“He left. Just walked away. I don’t know where he went. What do I do?” She searched for another sight of him, the unknown of where he’d gone almost as unsettling as knowing he was right behind her.
“Stay where you are. You’re okay.”
The welcoming sound of sirens released the ball of tension pressing down on her lungs seconds before she spotted the deputy’s cruiser. “Help’s here. I see them.” She shifted back into Park and collapsed against her seat.
“Do you need me to stay on the phone?” the gentle lifeline asked.
“I’m fine. Thank you. For everything.” She disconnected, and a need for the same comfort and strength Reid had given her the night before had her scrolling her contact list for his information. Before she could overthink it, she pressed Call.
“Hey, what’s up? Miss me already?” The jovial tone of his voice sent a wave of emotion crashing over her.
Tears sprang to her eyes, and she struggled to speak.
“Eve? Are you all right? What’s going on?” Panic washed away all hints of amusement.
“I got a flat tire and the man from last night appeared on the street. He’s gone and a deputy just showed up, but…” She wasn’t sure how to finish her sentence. But she was scared, and she wanted Reid.
“Where are you? I’m coming.”
She rattled off her location and disconnected as the deputy approached her door. Help was here, Reid was on his way and she had no reason to still be frightened.
No amount of logic could stop her mind from racing and her gut from telling her that this nightmare was far from over.
Reid drove as fast as he could along the downtown streets to get to Eve. Damn it. He’d never imagined her attacker would come after her again in broad daylight. He’d hoped the man had moved on, never to be seen again, but his actions today told him otherwise.
This changed everything.
Screeching to a stop, he parked behind the deputy’s cruiser and leaped out of the truck. Pain shot up his side, but he pushed it away. His comfort didn’t matter right now. All that mattered was getting to Eve.
Eve stood on the sidewalk next to a young sheriff’s deputy with her arms hugging her middle. She glanced up, and their eyes locked. The relief on her face almost undid him.
He jogged to her side and didn’t even fight his instinct to wrap an arm securely around her shoulders. “You okay?”
She nodded, but the worry lines etched on her delicate face told him a different story.
Reid turned his attention to the young deputy in the well-pressed uniform. “You find the bastard?”
The man’s grim expression answered the question before he spoke. “Not yet. My partner is canvassing the area. I just finished taking Ms. Tilly’s statement.”
Reid trailed his knuckles against the smooth material of her T-shirt encasing her bicep. “Did he get close to you? Say anything?” He didn’t want to make her replay the whole miserable event again but had to know what happened.
“No. When I stepped out to look at the tire, I noticed him walking toward me. He was whistling, then waved after I locked myself in my car.” A shudder shook her shoulders, and he pulled her even closer. “What are the odds he was in the area when I got a flat?”
Reid worked his jaw back and forth. “My thoughts exactly. Deputy, have you looked at the tire?”
“Not yet. Was about to do that when you showed up.” The deputy crouched beside the vehicle and studied the rubber. “Looks like a puncture. Maybe a nail or screw. You could have run over something while driving then it fell out. Gave you a slow leak.”
Reid hated to leave Eve’s side but knelt on the road to get a better look. His fingers itched to run along the jagged grooves.
“I was just in her car. Drove into town from the hospital. There was no sign of a leak at any point. And if she would have run over something that big that left this size of a hole, she would have felt it.” He turned back to look up at her, grateful for the shade blocking the sun from his eyes. “Did you hit anything? Any giant potholes?”
She shook her head, eyes wide. “No. I’m sure I’d remember that.”
“When you noticed something was wrong, did the car vibrate a little before popping or was it a sudden motion when it went flat?” Reid asked.
The V between her eyebrows deepened. “Um, it wasn’t all of a sudden. More like the car vibrated a little and veered to the side. The pop came later. Once I’d already realized something was wrong.”
Reid stood, his mind working over the information.
