Page 21 of Live for Me

I shook my head. “The police would be no help. You and I both know that.”

“We don’t—”

I jerked out of his hold. “We do know that, Dave. Do you not recall the last time this happened?” I asked, my voice growing louder with each word as my composure broke. My carry on clattered to the floor as my words bounced off the white and black tiles and dark green walls of my foyer. Dave’s throat bobbed as he stared at me as the memory resurfaced for both of us.

I did what I was supposed to do. I called the cops. I depended on the men and women in blue to help me—to protect me--and they didn’t. They took my information and the gifts my stalker had left at my office, then nothing. They had no leads. They didn’t offer to put an officer on my job site. Then again, I wasn’t important enough for that. I wasn’t a celebrity. I wasn’t one of Denver’s elite.

I was just Abbie Spears, daughter of a town whore and drug addict.

“Abbie—”

I let out a huff, holding my hand up. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore. I did all I could. I got the security system, I got thecameras installed all around the house and in it, and I bought a gun. There’s nothing else I can do. I don’t know who this man is, don’t know what the hell he wants with me, and I don’t know how to stop it.” He jerked, but I kept going, seething now. “There is no one who can stop him, Dave. Not you. Not me. Not your boyfriend. Certainly not the cops.”

“Red Snake Investigations,” he blurted out suddenly as I turned my back to him.

I looked over my shoulder. “What the hell are you talking about, Dave?” I asked. I bent over, grabbing my carry on and rolled it into the living room, heading straight for my bedroom. Today had been the day from hell, and even though it was only two in the afternoon, all I wanted was a hot shower and to go to bed. I was halfway across the living room when Dave called out to my back.

“They are bounty hunters, Abbie.”

I stopped in my tracks, a chill going down my spine. Slowly, I turned back to face him, my chest tight. “What in the hell would a bounty hunter do for me?”

“Hunt your goddamn stalker!” he bellowed, throwing his arms out wide before shoving his hands into his hair.

I stared at him, not knowing what to say. All I knew was I needed to be alone. “Do you have their number?” I asked after a few minutes of strained silence.

Surprise fluttered over his face. “Y-yeah, of course,” he murmured, his outburst fading away as he pulled out his wallet, pushing out a business card.

I leaned my bag against the couch and held out my hand as I made my way to him. The card was thick—expensive, the logo something I didn’t expect. It was target with two red snakes back to back, not coiled together. My eyes dropped to the number, noting they also had an office in North Carolina. My eyes flickedup to Dave, and I let out a sigh. “Okay, I’ll give them a call—-on one condition.”

He nodded. “Anything.”

“You need to leave.”

His brow furrowed. “Abbie, you’re bat shit crazy if you think I’m leaving you—”

“Your place has been fixed for over a week, he hasn’t come back, and as previously stated: I’m armed and the house is locked down.”

“But—”

“Please,” I rasped, my voice suddenly weak.

I was so close to breaking again. It had been two weeks, and I would be damned if I was going to break in front of someone. So, I swallowed the pain and the fear and said, “I’ve been traveling for the last twelve hours. I need a shower and food. I’ve also been around people for the last seventy-two hours, and my social battery is non-existent. I need to re-charge. I need to…” I trailed off, looking away from him and out the window, the beautiful summer day passing me by as my life continued to fall apart.

I felt Dave’s soft finger under my chin, and then I was looking at him again. Dave could piss me off to no end and there were definitely days when I wanted to kill him, but I loved him. I loved him so much, it hurt. I knew if I ever lost Dave, I would be losing a piece of myself no one would ever be able to replace.

“If that’s what you need, then you have it,” he murmured, giving me a small smile.

I pressed my tongue to the roof of my mouth in a poor attempt to stop the lump from forming in my throat as I nodded. A second later, his lips were against my forehead, the spot still warm as he whispered. “Call them today please. That’s all I ask.”

I nodded again.

I could do that. I didn’t know what would come of it, but making a phone call to Red Snake Investigations wouldn’t hurt me.

What was the worst that could happen? My life was already a shit show anyways.

A man with a deep voice answered on the fourth ring. “Red Snake Investigations. This is Ash.”

I stared down at the business card in my lap for a moment. “Uh. Hi.”

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