He’d panicked this morning when she walked into Protective Security and Investigations. He’d thought maybe she had found out about him but the longer she was there, the less sense it made. And he’d been careful. He’d hung out near the door and heard about them hiring a new office manager from some of the guys walking out. That explained it. The beard and dirt made him look homeless. No one looked at those people anyway.

Like this he could hide in plain sight, not from Candace though. She would know him. She would be able to see him for who he was. She always could. That was how he knew she was special, she was the one. When they would have group meetings, she was the only one who wouldn’t edge away when he sat down next to her. She didn’t stare at him, the way some of the others did. She rarely ever looked at anything but the floor.

In that place, it was weeks before she even spoke. He spent that time studying her. Even in there, people ignored him, underestimated him. He spent his entire life being underestimated, but after meeting her he realized he could use it to his advantage. He would hang around the nurses’ desk after she had her talks with the doctors. He’d catch little things about her. They would be meaningless to anybody else, but he could put together the picture of her. The more he found out about her, the more he knew she was the one. She was perfect for him.

His best day in that place had been when one of the nurses got called away. Candace’s entire file was left out for him to read at will. He knew he didn’t have a lot of time, so he stuck to the important bits, her address, her family, the things that made her tick. That’s how he knew where to find her. That’s how he’ll know to how to keep her happy when the time comes.

He waited until she came out of the building this evening. It’d been a long day but some people had dropped change for him so he went across the street to get a cup of coffee and use the bathroom. From there he could see if she left early but she stayed there all day. By then he knew she was working there. It might make things harder, but he was smart. Smarter than they thought.

She was smiling when she left. She hadn’t smiled much in that place. She hadn’t smiled much in the last couple of months. She was probably just being polite. Candace was like that, always pleasing other people. He wanted her smiles, they were his. He would show her, he could make her happy. He would be the only one to make her happy.

He was about to walk away when he saw him, the guy in the chair, and somehow he knew. He knew this man was the reason his Candace was smiling. He watched the man’s eyes roam over her as she walked away and he knew. But she was his. He’d waited, he’d been patient. Anger surged through him and he glanced around to see if anyone noticed him. Anger was dangerous. It let people see him. It was almost time. He couldn’t let himself get sidetracked by this man. If she had to choose, she would choose him over the man in the wheelchair, he was sure of it. Not that he would give her the chance. He was there to make her decisions for her, or soon would be. He’d add this to the list of things she needed corrected. A girl like Candace would take correction well. He would only hurt her enough to keep her quiet and obedient. She wouldn’t look at other men ever again, only at him and then only when he said she could.