Chapter 11 #2
Why the fuck had he chosen to live so far out? Why had he left her alone this morning? She had no protection. He knew damned well Duke was worthless as a guard dog. It was too easy to imagine someone holding her at gunpoint or with a knife to her throat, threatening her to stay quiet.
Because the questions and the multitude of dangerous scenarios ate away at his focus, he locked them away with the fear, too.
Something to bring out once she was safe and the perimeter was secure.
He ran lights on, siren screaming, coaxing every ounce of speed out of the cruiser’s engine as he clung to curves.
“Still with me, baby?”
“Yeah.” Her voice was too small, too quiet. Soft enough he could hear Duke’s agitated panting.
“I’m nearly there.”
“I can hear the sirens.”
Let the bastard know he was coming. He’d rather run the threat off than risk Paisley getting hurt.
The part of his brain still capable of rational thought recognized that she was probably safe.
The flowers were meant to scare her, but there’d still been no direct contact.
At most, the fucker was hiding in the woods watching, maybe getting off on watching them scurry like ants.
But he could feel the pulse of her fear over the phone, and that overrode everything else, lighting up a primitive part of his brain that didn’t give a shit about anything but getting to her as fast as humanly possible.
He fishtailed into the driveway and skidded to a stop, not caring that he sprayed his own truck with gravel in the process.
Urgency beat in his blood, driving him out of the car, up the steps, gun drawn.
Training kept him from just barging in with no cover.
Years of habit had him following protocol, getting through the door to clear the room.
It was that muscle memory that kept him from being koshed over the head.
He pivoted, and something heavy and black glanced off his shoulder as he brought up his weapon.
Paisley dropped…was that a cast-iron skillet? “Ty!”
He barely had time to holster his gun before she threw herself at him. Absorbing her momentum, he wrapped her tight, still visually clearing the room, checking for threats. It wasn’t until there was no enemy fire that he fully let go of the idea that this wasn’t some kind of trap.
Outside he could hear the rest of his backup arrive. Car doors slammed. Xander shouted, “Fan out!”
But Ty’s focus narrowed in on Paisley.
He’d burst in on countless civilians in various war-torn countries.
Everyday citizens just trying to survive, never knowing when violence would rear its head.
Women and children huddling in silent terror, waiting for the end.
Ty had expected something of that in her eyes.
And there was fear when he pulled back to search her pale face. But there was equal part fury.
That he’d left her alone? That he’d broken yet another promise? That he wasn’t the protector he’d set himself up to be?
Yeah, he deserved her anger for that and more. But there’d be time for recriminations later. “Are you hurt?”
She gave a quick, sharp shake of her head. “I know I should’ve been gone already, but I got caught up and I just…I wasn’t expecting…this.”
“Of course, you weren’t. This asshole is getting bolder.” Which begged the question…what would be the next step?
Xander, Clyde, and Leanne came in.
“No sign of anybody.” Xander nodded to Paisley. “You must be Miss Parish. I’m Sheriff Kincaid. This is Deputy Parker and County Investigator Leanne Hammond. Sorry for the trouble. Can you tell us exactly what happened?”
Sucking in a breath, she stepped away from Ty, reaching automatically for Duke.
“Ty left for work about seven fifteen. I locked the door and set the alarm before he even pulled out of the driveway. I’ve been spending my days with Ivy and Harrison Wilkes for the past week, so I was getting ready to head that way, but I just wanted to linger over my coffee a while. ”
Xander flashed a reassuring smile. “Best way to enjoy coffee. Go on.”
She took them through it. As she talked about the realization that Ty hadn’t sent the flowers and that the alarm was no longer on, she shook harder, her fingers fisting in the dog’s ruff.
Here was the fear that righteous anger had drowned out.
She didn’t look at Ty as she spoke, and he felt the greasy fingers of guilt slithering through him.
“Was the door locked when you got here?” Xander asked.
Ty crossed his arms so he wouldn’t give in to the urge to curl his hands into fists. “No. She about took off my head with the skillet though.”
Clyde picked it up off the floor, testing the heft. “Good choice.”
Leanne snapped a picture of the flowers. “I’m gonna try to get up with Misty. See if she sold any in the last couple days that would fit this description.”
“Good.” Xander nodded in approval. “Brooks, let’s check out this alarm system, see what happened there.”
“Can…can one of you check the loft?” Paisley asked.
“On it!” Clyde trotted over, and Ty dutifully followed Xander outside.
It only took minutes to find the cut phone line.
“Older system. Came with the place when Porter bought it. Reckon he’ll be upgrading now.”
Ty grunted. He should have updated it himself.
Should have beefed up his own security, as he had Paisley’s house in Nashville.
But he’d been arrogant, figuring he and his training would make up the difference.
The more fool him. “It’s not that sophisticated a system, but it still indicates we’re dealing with someone who has some kind of knowledge. ”
“You suspected that when you searched her house, though, right?”
“More in a staying open to all possibilities kind of way. The Metro PD detective on the case thought I was a paranoid nut job.”
“Not looking so paranoid now. Good instincts.”
Ty wasn’t sure his instincts could be trusted.
“Hey, Brooks? You okay?”
“The woman I’m supposed to protect just had a home invasion while she was in the shower. What do you think?”
Unruffled, Xander clapped him on the shoulder. “Put it away, man. That kind of thinking will run you crazy, and you’re no good to her like that.”
He wasn’t sure he was any good to her as it was.
“You have access to monitor the system you set up in Nashville?”
“Yeah.”
“Check it. See if anybody’s been screwing with that.”
But all systems appeared to be functioning normally. No recordings, no interference, no alarms. Which would make sense since her stalker was here instead of there.
“Maybe Leanne has something.”
Back inside, Paisley was coming out of the bathroom, dressed in her own clothes. Her eyes met Ty’s and held for a few, unreadable beats before she looked away again. A little bit of color had come back into her cheeks, but she still seemed a little shaky.
“Misty hasn’t sold anything like this at any point in the last two weeks,” Leanne reported. “The flowers didn’t come from Moonbeams and Sweet Dreams. We can try checking with florists in surrounding towns, but that might take a while.”
“The stalker’s in the Nashville area,” Paisley said. “They could’ve come from there, in which case, you’ll never manage to track the purchase.”
Which left them where? Still no real leads to follow, no closer to an answer, with yet another space that should have been safe violated.
This bastard was mocking him. Or that was what it felt like.
She’s not safe with you.
Short of sequestering them both in a remote location under 24-hour guard—which even Ty recognized was not the answer—he was running out of options, and he was beginning to doubt his ability to figure it out.
“Pack your stuff. We’re not staying here.”
A frisson of irritation flickered over her features. Probably about the bossy thing. She could deal.
“Where are we going?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“There’s space up at the inn,” Xander put in. “Lots of people around. I’ll call my wife, get her to book you in.”
Ty nodded. That would work until he could make a better plan. “Appreciate it.”
With a sigh, Paisley turned away and began to gather her things. Again.