Page 20 of Ghosted Cowboy
I showed her.
She went pale. "Oh my God."
"Has anything else happened?" I asked, my voice coming out harder than I meant. "Anything besides the mirror message the other night?"
She bit her lip. "Dead roses. On the doorstep of Midnight Curiosities Saturday morning. With a note saying I looked beautiful in red."
Rage burned through me, hot and violent. Someone was watching her. Following her. Threatening her. Someone had been in this theater while we were trapped by the storm.
Someone had left this while we were—
The thought made my hands curl into fists.
"Why didn't you tell me?" I demanded.
"Because it's not your problem—"
"Like hell it isn't." I caught her shoulders, forcing her to look at me. "You're mine, Rainey. Which makes your problems myproblems. Your safety my responsibility. Whoever's doing this, I'm going to find them. And when I do—"
"Ransom—"
"I almost lost you once." My grip tightened. "I'm not losing you again. Not to some psycho with a sick sense of drama and too much time on their hands. We're going to Sheriff Turley first thing tomorrow. We're telling Vivian. And until we figure out who's behind this, you're not going anywhere alone. Understood?"
She opened her mouth to argue, saw something in my expression that made her reconsider. She nodded.
"Good." I pulled her against me, needing to feel her safe in my arms. "Now let's get you home. And I'm following you inside to check every room before I leave."
"That's not necessary—"
"It absolutely is." I kissed her hard, possessive. "Get used to it, baby. Because I'm not going anywhere. Someone wants to scare you? They'll have to go through me first."
Outside, the storm had passed, leaving the October night cold and dripping. The fog had thickened, rolling across the square in waves, turning the festive décor into ghostly shapes. Water dripped from awnings and cornices, puddling on the sidewalks below.
As we walked to our vehicles, I couldn't shake the feeling of being watched.
Someone out there had left that locket. Had been in the theater while we were trapped, had crept close enough to leave their sick gift, had maybe seen everything.
The thought sent ice through my veins. But I pushed it aside, focused on Rainey. On keeping her safe. On making sure whoever was doing this learned a very painful lesson about threatening the woman I loved.
Because one thing was certain—I'd walked away from her once to protect my brother.
I'd be damned if I'd let anyone make me lose her again. Not this time. Not ever.
Chapter Five
