16. Theo
16
THEO
G race is sitting on the couch, her head resting on my shoulder the next day. Her breathing has evened out, but I can tell she’s not asleep. She needs rest, but I know that won’t happen until this bastard is in jail.
I won’t rest until I put him there.
Running to a private island looks better every day.
I run my thumb absentmindedly over the back of her hand. It’s a simple gesture meant to comfort her, but it feels too intimate. Too close.
I can’t ignore the way my body reacts to her presence, how every part of me wants to pull her closer, to kiss her again, to fall into her all over again.
But I can’t. Not now. Not after everything that’s happened.
What if the security guard hadn’t been there? What if they hadn’t caught the propped door, and he barged in and shot us both?
She’s been through hell. The crash, the stalker. The fear that’s been gripping her for so long.
I need to keep her safe; that’s where both of our focuses should be.
We get too caught up with each other, otherwise.
“I should make a few calls,” I say softly, pulling away from her, though it takes more willpower than I’d like to admit. “I need to check in with security, make sure everything’s set for tonight.”
She looks up at me, confusion flickering in her eyes. “Right now? Can’t it wait?”
Her voice is soft, almost pleading, and it tears at me. But I have to keep my distance. If I stay here, next to her, feeling the warmth of her body, I’m not sure I’ll be able to stop myself.
And she deserves more than that. More than me letting my desires take control when she’s vulnerable.
“I just need a few minutes,” I tell her, offering a small smile. “I’ll be quick. You should try to rest.”
She hesitates, then nods slowly. “Okay.”
I rise from the couch, ignoring the ache in my chest as I leave her behind. I walk down the hallway toward the bathroom; when I get inside, I shut and lock the door.
I grip the front of the sink as I look at myself in the mirror.
I need to get it together.
I undress. I turn on the tap, fill the tub with icy water, and then step in, the ice-cold shock hitting me like a punch to the gut. It’s exactly what I need.
The sharp sting of the water helps clear my head, pushing away the thoughts of Grace, of her soft skin, and the way her lips felt against mine.I close my eyes, sinking deeper into the icy water, trying to focus on anything else. But it’s impossible. All I can think about is her. The way she looks at me, the trust in her eyes, even after everything.
She’s been through so much.
Once the chill has seeped deep into my bones, numbing me completely, I climb out of the tub and grab a towel. I need to focus on what really matters—finding the man who’s been terrorizing her.
I dress quickly, then head straight to my office, locking the door behind me. I sit at my desk, staring at the screen in front of me, but my mind keeps drifting back to Grace.
I shake my head, trying to push the thoughts away.
Focus, Theo.
I pull up the security reports on the stalker. There’s not much to go on—just a few blurry photos, some dead-end leads, and a lot of frustration.
But I need to figure this out. I need to know who this man is and why he’s after her.
Why is he so hard to catch?
After a few minutes of scrolling through reports, I grab my phone and call Devon. He answers on the second ring.
“Theo,” he greets me, his voice steady. “You doing okay?”
“I’m fine,” I reply, though the tension in my voice betrays me. “I need an update on Grace’s stalker. Has he shown up yet?”
“Not yet. He’s going to play the long game with this, I imagine, that’s his MO.”
“When did this all start, exactly? And why the hell haven’t we caught this guy yet?”
There’s a pause on the other end of the line, and I can almost hear Devon thinking through his response.
“The first incident we know of was about two months ago.
Grace received a couple of threatening letters at her house, but at first, they didn’t seem too serious. Just some guy spouting nonsense about watching her.
It wasn’t until she started getting text messages—more specific ones, mentioning places she’d been, things she’d done—that we knew we had a problem.”
I rub a hand over my face, trying to process it all. “And we’ve got nothing on him? No leads? No clue who he is?”
“We’ve been looking into anyone who might have a reason to target her,” he replies.
“Ex-boyfriends, anyone she’s had a falling out with in the industry—but nothing’s turned up.
This guy’s smart. He’s careful.
Every time we think we’re close, he slips away.”
I grit my teeth. “There has to be something we’re missing. People don’t just vanish like this.”
“That’s the thing—he’s not trying to vanish.
It’s almost like he wants us to know he’s there, but only on his terms.
Every move he makes is calculated.
Like tonight. He didn’t try to kill her—he just wanted her to know he could.”
The thought sends a chill down my spine, colder than the ice bath ever could. This guy isn’t just some crazed fan. He’s playing a game, and Grace is the prize.
“What about the car?” I ask my voice tight. “Have we checked it out yet?”
“We had it towed to the garage for a full inspection. The guy didn’t leave anything behind.”
“Keep me updated. I want to know the second you find something.”
“You got it.”
I hang up the phone, leaning back in my chair and staring at the ceiling. My mind is racing, trying to piece together the puzzle that is Grace’s stalker.
But no matter how hard I try, I can’t shake the feeling that we’re missing something.
I sit up, pulling the security files closer and scanning them again. There must be a connection.
Someone who has access to her life, and her schedule. Someone who knows her every move.
But who? And why?
A knock on the door pulls me out of my thoughts, and I glance up to see Tad standing in the doorway, his expression grim.
“We’ve got another problem,” he says, stepping inside.
I raise an eyebrow, motioning for him to continue.
“We reviewed the security footage from the car accident,” he explains.
“It took some time to pull the red-light cameras, along with security footage from nearby homes and businesses.
Looks like the guy who hit the car had been tailing you for a while.
He was waiting for the right moment to strike.”
I curse under my breath, my fists clenching at the thought. “So, he was following us?”
“Yeah,” Devon says. “He knew exactly when to hit you.
Tonight, he knew when to pull the fire alarm. He knew we set up the gala to catch him.
This wasn’t random. He planned it.
He’s always a step ahead.”
I shake my head, the anger building inside me. “And we still don’t know who the hell he is.”
“I’ve been thinking about that. This guy’s been way too careful, way too precise. I don’t think he’s working alone.”
I stare at him, the words sinking in. “You think someone’s helping him?”
“It’s possible,” Tad says. “I’ve been looking into Grace’s connections—friends, colleagues, anyone who might have a reason to target her.
There’s one name that keeps coming up.
Someone who’s been hanging around the fringes of her life for a while now.”
“Who?”
“An ex-manager,” Devon says. “He had a falling out with Grace about three years ago. She fired him, and from what I’ve gathered, he didn’t take it well.”
Could it really be that simple? Could this whole nightmare be the work of someone she trusted?
“Get me everything you can on him,” I say, my voice cold. “I want to know where he is, what he’s been doing, and who he’s been talking to.”
Tad nods, already pulling out his phone to make the call. “I’ll get right on it.”
I call Devon quickly, and as soon as he answers, I speak.
“What’s up?”
“Tad thinks her ex-manager is the stalker. If that’s the case, he could still have access to a lot of her stuff.”
“I don’t think…”
“It’s the only lead we have. We’re going to take it seriously.”
“Sarah and I will handle getting everything deleted or changed over,” he sighs before hanging up the phone.
I sit back in my chair, my mind buzzing with questions. If this ex-manager really is behind all of this, then it’s only a matter of time before we find him.
And when we do, I’ll make damn sure he never gets near Grace again.