Page 5 of Out of the Darkness

The envelope was addressed to “My Little Dove,” and for a moment, she wondered if it was from David. She wasn’t sure how or why, but she couldn’t think of anyone else it could be from. Not knowing what else to make of it, she set her purse down on the seat and opened the letter.

“Hello, Madelyn. I figured I should introduce myself, seeing as how we are going to be spending the rest of our lives together. Now, I understand that what happened to David is probably upsetting, but you will get over it, and when you do, you will realize that he was no good for you. You will forgive me too, in time, for the part I had to play. We are destined for each other after all, and I just couldn’t stand watching someone else touch what’s rightfully mine. You may not realize it yet, but you ARE mine. I do hope you keep that in mind because I would hate to have to hurt or kill someone else for touching you. I’ll be seeing you soon. –Yours, Xavier”

Madelyn blinked at the letter a few times as a chill shivered down her spine. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end, and she suddenly felt as though someone was watching her. Perhaps what she had seen earlier was not a trick of the light after all. Her eyes darted around the garage once more, searching every corner and between every car. Every shadow she saw felt sinister and dangerous, yet, in reality, there was nothing there. At least, nothing that she could see anyway.

The letter itself was chilling in its own right. It had confirmed David’s story that someone had attacked him because of her, and he threatened to do it again should anyone else touch her too. Someone clearly had her in his sights, claiming that they would be together for the rest of their lives and saying that she belonged to him. The thought was terrifying and shook her to her very core.

Somewhere on a different level of the structure, a car door slammed shut, nearly making her jump out of her own skin. She shook herself and realized then that she was just being silly. No one was watching her. It was probably some kind of sick joke that David had concocted with his friends. It would explain why he wouldn’t tell her exactly what happened the night he was attacked. He had probably wanted to end things with her and used his accident as a way to do so. Though, she still couldn’t figure out why he would go to such lengths and blame her for it all. Sometimes, guys didn’t make any sense to her.

After shoving the letter and the little wooden dove into her purse, she tossed it to the passenger side and climbed in behind the wheel. While the letter was creepy, the dove was adorable, and she was going to keep it. Maybe she would even put it on her desk at work. After all, it reminded her of the dove tattoo she had on her wrist, which held such a significant meaning to her.

As she drove out of the parking structure, she blasted her favorite ‘girl power’ playlist while also reminding herself that this was why she didn’t do relationships in the first place. Men couldn’t be trusted for anything more than sex, and she would do well to remember that fact, if only to avoid this shitty feeling in the future.

Madelyn brushed away the angry tears that had begun to roll down her cheeks and cranked up the volume to drown out the sound of her breaking heart. She would allow herself a little time to feel the pain the situation with David inflicted. But then, she would package it up and shove it aside just like she always did. Once again, she was going to have to rebuild the walls around her heart, and this time, she wasn’t going to let them fall again. Not for anyone.

Chapter Two

Madelyn

Two days had passed since the incident with David at the hospital. The wound was still raw, but Madelyn was healing herself the best that she could. She busied herself with work and deep cleaning her house to help keep her mind off of things. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she still didn’t understand why he had treated her the way he did or why he blamed her for his attack. And that was frustrating.

Thankfully, she was meeting Melanie for lunch in a bit to go over what she had discovered in the police report David filed from that night. Hopefully, she would finally get some answers. Not that it mattered anymore as she no longer had the desire to try to clear her name with him. Not after what he did. She only wanted to know to appease her own curiosity and to see if she could figure out who it was that was stalking her.

Madelyn realized the day after she found the note in her car that it wasn’t just a sick prank like she originally thought—or hoped. She had found another note on her desk when she got to work the next morning, telling her how beautiful she looked, how he hoped that she had a good day, and that he was counting down the minutes until they could be together. It wasn’t as creepy as the first note had been and was kind of sweet in its own way, but it did make her wonder how the hell he got in and out of the station without being seen. The police station was supposed to be one of the safest places, wasn’t it?

After finding the second note, Madelyn felt as though she were constantly being watched. It was like she could feel a pair of eyes tracking her every move at all hours of the day. It was a feeling that she just couldn’t shake, one that had buried itself so deep into the pit of her stomach that she was beginning to wonder if it would ever go away. Whether she was at home, at work, out shopping, or taking a shower, she knew, without a doubt, that he was there, Xavier, lurking somewhere among the shadows. But what threw her for a loop, was the fact that she wasn’t as afraid of this guy as she probably should have been.

She figured it was most likely due to her past. She had been through so much as a child, more than any adult she knew, and that trauma had changed her. It had messed with her brain chemistry or something. Her previous therapist had tried to explain it to her, but she never really understood. All she knew was that things didn’t always affect her the way they should.

It didn’t hurt that she knew how to take care of herself too, though. After everything she had been through, she had made it a point to take as many self-defense classes as possible. She had been told that it was overkill, that she would probably never need it in her lifetime, but it made her feel better all the same. It made her feel more confident and sure of herself.

Steam billowed out of the bathroom door as she exited, a towel wrapped around her body and one in her hand as she dried her hair. She stopped short when she spotted the long purple box with a matching purple bow sitting on her freshly made bed. Not only had that box not been there twenty minutes ago when she got into the shower, but she hadn’t bothered making her bed yet either. Which meant that someone had been in her room at some point in the twenty minutes she had been in the shower.

Madelyn moved toward the box tentatively, as if it were a bomb about to go off. When she reached the edge of her bed, she looked around the room and down the hall to ensure it wasn’t a trap. Once she was sure that she was alone, she picked up the card that was taped to the top of the box. It was made of thick, white card stock, and the note was typed instead of written, except for the now familiar signature. The package was from Xavier. Her stalker.

So far, he hadn’t left anything that would hurt her, but it was still too early to know what this guy was really capable of. After all, he had put David in the hospital just for talking to her. Who knew what he would do if he realized that she wasn’t going to agree to be his as quietly as he hoped?

Dropping the towel she was using to dry her hair, she opened the card so she could see what the note said in its entirety.

“I watched you last night, and what a beautiful sight it was, watching you come on your fingers. Who were you thinking about, I wonder. I can’t wait until the day that I get to feel you come around my cock because then I’ll be able to die a happy man.

After looking through your room, I realized that you didn’t have one of these. I thought I would give you something to help tide you over until we are together. All I ask is that you think of me when you use it. – Forever Yours, Xavier”

Madelyn pressed her lips together as she set the note down on the bed. Knowing that he had watched her masturbate the night before was unnerving, but she should have known better. The guy was everywhere, and he didn’t seem to be leaving anytime soon. Unsure of what else to do, she flipped the top off the box.

The moment she moved the tissue paper, she pressed her fingers to her lips to stifle her laughter. Inside the cheerful purple box, on top of the sparkly tissue paper was the biggest vibrator she had ever seen in her life and, to top it off, it was an obnoxious neon pink color. It had to be at least thirteen to fifteen inches long and as thick as a tree branch. And it was veiny as hell too, full of bumps and ridges in all the right places. She had never seen anything like it before, and she wasn’t going to deny that it looked like it could be fun. That was if it didn’t tear her apart.

She should be upset with the guy for thinking he had the right to send her something like this, disgusted even. However, she wasn’t. Already, she had come to accept whatever this guy decided to throw at her. Besides, what could she do? He didn’t seem like the kind of guy to be easily deterred, nor did she believe he was going to stop anytime soon. Not after everything he had done thus far. The only thing she could do was let it play out the way it was supposed to. Either he’d come after her and she’d kill him in self-defense, or he’d kill her. Not much she could do about it either way.

Setting the box with the monster cock down on the floor, she kicked it under her bed. She would figure out what to do with the damn thing later. Now, she had to get ready for lunch with Melanie, and she needed to decide if she was going to tell her about her new friend. While she didn’t trust the police—she hadn’t in years—Melanie was her best friend. Her only friend really, and that had to count for something. At least, it should.

Madelyn had met Melanie three years ago when she first started working at the station as the receptionist. Melanie had been a patrol officer then and had taken Madelyn under her wing. Cedarwood PD was comprised of mostly men, and Melanie had said that the girls needed to stick together. She had been a big part of Madelyn’s life ever since. It was something she wasn’t used to, having a friend, but she was grateful for it.

The girls had arranged to meet at a little bistro down the street from the station, and a text message from Melanie told her that, as usual, she was already there and had grabbed them a table outside on the patio. It was a beautiful, sunny day, so Madelyn didn’t mind. She even joked with herself that maybe she would get the chance to catch her stalker in action. Not that she knew what she would do if she did.

When Madelyn stepped out onto the patio, she spotted Melanie immediately as her bright red hair was hard to miss. She smiled to herself and made her way over toward the table. Melanie grinned at her as she approached. “Hey.”

“Hey you,” Madelyn replied as she sat down, hanging her purse on the chair behind her. She nodded toward the glass of iced tea sitting in front of her. “That mine?”

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