Page 79 of The Stalker

“I know. I saw the door, as well. Makes sense.”

“Okay, so that door will be locked at all times when Hayden is on the bus. When we arrive at any destination, even if it’s a gas station for gas, do not open the door to the bus. Call me, and if I don’t answer, call Jesse. If neither of us answer, keep alternating calls between us until we do, but don’t open the door until one of us is there.”

“I can do that,” he assured her.

“I can’t think of anything specific. Obviously, in an emergency, we’ll be locked behind the door, but we can smash a window if we need to. So get yourself to safety, then call us.”

She gave him their numbers, including Hayden’s, which she had him put in his phone with instructions to never give them to anyone, even his employers.

“Don’t ever call Hayden unless you’ve tried Jesse and me five times each. If somebody is forcing you to call us, say the specific phrase, ‘I know you said not to call you, but this is important.’ Do not ever use that phrase unless someone is forcing you to call us. Practice saying it and remember it. I’ll remind you daily and occasionally have you role-play the situation so you can be prepared. Hopefully, you’ll never have to use it, though. Is there anything you can think of, Jesse?”

“Nothing at the moment.”

She looked at Alvin, and he looked a little bit overwhelmed, so she gave him a kind smile and said, “I know this can be a lot to take in. Do you have any questions?”

“Am I going to be in danger?” he had a worried frown on his face.

“I don’t believe so. If you follow our instructions, then no. If someone comes to the door and tries to get in, but you don’t know them, or you’re uncomfortable, you have my permission to drive away. No questions asked. Even if it turns out to be someone legitimate. They can take it up with me if they have an issue.”

He looked relieved by her assurance that he could take them out of any situation he wasn't okay with.

“Any other questions?” He shook his head and Tatiana smiled at him again and said, “Okay, well, Jesse or I can answer any that you might have in the future. Thank you for being so accommodating. None of the other bus drivers will have rules like this, so you pretty much drew the short straw by getting Hayden’s bus.”

She collected up Hayden’s gifts and said goodbye to the driver before they walked through the door to the bus. She closed and locked the door between them, relaxing when she did. Hayden was finally somewhere safe.

“What a day,” she said.

“Indeed,” Jesse said, then he let out a sigh. “Look, I want to say something.”

Tatiana looked at him and raised an eyebrow, hesitant to even ask the question. “What’s that?”

“I know that I’ve been questioning your ability to keep Hayden safe. I want to apologize, because I can see that when it came to it, you were completely focused on the issue at hand. During the concert, you were possibly more focused than I was because I kept checking that you were actually focused.” He gave her a chagrined smile. “I won’t doubt you again. You thought of things with the bus that didn’t occur to me. I wouldn’t have thought of the driver being forced to call us. So, I’m sorry for judging you.”

Tatiana smiled at him. “I accept your apology. You weren’t wrong to question me, and I will never be angry with you for having concerns about Hayden’s safety. It shows me that you’re dedicated to your job, which I like.”

Jesse nodded, then dropped onto the sofa, and Tatiana continued through the bus to Hayden’s room. She knocked on his door, and he called out for her to enter.

“I’ve got the rest of your gifts,” she said as she opened the door and walked in.

She swallowed heavily when she saw him. He was lying on the bed topless, wearing just a pair of gray sweatpants, and reading a book. She couldn’t stop herself from running her eyes over his body.

“Enjoying the view?”

Heat rushed to her cheeks, and she said, “Just making sure you’re safe.”

He grinned at her, “If you need a closer look, I would completely understand.”

“No, I can see plenty from here. Where do you want these gifts?”

He set his book aside, stood, and walked over to her. “Here, I’ll take them.”

He took the gifts off her and put them in a cupboard where she saw he’d stored the other gifts he’d brought through.

He turned to face her and asked, “Are you tired?”

“Not really. Why?” She shrugged her shoulders.

“I wondered if you might want to watch Casino Royale with me. I sometimes struggle to switch off after a concert, and tonight has been…a lot. I figured watching a movie might help.”

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