Page 25 of Dear John

“Walking through the grocery store?” He looked around, then grabbed the both of us and pulled us flush against a shelf, knocking a few boxes to the ground. “Don’t say a word,” he whispered.

My heart ramped up as he slowly peeked around the corner. I looked at Riley with wide eyes, terrified more than I thought I ever would be in a grocery store.

“Follow my footsteps and don’t hesitate,” he said urgently.

Oh crap, there really was someone following us. I swallowed down the bile rising in my throat as he took off at a quick pace, staying close to the shelves down the aisle. Riley quickly followed his lead and I was right on her tail, trying not to glance over my shoulder every five seconds. We broke out of the aisle and Fox bumped into a middle-aged man, knocking him into a display. Food went skittering across the floor, gathering the attention of everyone nearby. The mess was astronomical, but I tore my gaze from the man covered in boxes as people rushed over to help.

I felt my shirt being tugged on, and before I knew it, I was being shoved through the door and Fox was tugging on our hands, running flat out across the parking lot until we were hiding behind a truck that I could only assume was his.

He peered over the bed of the truck, watching for anyone who came running out of the store. I did the same, holding onto Riley’s shirt as I held my breath. We were about to find out who was after us. But the seconds ticked by and no one exited the store. Three minutes passed and an old lady walked out, carrying a single bag in her hand, looking both ways before she crossed the street.

“I don’t think it was her that was following us.”

Fox’s gaze swiveled to meet mine. “Don’t let the old hag fool you. I’ve seen her take down someone twice her size with that cane of hers.”

I gaped at him in shock. “Why?”

Fox frowned at me. “The guy was trying to steal her purse.”

My mouth worked open and closed, but no words managed to move past my lips.

“So, she was defending herself,” Riley said.

Fox peered at me questioningly. “Defending herself or drawing in her prey? That old hag has a few tricks up her sleeve. Trust me, that’s no innocent woman you see.”

I shook my head, trying to work past his hatred of an old woman and moved on to the bigger picture. “So, no one was following us.”

“What?” Fox asked, his brows pinched in confusion.

“No one came out.”

“Well, of course, no one came out. There wasn’t anyone following you.”

“But—you had us running out of the grocery store. You shoved that man to the ground.”

He shrugged. “Evasive maneuvers. Now you know what to do when someone’s actually after you. Shall we do it again for practice?”

The bell rangand I nearly jumped out of my skin. Kavanaugh shot me a look of concern that I quickly brushed away, giving him a completely fake smile. “That must be the food.”

He followed me to the door, and I could practically feel his eyes boring into me as I swung the door open and smiled at the delivery man. “Thank you,” I said, handing over a tip that he gratefully took. All my bags were left on the doorstep as he rushed back to his car. My eyes quickly scanned the neighborhood, lingering a little too long on the spot where the gray car usually idled.

It wasn’t there today, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t show up later. The mystery stalker would always show up when I least suspected it. I grabbed two bags and turned, rushing right intothe muscular body that smelled so enticing. Kavanaugh grabbed my arms, steadying me as I nearly tripped over my own feet.

“Oops,” I chuckled.

His eyes narrowed on me, then peered past me. Thick arms encircled me as he checked out the neighborhood as I just had. When he stepped back, I was flush with embarrassment. I forgot way too often that Kavanaugh would see everything if I wasn’t more careful.

“What were you looking for?”

“Hmm?” I asked, pushing past him to unload the groceries.

“Isla, I saw you. What were you looking for?”

I glanced over my shoulder, giving him a reassuring smile—something I did way too often. “Oh, nothing.”

“Bullshit,” he hissed. “I saw the look on your face. You were worried.”

“No, I wasn’t,” I laughed. “I was just looking around.”

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