Sarah finished her lunch and checked her watch. Bruce would be coming back soon. Her heart ached. He’d kept so much from her.
Fluffy pawed at the suite door.
As soon as she opened it, he zoomed out. He sniffed in circles around the grass, ran over to a fence post, lifted one leg, and peed. Sarah spotted Batal across the field near the woods. She glanced at the stables. No one in sight. She ran toward Batal, calling to him. Fluffy gave chase, always up for a new game.
The stallion snorted and trotted closer to the woods. Sarah ran faster. When she reached the edge of the forest, the dog raced ahead and stopped in front of the trees. He pinned back his ears, bared his fangs, and growled.
Batal pranced and pawed at the ground. Sarah’s gaze flew to the tree line. The tiny hairs on the back of her neck stood up.
The dog ran between Batal and the woods. He barked and jumped at the horse until Batal took off in the direction of the stables. Becca came out of the barn entrance, waved, and ran toward the stallion.
Fluffy turned back to the woods and crept closer, a menacing growl deep in his throat. The forest lay still with not the slightest hint of a breeze.
The leaves of a large bush shook.
Sarah broke out in a cold sweat.
Low to the ground, the dog inched closer to the woods, his growl louder. Whatever it was, she didn’t plan to stick around and find out. She lunged for Fluffy’s collar and yanked him away from the woods. “Come.”
Her grip tight on him, she used all her strength to drag the dog back to the suite.
When she got inside, she slammed the door shut and locked it. Out of breath, heart pounding, she leaned against the wall. Her throwaway phone rang, and she jumped.
Anne’s panicked voice came over the line. “Thank God you’re okay.”
“What’s wrong?” Sarah clutched the phone to her ear.
“I think the stalker’s found you.”
Sarah’s gut knotted. “What? Why do you think that?”
“Somehow he got Mom and Dad’s address. He sent them a letter. The postmark is from the town where you are.”
“What?” She dashed to the window and peeked out from behind the curtain at the woods.
“I wrote down what he said. I wasn’t sure if Mom should mail it to you as evidence.”
“What did the letter say?”
Anne read it aloud.
Sarah’s hands shook. She squeezed her eyes shut and dropped to the couch. “What should I do?”
“He hasn’t contacted you? Done anything?”
“I think someone might be in the woods. Also, the other night the back door was unlocked, and I could have sworn I locked it.”
Silence.
“Anne?”
“I’m thinking.” The words came out sharp. “Sorry. I’m upset. I don’t have an answer.”
“I can’t go to the police because there’s nothing physical to give them.”
“This letter is physical and threatening. But they can’t do anything until he makes a move. No one even knows who he is.”
“I need to leave. Now. I can’t risk him hurting anyone here. If he’s in the woods, I should be able to make it out to the front road before he catches up.”
She ran into the bedroom and yanked the duffel bag out of the closet. “He’ll know I left, but I can lure him away and escape again.”
“Lure? Jesus, no.”
“What are the choices, Anne? This is my problem. These people don’t deserve to be in the middle of this.”
“Do you have enough cash? A place to go?”
“Yeah. I know the drill.” Sweat trickled down her chest. “I had somewhere picked out in case this happened.”
She rushed to the dresser, tugged the top drawer open, and threw the contents into her bag. “Oh my God.”
“What? What’s wrong?”
“No, no, no, no, no.” She fumbled around in the empty drawer. “It’s gone. It’s gone—”
“What’s gone? You’re scaring me.”
“My license. I hid it in here in my dresser.” She rifled through the panties in the bag. Her pink thong was also missing. “That sick bastard. He took a pair of my underwear.”
“Shit. I forgot to tell you. Your license was in the note to Mom and Dad too.”
Sarah’s head throbbed. “I have to get out of here.”
“No. Don’t hang up. I want to—”
She ended the call. No time to pack anything else. From the bottom of the duffel, she dug out her gun and stuffed it into her purse. God, she hoped she never had to use it.
She grabbed her keys along with the bags and hurried to the car. Without even a goodbye, she had to leave everyone she’d come to care about. And Bruce, who she loved. Pain ripped through her.
Stuffing her purse under her arm, she popped the trunk and tossed her bags inside. Her gaze darted to the woods. The stalker might be watching her right now. He’d know she’d left but would be hard pressed to get to the front in time. She’d keep checking the rearview mirror to spot a tail and dump the car as soon as possible.
Bruce pulled out of Morgan’s driveway. Thank God she was out of his truck. He had to give it to the woman, she’d chatted the whole way home as if nothing had happened. Bands, music, her commercials, the new horse. She kept talking despite his lack of response. He hated how she’d acted and had no respect for her anymore. He could almost forgive her for trying, but the way she’d thrown herself at him and said she’d never tell was too much. She didn’t know him at all.
It had been hard as hell to keep his cool on the trip back, but he’d treated it like another mission. His responsibility to take her home. He’d buy the therapy horse himself. Sever their tie. Maybe she’d be uncomfortable enough to find another place to board Princess. Doubtful, though, considering her complete apparent lack of remorse. He shook his head and drove. What a fucking mess.
When he rounded a curve, he passed Sarah’s car heading in the opposite direction on the two-lane road. Her gaze was on the rearview mirror, a panicked look on her face. She glanced at him at the last second.
An alarm went off in his head. She never drove the Honda.
He slammed on the brakes, and the truck screeched to a stop. Ears ringing, he threw it in reverse, turned around, and punched the accelerator. She was speeding, but he caught up to her and beeped the horn.
When she looked in the mirror, he thrust his hand out the window and pointed to the side of the road. She shook her head and kept driving.
Screw that. His pulse thrummed faster than a racecar on the final lap. He slammed the gas pedal to the floor, tore past the Honda, then slowed down. Shoving his arm out the window, he pointed to the side of the road again. This time she pulled off onto the shoulder.
He leaped out of the truck, stormed to her car, and yanked the door open. “What the hell are you doing?”
Her eyes were wide in her ghost-white face. “I have to leave. He found me. Get out of here. Now!” She tried to shut the door but Bruce stood in the way.
Tension bit the lining of his stomach. He whipped his head around to survey the road behind them. “What do you mean he found you?”
“I need to go. Get as far away from me as you can.” Her hand shook as she attempted to push him aside.
“You’re not going anywhere. Damn it.” Christ, he’d almost missed her. He pounded a fist on the roof of the car.
“I can’t let him hurt anyone. He’s crazy. I have to leave.” She tried again to shove him out of the way.
“Like hell.” He unsnapped her seat belt, dragged her out of the car, and threw her over his shoulder.
“What do you think you’re doing?” She wriggled and flailed against him, but he held her tight and carried her to his truck.
“Taking you to my place.”
“Let me down. I’m not going with you.” She pummeled his back with her fists.
He opened the passenger door and tossed her on the seat. “Wrong answer.”
“I can’t leave the car. My gun and backpack are in it.”
He slammed the door shut. “Fine. Don’t you move a muscle. If you get out, I’ll just throw you right back in.” He brought his face close to hers through the open window and held a finger up. “Don’t test me.”
She glanced at her lap and rubbed her arm.
Goddamn it. The last thing he meant to do was to put her more on edge, but right now he needed her to listen to him. He ran to her car, grabbed her bags, and tossed them into the back of the truck. If she’d passed him while he was dropping Morgan off, he might have never seen Sarah again. A vein in his forehead throbbed.
He opened the door and got in. Sarah sat twisted in her seat, her gaze on the road behind. “Do you have my purse?”
“Right here.” He tucked it under his seat, out of her reach. Last thing he needed was her wielding a weapon in her current state. “Put on your belt.”
She didn’t move, so he pressed her shoulder to make her face front and pulled the strap across, snapping it into place. He started the engine and drove in the direction of his condo. “Tell me what happened.”
She stared ahead.
“Sarah?” He shook her arm. “Talk to me, for Christ’s sake. What happened?”
She swallowed. “Anne called. The stalker sent a note to my parents.”
It took a while, but by the time they got to his condo, he’d managed to get most of the story. That bastard had been in her room. Digging through her drawers. Bruce ground his teeth. Give him one minute with the creep.
He parked in the garage and grabbed her bags as she climbed out. When they got inside, he pointed to the couch. “Sit down and don’t move.”
For once, she listened to him. He went to the kitchen and poured a glass of water for her. She drank a few sips.
“I have to leave,” she said in a determined voice.
“You’re not going anywhere. You’re staying with me. I have a security system and a gun.”
“Doesn’t matter. I don’t want to lure him anywhere near your place.”
“You can’t keep running, and I’m not about to lose you. He’s on my turf now.” Bruce knelt in front of her and held her hands. “I’m not going to let this guy hurt you or scare you away. Trust me.”
She exhaled and looked to the ceiling. “Trust you?” She brought her gaze, filled with pain, back to his. “How can I? You never even told me you were married before.”