Page 76 of Prey

“So…keep seeing her?” Ronan asked carefully and received a sour look from Gunner. “Romantically.”

I took a deep breath. “Yes. Both of you act normal. But find out more about her and why police are sniffing around her. Then once we’re sure who she is and have a correct identification…” I rubbed my chin, considering my words. “She’s mine.”

35

One disaster after another. That summed up last night at Savile. One of the grills broke down, so the orders piled up. The service door the wait staff went through somehow jammed up, and we had to wait for maintenance to fix it. Some of us got stuck on the wrong side of the broken door, and Betty had to usher us out onto the casino floor and around to the other exit. On my first day on the job, I was given strict instructions never to venture out where the paying guests gamble and drink because I was a lowly kitchenhand and people like me should stay behind closed doors.

Thankfully, I saw Ronan twice briefly. He smiled and said hi but didn’t harass me, which annoyed me. I liked him. But I couldn’t hang out with a man when I had a crazy stalker breathing down my back every second of every day.

Speaking of crazy stalker. Fucked me upright in the college gardens. Whoa. After using a knife to cut a hole in my pants. I shouldn’t be surprised by his depravity, but I was more surprised by how turned on I was. He brought out a different side that I didn’t know existed, which was scary and exciting.

Yep, Gunner was Annika’s type.

Every step I took, every time I sat down or bent over, the lingering sensation of Gunner’s cock left his mark inside of me. And I loved it. The way he held me in those powerful arms and rocked me back and forth over his size was wonderful. Simply glorious.

As I was about to leave for my first class of the day, I remembered that Sergeant George Tindale had left another voicemail on my phone last time while I was working. I discovered it during my break and forgot to listen after my shift.

I had ten minutes spare, so I sat on the edge of my bed and opened my voicemail to listen to his message.

“Hi Riley, it’s Sergeant Tindale here again. You didn’t get back to me after I left the previous message, so I just wanted to touch base and ensure everything is okay. Is there anything you need that we can help you with?

“But, ah, look, there are a couple of issues that I’m scratching my head over, and I just need to ask you about them. One issue is that I was surprised you decided to study at Gotland University in Gothenburg, among other places. It’s likely a security risk, and I’m pretty surprised and concerned that Judith thought Gothenburg was an acceptable option.

“Look, ah, please get back to me ASAP so I can clear these discrepancies up, and you can explain why these choices were made. It seems very odd to me.

“Anyway, like I said, get back to me…preferably sooner than later, so I could put this mystery to rest.

Click.

The sergeant’s voicemail left me cold, particularly when he questioned why I transferred to Gotland. I thought it was obvious why I came here, but maybe Judith hadn’t updated my profile, and gaps were missing in the reports.

There was no time like the present, so I called him, and it went to voicemail, so I left a message. “Hi, Sergeant, it’s Riley Laws. You were asking why I came to Gotland University in Gothenburg. It is mainly because it has a good Marine Biology school, both practical and theoretical. That’s the reason why.

“I have a class now, so I’ll call you later in around two hours, so hopefully, if you’re available. Thank you. Oh, and sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner.

I swiped off and left my room as his words circled in my mind, increasing with every turn. It wasn’twhathe said that bothered me. It washowhe said it. He was confused and concerned for my safety, but maybe he was new to the job and didn’t realize I had been doing this gig for years. You might call me an expert at faking my way through life. Hopefully, we could clear this up soon, and he and I could rest easily.

Naturally, as I left Hallen Hall, I glanced as I always did down the road, searching for the shiny, black Mustang, and as usual, disappointment came over me when I didn’t see it. It was strange how his treacherous darkness was light for me, guiding me through the storm. It was a ridiculously romantic way to view a crazed stalker freak in a mask, but it worked for me for now.

Once I reached the end of the street, my phone rang, and it was the sergeant. “Hello?”

“Riley, Sergeant Tindale here,” speaking flat but reassuringly. “I know you said you’ll call me back in a couple of hours, but can you speak now so I can tick off a couple of concerns?”

“Um, let me find a quiet corner first,” I said as I ran across the road to an evergreen tree on a patch of grass in front of a dorm and leaned against the trunk, expecting this call to be short. “Okay, I’m good now. Fire away with your questions.”

“Well, I listened to your voicemail, and you said you went to Gotland for Marine Biology, but I’m sure many universities teach marine biology, so why…I thought Judith would’ve talked you out of that particular city and college for obvious reasons,” he stated.

“Obvious reason? What obvious reasons?” I asked him.

“Are you not aware? Has Judith not informed you? Hang on, let me check,” he said, and then I could hear tapping on a keyboard. “It’s here in black and white, so she definitely knew.”

“I’m sorry, Sergeant, but I don’t understand what you’re talking about, and your abstract language is making me nervous,” I breathed as my chest tightened with every word he spoke.

“Hold on,” he said again. “I need to speak to my senior officer for a few seconds. Can you hold on the line. Don’t hang up.”

“Sure.” I crouched down to make myself smaller because, for some reason, that made me feel better as my mind raced with a hundred scenarios, yet only one fate was worse than death. The line fell silent, so he must have the receiver covered over, so I couldn’t hear him talking. The lack of noise only made this situation worse.

He finally came back on the line, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Whatever happened here needed some clarification because it might not be as bad as I had imagined.

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