Page 27 of Protection for Rowan

Work wasn't difficult. The four pilots she had in the books were easy to get through. The three men and one woman didn't have anything to worry about. They all gave appropriate answers and even joked about a few things at the end of the session. It was nice to not have to worry about the people she was approving for another few years of being pilots.

After work, she decided to run by the grocery store. It wasn't something she loved doing, but she needed food. In the produce area, she noticed a guy paying attention to her. He was different from the last time. She pushed awaythe paranoia, thinking that maybe he was just a lonely guy who thought she would talk to him.

She left the area, opting to go a direction that would keep her from walking right in front of him. She wasn’t afraid, but she didn’t really want to deal with curious strangers who stared at her.

She tried to get a good look at him. It took until she was on the frozen food aisle before she had time to study him because he wasn’t watching her as closely. She didn’t recognize him and thought it odd that he was paying attention to her.

She moved to another aisle, and the weird feeling hit harder. She quickly grabbed two boxes of microwave meals and hurried down the aisle, wondering why she was acting so paranoid. The guy wasn't following her. Even if he was, what could he do? The lot had security cameras, and she was safe. There was no way this man would attempt to harm her with all the cameras and other people around.

She checked out, looking back twice to make sure the man wasn’t following her. She loaded her bags, checking again to see if the man was close. He didn’t seem to be outside or watching her. She breathed a sigh of relief as she pulled out of the lot.

There were a lot of cars on the road, but it didn’t seem like she was being followed. Not that she would really be able to tell. She wasn’t an expert in knowing if she had a tail, but no one turned from the main road into her neighborhood behind her.

She parked and took her stuff inside quickly, checking out the window before stepping into the kitchen. It was weird how one little interaction could make her paranoia run wild. Logically, she knew she didn't need to worry, butshe read the news and watched some true crime shows and knew how dangerous it was out there.

After she put away her groceries, she picked up her phone, sad that there were no texts from Shine. She’d grown used to him texting when he left the base. It was weird not hearing from him. No way would she complain about that to him. He didn’t need the pressure.

The rest of her night was quiet, and she woke the next morning ready to go out for a jog. On the way back home, she stopped by the coffee shop that was a few blocks away. After ordering her coffee and a breakfast sandwich, she stepped outside, shocked to see the man she’d noticed at the grocery store sitting at the table far away from the door. His lips curved up just enough for her to know he’d seen her.

She’d planned to sit outside and eat, but panic rose. She didn’t want to sit inside. Besides, there was no way this man was here because she had come to this specific shop this morning. It was just one of those weird things where she saw the same person at local shops because they both lived in the same neighborhood. If she had a patient come in with a situation like this, she would check to see if they were having issues with paranoia.

Instead of running away, she moved to a table and chair at the other end of the patio and sat, not facing the man. She didn’t want to accidentally glance up and meet his gaze.

Her hands shook a little as she picked up her cup of coffee. She tried to force them to still. She needed to calm down, but there was something predatory about the man, and she could feel it sliding down her back.

Logically, she knew she was overreacting. The man hadn't really done anything wrong. He was just in the samelocation as her. He looked kind of familiar, but she didn't remember anyone with his beard or his longer hair.

It could be a disguise, but there was no reason for her to think this guy had woken up and changed his appearance just to fool her. She wasn’t that important.

She shoved the weirdness away and focused on her food. She pulled out her phone and checked her email. She had a couple of clients this morning, and then this afternoon, she would spend time catching up on paperwork. There wasn't too much for her to keep up with, but if she didn't have at least one afternoon a week cleared of appointments, she would end up behind.

After finishing her sandwich, she headed out, seeing that the man she’d been worried about had disappeared. She didn’t know when he’d left but was glad he was gone. She needed to get a grasp on her emotions and reactions. No one was following her. She was perfectly safe.

She couldn't wait for Shine to get home. They would laugh about her paranoia. He would tell her she'd been ridiculous, and she would agree with his assessment. Everything was fine, and she would be fine, too.

Charles hadn’t meantto smile when he saw her react to him being outside the coffee shop. He’d followed her the night before but hadn’t meant to be noticed this morning. He needed to be more careful, or everything would be ruined.

He knew where she lived now and knew that she liked to jog. The grocery store where she shopped wasn’t a good location to grab her. Maybe on her morning run, but there were too many people out and about.

While she was asleep would probably be his best bet.He could nab her and be back in his car fast. The drive to the cabin was about an hour, maybe an hour and a half. He could shove her into the trunk, and no one would see them.

Now, he just had to figure out exactly when to grab her. It wouldn't be hard. He just had to break in and take her.

He should be at work, but that bitch had ruined everything for him. Once he convinced her that he was perfectly capable of working, he could get his job back, and then he could have everything he ever wanted.

Why couldn't people understand him? He wasn't weird, not like a serial killer. He hadn't ever forced a person to come with him unless it was necessary. But people like that psychologist wouldn't understand. They didn't get that sometimes you had to make harsh decisions that few people were bold enough to go through with. He was bold and sometimes radical, but that's what it took to make it.

He drove by her house again, noting that all was quiet. Tomorrow night, he would figure out a way into her house, and then she would have to listen.

Chapter 20

Shine listenedto the plans and shook his head. “I don’t like it.”

Sharp blew out a frustrated breath. “I don’t either, but what else can we do?”

"We don't wait until midnight. We go now, or we wait until the storm passes."

Griz grunted. “Fucking weird weather.”

---