Page 34 of Lethal Lover

Once inside and on our way to wherever Slick is driving me, I finally start to calm down. No amount of alcohol on this planet is going to calm me down or make her believe me that I’m not stalking her. But there is something that will. If I figure out who is stalking her, then she’ll have to believe it isn’t me. And I have enough resources to get to the bottom of this once for all.

“We gotta find the guy…” My slurred words make Slick glance at me.

“Who?” he asks, turning away from the bar and zipping as quickly as he can onto the highway.

“The stalker. The guy who’s threatening Elena.” I’m still seething mad, but I’m starting to understand the way forward. Everything my father told me about unearthing a serpent still rings true, even in my drunken state. Whoever this is, he isn’t afraid to show his true colors to her. She has probably even interacted with him, maybe seen his face. She might know him personally, which makes sense that she would fear it was me.

“How you figure we’ll do that? Now you’re gonna have police knocking on your door again. Or at the very least, your father.”

“Isn’t that what I pay you for?” I grumble and stare out the window at the blur of city lights passing by. “We call Kraus. We tell him everything, like every fucking detail. He’ll have some ideas on what to do.” Trusting a dirty cop to do my work is risky, but I have to trust someone or I’m on my own. And God knows I can’t do this alone.

“Then what?” Slick pulls into the exit lane and slows abruptly, turning north toward my home. “You think she’ll believe you and trust you when you catch the stalker? Buddy, you lied to her face. She ain’t no New York City hoe. She’s good people. She’s fromthe Midwest where they bake pies and shit. Probably grew up in Sunday school and plans to meet Jesus someday. You ain’t got a fucking chance with her.”

I ignore his disbelief and pull my phone out, dialing Detective Kraus’s number. It’s late, so I don’t expect him to answer, but he does.

“Dominic… It’s three a.m. What the hell do you want?”

I love how he thinks he can talk to me like this. What a piece of work. Someday, I’ll be his boss and not my father, and then he’ll learn how to use manners.

“I need help tracking someone down, and I need it now. I’ll give you five minutes to wake up and I’ll call back. Get to your computer.” I hang up and stare at the city skyline in the distance. Kraus is going to help me find Elena’s stalker if it’s the last thing he does.

She belongs to me even if she doesn’t think she belongs to me. I intend to prove that to her, and I intend to make sure no one else touches my property or harms it in any way. And if they think I’m the type to show mercy, they’re wrong. I’m ruthless and lethal, and no one gets in my way.

22

ELENA

His hands are rough and callused, but the way they move over my body is divine, tracing every curve and contour until he finds the spots that make me writhe beneath him. Liam is a god, drawing sensations from my nerves I never knew I could feel, and moving across me with stealth, leaving a rash of goosebumps in his wake. And the way he moves inside me—I’m breathless in anticipation of what comes next.

Until I’m screaming, running from him in a dark alley, being chased by my worst fears and subdued by a monster whose face I cannot see, but I can’t unsee it, either. Teeth like a bear, drool dripping from his muzzle, and blood. There’s blood everywhere, running down the walls, puddling at my feet, sticking to my skin. The wail of sirens grows closer now, both comforting and frightening me.

I jolt awake to the sound of my phone ringing. The dream was so vivid I almost feel like I should call the police and hide. My pulse is racing. I’m soaked in sweat. I almost can’t catch my breath. It’stoo much. All of this fear is getting to me, and I feel helpless and alone.

Fumbling in the dark room, I reach to the end table for my phone. I can’t find it for a moment, and by the time I do, the ringing has stopped. I unplug it and hold it up, and it lights up to show me it was my mom calling. I let the phone drop to my chest and rub the sleep from my eyes. The blackout curtains make it seem like it’s the wee hours of the morning, but in reality, it’s after nine a.m. I haven’t been sleeping well, so when I can manage to rest, I let myself sleep without an alarm.

Nightmares plague me every night now, despite Mr. Monroe telling me he’ll take care of the stalker issue. He reported it to the police, and I feel a little better about it, but the letters keep coming. Mysteriously, they appear in my dressing room, and I want to ask him to put up cameras in the hallway so I can see who is dropping them off.

One thing I figure is certain. The threats are now outright and bold, and whoever it is must really want me to suffer. I’m careful every night, making sure I’m not followed by anyone. I take the long way to the subway entrance, and most nights, I’m alone when I board the train at the station. Whoever it is doesn’t know where I live.

That’s one small consolation I have in this whole thing. I feel like Liam was being honest with me when he said it wasn’t him. He knows where I live. He’s been here more than once, and if he wanted to hurt me, not only does he know right where to find me, but he has the means to do it without being found out. I think Warren is wrong. Liam isn’t stalking me, which means maybe he is telling the truth about other things too, like being sorry for not telling me who he is upfront.

My phone begins to ring again, and this time, I’m prepared. Mom always calls back right away when she misses me the first time, so I pick up the phone and swipe to answer, then turn on my speakerphone so I don’t have to hold it up to my ear.

“Hey, Mom,” I say, then yawn. We’ve talked a few times this week, each time ending with her begging me to come home, but I don’t want to. So far, Mr. Monroe has upheld his word to me. After what happened to Nina and then Mr. Flemming, not to mention his own mugging, he’s taking no chances. He even chased Liam away several times this week when I said I wasn’t accepting visitors. I’m sure Liam was pissed.

“I called to see if you'd reconsidered yet. Aunt Maggie says you can live there and rent out the apartment above the garage, so you don’t have to live with me and feel suffocated.”

Mom is awful. Involving her sister in the attempt to coerce me to move back home is just low. I know she cares about me, but I want to live my own life, even if it is a scary, bumpy ride.

“Mom, I appreciate your caring about me, but I’m not moving back. If you’re so worried, you can come visit. You’ll have to sleep on an air mattress and there isn’t much space, but it would be nice to see you.” I know damn well that she can’t visit. She’ll never get the time off work, and living paycheck to paycheck is what we Midwesterners do. Which is why I want to make this happen so badly.

The dream isn’t just for me. If I make it big and rake in the cash, I can support myself in a lifestyle that’s comfortable, but I can also help her so she doesn’t have to work so hard. Being a single mom isn’t easy.

“I just don’t feel safe with you there.”

“You never felt safe with my coming here to begin with, Mom. Trust me. I’m feeling so much safer now that the director is on the case. I’m sure things will calm down soon now. Besides, I’m starring again in the next show, and people love me.”

My cheeks warm at the slight lie. Yes, I’m starring again, but I don’t feel that much safer yet. Parts of me feel relieved because I feel like maybe I might try to work something out with Liam, after all. But I still need to worry about the creepy person who hates me for some reason.

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