His father, Mark Alexander, poked his head out of the garage. “There you are. You made good time.”
“There wasn’t much traffic since it’s so late.” Eli averted his eyes. Even without traffic, he’d still arrived a half an hour faster than usual. He’d made excellent time because he’d been speeding most of the way. He doubted if his evasiveness fooled his father. Mark Alexander always saw way more than Eli would have liked him to.
“That’s a nice girl in there. Is she in danger?”
Trust his dad to get right to the heart of things.
“I’m not sure yet. But I plan on protecting her until I know for sure.”
Mark nodded and clapped him on the shoulder. “I wouldn’t have expected anything less.” Then he ambled back into the garage, no doubt to tinker with his old truck or one of the tractors.
Eli jumped over the few steps to the front of the house and then opened the door with his key. Light, warmth and the sweet scent of his mother’s baking hit him all at once. Kay sat snuggled on the couch under a blanket next to his older brother, and Eli’s eyes immediately homed in on her. When she saw him, she clutched the mug she was holding closer to her chest like a shield.
Bennett stood then and nodded at Kay. “Well, I’d better get going. It was nice to see you again, Kaylee.”
He shook hands with his older brother absently before his attention was drawn back to Kay. She looked like a bundle of softness from the nubby texture of her soft blue sweater to the jumble of kinky curls she’d piled on top of her head in a bun. Her brown eyes sparkled as she took a small sip from her cup.
Eli yanked at the buttons of his coat and snatched off the knit hat protecting his bald head from the cold and wind. Kay watched him over the rim of her cup but didn’t speak as he drew closer.
“We need to talk.”
Matt stepped forward then and Eli realized he hadn’t even greeted him. He stuck out his hand. “Thanks for getting to her so quickly.”
Matt returned the handshake and glanced over at Kay. “I’m just glad she came easily. I thought she was going to deck me when I interrupted her studio time.”
“I thought about it,” Kay muttered behind her mug. “Am I in danger? What’s going on?”
Eli retrieved the envelope he’d tucked in the inner pocket of his coat. He sat on the edge of the couch tentatively. “Does this look familiar to you?” He opened it and the cat figurine slid out and into his palm.
“Hey! I have one just like that.” She reached out to touch it and then her gaze settled on Eli. “I have one exactly like that. What’s going on?”
He held out the note next. “Someone sent this to me at ASI headquarters. It had to be checked by my mail department before I opened it, so I didn’t see it right away. It was sent last week.”
Matt leaned over and, after reading the note, shared a look with Eli. He then picked up the figurine and turned it upside down, peering into the tiny hole at the bottom. “He’s taunting us. Showing off that we failed to catch him last time.”
Eli agreed. They didn’t have anything concrete that linked the two yet, but in his gut, he knew this was the same guy.
What did he miss last summer that could have kept her safe? They’d been so sure they had the right guy. The dumb ass had already had a warrant out for a drug charge, so he’d been picked up and was serving time. Could he have gotten someone else to pick up where he left off harassing Kay? But what would be the point if he was already in jail? He had to know that the police would immediately know it was him and give him more time. It didn’t make sense.
Kay’s safety hinged on something that was completely illogical.
“This note is sending a pretty direct message. He’s right under our noses and he wants us to know it.”
Kay read the note, her lips moving slightly as her eyes scanned the page. “I don’t understand. What does this all mean?”
“It means we might have made a mistake last summer.” Eli took the figurine from her trembling fingers.
“It means you aren’t safe.”
KAYLEE FOLLOWED RIDLEY into the kitchen, conscious of Eli’s gaze on her back.
“I figured you could use a break,” Ridley whispered as they sat at the small dining table in the kitchen.
“Thanks. A little space is much appreciated right about now.” It had only been a few weeks since she’d last seen Eli at Christmas. So why was her traitorous body reacting like he was just coming home from war? Kay accepted another cup of steaming hot cocoa from Mara, who sat on her left. “Did Matt call you?” she asked the pretty brunette.
They’d spent a lot of time hanging out when Matt had been her bodyguard last summer. With her curvy figure, long dark curls, and sultry bedroom eyes, it would have been easy to hate Mara if she wasn’t such fun. It was hard to believe she and Matt were related sometimes since their personalities were such polar opposites. She wouldn’t have guessed that those two could have even come out of the same family, much less be twins.
“He did. He’s worried about you. We all are.” Mara took a sip of her own tea. “How are you holding up?”
Kay shrugged. “Okay so far. I’m just not sure why this is happening. I’m nobody. The album I did with Divine had lackluster sales, and I haven’t released any music since. If it’s true that the police arrested the wrong guy last summer, why would he suddenly start stalking me again now? It doesn’t make any sense.”