Page 74 of Fate's Unseen Shadow

Damon cupped her face and brought it up to his, kissing her as she took her next breath.

She held onto the front of his shirt, swaying in his direction.

Slater slapped Damon on the back before tugging on his shoulder. “You can continue this after we find out what Ryker has for us. I’m on a security detail tonight and still need to go home and shower after going to the firing range earlier.”

Damon dropped a kiss on her forehead and murmured, “You’re incredible. Thank you for your help.” He interlaced his fingers with hers, leading her down the hallway behind Slater. “Let’s see what Ryker needs.”

Slater led the way down the hallway, stopping at Ryker’s office.

The typical three-bedroom ranch Ella had commented on wasn’t typical for Ryker. He’d turned one of the rooms into a computer room for work. Connected to the six computers along one desk in the middle of the room were three large TVs.

His gaming room sat across the hallway. It contained two more large monitors, a fancy chair, and a computer set up at a desk that took up half the room. And in the corner, a single bed.

At the end of the hall was Ryker’s bedroom. Through the open door, Damon spotted the messy king-size bed that, knowing his friend, he fell into when too exhausted from work to keep his eyes open.

Ryker turned around in his computer chair, making eye contact with Damon. “Ready?”

He dipped his chin. “Not sure for what, but sure, go ahead.”

Ryker shifted his focus to Ella. “I found him, Ella.”

She parted her lips, some color draining out of her face. “That’s…that’s what we wanted, right? We needed to find him.”

“Yes.” With another pointed look at Damon, Ryker turned back around. Whatever it was, it wasn’t good.

“This is Davies Scott.” Three images of the man popped up, one on each of the screens in front of them. “Otherwise known as Ella’s stalker,” Ryker finished.

Ella stumbled back into Damon’s chest.

He wrapped both arms around her, holding onto her. There was nothing to say. That was her stalker. His face burned into Damon’s brain. He’d memorize it, make sure if that man never got close to her. And if he did get to her...Damon would end him.

“I wish I never had to see him again.” Her breathing turned shallow, but she held it together.

“What’s his background?” Slater planted his feet apart, staring at the screens.

Ryker leaned back in his chair, casually swiveling back and forth. “Davies Scott served in Operation Desert Storm as a fighter pilot. He was dishonorably discharged after being accused of beating a local man to death over a gambling debt. He served six years in prison. That’s where his public information ends. I haven’t found any other information, but we’re still looking.”

“When were these taken?” Ella asked.

“Left to right. That is when you left the Pilates studio that day, when you described seeing him at the gas station. I pulled that footage, found you, and then found him. Once I matched the sketch you created with this image, I ran facial recognition software throughout most of Atlanta. I can get into a lot of the servers. I had a few more hits, but nothing useful. Except for the images I pulled outside your apartment. I found several. And when I say several, I mean I stopped at three dozen.” Ryker looked over her to Damon again. “The middle screen was taken from Monday. Is that who you saw?”

Damon kissed the top of her head, trying to stay relaxed against the surge of protectiveness. “Yes. That’s him.” He looked at Slater. “I regret not going with my instinct and going after him. Could’ve ended this shit then.”

Slater shook his head. “No. If he’d had any weapon on him, you could’ve been the one who ended Monday. Better to let Ryker do his job, and then we’ll do ours.”

Ella stepped away from him, crossing her arms as she turned to face him. “You saw himMondayand didn’t tell me?”

He held up his hands. “I didn’t know it was him. He seemed…off. And familiar. I tried to memorize the sketch of him, but I couldn’t tell from 75 feet away. I wasn’t going to say anything until I was sure. And here we are. Ryker confirmed it was him for you the same time he did me. I’m not afraid to keep things fromyou if it’s for your own good. Stressing you out when I didn’t have an answer wasn’t worth ruining the last two days.”

“’Cause you think I’m weak or you always know what’s best for me?”

His anger pushed at the edges with that accusation, but he gently took her chin and tipped her face up to his. “Because I wanted to show both of us that this thing between us is a hell of a lot more than a fling. I blocked out this shit for the last two days because we have a future to build, Ella. I’m not letting this short time get in the way of the rest of our lives.”

The fight drained from her eyes. “Sorry,” she mumbled. “I’m scared and not thinking straight. I’ve loved the past two days.”

“And we’ll have a lot more of those. I promise.”

She exhaled and shifted back to face the room. “What happens next?”

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