Page 177 of The Stalker

The Journey

Her initial excitementat finding out the stalker’s name was tempered when she gave the information to Mark.

“Could she have possibly had a more common name?” he moaned.

“I know, but it’s a start when you combine it with her picture.”

“True. I’ll let you know if I get a hit.”

She thanked him and ended the call before calling Derek.

“Got news?” he asked.

“Not much. The stalker’s name is actually Sarah, and we have a picture of her. Want me to text it to you?”

“Sure, sounds good. Thanks for letting me know.”

“I said that I would. We’re trying to find any more information about her now,” she told him before they ended their call.

They sat around Gabriel’s suite for hours with no words, and it was well after midnight when Tatiana hauled herself back to her bedroom.

“You can use our spare room if you like,” Gabriel offered.

“No, it’s fine. I’m only down on floor seven, and I’ll come back up the second I hear from Mark if it’s overnight. Otherwise, I’ll come back in the morning.”

“Come back anytime you want. It doesn’t matter if we’re sleeping.” Gabriel handed her a swipe card for their room.

“Thanks.”

Ariana gave her a hug, and Tatiana waved goodbye before leaving the suite. Ethan was sitting in the hallway with Ross and both of them looked up at her when she appeared. She turned to face the elevator and strode away without giving them a second glance. She honestly didn’t give a shit about bodyguard gossip at this point.

Tatiana made her way to her room and brushed her teeth before getting changed for bed. She collapsed on the bed and laid in the dark, listening to the noises around her. Hotels were never quiet, and she could hear plenty of things. The television in the room next door. The buzzing of the light in the hallway. The band playing in the restaurant downstairs could even be heard thanks to the big open atrium in this hotel.

She unlocked her phone and opened Spotify, then searched for Cruise Control. She started a new playlist that she titled ‘Hayden’ before she went through the band’s albums. He didn’t sing lead on many of their songs, but the few he did were added first, followed by the ones that featured him.

Then, she started the playlist playing and put her phone on charge on the bedside table. She grabbed his bottle of cologne and spritzed it on the pillow before she set it aside and turned the lights off. She closed her eyes and listened to Hayden’s voice as he sang the song she’d watched him sing at the first soundcheck. Unbidden, tears rolled from her eyes. She missed him so much that it brought a pain worse than any she’d felt before.

She finally fell asleep when the playlist was on its second play through and Hayden was singing the bridge in a song about a cataclysmic event.

When she woke the next morning, she grabbed her phone at once. She’d had nightmares about Hayden being tortured and had woken early, so it wasn’t even five yet. She cursed loudly when she saw there was no information from Mark overnight, either.

It was late in the morning, and she was back sitting in Gabriel’s hotel suite when Mark finally called her. Her heart raced in her chest as she answered his call.

“I’ve got the stalker’s last name, it’s Fielding, but that’s not what’s important,” he said the moment she answered.

“How is that not important?”

“I think I know where Hayden could be,” Mark told her.

“Where?” she practically yelled into the phone.

“Sarah’s family has a property about two hours outside of San Antonio. There are no services connected to it, but satellite imaging shows there is a structure on the property and Hayden could very easily be stashed away there.”

Adrenaline flooded through her, and her heart pounded away in her chest as she responded. “Send me the address straight away. Thank you, Mark.” She struggled against a lump in her throat, her emotions were so heightened right now, and her gratefulness for his help was immense. “I couldn’t have done this without you.”

“I know. The only payment I’ll accept is a giant box of purple crayons,” he said, sounding amused.

Tatiana laughed hysterically, unable to control herself. “You’ve got it.”

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