Chapter Three #2
At my cue, everyone took a seat, Gage beside me. He took my hand in his, squeezing tightly before letting go and leaning forward to snag a square of shortbread off the tray.
In a low voice meant just for me, he said, "Did you know Abel makes these because they’re Mrs. W's favorite?"
I hadn't known. I was betting Sophie had figured it out and told Gage. I liked her even more for that and loved my big brother for trying to distract me when he knew I was upset.
I faked a smile and said back, "Snag me a piece, will you?"
He did, and I took a bite, the sweet, buttery, slightly salty crunch of the shortbread reminding me of all the best parts of home. I did my best not to look at Riley, who made it difficult by choosing a seat on the opposite couch.
From the corner of my eye, I noted that he hadn't changed much.
He looked a little thicker around the shoulders and arms as if he'd put on muscle, and his hair was shorter. Otherwise, he looked exactly like the boy I’d loved.
The boy I'd left lying in a hospital bed, a brutal goodbye letter tucked under his pillow.
How easy it was to forget that I was the one who’d walked out.
I’d left him when he was at his most vulnerable, doing my best to shatter his heart on my way out the door.
It was no wonder he could barely spare me a polite smile. I never thought I'd see him again. I'd never wanted to see him again. The whole plan was to keep him away from me. To keep him safe. To keep him alive.
Riley never would have let me leave him if he’d suspected I was trying to protect him. I’d had to make it real. I’d had to make him hate me. Now he did. It was a lot harder to live with that when he was sitting right in front of me.
A wave of despair swamped me. I'd given up the only man I've ever loved to keep him safe, and here he was jumping right in the middle of the whole fucking mess.
I finished my piece of shortbread and fisted my hand at my side, driving my nails into a fresh spot on my palm, using the pain to clear my mind.
I loved Aiden and Gage, loved the Sinclairs, but if they thought I couldn't handle this, they'd take over in a heartbeat. I didn't want that. This was my life.
Cooper leaned forward and said, "Gage said you had a new note for us to look at."
"Yes, he sent it with red and blue salvia and lily of the valley."
"Thinking of you, happy birthday, and forever mine," Cooper said. He knew his flowers, too. A decade of following my case could teach any man everything he needed to know about the language of flowers. "What did the note say?"
"I miss you, my love. Happy birthday," I said, flatly. "I have it in my room. I'll give it to you before you go."
"And no one saw who delivered it?" Knox asked, speaking for the first time. The middle Sinclair brother only used words when he had to. His dark eyes locked on mine, their expression grave. My tension eased a little.
Knox was quiet, but he was focused and tenacious. He was two years older than me, but as kids, we’d been close. In the midst of two very loud families, Knox and I both liked the quiet.
“No,” I answered. “It was business as usual. The mysterious arrangement, the flowers with meanings, the block letters on the note."
"He found you fast this time," Cooper said.
"Too fast. I'd only been there a few months. And he knew when I was home for the wedding. Those gardenias—" I trailed off, shaking my head.
I hated gardenias. They were one of his favorites.
Secret love.
Maybe on his side. On my side, there was only hate and fear.
"There are a few ways we can go with this, Lise,” Cooper said. “We can stick you in the house, keep you under guard, and keep investigating. Eventually, this guy is going to make a mistake."
"Eventually," I said, picking up on the operative word in Cooper's statement.
He nodded in acknowledgment. "He's been sending you flowers, gifts, and notes since you were a teenager. So far we don't have much. We don't even know definitely that he's a he. Whoever it is, they're smart and careful."
"What's the other option?" I asked. Living under house arrest was worse than living on the run.
"We draw him out."
I looked around the room at six sets of eyes, focused on me. I had a bad feeling I knew what that meant, but I had to ask, "Draw him out how, exactly?"
"Using me,” Riley said.
I couldn't hide my flinch. I didn't really try. Deliberately, I leaned forward and placed my coffee cup back on the tray. I didn't think I could look at Riley and keep myself under control, so I looked at Cooper and said, "No. Absolutely not."
Aiden interrupted. "Lise, think carefully. If we use Flynn, have him act like you two are together, this guy will get reckless. If he gets reckless, we can catch him."
"By putting people in danger?" I protested.
Evers leaned forward, shooting a glance back at Riley before looking at me.
"I knew you wouldn’t like it, but Lise, honey, this guy has a pattern.
He broke the arm of your high school boy-friend, Riley ended up in the hospital, and what about that guy you were seeing in Oklahoma?
Another car accident? Or was that the weird one? "
My stomach rolled with nausea at the easy way Evers listed my stalker’s casualties. I knew Evers, knew he was trying to keep things light, but I couldn't match his tone.
In an emotionless voice, I said, "No. Oklahoma was a fall off a ladder. The car accident was Denver. The weird one was the snow bank in Minneapolis. I stopped trying after that."
We called that the weird one because the reality was too horrible.
Derek had survived being duct taped and buried in a snow bank in the dead of winter, but it had been a near miss.
I'd fled Minneapolis as soon as I was sure he'd live.
I'd never come close to getting involved with another man. That had been four years ago.
Pressing my fingernails back into my palms, I forced myself to stay collected when I looked at Riley and said, "And you’re okay with this? Being a target? The last time you almost died. Twice."
His expression was contained, his eyes impenetrable when he said, "I can handle it.
This is my job. What happened before—we were kids.
It's ancient history. This is business. My business.
Going undercover, drawing out a suspect—I've done it before.
I'm good at it. If you want to end this, I can get the job done. "
"He's the best we have for this," Knox said in a quiet voice.
Backing up his brother, Evers said, "Look, Lise, I know it's weird since you two used to date, but Riley's right, it's ancient history.
He's an absolute professional, and he really is the best guy we have for this.
He's a genius at undercover, and he's got excellent instincts. He’s not going down on the job.
You don't have to worry about him getting hurt, do you understand?
He can keep both of you safe while he plays the loving fiancé and we get this guy to come out into the open. "
I couldn't stand the pressure of all those eyes on me. I stood and paced to the windows, looking out over the gardens behind Winters House to the pool and the woods beyond. If you walked that way, you’d find a path on the edge of the woods that would lead you a quarter-mile through the trees to the house where I'd grown up.
After my parents had been murdered Uncle Hugh had closed the house, bringing Gage, Vance, Tate, and I to live in Winters House. Our home sat empty now. Abandoned. I’d learned young that there was no going back. Life happened, and the only choice was to move forward.
Right now, my gut was telling me that my only choice was to run.
To get in the car and take off. This was too much risk.
Risk to me, but more importantly risk to everyone around me.
I'd sacrificed everything to keep them safe, and now their plan was to wave a red flag in front of my stalker and drive him to violence.
"And what if he doesn't come after me? Or Riley? What if this time he goes after someone else?" I demanded.
"We can take care of ourselves," Gage said.
"What about Sophie? Aunt Amelia? Mrs. W? And Charlie? Holden and Jacob are both engaged, and Tate just married Emily. Vance has Rosie and Maggie now. You want to put all of them at risk too?"
Aiden shook his head. "He's never gone after anyone except men you've dated. I'm sure Cooper will love invoicing us for extra security, but we'll make sure everyone else is covered. This is the way, Lise."
I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at all of them. They were so sure they were right. Maybe they were, but if they weren't, we wouldn't know until it was too late.
“Isn't that what escalation means?” I pressed.
“You're trying to get him to escalate, but I’ve read enough to know - it's not always a straight line.
Sometimes they change. Are you willing to risk the rest of the family?
If we're going to do something like this, we should leave, go away from everyone else, try to isolate his targets.
" The idea grew in my mind. "We don't even need Riley for that.
Why don't I just go away somewhere by myself?
Have somebody watch me and then catch him when he sends more flowers. "
Cooper was already shaking his head. "Lise, no.
That's what we've been doing for eleven years.
He doesn't deliver the flowers himself. We don't even know that he's writing the notes. We could stick you in a cabin somewhere under constant surveillance, and you’d be there another decade.
Waiting. We have to push him off balance enough to get sloppy.
You hitting Atlanta with a brand-new fiancé is exactly what we need.
I appreciate that you're looking out for everyone else, but now it's time to look out for yourself. "