Page 59 of Lavender and Lightning

Gabby’s voice comes from my right, and I jump, spinning to face her. Caleb is sitting in his usual place by the front door, looking out the front windows to the sidewalk. Wila is in back, but I still shush Gabby as she laughs in my face.

“What look, exactly?” I snap, shoving her shoulder playfully.

“Your ‘I’m thinking about my alphas’ dicks’ look,” she manages through her giggles.

I roll my eyes, face heating even more. She laughs harder when I don’t deny it. Thankfully, before she can press me for more details, the clock strikes 5:30, and we move into closing duties. We’re a well-oiled machine and get the store shut down for the evening before the clock strikes the hour.

“Hey, Caleb. Can you text Rhett for me? Let him know we’re on our way home?” I ask as I’m gathering my bag.

He nods, pulling my phone from his pocket and typing out my message. It still feels weird to have someone using my phone for me. With the gossip running rampant, I agreed with the pack’s assessment that it would be in the best interest of my mental health if I didn’t have direct access to my phone at all times. Caleb keeps it while I’m at work, and I try to leave it on a counter or in my room while I’m at the pack house. Anything to keep me from constantly checking it. I thought I’d miss it more, but it’s not like I have a ton of people trying to get in touch with me. The only people I’d be trying to contact are the pack or Gabby and Wila, and everyone around me has ways to reach them for me.

I shout my goodbyes as Caleb and I leave through the backdoor, making a beeline for his SUV. He sticks close to my side, closer than usual. I can feel the tension radiating off of him as he scans the parking lot, but when I do the same, I don’t see anything out of the ordinary. I still scramble up into the passenger side, grateful that Caleb hustles to get in and leave. The cabin is quiet as we pull out of the parking lot and onto the street.

“What’s going on?” I ask softly, afraid to break the fragile silence between us.

“Something feels off. Just want to get you home safe,” he replies tersely.

I nod and settle back into my seat, clutching the strap of my bag hard enough for my knuckles to turn white. Caleb drives a little faster than usual, though his handling is as smooth and controlled as it’s ever been. He glances out of the rearview mirror several times, but I can’t see whatever is making him so tense. Suddenly, he turns left at a light instead of right, and I know then that something is truly wrong.

“Don’t panic, but I need you to tell me if you recognize that blue Ford behind us,” Caleb says, his voice even toned.

I turn to look over my shoulder out of the rear windshield, and my heart sinks. It takes me a minute to find the car he’s talking about, eventually spotting an older model sedan three cars back.

“No, but that—”

“It drove down State Street four times during the five o’clock hour, and it’s been following us since we left Wila’s.”

My protest catches in my throat, and I ball my hands into fists as they start to shake. Caleb makes another random turn, and now that I know what I’m looking for, I realize the sedan does, too.

“What do we do?” I whisper, as if the other car might hear me.

“To start, you’re going to take three deep, slow breaths for me,” Caleb begins.

I nod and allow him to guide me through the inhales and exhales, letting the cedar and cookie scent of him soothe my nerves. I still feel the pang of longing for whiskey or lemonade or mulled wine, but the calming alpha pheromones are still effective.

“Now, I’m trying to keep him on our tail.”

I whip my head around and stare, jaw slack. “Fucking why?” I demand.

“I don’t want to spook him and scare the bastard off. We need to keep him with us long enough for the police to get here and catch him,” Caleb continues.

“What? I don’t—”

“Stop panicking and think, Lydia. You’ve said that someone has been taking pictures of you, and can find you, seemingly at all hours of the day. How do you think they could do that if they aren’t following you? This guy tailing us is probably your stalker,” he continues, unshaking.

I let his words sink in and try to push aside the rush of embarrassment as I realize he’s right. This could be the chance we’ve been waiting for. If the police catch my stalker and can link them back to Seth, we’ll have the evidence we need to possibly be rid of Seth for good. I nod and set my shoulders, looking forward out of the windshield.

“Okay. Should I call 911, or should I try to reach the officer in charge of my case?” I ask, my voice steady despite how much my stomach is roiling.

“911. We need someone to get here fast.”

Caleb fishes in his jacket pocket before handing me my phone. There’s a reply from Rhett, and my heart twists. He’s probably freaking out that I’m not home yet. But I dismiss the message and dial the emergency line before putting the call on speaker.

“911, what’s your emergency?”

“My name is Lydia Anderson, and I have someone following me,” I start, eyes flicking to the mirror to find the car still there.

“Are you walking or driving?”

---