Page 20 of Recklessly Yours

“Hey,” he started. “The plates came back stolen.”

Irritation flared in my gut, though I wasn’t surprised. “I figured as much.”

“Weren’t you the one who said we don’t have criminal masterminds here?”

I chuckled. “Anyone who watches TV knows not to use a car registered to them to commit a crime.”

“Truth.”

“Gonna need you to take lead on this.”

“What?” He scoffed. “I assumed you’d want the lead.”

“Rhett asked me to stick close to Hattie, so I can’t be available as often as I’d need to be if I were.”

“You’re sure there’s nothing going on between you two?”

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

He let out a loud sigh, the sound muffled through the line. “Okay. I’ll talk to the captain before I leave and see if we can pull Ethan to help out with this one.”

That was a great idea. Ethan was a great patrolman. Eventually, he’d make detective if he wanted it. If I was watching Hattie, we would need help anyway. Aiden had a wife and kid. Asking him to do all the legwork would be a dick move. Plus, if I needed to take over for any reason, Ethan could keep an eye on Hattie.

“Okay, and I’ll bring Hattie by the station tomorrow to give her official statement. Talk to you again in the morning.”

A minute later, after I’d hung up with Aiden, Hattie entered the kitchen through the open doorway.

“Dylan?”

“You ready to go?”

She nodded, exhaustion marring her features. “Yeah. It’s late.”

The frightened woman from earlier was gone. Either she was holding her shit together and putting on a brave front, or she was back to being in denial.

Regardless, we needed to have a conversation. These next few days were crucial. The stalker was likely angry that his plans tonight had been thwarted. With any luck, he would decide I was the problem and come after me next.

Chapter Nine

HATTIE

I fiddledwith the silver beaded bracelet my mom had given me for Christmas last year—the one that matched the bracelets she’d given my sisters as well. It gutted me, seeing the worry on her face tonight. Though that sensation was replaced by annoyance when, as I was assuring my parents that it was probably nothing, Dylan sent me a glare.

I couldn’t fathom who would want to stalk me.

None of the guys I’d dated recently had been any more interested in me than I was in them. Except maybe the guy who asked if I would let him suck my toes. But even he quickly became uninterested when I told him he absolutely could not. Not to mention, stalkers were for famous people or people like Savannah, who were attention seekers, not run-of-the-mill people like me.

“I’m going to pack a small bag,” Dylan said as he pulled out of my parents’ driveway. “Then I’ll follow you to your apartment.”

“What?” I whipped my head around and frowned. I wasn’t all that excited to get back in my car, but I didn’t need a babysitter.

“You shouldn’t be alone.” He shrugged, one hand on the steering wheel while the other one rested between us on the console. “Rhett asked me to stay with you until we catch this guy.”

Of course my idiot brother would ask him to do that. And without running it past me first. “That’s not?—”

“Unless you’d rather stay with one of your siblings or at your parents’ until this is over?” He looked over with one eyebrow raised.

“My older siblings all have kids, so no, I’m not leading a stalker to their front door. And Savannah is never home, so staying with her would be no different from staying alone.”

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