Page 14 of Stalking the Bride

This never would have happened before. But then I met Belle.

One of my men steps up beside me and calls my name into my ear, causing me to snap out of my stupor. I shoot a glance at him that he must interpret as threatening, because he quickly takes a step back.

“You okay, boss?”

Shit. I’ve got to get my head right. “I’m fine. I was just…thinking about something.” I level my eyes on the suspect. He’s shaking like he’s freezing his ass off, but that’s impossible inhere. It’s possible he’s strung out on something. “Hey, buddy! You wanna talk now? Or do we have to call the police?”

Calling the police is the last thing I want to do. That would mean more people getting involved and potentially more eyes on me. What’s this jerk doing taking credit for my bomb threat anyway? I called it in, not him. How’s he even know about it?

I glance over my shoulder where Belle is standing by the bookshelves, drenching the room in beauty. It’s like being hit by a gut-punch. All I want to do is stare. I’m already losing myself as my eyes soak in her splendor.

Now is not the time for that.

Now is the time for work.

“See her?” I snap, pointing as I glance back at the suspect. “How do you know her?”

The man snaps his teeth against each other, tosses his head, and flits a few short glances toward Belle. My protective instincts flare. Even if he is tied down, he’s still a potential threat to my angel.

“B-Belle…Ha-Ha-Hartley…” the man stutters, slurring his speech with a sloppy tongue. “Married…soon.”

He looks up at her again, and I step in front of him, blocking his gaze.

No. She’s my beauty.

Christ, who even is this son of a bitch? I know he didn’t call in the bomb threat, yet he’s acting like a total weirdo, and he somehow knows Belle’s full name. Could he be a stalker who actually means to hurt her?

Does it make me a hypocrite to be worried about someone stalking Belle?

Probably. But I don’t care.

I know with an absolute certainty that I would never do anything to hurt my sweet angel. I exist only to keep her safe and to protect her. No man out there would put his life on the line forher like I would, and that means every other man out could be a danger to her.

“Where’s the phone!?” one of my guys blurts out. I quickly scold him with a look, causing him to go silent.

“You got a name, buddy?” I ask the suspect, drawing his attention to me. His eyes are all over the place, but after a long moment, he nods.

“B-Barry.”

“Okay, Barry. Why’d you make that call?”

Barry shakes his head like it’s filled with cobwebs. Goddamn it, what is this guy’s game? “I-I just wanted her to…notice me…”

One of my men comes up beside me and hands me a file. I glance over it quickly and close it. “You work the grounds here at the manor eh, Barry?”

He nods, testing my patience as he continues to draw out this fiasco. I need to wrap things up here so I can get back to Belle before she slips away from me. Every second I waste on this bastard is a second I could be spending with her.

“I mow lawns,” he stutters. “Trim hedges. Wash windows–”

Wash windows? Something inside me snaps as I picture him up on a ladder, pretending to wash Belle’s glass, staring at her inside as she undresses. And I just lunge forward and snatch him by his collar, forcing the chair onto its back two legs.

“You been stalking her, Barry?” I snarl, gnashing my teeth as my heartbeat leaps through the roof. “Following Belle? Watching her?”

“No!” he protests. “I’m not a stalker!”

“Bullshit! Don’t lie to me!” My blood is lava, coursing through my veins as I glare down at this predator. “I know you didn’t call in that threat, Barry. You don’t have the brains for something like that. So tell me why you’re lying!”

“I just wanted to be cool with the guys!” he cries out, desperation streaking across his face. He gasps a breath, and Iset the chair down, loosening my grip on him. “I heard about the threat, and all the guys were talking about it. S-so I thought I’d just take credit, ya know? It made everybody laugh!”

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