Page 7 of Rescued By the Marine

“This is very good. I’ll read through it tonight if that’s okay.” I don’t want to make her go through it all with me and with her documentation, she doesn’t need to.

“That’s fine. I don’t want to look at any of it again. I don’t understand what I could’ve done to someone to make them do this to me. The notes sound like someone who loves me or thinks they do, but someone who loves me wouldn’t make me so afraid.”

Violet shivers as her words hang in the air. I put the tablet down and wrap my arms around her. She’s right, someone who loved her, someone who feels the way I’m starting to feel about this amazing woman, wouldn’t be able to hurt her in this way. I’ve known her for mere hours, and I’d do anything to see her smile.

“It’s late and you’ve had a long day.” I stand up, pulling her up with me. “Why don’t you go to bed?”

She nods and starts heading toward the bedroom but stops and turns around halfway there. I immediately flash to a fantasy where she’s asking me to come with her to bed and have to shake myself out of it, so I can hear what she’s saying.

“Where’s your room?” Violet asks. “It’s not important, I just didn’t see another bedroom and wondered where it is.”

“There’s only one bedroom, gorgeous,” I answer with a smile. “I’m going to bunk out here in the living room.”

“No, you should have the bedroom. You won’t fit on that sofa and I will.” She storms back and stands in front of me like a five-foot-two general.

“No way. I’ve slept in worse places. You’re taking the bedroom. I’m a gentleman and my mom would beat me with her wooden spoon if I let a woman sleep on the sofa while I take the bed.” I give her my most charming smile.

“I’ve met your mom, and she wouldn’t beat anyone with a wooden spoon,” Violet says. “I’ll sleep in the bedroom tonight, but tomorrow we switch.”

I nod, but it’s not an agreement. I’m not going to let her sleep on the sofa at all, but that’s a conversation for tomorrow. Violet walks back to the bedroom.

“Goodnight, Kane.”

“Sweet dreams, gorgeous.”

After Violet shuts the door, I grab a beer from the kitchen and sit at the table to look through the file she’s put together on the stalker.

The first letters are basic telling her she looked pretty, that he liked her in some movie. Then they turn more specific— noting what outfit she was wearing that day or who she was with when she was out. There were gifts— flowers, stuffed animals, and food.

The thing that worries me the most is that the locations of where things were being left went from outside of public places to the last bouquet of roses being left inside her apartment.

Zoe assured me that this maniac couldn’t figure out where Violet was, but he got into her home. I’m not going to take any chances. I’m going to be on high alert.

I’m throwing away the beer bottle and getting ready for my uncomfortable night on the couch when I hear noises coming from the bedroom. At first, it’s faint and I think that maybe I just imagined it. The idea that the stalker could find Violet is making me a little jumpy, but as I turn off the lights, I hear a louder cry coming from the bedroom.

Something’s wrong.

7

VIOLET

I’m walking down the street, but nothing looks familiar. Am I somewhere on vacation? The stores are cute, and I think to myself that I’ll have to go back. Why can’t I stop now?

I keep walking and stop when I get to a fancy table outside of a restaurant. It’s covered in a red and white checkered tablecloth like the movies. Am I on set?

“Please sit down, ma’am.” A man comes out of nowhere and points to a chair that wasn’t there a second ago.

I sit, unable to do anything else. I look down at myself and I’m dressed in the outfit I wore when I played Kelli on Family Time. This is from when I was seventeen years old and doesn’t fit anymore. I don’t even own the outfit, how am I wearing it and why?

There’s food on the table now and a candle lit in the middle. It’s pumpkin pie with whipped cream on top. I hate pumpkin pie.

“I know how much you like it,” a voice says, but I can’t see where or who it comes from.

“Who’s there?” I ask, but my voice comes out scratchy. That’s when I notice the rope tying my hands together and feel the one around my throat. I scream, but nothing comes out.

I scream again and again, but no one hears me.

“Violet, wake up, gorgeous.”A reassuring voice pulls me from the nightmare.

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