Page 78 of Recklessly Yours

“Finally, I had the perfect opportunity to get you away from that brainwashing detective.”

Dylan.

I opened my eyes but was immediately assaulted by bright lights overhead that made my head pound harder, so I pinched them shut again quickly.

“If he hadn’t stepped in and turned you against me, we would already be together.”

Nausea roiled in my stomach. What the hell was he talking about? Other than being friendly and making small talk, I’d hardly ever spoken to him.

“Tonight played out even better than I’d hoped. I thought I would have to run you and your friends off the road to get to you, but then you came out the side door and made it so much easier on me.”

A chill ran down my spine. Holy shit. It was strange to think this way, but god, was I thankful that he’d only grabbed me. If he’d run us off the road, he could have killed one or all of us.

“Now we can finally be together.”

Bile rose in my throat. This guy was insane.

Slowly this time, I opened my eyes and surveyed my surroundings. Was I in a greenhouse? It had to be. The enclosure was lined with clear panels, and bright lights hung from the ceiling, and the space was full of all kinds of plants and flowers.

When I caught sight of a section of blue orchids across from where he had me tied to a chair, I gasped.

“They’re all for you.” A metal object glinted in the fluorescent lights as he waved at the flowers. Oh god.A knife. “Blue like your eyes.”

I moved my wrists, tugging gently on the ropes. They were tied securely, so I plastered on a fake smile and nodded.

“I knew you would love them.”

“They’re beautiful.” It was the only idea I had. If I wanted to survive, I’d have to go along with him and hope like hell he couldn’t see through my façade.

“After the Titans won the Super Bowl last year and you high-fived me, I knew you were perfect. I couldn’t stop thinking about how the color of your eyes were the exact shade of my beautiful blue lady orchids.”

Oh god. I remembered that night. The bar had been packed, and I’d stayed to help Rhett close up. Michael, Paul, and Josh were all there. A few weeks after that, I’d learned Josh had officially moved to our town.

“Is that why you moved here?” I forced the words through my lips and swallowed thickly.

Maybe I could make him think he could trust me. That his feelings were reciprocated. If he thought I wanted to be here, he might untie my hands. I’d just have to wait for the right opportunity to make a run for it. I’d been handling my siblings all my life. Surely an unhinged stalker couldn’t be much worse.

His lips curled up slightly. “Yeah. Then on that night back in November, when you said you loved my new haircut, I knew it was time.”

“Time?”

“For us to finally be together.”

I kept the smile on my face, refusing to let it slip. For now, I had to keep him talking and get him to trust me until I could escape or Dylan came to save me.

Because Dylan would come. He would figure it out, and he wouldn’t stop until he found me. Fate had intervened so far. He was meant to be the one protecting me. He looked at puzzles and mysteries with the same intensity as when he looked at me. And I trusted he would find me.

But…

Another thought struck me, and my stomach bottomed out. What if this crazy asshole killed him?

A tear slipped from my eye and ran down my cheek.

Stay safe, Dylan.I silently sent the plea out into the universe.

I’d been so stupid, leaving the restaurant alone. God, I’d never get over it if I got him killed.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

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