His jaw tightens. “I won’t let it touch you.”
The certainty in his voice does something dangerous to my insides. It scares me almost as much as this stalker does.
6
CALEB
“Ithought I was going to stay up all night with nightmares,” Basia says with a yawn. “But I actually slept like a baby. Can’t remember the last time I didn’t wake up to go pee at least once.”
I put my coffee cup—double espresso, no cream, no sugar—down with a soft thud and observe my client surreptitiously. But she’s so much more than just a client now, isn’t she? Now that I drugged her evening tea so I can make myself come while looking at her without her waking up and spotting me. And kicking me out of her life.
“Are you feeling groggy?” I ask quietly, trying not to sound too interested in her answer. Or too guilty.
“Nope, I’m good.” She stretches her arms above her head, revealing a sliver of skin above her pajama bottoms. “Why? Is there a game on you’re worried will put me to sleep?”
“I’m sure we can find something we can both tolerate,” I tease her. “Why don’t you go make camp at the TV? I need to check in with Ethan, then I’ll make us brunch.”
Basia claps her hands with a twinkle in her pale blue eyes.It’s so easy to make her happy. If I weren’t so far beneath her, I’d have loved to be the man who tries.
I get up when she turns the TV on and starts surfing with the remote, getting ready to make salmon and eggs with hollandaise sauce. The call with Ethan connects after just one ring.
“Hey man,” he greets, sounding completely out of breath.
“You alright?” I ask, wondering if I’m going to have to act as the cavalry again and rescue him from assassins at a high-scale hotel restaurant.
“Yeah, just stepped out of the shower.”
I blink at the inside of the fridge where I’m hunting for eggs.
“Showering makes you sound like you just ran a marathon?”
“No, fucking my girl in there until she comes five times does.”
“Ethan!” Barbara screeches from his end, making me move the phone away from my ear.
“What, little bee?” Ethan says to his girlfriend. “It’s the truth.”
“Hey, Ethan?” I say, drawing his attention back to me. “Next time? Lie.”
His cocky laughter always makes me want to punch him. I’m shocked Barbara gave in to his extremely questionable charms.
“Found anything on CCTV in and around the park?” I ask, getting to the point. I prep a pot to poach the eggs and a pan for the salmon.
Ethan grunts. “There were a few people who stuck to the same paths as you two yesterday. Out of those, a few wore what could be intentional or unintentional disguises.”
I sigh and drop the fillet onto the pan with a sizzle.
“That’s what I was afraid of. The weather’s shit, half the people in the park had something on their heads.”
“Right,” Ethan agrees. “But if they are following her, they’ll slip up sooner or later. Then I’ll be able to run their mug through facial recognition and pinpoint likely locations.”
With a grunt, I place my phone between my neck and shoulders so I can hold it with my head as I poach the eggs.
“Stalkers like this escalate, you know that,” I say as quietly as I can. “This one already stepped up from dead vermin by sending human body parts.”
“You’ll keep her safe, man,” Ethan replies instantly, sounding fully confident in my abilities.
“Yeah,” I confirm. There is no alternative. “I will. Later.”
