Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
S hiloh clenched her fingers so hard, she felt as if her knuckles would crack in half. They were on their way to Grady’s house, and Shiloh knew…she knew …she was going to have to tell both Grady and Granger about the other notes.
She also knew they were going to be ticked.
Granger’s thumb beat angrily against the steering wheel. “I don’t get it,” he muttered, shoving one hand through his hair and messing up the style he’d been sporting for the night. “What’s the endgame? Did he just want you to know he was watching? What exactly is the picture supposed to do?”
Shiloh couldn’t answer. If she opened her mouth, she was going to confess everything, and she wasn’t about to confess now. Doing it once would be enough. Twice might kill her.
But Granger’s question was a good one. Why leave the picture? What was Arthur hoping to accomplish?
Granger didn’t seem to take her silence personally. He glanced at the GPS, muttered under his breath again, and made a turn that led them right to Grady’s front driveway. “Come on, sweetheart. Let’s get this figured out.”
Shiloh tried to make herself move. She tried to unbuckle her seatbelt, but her fingers didn’t seem to be working. Maybe she’d been twisting them for too long, but her limbs just weren’t cooperative, no matter how hard she pleaded with them to obey.
The passenger side door opened, and Granger gave her a soft look. “I’ve got you,” he said softly, reaching over to unbuckle the seatbelt. Once done, he didn’t move back but cupped her face, drawing Shiloh’s attention to him. “You’re safe. You know that, right? I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Shiloh managed a jerky nod and didn’t resist when Granger helped her to the ground. She clung to his arm, hating how helpless she felt, but not able to force her body into independence.
It felt as if she were headed to her doom. Somehow, in her mind, she’d written off all the little notes. Told herself they didn’t matter. Arthur hadn’t confronted her. He hadn’t technically broken the restraining order, especially if he’d shown up when she wasn’t around.
But this felt different. It felt more personal, more invasive. More like the note on her office that was filled with disgusting innuendo.
Granger didn’t even get a chance to knock on the door before Grady opened it. “Hey,” the officer said gruffly. “The house is a mess, but come on in.”
Normally, Shiloh would have had some quip about bachelors and their pads, but not tonight. Tonight she was too off-kilter. A problem she’d been hoping to simply sweep under the rug had come back to bite her in the tush, and now Shiloh was going to have to deal with the consequences.
“Have a seat.” Grady waved at a brown leather couch, then plopped himself in an easy chair across the coffee table. He leaned his elbows onto his knees and took a deep breath. “Okay. What’s going on?”
Granger glanced at Shiloh, then reached across the table to hand Grady the paper from earlier.
Grady took it without a word, stared, then muttered under his breath.
Shiloh was pretty sure she didn’t want to know what words he’d chosen for this moment.
Rubbing a hand down his face, Grady looked back at them. “Was there anything else? A note? Something written?”
Granger shook his head. “No. Just the picture.”
“And when did this—Grady shook the paper—“occur?”
“Just tonight,” Granger supplied. “About a half hour ago.”
Grady frowned. “So he took a picture, then printed it off, and stuck it on your truck just tonight?”
Granger nodded.
Huffing, Grady leaned back in his seat, arms folded over his chest. “I don’t get it. What’s he after?” Grady’s eyes went to Shiloh, then he cleared his throat. “Okay, that was kind of a dumb question. He’s obviously stuck on Shiloh, but the only thing the picture tells us is that he isn’t giving up. It’s odd that there was no note, or a threat, or at least some kind of message.”
“There have been notes,” Shiloh whispered hoarsely.
The two men stilled, and Granger’s gaze bored into the side of her face.
“Say that again?” Granger murmured.
Shiloh took a deep breath and let go of Granger. She’d created this mess. She needed to stand on her own two feet. “There have been notes,” she said, clearing her throat when her voice cracked. “I’ve found several small notes around my car and in my office during the last couple of weeks.”
“What?” Granger shouted, jumping to his feet. “What do you mean there have been notes? What did you do with them?” He turned to Grady. “Did she tell you about them?”
Grady shook his head, then narrowed his eyes at Shiloh. “I haven’t heard anything since I delivered the restraining order.”
Shiloh swallowed hard, and she immediately twisted her hands around each other again. The pain helped keep her mind focused, though Shiloh was sure her fingers wouldn’t be thanking her tomorrow.
“I found the first one a couple of days after the restraining order,” she croaked.
“First one…” Granger’s breathing was getting louder. “What did you do with it?”
Shiloh glanced up but dropped her eyes quickly at the accusation in Granger’s hazel orbs. “I threw it away.”
“Why would you do that?” Grady asked. His voice was much calmer than Granger’s, but there was an undertone that made Shiloh remember he was a police officer. “Why not show it to someone?”
It took Shiloh several breaths before she could answer. “Because I wasn’t sure anything could be done.”
Granger scoffed and finally, Shiloh’s anger stirred, and she mentally grabbed it with both hands. Jumping to her feet, she faced Granger and her voice rose higher than intended, but she didn’t try to pull it back.
“I had no proof,” she snapped. “None of the notes were signed. I had no way of truly knowing it was Arthur, not to mention, no way of knowing when the notes were left.” Shiloh’s hands were clenched at her side. “I know I made a mistake, but at the time, my mind was on other things and it felt like there was nothing I could do. If he left the notes before I ever got to work, then technically he didn’t break the restraining order.” She threw her hands to the side. “And I know that telling you would make you angry, and I didn’t want to risk you doing something stupid.”
“So you did something stupid instead,” Granger snapped right back. He shoved both hands through his hair and spun, pacing away two steps before coming back. “I can’t believe you didn’t say anything, Shi. The guy’s breaking the law, and you’re letting him get away with it!”
Granger knew he was saying things he shouldn’t, but he was so…angry! How dare Shiloh not take this seriously! She held Granger’s heart in her hands, and she was making excuses for a stalker who’d already left her dangerous notes.
Why couldn’t she see reason?
Shiloh poked Granger in the chest, stepping up to him so they were toe to toe. “Yes. I did something stupid. There’s nothing to be done about it now but try to move forward. I get it. I was dumb. I’m sorry.”
“I…” Granger bit back what he was going to say. She was right. There was nothing to be done about it now. The real question was, what were they going to do now?
Grady cleared his throat. “Why don’t we sit down and stop shouting at each other?”
Granger looked over, and the heat on his neck went from anger to embarrassment in a heartbeat. He’d pretty much forgotten that they had an audience. He hated fighting. He and Ella had fought a lot before she left, and it had never sat well with Granger.
Yet, he didn’t quite feel in control of himself. He’d just been willing to admit to Shiloh that he was falling for her, and somehow this move felt like a betrayal of that confession. This situation wasn’t just about her.
If something happened to Shiloh, Granger wasn’t sure he’d be able to forgive himself, not to mention that Zane would be heartbroken, as well.
Shiloh closed her eyes and took a long, slow breath. “I’m sorry,” she said again, her voice much lower in volume. She sat, then looked up at Granger expectantly. When they stared at each other for a few moments, her shoulders fell even more. “I’m sorry, Granger,” she repeated. “I can see now that it was a mistake, but when it happened the first time, I brushed it off with what felt like good excuses, and each time after that, it was easy to keep doing the same.” She laughed sarcastically. “I’ve never dealt with a stalker before. I’m afraid I’m making this up as I go.”
Her humble apology took the fight right out of Granger, and he fell onto the couch beside her. Letting his head hit the cushions, he sighed. “I’m sorry, too. I shouldn’t have exploded.” Tilting his head, he looked at her. “I…haven’t cared about someone like this in a long time. I’m making this up as I go,” he teased, mimicking her words.
Shiloh smiled at him, then turned to Montoya. “I’m sorry I threw away the notes. To be fair, I have no way to prove they were from Arthur. Just like we can’t prove the picture is from him. But it’s clear that I’m being followed. Is there anything that can be done?”
Montoya pursed his lips. “Without real proof, all I can do is talk to him. Confront him with the picture and see if he’ll confess to anything.” He shrugged one shoulder. “Sometimes a little pressure is all we need, but I’m concerned that the notes started so quickly after the restraining order. It worries me that he doesn’t seem to care about his reputation or the law.”
Granger nodded. “As if it doesn’t apply to him.”
Montoya nodded as well. “Exactly. People without rules are harder to predict.”
Shiloh blew out a breath. “So, we just wait and see if he confesses anything?” She shook her head. “Because I guarantee that man won’t admit to anything.”
“We need to get cameras set up at your office,” Granger murmured, his mind spinning with ideas. “My schedule is less flexible than Tate and Jett. We might have to pull them into this so you aren’t alone.”
“No.” Shiloh shook her head. “I’m not having someone babysit me all day.” She held up her hand before Granger could argue. “The cameras are fine. I happen to know that Luca is excellent at that, and I helped Serenity set them up at the shop under his direction. But having one of you stand guard all day isn’t feasible.”
“The notes have all been delivered when you were alone,” Granger pointed out. “If myself or another man was there, then he might back off.”
“I wasn’t alone tonight,” Shiloh argued. “Someone took that picture and printed it off and put it on your truck. They knew exactly who you were and who I am. Neither of us was alone, and being together didn’t scare the crazy off.”
“She’s right,” Montoya said with a grunt. “While safety in numbers is helpful, what we need is proof that Arthur is the one doing all this.” The police officer shrugged. “And cameras are the best way to do that.”
“And if he decides to act out instead of leave notes?” Granger argued. “What then?”
“Then we make sure she’s as protected as she can be,” Montoya shot back. “Pepper spray or a stun gun of some kind.” He looked at Shiloh. “You mentioned once before that you have pepper spray?”
Shiloh nodded. “Yeah.”
“Is it still good? Have you looked at the date lately?”
Shiloh frowned. “I hadn’t thought of that. I’ve had it for several years.”
“Tomorrow morning, we’re getting you a security system as well as mace,” Granger announced. He knew he was being a little high handed, but it made him feel slightly better to have a plan in place.
Nothing would make him feel as good as having Arthur out of the picture, but at least this way, they could move forward with their guard up.
Shiloh started to roll her eyes but stopped. “You’re right. And I appreciate your help.”
Granger paused, taken aback, once again, by her willingness to admit when she was in the wrong. Fights with Ella meant no one won. Ella was never wrong. Granger had terrible ideas and was always holding her back.
Granger didn’t believe he had the monopoly on being right, but Shiloh’s ability to step back and reassess kept knocking him off kilter…in the best way possible.
He took her hand, wanting to kiss it, but refraining since they still had an audience. “Thank you,” he said, his tone completely sincere. “I appreciate you being willing to change some things.” He turned to Montoya. “I guess this probably could’ve waited until morning, but thanks for letting us in, anyway.”
“Eh…” Montoya shrugged. “It’s only ten. I’ve had much later visitors pounding on my door before.”
“Still…I appreciate it.”
The group stood, and Grady led the way to the door. “At least this way we can just get started tomorrow. I’ll check in with Arthur, see what I can find, and you two get that security system up.” He stopped Shiloh with a hand on her arm. “Do you have my personal number in your phone? Or just the station?”
Shiloh pursed her lips. “I’m not sure.”
“I’ve got your number,” Granger added. “I’ll make sure to pass it along.”
Montoya tipped his chin. “Don’t worry. We’ll get this all figured out, okay? The guy is bound to make a mistake at one point, and with cameras in place, we’ll be able to catch him in a lie, which gives us more power in keeping him away from you.”
Shiloh leaned into Granger, hugging his arm. “Thanks, Grady. Really. This is above and beyond.”
The officer smirked. “Just the call of duty, ma’am.” He tipped an imaginary cowboy hat. “Have a nice night, and I'll check in later.”
The air was becoming brisk as Granger ushered Shiloh to the truck. “I should have texted Serenity,” he muttered. “I didn’t really expect to be this late.”
“This is my fault,” Shiloh moaned. “I’m so sorry about this mess.”
“Hey…” Granger stopped her at the side of the truck, backing her up against the door. “This isn’t your fault. I don’t agree with how you handled the notes, but the fact that Arthur is off his rocker has nothing to do with you.” Granger leaned in, his forehead pressing against Shiloh’s. “This is what friends…and boyfriends…are for. I know you helped push Serenity and Luca together. Now it’s our turn to help you when you need it.”
Shiloh put her palm on his cheek and tilted her head up for a short kiss. “I never thought I’d have a real boyfriend,” she whispered. “Especially one who doesn’t wear bowties.”
Granger snorted, remembering when they’d first met.
“But I’m awfully glad it’s you.”
He closed his eyes, breathing in her smell and enjoying her touch. “Me too,” he agreed. “Me too.”