Blood Kiss (Savage Security Series Book 1) (6 page)

The guys chatted while they ate. Mike wanted to text Alisha, tell her that he was coming over, but their relationship hadn’t progressed to that stage yet. He didn’t want to impose on her. He’d have to settle for seeing her tomorrow, but some things wouldn’t wait until the light of day. Tonight he was going to look through the eyes of her stalker.

Alisha felt great when she was with Mike. He was so strong and confident that she couldn’t help but absorb some of that positive energy, but as she drove away from him, the positive energy was replaced with fear and negativity. She hated that she felt that way. She’d tried to hide her fear and concern from her friends and coworkers, but as the situation progressed, she couldn’t hide it. 

She tried singing along to the music as she drove. She loved belting out the tunes, but as she pulled into her neighborhood, she couldn’t form the words or follow the beat of the music. All she could focus on was the fact that someone was after her and she’d be alone in her house. She knew Mike was waiting for her text, and she appreciated his concern. But she also knew that if her stalker showed up, Mike would never get to her in time.

She clicked the garage remote. The door slowly rolled up as she pulled into her driveway. She glanced around the outside of the house, looking for anyone hiding in the bushes, but all she saw was the neighbor’s cat zipping across her yard and disappearing into an evergreen tree by the garage.

She slowly eased into the garage, trying to look in her rearview mirror to be sure no one slipped in with her. Once inside, she turned off the car and clicked the button again. The door rolled down, locking her in. Her heart pulsed quickly as she tried to rein in her nervousness.

She swallowed hard and opened her car door. She couldn’t continue to live like this. It wasn’t right, and it needed to end. She looked around the garage and sighed with relief. Her house alarm hadn’t been triggered, so she assumed she’d be safe once she got inside.

She popped open the trunk and pulled out her gun. Staring at it, she felt its weight in her hand. After Mike’s help, she had more confidence with the gun, but she didn’t know if she’d be able to actually hit an attacker. She had little experience and was concerned that fear would affect her aim.

Alisha grabbed her purse and slammed her car door. She walked to the door that led into the house. She slipped her house key into the lock, opened the door, and stepped inside, flipping on the lights.

The alarm beeped steadily as the timer counted down. She watched the numbers tick down and knew she had plenty of time to turn it off. A wry chuckle escaped as she acknowledged the fact that if someone wanted to hurt her, he’d have plenty of time before the police arrived.

Alisha punched in the numbers, and the beeping shut off. She loved the house’s floorplan. The open concept kitchen looked into the family room, making it feel like one big room.

She glanced around the room. Nothing seemed out of place. The morning dishes still sat in the sink.
Uh, I really need to load the dishwasher.
That was one of the nice things about being single. Any mess was her mess, and she didn’t have to worry about annoying anyone else.

She set the gun down on the counter and decided that she’d ask Mike to carry in the lockbox when he arrived tomorrow. Perhaps she’d get another good view of his muscles.

Alisha dug in her purse and pulled out her cell. She typed in a text to Mike to let him know that she was safe. She used to text her parents when she needed help, but they were no longer an option. She set her cell down on the table and let out a big breath of frustration and sadness.

A tear trickled down her cheek as she looked at the picture of the family she used to be a part of. Seconds could change the world. She snorted, a mere second changed her world.

She went to the dog crate and opened the door. Forrest bounded out of the crate and chased his tail. After several rotations, he propped his paws on Alisha’s thighs and licked her face as she knelt to cuddle him. “I love you, too,” she crooned. Her nails dug through his coat as she scratched behind his ears. “You’re a good dog. I’m sorry that I have to crate you when I’m gone. I can’t have you setting off the motion detector. Once this whack-job is caught, you’ll have your free rein of the house again.” She hated that this mess affected Forrest too, turning him into a prisoner. Sitting all day in a crate sounded horrible.

Forrest rushed to the patio door and barked once.

“I know. I know.” Alicia opened the patio door. Forrest darted into the fenced-in backyard to do his thing. She watched him race around, expending some of that pent-up energy, and then she closed the door and locked it.

In the past she hadn’t felt the need to lock the patio door while Forrest did his thing, but all that changed when the flowers arrived. The security that she once took for granted was gone, and in its place was fear. But she refused to wallow in fear.

No, she would fight back. She would live life to its fullest because she knew how quickly life evaporated.

Alicia walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a soda. Her cell chirped, alerting her to Mike’s reply. She went back to her cell and read his message. It was simple and direct, no flirting. A little part of her was disappointed that he didn’t write something witty or flirty, but she also wasn’t too surprised. He didn’t seem like a poet. He seemed tough and strong. Stringing together a bunch of pretty words was not his specialty. And even though he was to the point in his text, she knew in her gut that he was attracted to her. She’d felt it in his kiss.

Forrest scratched at the door. She peeked out the window and saw him circling on the patio. She opened the door, and the furry bundle bounded in and headed straight for his food bowl. He paced and looked up at her, silently begging her for food.

She rearmed the system to ‘stay’ mode and said, “I know. You’re hungry.” She opened the pantry and pulled out his food. As the bag rustled, he circled the food bowl and let out a few barks. She scooped his dinner into his bowl and stepped away. She couldn’t help but smile as Forrest devoured his food. He was just too cute.
Will Mike like Forrest? Will Forrest like Mike?

Forrest was her connection to her parents. They’d rescued him from a shelter when she left for college and they’d become empty-nesters. Her parents had loved him, and now she did too.

As Forrest chomped away at his food, Alisha loaded the dishwasher. She straightened up the counters and kept glancing at her gun. She liked knowing it was there.

When Forrest yipped at her feet, she glanced to his bowl. The beast had devoured his food quickly. “Good boy,” she said as she rubbed him behind his ears. “Should we cuddle on the couch?” Forrest barked in reply.

She walked past the kitchen table to the family room. The television remote lay on the coffee table. She picked it up and pressed the “power” button. The television came to life. The well-worn, sofa cushion seemed to wheeze as she plopped on it, the way someone exhales when they take a punch to the stomach.

She didn’t want to watch the news. It was too depressing and could be downright scary at times. She went to her saved recordings and turned on her favorite sit-com. She needed a few laughs. She tossed the remote onto the cushion beside her. Forrest popped up and nestled himself against her thighs. “Good boy,” she said, stroking him behind the ears.

As one show turned into another, her mind drifted to her stalker. When Mike asked her who could be a suspect, she honestly didn’t know. She didn’t think she knew anyone who was capable of this level of creepy. But it did make sense that she’d know the guy. He’d been watching her without her realizing it for weeks. Perhaps she saw him at the grocery store or work. She ran into several single fathers at school. She tried to think of any recurring faces, but none came to mind.

A loud screech from outside jerked her attention away from the television and towards the window. She stared at the window, not sure what to expect.
Would the glass shatter and a hand reach through?

Forrest hopped off the couch and bounded for the patio door. He snarled and barked like a hound from Hell as he paced like a sentry.

Alisha’s adrenaline kicked in and her pulse pounded. She glanced over her shoulder towards the kitchen. Her Glock sat on the counter, screaming for her to pick it up. She stood quickly and strode to the gun.

Wrapping her hand around the grip, she inhaled deeply and slowly breathed out, willing herself to calm down and think.
This is probably nothing.
She thought about racking the slide to put a bullet in the chamber, but she feared she’d accidentally pull the trigger and shoot. Instead she gripped the slide and prepared to rack it if she needed to.

She tip-toed to the window and peeked around the blinds. She didn’t see anyone on the patio, but Forrest still barked and paced by the door. His anxiety only added to hers. She knew he could smell and sense things that she couldn’t.

Alisha stared at her cell phone on the table. She thought about calling Mike, but she didn’t want to blow something out of proportion and humiliate herself or annoy him.

A loud crash outside sent another wave of adrenaline through her. She took a deep breath and faced her fear, looking out the window toward the crashing sound. One of her flower pots had fallen from the potting bench and lay broken on the patio. Soil covered the stone pavers.

The pot had been there, stable for weeks. She knew it didn’t just fall. Something knocked it. She kept her attention on the patio as she stretched to grab her cell. A dark mass sprung across the patio. She jerked her gun hand in surprise and dropped her cell back onto the table.

She racked the slide, preparing the first bullet to be fired. Her heart raced. She could literally hear her blood pounding through her body. She tried to remember the shooting stance Mike had shown her. She held the gun out in front of her, her hands shaking slightly.

Forrest circled in front of the door, barking and snarling. Then he quickly dashed to the window in the family room and growled as he ran the length of the sofa. She followed him, willing herself to be brave, reminding herself that she
was
brave. She lowered the gun to her side and peeked from the side of the curtain.

The neighbor’s cat skittered across her backyard and disappeared from sight. Forrest settled down and circled on the floor.

“Damn cat,” she muttered. She kept the gun pointed to the floor and cursed. Now she had a chambered round to worry about. Gun ownership was new to her.  So much had been thrown at her today that she struggled to recall how to remove the bullet from the chamber.

She huffed and rolled her eyes. She was tempted to pick up her cell and call Mike. He’d probably come over and help her deal with the chambered round, but then she’d have to admit that she’d been terrified of a cat.

Her pride won out. The cell remained on the table, and she didn’t call him.

Alisha would ask Mike to walk her through the process of clearing the chamber tomorrow. She clicked off the television and went upstairs to her bedroom. Forrest silently followed her. She locked the bedroom door and set the gun on her nightstand. Then she walked to the alarm pad and armed the system to ‘night’ mode. The first floor was now off-limits. If anything moved down there, the alarm would sound.

‘Momma’s gonna take a bath,” she said, scratching behind Forrest’s ears. “You gonna be my guard dog?” she asked as she headed to the en suite bathroom.

Forrest’s nail tapped against the tile floor. She sat on the platform around the garden tub and turned on the water. A bottle of her favorite body wash was near the faucet. This was definitely a bubble worthy night. She popped open the lid and poured the cucumber melon scented gel into the rushing water. Not wanting to waste time, she brushed her teeth and pulled her hair up into a messy bun. Then she watched the bubbles foam as she got undressed.

Forrest barked a few times and stared at her as she slowly slipped into the water.  The water still flowed into the tub, and the cascading water swirled at her feet. She did her best to let the warm water dissolve the tension of the day.

Forrest looked up at her from beside the tub, his tail wagging. She lifted her hand out of the tub and sprinkled some water on his head. He barked and continued to wag his tail. She did it again. He seemed to enjoy their little game. She stopped when his hair drooped into his eyes.

Once the water started to turn cold, she opened the drain and got out. She slipped into her warm pajamas and headed towards her bed. She was exhausted, and the bath had done its job. She was relaxed and ready for bed. She pulled back the covers and slipped beneath their warmth. Forrest hopped onto the bed and settled by her feet. She looked one last time at the Glock on her nightstand and turned off the light.

Pacey continued to glance at the clock on his dashboard as he drove towards home.
Was there enough time?
He’d done the grocery shopping, so that was one task completed, but he needed his Alisha fix, especially after seeing her with that brute.

He gripped the steering wheel tightly and debated what he should do. Nausea had overwhelmed him after watching the dumb oaf grip her tiny hips with his meaty hands and crush his mouth to hers. He hadn’t been able to get that image out of his head. Pacey fought back the bile that threatened to rise in his throat.

He needed to check on her, make sure she was alone and safe in her house. If he moved quickly he could see her one last time tonight. He did a U-turn at the light and headed towards her house. He’d already clocked the time it took to get to her place from several points in the city. As long as he didn’t hit traffic, he’d get a chance to look in on her. 

He rolled his car to a stop several houses down from hers. He was in luck, there were a few cars parked on the street. His car would easily blend in.

He grabbed a box of Tic Tacs and wandered down the sidewalk that ran the length of her yard. The first time he followed her home he couldn’t believe how lucky he was. She lived on a corner house that backed up to a tree protection area and bordered the sidewalk. The tiny wooded area between the houses provided a fantastic location for his observations. He could ensure she was safe from the cover of the trees.  

He crouched and scooted along the wooded area until he came to his favorite spot. The first night he watched over her, he’d found a large bush. He’d broken a couple of the branches and formed the bush into the perfect viewing spot. He could nestle himself between the branches and disappear.

Many nights he’d chuckled silently to himself as neighbors passed by on the sidewalk. People talked about bizarre things when they thought they were alone. One night he got a special treat when two teens invaded his area and literally had sex a few feet away from him. Not once did they notice him. He’d watched the whole thing with delight. He figured anyone who had sex in public wasn’t concerned with privacy, so he didn’t feel bad about relishing their intimacy. If they wanted privacy, then they shouldn’t have sex outside for the world to see.

But tonight he wasn’t interested in anyone’s shameless talk or sex play. Tonight he was focused solely on Alisha. He needed to get the image of the oaf kissing her out of his head and replace it with her sweet image smiling for him alone.

The first floor of her house was lit up. Pacey could tell she was watching television from the way the light flickered around the blinds in the family room. He figured Forrest was cuddled up beside her. He’d have to do something about the dog. He didn’t relish that idea. He was fond of animals and knew that she would be disappointed if she lost Forrest. But a man had to do what a man had to do. He wouldn’t let a dog get in the way of their love.

Pacey slipped his hand into his coat pocket and pulled out the box of Tic Tacs. He flipped the lid and shook a few into his hand. As he stared at her window, he brought his hand up to his mouth and slowly stuck his tongue into his palm where the Tic Tacs lay. As he tongued a Tic Tac, it stuck to the moisture on his tongue and he drew it into his mouth. He rolled the tiny mint across the top of his mouth with his tongue and then crushed it between his teeth. He repeated this process until his palm was empty.

He glanced at his watch. He was running out of time, and she didn’t seem to be moving around much. He needed to take action. He hid among the privacy hedge that separated her property from the neighbors and made his way towards her patio.

Every once in a while he heard Forrest bark, but it was nothing. The dog didn’t sense him. She was probably playing with him. She’d toss that tiny tennis ball, and he always returned it to her. Pacey imagined that it would be fun to play with her and the dog, but after a few rounds that ball would be soaked with dog spit. Pacey wasn’t sure that he would like that. The only moisture he wanted on his hands was hers. Just that thought caused his blood to pump faster. He needed to see her.

He quickly ran from the hedge and climbed over the fence. Then he raced to the back of the house. He pressed his body against the bricks and skittered to the window. There was a tiny space between the window and the blinds. He could just make out her feet resting on the coffee table. He willed her to move, desiring even a glance of her features.

But as he waited, he couldn’t get the image of the dumb oaf out of his head. He closed his eyes and tried desperately to imagine her face, but the only vision that came to him was of the brute’s hands and mouth on her.

Did she enjoy it? Did she want to have sex with him?

Rage overtook him. He’d been patient, waiting for the right time to declare his love for her, but the grains of hope that sustained his love for her were slowly slipping through the hourglass. The emotion that filled the void was desperation.

He pressed his fingers into his temples and breathed deeply, trying to calm the storm that raged within him. He had to get a look at her, so he decided to do one last thing.