Page 23 of Hot Momosa

“I wouldn’t have trusted her with our son if I hadn’t.”

I felt like a complete idiot. Leo hadn’t had to twist Christina’s arm to see Gunnar. She had to know the truth. “I’ll add her to the growing list of people who know you’re his dad.”

He sucked air between his teeth and nodded. “Sorry. Go on. Tell me what happened after she quit.”

I would have preferred to pick an argument with him rather than relive the events of the previous few hours, but he needed to understand the situation. “Gunnar and I went through our normal nighttime routine. After he was asleep, I crashed on the couch. I woke up to him screaming and went to check on him. That’s when I noticed his bedroom window was open—”

“Was it broken?” Leo’s spine stiffened and his nostrils flared.

“I didn’t see any glass on the floor or sill.” I hadn’t had time to consider how the intruder had come through a normally locked window that sat a half story off the ground. “But there were muddy footprints on the rug beside Gunnar’s crib.”

He looked away and nodded as if to himself. “I’m guessing the guy didn’t know it was the nursery window. It’s dark on that side of the house, and the only one without bougainvillea growing beneath it.”

I thought about the layout of my house and the landscaping. If I had to choose a way to break in, Gunnar’s window made sense. “I guess, but I don’t understand why it was unlocked.”

“It was a nice day. Christina could have opened the windows to air out the house while you were gone.”

“I hate to think of what would have happened if Gunnar hadn’t woken up.”

Leo scratched his jaw. “That’s another reason I doubt the intruder knew it was the nursery. Scared kids make a lot of noise.”

“You’re right. I was worried the intruder would follow Gunnar’s screams and finish the job.” Leo’s expression darkened. “Tell me about your stalker.”

Gulping down my wine, I debated how much to share and decided to tell him everything. “The letters started after my dad announced his candidacy. At first, the guy complimented me. Said my beauty was an asset to my father’s career. They changed when the media started covering mine and Harrison’s relationship.”

He tightened his jaw hard enough to crack his molars. “Changed how?”

“The stalker wasn’t happy that I was dating. The letters became more sexually explicit, and he made some threats.” I fought to suppress a shudder, but failed. “I’m pretty sure he was attending campaign events. He sent candid photos of Harrison and me together at rallies and fundraising dinners.”

Leo scratched the dark stubble on his jaw. “He could be a reporter.”

I hadn’t thought of that, but it made sense. “You may be right. I couldn’t imagine someone paying a thousand dollars to attend an event just to scare me.”

He rubbed his thumb on the pads of his fingers over and over again. He did the same thing when considering the odds at the black-jack table. “You said this psycho sent packages?”

I lowered my gaze. “It was mostly cheap jewelry and lingerie. He’d follow up with notes asking if I’d worn his gifts.”

“None of this was reported to the police?” Scowling, Leo stood and paced the room. Three apricot-colored heads popped up and watched him.

“My dad and Robert thought it would be better to handle the matter internally. They hired a private investigator, but he hasn’t been able to find anything on the guy.”

He opened his mouth, likely to make a nasty comment about my father, but he snapped it shut and shook his head. “When was the last time you received a letter or package?”

I’d expected the question but didn’t want to answer it. I was still woozy from the migraine, and my ankle throbbed. Leo hitting the roof wouldn’t help either situation, nor would it calm my already frazzled nerves.

Biting my lower lip, I shrugged.

He stopped pacing and stared. “Today?”

“Yes.” The stalker’s threats echoed through my mind. “He said he saw the photos of you and I together and was coming for me and Gunnar.”

Emotions played over Leo’s features like frames on a slot machine. Disbelief, anger, disgust, fear, resignation, pity—round and round they went as he studied me.

“My God, Dahl.” He crossed the room and sat beside me. “How are you still functioning after living with this for, what? A year?”

“Everyone told me it was nothing to worry about. That it came with being in the public eye.” His closeness was both soothing and frightening. No one, not even Harrison, had taken the letters seriously. Sure, Harry had comforted me when I was freaking out, but he’d discouraged me from reporting the stalker to the police. Instead, he’d insisted I remain close to him while in public—and tried to do the same in private.

Leo was the first person to get it. The fact he still understood me so easily made me want to lower my guard—and that scared me on a level I wasn’t ready to think about.

---