," she said.
Abe felt the overwhelming urge to lean over and kiss her, to pull her into his arms and forget about Jason Thornton, and stalking, and everything else that threatened their growing connection.
But he held back, knowing that her safety had to come first, that his feelings couldn't interfere with his judgment.
"Tomorrow," he said, "I want to take you somewhere fun. Somewhere that has nothing to do with any of this."
"What do you have in mind?"
"It's a surprise," Abe said. "But I promise I'll do my best to make it a good day."
Genevieve smiled. "I'd like that."
For the rest of the afternoon, they continued talking about everything and nothing. They shared childhood memories, favorite books, and places they'd traveled. The conversation flowed naturally, with comfortable silences and shared laughter.
Despite the circumstances that brought them together, Abe felt a lasting relationship was possible. A trite phrase entered his mind, yet it seemed appropriate. Sometimes the best things come from the most unexpected places.