Stalker In the Shadows Read online

  She wasn’t afraid of dying. What she was afraid of was leaving Melinda in Peter’s care. She would willingly give her own life if it would stop that from happening.

  She looked up when Hunter returned. He stood in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room. “Why don’t you get unpacked now and I’ll see about making us something to eat?”

  There was nothing warm or supportive in his eyes at the moment, and an exquisite pain of bereavement shot through her. Without saying a word, she got up and went into his bedroom to unpack some of her things.

  Before she even got started, she sank down on the bed and was struck by a deep exhaustion. It was an exhaustion created by both mental and physical pain...one of utter despair.

  Her body hurt, and at least she could help that. She dug in her purse, grabbed one of her pain pills and dry swallowed it. Maybe she’d just rest for a few minutes before unloading her suitcase. She stretched out on the bed and was instantly enveloped by Hunter’s scent.

  She closed her eyes, breathing in the essence of him. It was a smell that had always signified love and protection. She began to cry quietly—from the pain, from the fear and finally for everything she had lost.

  She drew in several deep breaths to staunch her tears. When she stopped weeping, her eyelids felt too heavy to lift. Her last conscious thought was that it was just a matter of time before all her nightmares where Peter was concerned came true and all her dreams of Hunter would shatter.

  HUNTER THOUGHT MAYBE a bowl of soup with some crackers might taste good to her. He had both chicken noodle and tomato. Since he had no clue which one she might like, he pulled them both out of his pantry along with a box of saltines.

  He then sat at the table to await her return. Her...not Ainsley, but Colette. He was still trying to wrap his head around everything he’d learned about her.

  His thoughts were disjointed and his emotions were all over the place. Anger battled with disappointment and created an enormous sense of loss inside him.

  If she’d lied to him about her name and where she was from, what else had she lied about? Had her kisses been a lie? When she told him that she cared about him, had that been a fabrication?

  Had she gone out with him in the first place thinking that dating a deputy was smart given her circumstances? Was it a case of keeping her friends close and her enemies closer? Had she gone out with him simply because she thought he would keep her safe?

  He couldn’t figure out what was real and what wasn’t where she—Colette, not Ainsley—was concerned.

  She should have returned to the kitchen by now. She’d had plenty of time to unpack. A small bell of alarm rang in his head. He got up and walked through the living room and then paused and listened.

  There was no sound coming from his bedroom. Had she opened a window and taken off? Had she decided that running was better than trusting him? He hurried down the hallway and stopped short in the doorway, relief flooding through him. She hadn’t run—she’d fallen asleep.

  She was on her back, her dark hair fanned out against his pillow. She looked beautiful in sleep. All the worry and stress lines were gone from her face.

  It had all seemed so real with her. He’d really believed he’d tasted her desire for him in her kisses. When they’d made love, he’d truly believed she was falling in love with him.

  Had it all been an act? Had she just been using him all along? He couldn’t help but wonder what other secrets she might have, although the ones he’d already learned were devastating enough.

  The doubts about her and her actions since coming to town created a pool of deep disappointment and loss inside him. He was so deeply in love with her, and now he didn’t know what to do with that love.

  There was no reason to wake her. No matter how confused he was about everything, the beating she’d taken the night before had been real. The deep-purple bruise on her chin was very real, and it ticked him off that apparently her ex-husband had gotten to her, had beaten her and would have probably killed her if Ben hadn’t intervened.

  At least she should be safe here. He hated like hell that he had to work the next day, but three deputies were out with the flu, leaving the department too shorthanded for him to take the day off. Still, his locks were good and sturdy. He’d tell all of his fellow officers to do frequent drive-bys, but he also wanted them to be working on finding Peter Waverly. That was the only way she would be completely safe.

  He turned away from the bedroom and returned to the living room. He sat in his recliner, and Zeus immediately jumped into his lap.

  He stroked Zeus’s fur. “I know you like her, buddy, but I don’t see how this ends.” He was so confused and his emotions were still all over the place where she was concerned. If they wound up catching Peter and getting him behind bars, then Colette would be free to pursue her life anywhere with anyone she wanted.

  What he feared was that when this was all over, it would once again just be him and Zeus alone again.

  PETER SAT ACROSS from Sheila in the busy café. It was dinnertime, and the place was packed. Word had gotten out that Ainsley Meadows had been beaten up the night before by her ex-husband, and all the conversations around him seemed to be about that.

  “That’s terrible about that poor woman getting beat up,” Sheila said as they waited for their orders to be delivered.

  “Isn’t it though,” he said with a straight face.

  “Thank God you aren’t that kind of man,” Sheila said. “All the other men I’ve been with have beat the hell out of me, but you’re nice to me.”

  Peter forced a smile to his lips. “You’re easy to be nice to, Sheila.”

  “Are you going to score me a little dessert later tonight?” she asked coyly. She looked at him with eyes that begged and burned with need.

  He knew “a little dessert” meant drugs. “I’ll have to see what’s available.” Once again he thought of what a pig she was...driven by her addictions and with no desire to change. She disgusted him. She was weak, and he had no understanding or compassion for weak people.

  “I’m falling for you, Hank. I’ve got to say I’m really falling for you.” She smiled at him.

  Even her smile was a huge turn-off, displaying bad and missing teeth. How could she really believe that a man like him would be remotely interested in a woman like her?

  Their food arrived, and they’d only been eating for a few minutes when two of the deputies from the sheriff’s department walked in.

  They each had a photo in their hands and they were going from each booth to each table and questioning each and every diner. As one of them, Deputy Nick Marshall, approached his table, Peter felt no tension whatsoever.

  He was so much smarter than the law enforcement in this one-pony town. He was smarter than most people. “Evening, folks.” Deputy Marshall stepped up next to their table.

  “Evening,” Peter replied. “What’s going on?”

  “We’re checking with people to see if anyone has seen this man.” Deputy Marshall showed Peter a picture of himself. Peter frowned. “No, I haven’t seen him.”

  Sheila looked at the picture and slowly shook her head. “I haven’t ever seen him before. Is that the man who beat up the waitress who worked here?”

  Deputy Marshall nodded and then looked at Peter once again. “I don’t believe we’ve met.”

  Peter half rose in his seat and held out his hand. The deputy took his hand and the two men shook. “I’m Hank Bridges. I bought the old pig farm just outside the city limits.”

  Marshall nodded his head. “I know the place. How long have you been there?”

  “Maybe three months or so,” he replied. “The place needs a lot of cleanup, and I’m working on it.”

  “Well, it’s nice to meet you and welcome to town,” the deputy said and then moved on to the next table.

  Peter went back to e
ating his meal. Oh yes, he was smart enough to know how to get his revenge against the woman who had left him.

  He knew where his daughter was, and he knew where Colette was located. He was going to get her. He was going to make her pay. It was just a matter of time. A sweet rush of pleasure shot through him.

  “Are you going to eat those French fries?” Sheila asked and gestured to the potatoes left on his plate.

  “No, help yourself,” he replied and pushed his plate closer to her. Eat up, he thought. It would just make the pigs happier. Sheila first...and then Colette.

  Oink. Oink.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Colette awoke to semidarkness in the room. For a moment she was confused as to where she was and what was going on. Then it all slammed back into her.

  Peter was someplace in town. She was in Hunter’s bed, and Hunter knew all her secrets. She rolled over and sat up and tried to ignore the sharp pain in her wounded ribs. Right now the wound in her heart hurt just as badly.

  She got up, and her stomach growled with hunger. She had no idea what time it was, but she hadn’t eaten anything all day. While she’d just like to sleep all night to escape her depressing emotions, she was wide-awake now and needed something to eat.

  What she really needed was Hunter’s arms around her. She needed him to hold her tight against his warm, strong body. She wanted him to whisper in her ear that he loved her and everything was going to be all right. But she knew that wasn’t going to happen. He probably hated her now.

  She left the bedroom and went into the living room, where the lights were on in anticipation of nightfall. Hunter wasn’t in the living room.

  She found him in the kitchen, seated at the table with a cup of coffee before him. As she entered the room, Zeus danced at her feet. She bent down and gave him a quick scratch behind his ears.

  “I was wondering how long you might sleep,” Hunter said. He got up from the table and walked over to open the back door and let Zeus outside. He then returned to the table.

  She stood by the table but didn’t sit. “I took a pain pill and only intended to lie down for a few minutes, but I guess I was more tired than I thought.”

  “You must be starving,” he said. She felt his distance in his tone, in the blankness of his eyes. She supposed she should have expected it.

  “I am hungry,” she replied.

  “I thought maybe soup and crackers might sound good to you,” he said and got up from the table.

  “Actually, that sounds perfect.”

  “Why don’t you sit and I’ll get it for you.” He pointed to the chair across from where he had been seated.

  “You don’t have to wait on me,” she protested.

  “I don’t mind. All I need to know is if you want chicken noodle or tomato soup. I’m afraid those are the only kinds I have.”

  “Tomato sounds good. Thank you.” She sat at the table and watched him as he got the can of soup, fixed it in a soup bowl and then put it in the microwave to warm.

  As the microwave hummed, Hunter opened a package of crackers and placed a handful of them on a saucer. As he worked, he made no eye contact with her, and a heavy silence hung between them.

  A ding announced the soup was ready, and he delivered it to the table in front of her and then added the plate of crackers. “Would you like something to drink?” he asked.

  “No, thanks, I’m good. Are you going to sit with me while I eat?”

  He sank down in the chair opposite her and looked at a place just over her head. “Did anything happen while I was sleeping?” she asked. She’d hoped somehow a miracle would have happened while she was out and Peter had been caught.

  “Nothing, although everyone is looking for Peter,” he replied.

  He finally looked at her, and in the depths of his eyes she saw not only distrust, but pain...pain that she knew she’d put there.

  “Hunter, it was all real for me,” she said softly. “I might have lied about my name and where I came from, but I didn’t lie about how I feel for you. I’m in love with you, Hunter.”

  Her words hung in the air for what felt like an eternity. She had hoped she’d see a happy smile curve his lips, a warmth fill his eyes, but neither happened.

  He studied her as if she were a scientific specimen he’d never seen before, and then he sighed. “Were you ever going to tell me the truth?” he finally asked.

  “Of course I was. I almost told you the night we made love, but then I decided I’d wait until we figured out who was doing the terrible things to me. I was going to tell you, Hunter. I swear I was going to tell you.” She realized he had no reason to believe her now.

  He sighed once again. “Eat your soup before it gets cold. I’m going to make a phone call to check in with Nick.” He got up, let Zeus back into the house, and then he and the dog left the room.

  She stared down into her soup, her eyes filling with tears. She should have known this would happen, but someplace in her heart she’d hoped for it to be different. She’d hoped that love conquered all, but she now knew that sometimes love just wasn’t enough.

  When this was all over, when he remembered her, she would just be another woman who had lied to him. She hated that. She’d managed to do exactly what Juanita had asked her not to do—she’d broken his heart.

  Although she no longer felt hungry, she ate the soup and crackers because she knew she needed to put something in her stomach. Tears continued to burn her eyes, but she managed not to cry.

  She’d hoped that she and Hunter would share a future together. Now she didn’t know what would happen next with her life.

  Even if they caught Peter and managed to make charges stick, she didn’t think she could stay in Dusty Gulch if she and Hunter weren’t together. It would just be too painful to see him every day, to love him every day and know that he no longer felt the same way about her.

  When she finished eating, she carried the bowl and saucer to the sink, rinsed them off and then loaded them into the dishwasher.

  She left the kitchen and found Hunter seated in his recliner with Zeus next to him. She sat on the sofa and looked at him. “Did you check in with Nick?”

  “I did, but so far there is nothing new to report.”

  “I suppose you hate me right now,” she said.

  “Ainsley...Colette...I could never hate you.” A whisper of warmth filled his eyes. It was there for only a moment and then was gone. A frown cut across his forehead. “Right now the only thing I’m focused on is getting your ex-husband behind bars.”

  “And once that happens?”

  “I don’t know.” He looked down at Zeus and stroked his fur, then returned his gaze to her. “To be perfectly honest, I’m kind of numb right now where you’re concerned. I haven’t really had time to process everything you’ve told me today.”

  “Do you think time will help you to forgive me?” Her heart raced in her chest as she waited for his answer. Was there any hope at all that they would be together when this was all over?

  “I don’t know how to answer that right now. All I want at the moment is for you to be safe.” He held her gaze for a long moment and then looked back down at Zeus. “I need time, Ains...Colette. I just need time.”

  “I understand,” she replied. And she did. She knew all the lies she’d told him had come out of left field. She hated that it had all unfolded the way it had.

  She drew in a deep breath and winced as her ribs protested. “Would it be easier if I moved back to my apartment or someplace else?” she asked.

  “No,” he replied sharply. “You need to be here.” His gaze softened. “This is the best place for you right now. Even though I have to work in the morning, I’ve already instructed drive-bys by my fellow officers at regular intervals to make sure nothing happens here. Besides, your ex would be foolish to try something now. He’s got to know by now
that he’s on the hot seat. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s already hours away from here.”

  “I hope he isn’t hours away. I hope this time he’s overplayed his hand and believed in his own invulnerability and has stuck around. If he goes into the wind, then I’ll never find peace. He tried to kill me last night, and he’ll never stop trying until he’s succeeded.”

  “I thought he’d killed you last night.” Pain leaped into his eyes. “Some of the longest hours of my life were waiting to hear from the doctor after you’d been taken to the hospital.”

  She was so damned selfish, she realized. She’d been caught up in her own drama and hadn’t realized what Hunter had been through in the last twenty-four hours.

  She now saw the lines of exhaustion on his face. How late had he been up the night before...waiting to hear from the doctor...and then worrying about her recovery?

  “Did you manage to get any rest while I was sleeping?” she asked.

  “No, I’m not much of a daytime napper. I’ll sleep tonight,” he replied.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to sleep in the bedroom and let me have the sofa?” she asked.

  “I’ll be fine on the sofa,” he replied firmly. “So, you mentioned that your mother is alive and you have a sister. Was that the imaginary sister you spoke about?”

  “Everything I said about her was true except the part about her being imaginary.” She sighed, and tears once again began to burn in her eyes as she thought of her mother and her sister.

  “We’ve always been very close. When I first went on the run from Peter, I was communicating with them regularly, but then Peter appeared in the small town we were staying in and I realized he had to have been tapping their phones. We managed to leave town before he found where we were staying, and after that I realized I had to never contact my mom and sister again.”