Page 46 of Stalked

“I was just startled. That’s all,” she finally finished.

They both came and sat in the chairs on the other side of the table. The other man, very tall and also handsome, had a key in his hands. “Can I take those handcuffs off? I’m sure you’ll be more comfortable without them.”

Rosalyn brought her wrists up to the table so he could release her. She had to get some measure of control over herself. She could do this.

“Are you sure you fellas will feel safe with me unfettered?” She raised an eyebrow at them. They both had her by nearly a foot and at least fifty pounds apiece. Not to mention her range of motion with her extended belly would make her escape skills almost nonexistent.

Both men glanced at each other and cracked a smile. “We’ll be sure to keep our guard up,” the tall one said. “I’m Jon Hatton and this is Brandon Han. We’re both profilers and behavioral analysts here at the Critical Response Division of Omega Sector.”

“I’m not sure I know exactly what Omega Sector is.”

Agent Han leaned back in his chair. “We’re an interagency task force. People working together with backgrounds in the FBI, DEA, ATF and other relevant agencies. We even have some Interpol and other international agencies as part of our ranks. Helps us cut through red tape.”

“We’d like to ask you some questions about what happened at the gas station a couple of hours ago,” Hatton said. “Did you know the man on the motorcycle was going to attack Steve?”

“No.” She looked at one man and then the other. “I was inside the store when I saw the guy pull up. I thought it was pretty stupid that he was coming right behind our car when there were other pumps open, but I didn’t know who he was or that he was going to hurt Steve until I saw him flick out his stick thing.”

Agent Han had pulled out a notebook and began writing. “It’s called a telescopic baton. A weapon that can be easily transported and then, like you said, be fully expanded with just a flick of the wrist.”

She nodded. “Steve was looking at me, so I knew he wasn’t paying attention to the guy and was going to get hurt.” She remembered knowing she wouldn’t get outside in time to warn him. “Fortunately, Steve turned at the last second and blocked the hit with his arm.”

“And you had no idea who the man was or that he was going to be there at that time?” Han asked.

“No.” Rosalyn could feel the panic pulling at her again.

Hatton tilted his head to the side. “You didn’t notify him in any way that you were traveling to Colorado Springs with Steve?”

It was almost like it was a friendly question. That this was all some dinner-party conversation. Rosalyn could feel hysteria building up inside her and fought to keep it tamped down.

“No. I did not contact the man who has been stalking me almost daily for the last year, who has caused me to leave my job, all my friends, and for six months live on the run in sleazy hotels. I did not contact the man who has driven me to the precipice of insanity and thoughts of suicide more than once.”

She leaned forward in her chair. “I did not contact the man from whom I, for the first time in a year, had found a measure of peace because I had finally felt like I had gotten away from him for good. I did not bring that man back into my life.”

Agent Han leaned forward too. “Then how did he find you and Steve?”

Rosalyn couldn’t stop the tears now. “I don’t know,” she whispered before huddling back into her chair. “He always finds me.”

The two men looked at her for a long time. Rosalyn finally just covered her face with her hands.

After a long pause she heard Agent Hatton say, “I think we need to start at the beginning.”

* * *

STEVEWATCHEDITall from the adjacent room, able to see everything through the two-way mirror and hear everything through the audio that was pumped in. Andrea had wanted to go in with Brandon to help question Rosalyn, but Steve had asked her to stay.

He needed Andrea’s opinion. Not only could she read other people’s nonverbal communication with remarkable accuracy, she also had a sixth sense about their emotions. She could feel what they were emoting even if it didn’t match what the person was saying.

He’d trusted Andrea’s abilities when he’d pulled her out of a pretty horrible situation nearly five years ago; he trusted them even more now.

“Steve, I’ve got to say, there is nothing Rosalyn has done nonverbally that has given me any indication that she’s not telling the truth.”

Rosalyn had started back at the beginning like Jon had asked her to do. She’d spent the last hour telling Jon and Brandon about the Watcher and everything that had happened. She was giving much more detail than she had to him.

It made him physically ill to think about what she’d gone through.

Steve rubbed his good hand over his face, his hurt arm still in the sling. He didn’t have to have Andrea’s talent at reading people to see that Rosalyn was telling the truth.

“I’ve made a pretty bad mistake.”

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