Moth to a Flame (9 page)

After getting home from work, I quickly changed into my running clothes and tennis shoes. Before walking back out the door, I grabbed my water bottle and keys. Ever since the incident those years ago, I always tried to have my keys with me at all times when going outside. My keychain had my mace hooked to them in case of emergencies. Cale knew firsthand about my ability with my little weapon in what I considered an emergency.

When I’d first moved to Jonestown, I’d been too scared to go outside for quite some time. I would go straight to work and come back. There were never days that I went out anywhere after dark. Slowly, my fear began to replace itself with determination. I wasn’t going to be a victim again. I purchased some mace and took up running. Running was therapeutic because it helped me brave being outside and alone. It also kept me in shape. Being fit might have been what had saved me that night, so I was always going to try to keep my strength up.

I stepped outside and latched all three locks on my door. The October air was crisp this evening. From the looks of it, I probably had a good half hour before dark. I always came home from jogging before dark, mace or not.

I am a grown woman who is terrified of the dark.

Running out onto the driveway, I decided to loop over by the lake. It was a peaceful run in that direction. Where I lived, there weren’t many people, a fact that comforted me. Being in my own little area of nowhere, I felt secluded and safe. Tucked away from anyone who might be looking.

Lost in my thoughts, I realized I’d run farther than I’d expected.

Crap!

I needed to turn around right now. It wasn’t likely that I would make it home before dark. The thought of running in the dark had my heart racing. Out here, there weren’t streetlights or porch lights. I picked up the pace. I definitely needed to calm myself down before I had a panic attack. Clutching my mace, I really started pounding the pavement. The sun had nearly disappeared beyond the horizon.

I can’t believe how far I let myself run
.

If I sprinted the rest of the way, I could make it before the sun completely descended. The slapping of my tennis shoes on the pavement brought back memories from years ago and my heart starting violently pounding in my chest, causing me to gasp for air.

It was then that I realized one of my laces had come untied. There was no way in hell I was stopping to tie them, not with precious daylight fading by the second. Rounding a corner that would lead me to my street, I stepped on the lace with my other foot, sending me careening to the pavement. The angle at which I was running triggered me to fall face-forward. My knees scraped the pavement before my hands. My head hit next.

Blinking back stars, I started to jump back up. Dizziness caused blackness to eat at the corners of my vision, forcing me to sit back down. Breathing heavily, I tried to calm myself and tied my shoelace.

Breathe, Lia.

I was safe in my town. That man wasn’t here. Nobody was chasing me. I needed to seriously chill out. After a few minutes of attempting to ease my fears, I slowly stood up, wincing at my injuries.

I started to jog again, but my skinned knees and pounding head forced me to reduce my stride to a quick walk. The crickets started their nighttime melodies, not comforting me at all. Focusing on my porch light in the distance, I tried to put my thoughts somewhere else. My date with Cale was tomorrow.

Would he take me to dinner?
Closer.

Would we go to a movie?
Almost there.

Would we go dancing?
Finally, I reached my driveway.

I quickly made my way to the porch, eyes frantically darting all around as I tried desperately to thwart the oncoming panic attack. My sigh was one of relief when I safely stepped onto my front porch. A single rose and an envelope with my name scrawled across the front were sitting propped against the door. I quickly snatched them up. After unlatching all three locks in record speed, I rushed in, slamming the door behind me.

Once I had all three locks in place, I crumpled to the floor before letting out a sob. My fear was unwarranted, but it was always there. Even though I was safe in my home, the fear would always follow me. It was a shame because I had been hoping that some of that fear was dissipating with how I’d felt since meeting Cale, but clearly, it was only while in his presence.

Thinking of Cale, I smiled through my tears. He’d left me a rose and a note. I sniffled back the last of my cry fest, wiping my tears away with my sweaty, skinned-up hands. I opened up his letter and began reading:

As fresh tears formed in my eyes, I stood up and stomped to the trashcan, tossing the rose and note into it.

This is so freaking creepy!

I WAS LOOKING over some new floor plan ideas at my desk when my phone rang. Seeing that it was Lia, I quickly answered, eager to hear her voice.

“Hey, babe. What are you wearing now?” I chuckled out my greeting.

“Cale…” Her voice quivered into the phone.

“What the hell, Lia? Are you okay?” I demanded as I burst from my chair, worrying over the fear in her voice.

“Yes, I’m okay, Cale. I just got really spooked. As much as I hate to keep bothering you with my problems, I just wanted to see if you could come over for a bit. At least till I calm down some? If you’re busy, I understand. I’m probably just being a baby, but—”

“I’ll be over in ten,” I said, interrupting her. “You will never be a bother to me, babe. I’ll see you soon.”

“Thank you,” she whispered into the phone before hanging up.

After only eight minutes, I slammed the truck into park and jogged up to her door, trying to quell my growing anxiety. She was scared shitless about something. I’d been able to tell by the way her voice had shaken on the phone not long before. I saw the curtains by the window move slightly when I knocked on the door and then heard the click of one, two, three locks. She flung open the door and I rushed up to her, enveloping her with my arms. Kicking the door closed behind me, I pulled away from her, needing to know what was wrong.

“Lia, I’m here now,” I comforted her, my voice filled with worry.

“Oh, Cale. I feel like such a baby,” she confessed with tear-filled eyes.

Pulling her close again, I kissed the top of her head in an effort to soothe her. I inhaled her scent, a mix of woodsy and sweat plus the smell that was uniquely hers. We stood in that embrace for a short while before she pulled away to nervously secure all three of her locks.

She quietly went into the kitchen and pulled out a bottle of wine from a cabinet before locating two glasses. “I need a drink,” she mumbled as she popped the cork from the bottle, her hands trembling. Pouring some wine into each glass before handing me one, she said, “Cale, you remember those ‘ugly demons rearing their heads’ that I promised? Well, one decided to torment me tonight. I’m completely afraid of being outside after dark. While running, I realized I had gone too far and that it would be dark before I could make it home.”

She shivered and continued. “I was racing to get home before daylight completely disappeared on me and I ended up tripping on my shoelaces and taking a nasty fall,” she said, holding up her shaking, scraped hands.

“Babe, it’s okay. You’re home safe now,” I softly reminded her, taking both hands gently into mine.

“When I fell, I hit my head, which dazed me a bit. I got home as quickly as I could, but I was absolutely terrified,” she whispered, eyes misting over again.

“You’re okay now. I’m here,” I assured her, pulling her in for another embrace.

“When I got onto my porch, I discovered a rose and a note,” she shakily explained.

My entire body tensed at her words. Pulling away from her, I waited for her to continue, concern painted all over my face.

“It was from Sam,” she muttered, walking over to the trashcan. She pulled out a letter and handed it to me.

As I read it, I became insanely furious. “That motherfucker!” I growled. “Lia, I’m here now. You are safe and that dickhead isn’t going to mess with you without me kicking the shit out of him. Why don’t you go shower and put some ointment on your scrapes? I’ll fix us some dinner,” I stated, trying to calm her down.

She drained her glass and nodded before heading for the shower.

This motherfucker was pissing me off. His obsession with her was unnerving. Considering that, according to the delivery company, he didn’t exist, I really needed to step up my investigations. It wasn’t a good time to tell Lia that he wasn’t who he said he was. She was already scared to death of him and I wasn’t about to freak her out any more.

I busied myself making my famous cheesy scrambled eggs and toasting some bread. When Lia walked in freshly showered with wet hair and smelling of soap, I walked up to her and leaned over, softly kissing her lips.

“I made us breakfast because you don’t have much to work with in there,” I teased, handing her a plate. “But lucky for you, I’ve made my specialty.”

She smiled and sat down at the table with her plate. “Not too bad. Look out, Food Network. There’s a new chef in town,” she winked at me as she chewed.

I laughed and looked her over as we ate. She was beautiful even with her face clean of makeup. Somehow, she could even make pajama pants and a tank sexy. After struggling not to blatantly stare, I unwillingly pulled my eyes away from her breasts, which, underneath the tight, white tank, proudly boasted no bra. She shyly smiled at me when my eyes finally met her glowing, green ones.

This woman is killing me.