Running Back to You (The Running Series, #1) (48 page)

As we make our way through the crowds and back to the patio, I take the
long way towards the small stage where the band is playing.  I’d love to get a
glimpse of STP before the night ends. 

I can hear her before I see her.  The unmistakable voice of Averee
freaking DeVeau is echoing throughout the bar, accompanied by Stone Temple
Pilots.  She has absolutely no business being here.  She’s not from New
Jersey.  She’s never lived here.  There can only be one reason why she would
show up.  For Evan.

I become a woman on a mission.  I need to get closer – to see her
face-to-face.  This is going to end here and now.  She has most definitely
crossed a line in the sand.  This is my turf and my man she’s messing with.

The crowd is thick as we squeeze through, weaving our way toward the
stage.  I can feel my anxiety growing with each step.  As we get nearer, her
eyes lock on Evan’s and she sings right to him.  She crosses the stage to get
as close to us as possible, holding the microphone in one hand and pointing to
Evan with the other. 

I feel him pull me closer, almost protectively.  Her eagle eyes watch his
every move.  Then, slowly, the lyrics of the song she’s singing start to
materialize in my brain.  I know that song, and it’s not one of hers. 

She’s singing the classic rock ballad, “I Hate Myself for Loving You.”  It’s
a song about unrequited loved by Joan Jett, and the irony of it is not lost on
me.  She’s got a whole catalog of her own hit songs to choose from.  Why would
she choose to sing a song by Joan Jett of all people?  My creep meter is
registering off the charts. 

She’s also completely changed her look.  Averee’s trademark thick, curly
blonde hair is gone, replaced with sleek and straight brown hair that rests on
her back, just like mine.  Why would she do that?  If she’s trying to
intimidate me, it’s definitely working! 

But it’s not just her new hairstyle that’s got me alarmed, it’s what
she’s wearing that’s sending a cold shiver down my spine.  “Evan, I think she’s
wearing my new red dress that you bought at Saks.”  It can’t be.  My dress is
hanging safely and securely in my closet at Evan’s.  But the closer we get, the
more certain I am.  There’s absolutely no doubt.  That IS my red bandage dress
she’s wearing.  Holy Hell!

Off Your
Rocker

“J
uliette, listen to me very carefully.”  Evan takes my chin and tilts my
head back so I am forced to look right into his eyes.  He’s concerned, I can
see it.  There’s a cloud covering the sparkle that was in his eyes just a
moment ago.  “That’s not Averee up there.  I mean it
is
her, but it’s
not
her
.  I don’t think she knows what she’s doing right now.  Go get
Marcus.  He’s my security for the night.  You stay at the bar with Derek, he’ll
make sure you’re safe.  Then, I want you to call Adam and tell him what’s
happening.  Go!”

“No, I’m not leaving you, baby.  I’m not going.”  I look up at Averee and
she’s still singing to Evan.  She’s vigilantly watching every move we make. 
When she sees the fear in my eyes, she smiles, and it’s a smile that makes my
skin crawl.

“Baby, I need Marcus.  Please go get him, and then call Adam.  Tell him
everything.  I’m not asking, I’m telling you.  Go!”  I don’t like it, but if
this is what he needs, then I’ll make sure he gets it.

I grab his face and bring his lips down to mine.  “I love you.  Be
careful.”  I turn and run to the patio.

As soon as I see Marcus, I tell him that Evan needs him by the stage.  He
takes one look at me, and he knows it’s serious.  Without asking any questions,
he turns on his heels, and heads directly to find Evan.

My phone is right where I left it behind the bar.  Frantically, I call
Adam.  “Adam, please come to the bar.  Now!  Averee is here and she’s gone
batshit crazy.”

“Jette, is Averee there with you right now?”  He’s not surprised.  His
voice is flat and steady.  Something is wrong.  He knows something.

“No, I’m on the patio with Derek.  She’s on stage at the main bar singing
a twisted love song to Evan.  Marcus is with him.  Why?”

“We were able to trace the license plate on the car the vandal drove last
night, and it’s a rental car.  We called the agency, and they told us they
rented the car to Averee DeVeau.”  He pauses for a moment to let me digest that
last piece of information.  “Do you understand what I’m telling you?”  It takes
a moment for the enormity of it all to sink in.  If Averee vandalized my car
last night, what else has she done?

“Adam, are you saying that Averee DeVeau is the one who has been
tormenting me the entire time?  That she’s been behind
all
of this from
the beginning?”  It never even entered my mind.  Evan’s been with a lot of
women, and I guess the odds are that one of them would be unstable.  It’s hard
to believe someone so talented and fortunate could also be so broken and
damaged.

“Yes, Jette.  That’s
exactly
what I’m telling you.  You need to
stay away from her.  We don’t know what she’s capable of right now,” he warns. 

“What do you mean ‘we’, Adam?  Does Evan know all this?  Does he know
it’s Averee who’s been stalking me?”

“Yes, he does.  We were putting the pieces together right before Evan
left to meet you tonight.  I’ll explain more when I get there.  Stay away from
her, Jette.  Have someone tell Evan I’m on my way.”

I can feel the adrenaline running through my veins, causing my heart rate
to quicken.  I hang up and turn to rejoin Evan.  I need to know what’s
happening.  Before I can set one foot out from behind the bar, Marcus is back,
breathing heavily.

“Jette, I can’t find him.  Where did you say he was?”

I grab him by the wrist.  “Come on, I’ll show you.”  Together, we waste
no time making our way through the crowd to the stage.  The band’s singer has
taken over and Averee is gone.  So is Evan.  There’s no sign of either of them.

Marcus drags me away from the crowd so he can talk to me.  “What’s going
on?  Jette, tell me what’s happening so I can help.  Why did Evan need me?”

Quickly, I tell him the entire sordid story, leaving out no details, and
he looks every bit as shocked as I am.  “From what you’ve told me, Adam’s
right.  We don’t know what she’s capable of right now.  We have to find Evan. 
Let’s go talk to the guys at the door and see if they saw anything.”

I follow him as we navigate our way to the front door.  Marcus makes his
way right over to Jay, the head bouncer.  “Hey, Jay, tell me something.  Did
McGuire come past you in the last few minutes?”

“Yeah, he did.  You just missed him.”  He looks right at me with an
apologetic look on his face.  “Sorry, Jette, but he left with that rock star ex
of his, Averee DeVeau.  They seemed to be in a bit of a rush.”

The blood drains from my face and I suddenly feel light headed.  Evan
left with an unstable crazy whack-job.  I look at Marcus.  “We have to find
him.  She could hurt him, Marcus.  I just know it.”  Evan promised me he would
stay with me all night.  For him to break that promise, he must have sensed
that something was terribly wrong.

“Okay, I’ll take you.  But I’m not having a repeat performance of
Thursday night.  First we go back and tell Derek and Emmy.  You grab your stuff
while I tell Jack what’s going on.  Got it?”  I want to leave now, this very
minute, without wasting one more precious moment.  But I know he’s right. 
Besides, I have no car with me tonight, and that leaves me at the mercy of
others.

“Agreed.  I’ll meet you right back here in five minutes.  Let’s go.”  We
split up and spread out.  He goes to search for our boss and I head back to
talk to our friends.

“Emmy, Derek – Marcus and I have to leave.  Evan’s in trouble.  We have
to go find him.”  I give them the abbreviated version of what happened.  They
both look concerned, too.  “Don’t worry.  I’ll text you as soon as we know
anything.” 

“We’re coming with you,” Emmy proclaims.  “And don’t say no.  Evan is our
friend, too.”

I never thought about that.  I guess they have all become friends. 
Momentarily, the thought makes me happy.  But right now, there’s no time for sentiment. 
I have to find him, quickly, before things spiral further out of control.

“You have to stay here,” I tell them both.  “Adam’s on his way.  When he
gets here, tell him that Evan left with De-Ho and Marcus and I are heading
straight to Evan’s house.” 

“Why Evan’s house?” Emmy asks me.

“We have to start somewhere,” I tell her.

They don’t like it, but they agree to stay behind.  It’s almost midnight
and the bar won’t be closing for a few more hours.  They make me promise to
text them immediately if anything happens.

The streets are packed with parked cars lining both sides of every
block.  I’ve never seen it this bad before, not even on the fourth of July when
there are fireworks on the beach.  We’re walking down block after block, and it
feels like we’ve walked for miles before we reach Marcus’ car.

I give Marcus directions to Evan’s house, which is just a short distance
down the road from here.  The traffic is absurdly heavy, too, so what should be
a two-minute drive turns into a fifteen-minute ordeal.  I want to jump out of
the car and jog to his house.  I think I would get there quicker if I did. 

As we drive, I call Evan’s phone over and over again.  Each time, it
rings a few times, and then goes to voicemail.  A thought hits me like a bolt
of lightning.  “Marcus!”  I shout, “Evan’s phone is on.  We can find him!  I
know how to find him!”

“You do?  How?” Marcus asks. 

“As soon as we get to Evan’s, I can track exactly where he is using his
laptop,” I explain.  “Evan’s got an iPhone.  We both have the
Find My iPhone
app on our laptops.  It’s supposed to be used to find your phone if it gets
lost or stolen.  But as long as he has his phone with him, we can use it to
find him.  Even if he leaves, we can track him in real time.”

“Damn.  I wish we thought of that one on Thursday,” Marcus remarks.

We pull up to Evan’s house and I’m immediately disappointed.  I had hoped
to find his car sitting here in the driveway.  Not wishing to waste any more
time, I quickly punch in the code to unlock the door.  As I’m entering the
number, it becomes clear to me that anyone who knows Evan well enough to know
his birthday might be able to gain access to the house. 

As we enter, I have a feeling in the pit of my stomach.  Something inside
me is telling me to be cautious.

Evan’s laptop is in the bedroom.  Marcus follows me as I lead him through
the house to the master suite.  As soon as I step in the doorway, I stop
short.  The shock of the sight before me is frightening.  The bed we share has
been slashed.  The pillows are ripped to pieces and tossed on the floor.  There
is a long gash across the top of the bed, through the blanket and sheets,
destroying the top layer of the mattress.  A butcher knife is lying in the
middle of the shredded linens. 

The few clothing items I brought to Evan’s are strewn all around the
room, cut to pieces.  It appears that Averee was in some sort of frenzy.  Some
of my clothes are torn, others are sliced, and they are tossed about
haphazardly throughout the room.  Some pieces landed on lampshades, on the
dresser, but mostly all across the floor.  One of my panties is left hanging on
the closet doorknob.

Marcus hears me gasp, grabs me by the shoulders, and practically tosses
me to the side.  He takes one look inside the bedroom and closes the door
shut.  “Jette, stay close to me.  We need to check the other rooms and make
sure no one’s still here before we go any further.”

I step lightly into the main room and sweep the area visually.  Sure
enough, on the floor in the kitchen I can see shattered glass and water spilled
everywhere.  As Marcus and I step further into the kitchen, we can see that
it’s not simply glass that shattered, but a beautiful flower vase and dozens of
dahlias in vibrant radiant colors.