Chasing Bristol (The Finding Trilogy Book 2) (24 page)

“What did he do?” Amber urged him on.

“He was stalking her. Roman’s mother
told a judge that he’d suffered from depression among other psychological
issues. She asked that he be committed to a mental institution instead of
thrown in jail. Roman got out three years ago.”

Amber scoffed, “I guess they thought he
was better.”

“He was,” I muttered. “Until he saw me.”

Amber shook her head. “No, he was just a
lunatic that couldn’t be cured.”

“I think it has something to do with his
college professor,” Mason went on. “I found her picture and some info on her.
Her name’s Savannah Matthews.” He slid the photo out of his pocket and showed
it to Amber first. Her brows shot up.

“Oh, my gosh,” she muttered and looked
at me.

When Mason showed me the image, it all
made sense. We looked alike. Same auburn hair too.

Mason slipped the picture back inside
his pocket and rubbed my forehead with the back of his hand. “Don’t worry. It’s
over now.”

Amber smiled at me.

My lids started to feel heavy and I
closed them.

“Is she okay?” I heard Mason ask.

“It’s the IV,” the paramedic replied.
“She can’t fight it anymore.”

Soon, I couldn’t hear a thing, but I could
feel Mason’s warm, safe hand still holding mine as I drifted off into a
peaceful sleep. It was more than welcomed.

My parents brought me home
from the hospital a few days later. I had to keep my left arm in a sling until
my shoulder was better, but thankfully, the bullet hadn’t done any major
damage.

Mom and Dad seemed nicer when they spoke
to each other. When we arrived at my old home, they walked me to the living
room and Mom moseyed off to the kitchen to start dinner. I noticed she smiled
at Dad when he wasn’t looking.

She returned shortly, bringing the stack
of mail she’d collected from my apartment. When Mom told Dad what she was
making for dinner—pasta—he left us in the living room and went into the
kitchen. I wasn’t sure if he was excited since it was his favorite meal, or
upset because she hadn’t asked him to make it.

“What the hell is this?” Dad fumed from
the kitchen. I heard a pot lid close.

Mom left me and hurried to him. “It’s
the pasta sauce,” I heard her say.

“It smells funny,” Dad retorted. “You
should have let me do it. Are you trying to send our daughter back to the
hospital?”

They began to bicker. I turned my head
slowly in wonder. What was I thinking? They’d never change.

The doorbell rang. “I’ll get it,” I
yelled, getting up from the couch.

I ambled over to answer the door. I was
safe now. I didn’t have to fear finding burnt flowers, dead rats, or blue notes
anymore.

When I opened the door, two beaming
faces stared back at me. “You look great,” Julian said, reaching in for a hug.

“As always,” Amber added, hugging me
once Julian moved away. They were both mindful of my shoulder.

“Oh.” Amber looked over her shoulder for
a second. “Mason just pulled up.”

Smiling cheekily, they motioned for me
to go meet him. “I think he’s on duty too so that’s even better.” Amber
giggled.

Julian piped in, “Yeah, you get to lust
over that sexy uniform.”

“Okay. Okay.” I parted them and stepped
outside. They entered the house and closed the door to give us privacy, but my
instincts told me they were watching us through the window.

Mason smiled as I strolled up to him. He
looked at me for a while with delight masking his face before he finally spoke.
“I was on my way to the station but I wanted to stop by and say hi.”

“Oh,” I smiled shyly. “Hi.”

He laughed.

Getting serious again, I muttered,
“Thank you for everything.”

Mason wrinkled his brows. “There’s no need
to thank me, Bristol. I did it because I care about you. A lot.”

“Even after everything I put you
through?” I asked, shaking my head at him in amazement.

Filling the distance between us, he
lifted his hand and traced his thumb across my lips. “I would face a thousand
more psychos for you. So, can we go on a real date now?” He chuckled.

The closeness between us was so intense
I had to fight to speak again. “Right. We haven’t been on one yet, huh?”

“Yeah. What do you say?” he asked,
resting his hands on my hips.

Mason ushered me closer to him. I parted
my lips, overwhelmed by desire. Heat rushed through my body. My knees felt
frail. I wondered if he could hear the loud beating of my heart, how much it
yearned for him.

“You’re not answering,” he whispered,
eyes falling to my lips.

I couldn’t take it anymore. “Oh Mason,
just shut up and kiss me.”

And he did. Slow and sweet, then fast
and with hunger. When we separated, I was breathless, and so was he, it seemed.
A satisfied grin curved his lips. I rested my head at his chest, listening to
the melodic sound of his heart.

“I like you too,” I said. “A lot.”

Tearing myself away, I looked into his
gorgeous eyes. They held so much passion.

Mason rubbed his bottom lip with his
thumb and then moistened his lips. He released a groan, as if he could still
taste my mouth on his. “I’m glad you do,” he said.

Backing away, he motioned to his car.
“I’ll pick you up tomorrow around noon then?”

I nodded while smiling. “Sure. I’ll be
here.”

He turned and headed to his newly
repaired Corolla, opening the door. Before getting in the car, Mason peered
over his shoulder at me. He didn’t have to say a word; his eyes told me
everything.

“See you,” I waved.

Mason flashed his sexy lopsided grin,
then slid inside and started the car.

Damn
. I couldn’t
wait to get back on board with wherever I was heading with him. He was truly a
great guy, and I was happy that we would finally have a chance at…something.

He drove off with a smile. I stood and
watched as his car disappeared from sight. Julian and Amber came up beside me.

“Close your mouth,” Julian teased.
Mason’s kiss had me frozen in place.

I laughed and bumped her in the side.
“Shut up.”

We turned around and headed back into
the house with slow and relaxed steps.

“You know, us girls should take a trip
together, get away for a while,” Amber suggested.

Julian and I stopped and stared at her.
I was surprised she’d said that.

“No way. No more trips for you,” I told
her.

Amber laughed and held her hands up, stepping
in front of us. “Just kidding.”

I blew out a breath of relief. She
nudged us to the front door and we all continued inside.

“Actually,” Julian started as we entered
the foyer. “It wouldn’t be such a bad idea. Considering what we’ve been
through, maybe it is time to get away for a while.”

“Then it’s settled.” Amber perked up.
“I’ll make the plans.”

“Hey, I thought you were kidding?” I
cocked my head to one side and glared playfully at them. “Are you two serious?”

Julian shrugged. “Why not?”

“Everything’s fine now,” Amber chimed
in. “You can if you want to.”

I dipped my head in thought. “Let’s talk
it about some more.”

When we walked into the kitchen, my
parents had stopped bickering and were now flipping through a family album
while laughing with each other. Julian and Amber stepped past me and went over
to them, wanting to see my pictures.

I stayed in the doorway, looking at
their happy faces and enjoying how relaxed they seemed. It warmed my heart,
seeing them genuinely smile again.

No more troubles. Life was good, and
indeed going to be better.

Following the terrifying events
and trying to put my stalker problem to rest, I’d returned to work at Vanderson
Publishing two weeks later. As the summer came to an end, George Wilcox decided
to give his son complete control of Wilcox & Co. He retired and moved to
Florida with his wife, while Greg transferred to Los Angeles to oversee the
office in that location. I turned down his offer, deciding there was too much
to leave behind. I was still working as assistant to the event coordinator, but
Beverly Vanderson said she’d have a better position for me once I’d finished
school.

It was a relief either way.

I loved Newport, and I had too much
there that I just wasn’t ready to say goodbye to; I doubted I ever would. My
relationship with Mason was progressing smoothly too. He’d even asked me to
move in with him.

There was no way I could live at my apartment
again, no matter how much I loved the place. With Mr. Farris’ murder and all
that Vincent had put me through, the apartment felt tainted. So, after spending
a few more weeks at my mother’s and working on our relationship, I moved in
with Mason in the fall, especially after Mom decided to put the house on the
market.

It seemed like the right thing to do.
She wanted to downsize and let go of the memories. It wasn’t like she and Dad
were still together, anyway.

At least they were now maintaining a healthy
friendship. She was more supportive of him and even took him to dinner when he
found a new construction gig.

We were all moving on. At least, that’s
what it felt like.

After feeding Bailey—our new husky
puppy—I sauntered into the living room and rifled through one of the boxes
still unpacked. It was difficult getting by with my left shoulder still in a
sling, but I’d managed so far.

There was a stack of mail from my
apartment that I hadn’t opened yet inside the box. I sat in the cozy armchair
by the balcony in Mason’s condo and skimmed through the envelopes, gasping when
I found a blue one with my name and no return address.

My hands trembled as I opened it and
slid out the blue card. It was Vincent’s handwriting. He had to have mailed it
before he died, but the words… It was as if he knew how it would end. Steadying
my racing heart, I began to read his final words to me.

Bristol, I will love you forever, even
in death.

Not even that can end this feeling I have
for you.

This love, our love, is eternal.

X

I knew Vincent was gone. I mean, I’d
been there when he’d drawn his last breath. Even so, his final words were so
chilling that for a moment I gazed around and considered searching the condo.

It was absurd, and I needed to relax.
Only, when someone had been through what I’d experienced, could they truly find
peace of mind again?
Ever?

Bailey ran over and hopped up on my lap
as if he knew I was upset. I rubbed his head and held him close. Perhaps not
now, but soon I’d be able to forget Vincent. With all the love and support I
had around me, I knew for sure that I would put it all behind me.

Someday.