“What in the world are you talking about, Briella? Why are you here? You’re a long way from home.” I try to sit up again.

“Ivie, Sterling got some pretty bad pictures sent to him this morning. He showed them to me. I have to tell you…they don’t look good for you.”

“Again, Briella, I have no clue what you’re talking about. Get to the point. I’m not in the mood to figure out riddles right now.”

She slides down and sits on the floor with me, propping her back against the wall. “Sterling got a message from an unknown number about you, with two pictures. One is of you kissing Dean, and the other is of you and him at the outlook, in each other’s arms. They look pretty damning. Sterling left upset, and I don’t know where he went. I came into town to try to find him, and that’s when I spotted your Jeep and decided to follow you. Granted, I didn’t think I’d be following you this far.” She laughs a little.

“I’ll tell you where he went, Briella. I saw it with my own eyes, not some picture from a psycho. He walked out of the coffee shop in town with Jade. She kissed him, right there on the sidewalk for anyone to see, and he didn’t stop her. That’s what I saw.” I feel hot tears running down my cheeks again as I choke back a sob.

Briella looks shocked. She runs her hand through her blonde hair and sad, brown eyes meet mine. She scoots closer. She motions for me to lay down on her lap and I do. She brushes the hair out of my eyes and rubs my back as I cry.

“Dean kissed me Thanksgiving night after I went home. He came to my house to confront me about Sterling. He kissed me, and I pushed him away. He told me he was going to fight for me, but I told him there was nothing to fight for. I love Sterling. The same picture was sent to me. This person is taunting me. I was coming to tell Sterling the day I walked in on you talking about the baby, but I was so mad and hurt that I left. We haven’t spoken since.” I sniffle.

“I figured a little space would be helpful, because everything’s been happening so fast. The day I left, I went to the outlook, just to think. It’s kind of the place where everything seems to center. Dean drove by and saw my Jeep. He stopped, and yeah, he hugged me, because he saw I was crying. Nothing happened. In fact, I told him everything about me and Sterling, including the baby. It went better than I thought it would. It hurt him, but he accepted the truth, and I think it gave him a better understanding. I haven’t seen or talked to him since then, either.”

“I told Sterling not to jump to conclusions. I told him he needed to talk to you first. But Ivie, he was so upset. I’ve never seen him like that, even when you left the first time. As for Jade, I don’t even know what to say about that other than she’s desperate. She’s been trying to get her hooks in my brother since puberty, but he’s never given in—to her or any other female that’s come knocking. We’ve been looking over the flash drive you brought that day from your dad, and I do know he’s looking into her dad. Seems her dad has always wanted what your dad has. It may not mean anything, but it kind of explains her personality.”

I guffaw. “You have no idea. We’ve always been friends, and I use the term loosely. She’s always been competitive with me. Oh, and Dean admitted he cheated on me with her in high school. Something apparently Sterling knew, but never told me. Which is just lovely.”

“Wow, Ivie. I don’t even know what to say to that. That’s so messed up, and now she’s after Sterling too?” Briella shakes her head. “He’d never be with her, Ivie.”

“I didn’t think so, but now I’m not so sure. He should’ve come to me. Instead, he went to her. I don’t care if it was about the case or not. If he was that upset, he should’ve talked to me. Instead, he talks to her and let her kiss him.” I feel sick again and crawl back to the toilet. This time I just dry heave.

“I’m going to ask you again, Ivie, are you okay? Is this your nerves or are you sick?” She looks at me with concern.

“I don’t know. This is the third time I’ve been sick since I got here.” I sit down and wipe my face with the washcloth.

Briella stares and then sighs. “Are you pregnant?”

I swallow against a lump forming in my throat. I look back at her, teary-eyed. “It’s possible. We’ve been together several times over the last few weeks. I’m on the pill so we didn’t use protection, but I’m not always the best at remembering to take it every day at the same time like you’re supposed to. Obviously, that can decrease its effectiveness, but over the years it hasn’t mattered, because I haven’t been with anyone. I took for granted it would still be in my system enough I guess.” I hang my head at the idea that if I am pregnant, it’s my fault for being so careless in taking the pill correctly. What will Sterling say now? Will he think I lied to him about being on the pill when he took me bare?

“I’m going to run to the store and get you a couple of tests and some Sprite and crackers. Anything else you want?” she asks as she gets up.

“No, I think that’ll cover it for now.”

She starts to walk out, and I reach up and grab her hand. “Thanks, Briella.”

“Yeah. I’ll be back as soon as I can. Hang in there.”

I smile up at her weakly.

 

 

I pull back up at the ranch. I’ve been at the department for the last few hours checking on other cases and filling in Trudeau on my progress. Tate’s walking toward me as I get out of my cruiser, a look of concern etched on his face. “Hey man, everything okay?”

He reaches me. “I’m not sure, you tell me. Bree left not long after you and said she’d be back, but it’s been several hours, and I haven’t seen or heard from her. She had that determined look in her eyes. So, what’s going on? You and I both know she won’t stop until she finds what she’s looking for.”

“Damn it, Bree,” I curse under my breath as I take out my phone and call her. Straight to voicemail.

“That could only mean one of two things: she doesn’t want to talk, or she can’t. Which do you think it is, brother?”

“Hell if I know, but I’m about to find out.” I storm into the house. “I’ll see if I can ping her phone.”

Tate follows me in.

I go to my office and over to the desk to my computer. I turn it on and put a trace on her phone. I zero in on it, blinking a few times. “What the hell, Briella?” I huff.

“What is it? Is she somewhere she isn’t supposed to be?” Tate asks with concern.

I rub my hand down my face. I blink at the computer again. In for a penny, in for a pound. I ping Ivie’s cell too. Sure enough, they’re together. Camden Springs.

I look at Tate. “It looks like Bree is with Ivie in Camden Springs, two hours away.”

“Why would they be there?” Tate asks, his forehead crinkling.

“Ivie lives there. To be honest I have no clue why she’d be there, since her dad’s retirement party is tomorrow night, much less why Bree would be there with her.”

A wave of guilt runs through me at the lie. I know Ivie saw Jade kiss me today. Jade is relentless. She doesn’t understand that I won’t ever be with her. It doesn’t matter that me and Ivie will never work. I’d never be with Jade. Still, she keeps doing things like that. Randomly kissing me or touching me. Texting me.

Unfortunately, Ivie had to see it. I didn’t run after her this time. I can’t do that anymore. I can’t trust her not to run into Dean’s arms, and that means I can’t be the man who comforts her. If I can’t trust her, we have nothing, and like I told Bree, I may be trying to catch a crazed stalker, but the information they have leaked has been accurate. There’s no doubt those pictures are, too.

“Are you going to keep trying to call her? What if something’s wrong?” Tate demands.

I close my eyes, knowing that something is very wrong. Ivie ran again. Does that mean she’ll come back before the party? Who knows. I’m confused by Bree being there, though, so I turn and answer Tate. “Yeah, I’m going to keep trying her. If I can’t get her in the next hour or two, I’ll head down there to check on everything.”

Tate appears uncomfortable. “Have you tried calling Ivie?”

“No, I haven’t. I’d rather not,” I say, hoping he doesn’t push.

No such luck. “Why the hell not, dude? What’s going on?”

I let out an irritated breath. I explain about the messages, then about earlier in front of the coffee shop. Tate stares at me.

“Dude, I think you’re making a big mistake. What happened to fighting for her this time? Honestly, if I were in Ivie’s shoes and saw what she saw, I’d probably run too.”

I squeeze my eyes shut and pinch the bridge of my nose to thwart the headache building behind my eyes. I know what he’s saying makes sense, but I’m too angry at her. Seeing those pictures did something to me.

I pick up my phone and try to call Bree one more time. It rings once and goes to voicemail, again. Tate’s still watching me. “You should try Ivie. You’ll regret not fighting for her, Sterling.”

“Coming from the man who says he doesn’t do relationships.” I snap.

He narrows his eyes at me. “This isn’t me we’re talking about Sterling, it’s you. You and Ivie. Ivie’s the girl you’ve been dreaming about for years. You’re awfully quick to just let it go.”

“The same could be said for her, Tate. Why didn’t she stay and confront me? Why didn’t she fight? She didn’t. She ran—again. What’s that supposed to tell me, huh? That she’s in this for the long haul? To me, it says quite the opposite.”

I text Bree.

Me: Where are you? Are you ok?

Bree: I’m ok. I’ll be back tomorrow.

Me: Why are you in Camden Springs?

Bree: How do you know where I am?

Me: I pinged your cell when you didn’t answer my call. Tate was worried, I was too.

Bree: Jesus, Sterling. We’ll be talking about your lack of boundaries later. I would’ve called later. I’m a little busy right now.

Me: Are you with Ivie?

Bree: Yes, but that’s all you get.

And just like that, the feeling something is wrong just gotten times worse.