I shrug. “I could go to my mom’s Malibu house.”
“I’d suggest anywhere that isn’t here.”
I pull out my phone and start making phone calls. The guys are on their way over as soon as I explain what just happened, as is our manager. I then make a call to a friend of mine whose mom manages a vineyard with a small inn in Temecula. I’ll stay in Malibu, but first I want to get out of Dodge for a few days.
Next up is my mom, who justifiably freaks out and tells me to go to her home immediately. After talking her off the ledge, I make my last phone call, to a woman who is quickly stealing my heart. This call scares me the most. Will she bail on me when I tell her? Is this too much for her to handle so soon?
“Hey!” she says, her voice so cheerful that it pains me. I don’t even respond because I can’t. I’m going to completely change her day and not for the better, and it kills me. “Grady? You there?”
“Yeah, I’m here,” I manage.
“What’s wrong? Are you OK?” Her words come immediately, and I know whatever she is doing, she just stopped in her tracks, and that makes me fall even harder for her. She cares and so much more than any other woman I’ve ever spent time with in my life, aside from my mom.
“Something happened this morning and I need you to pack a bag. We are going out of town for the whole weekend,” I state.
“Excuse me? Wait, what happened?” she squeaks.
I sigh and pull on my hair. “The stalker struck again and this time the monster threatened to hurt my neighbors’ dog.”
“Oh my God! Is the dog OK?” she asks, her voice rising an octave.
“Yes, Muffin’s fine, thank God. But the detective in charge of the case wants everyone in our lives lying low for a few days.”
“But…I mean…” She trails off and I know she wants to argue with me, to say she has homework to do.
“You can bring work with you. I’ll even leave you alone for a few hours if you need it. I just…please, I need us safe,” I plead.
“What about your mom?” she asks.
“Mom is safe. She’s having her security firm add extra bodyguards and more safety protocols to her homes. Sadly, she’s dealt with issues like this in the past, so she gets it.” That last statement is an exaggeration as Mom has not dealt with anything as serious as the threat I got this morning, but I don’t want Emma to worry about my mother.
“Oh.” Her voice sounds concerned.
I step away from the chaos surrounding me. An electric drill buzzes from where the window installation is finishing. The police are talking and taking photos. Neighbors slowly walk by with dogs that bark as they check out the craziness of what is transpiring at my usually quiet home.
I step around back and find solace at my fire pit.
“What’s going on over there?” she asks.
“My window is getting fixed and the police are here because of the dog incident.”
“What exactly happened?”
I lean forward, my arms on my legs as I press the speaker button and tell her the details. She’s completely and utterly silent as I finish.
“Em?” I ask, making sure we haven’t lost the connection.
“Just…processing.”
“Shit. I’ve freaked you out.” I sigh, resigned to the possibility that this woman I’ve begun to fall hard for in a matter of weeks may want to call it quits, and I can’t even blame her.
“No. I’m just trying to profile your stalker.”
“You’re what?”
“I took a class on criminology in college. I actually minored in it because I found it so fascinating. Anyhow, we learned about this theory that sometimes a sudden change or experience can escalate a criminal. Like something happens and they go from a minor criminal to a major one.”
“You think something happened to our stalker and it’s caused him to go off the deep end?” I ask frowning.
“Possibly. I mean, it would make sense. And you are right to guess that it’s a guy. Most violent criminals are and this one just switched over to the violent category,” she states.
“Mr. Daniels? You want to come to look at the window before we wrap up?” I hear my contractor yell.
“Listen, I have to go, but…”
“I’ll go with you. But you have to promise to let me get some work done,” she says.
I grin for the first time today. “I promise.”
“Good. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Please be careful. I may send a security guy over to stand guard at your building,” I tell her.
“I…no, you’re right. That’s probably smart as much as I want to decline the offer, it would make me feel safer,” she admits and, again, I shudder from the fact that I’m causing trouble in her life.
“I’m sorry about all of this.”
“Just don’t turn out to be an asshole, OK?”
I chuckle. “I’ll do my best, but you have met me, right?”
“Haha. I guess that first night should have been my warning, huh?” she retorts, and I know she’s smirking.
“You know it.”
“Get going, my little bad-boy rocker.”
“Sweetheart, as you have learned, there’s nothing little about me.” And with that, I hang up to her giggles, which help to soothe my nerves.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Emma
The knock on my door makes me jump. Hell, I’ve been on high alert ever since I spoke to Grady yesterday. I even texted with both Kate and Quinlan. I didn’t give them every detail because I didn’t want to freak them out, but I said enough to get their honest take on it. They both expressed concern about everything. They also both suggested I could try to take a break from dating Grady until things cooled down with the stalker situation. Neither of those conversations left me feeling warm and cozy about my choice to go away for the weekend with the very man who was possibly going to put me in danger.
I also might have lied a little to my parents and told them a friend from school and I were going to her home in Temecula to study for the weekend. I wasn’t ready to have a conversation with them about Grady.
I peek through the peephole and see Grady. My racing heart slows as I open the door.
“Ready?” he asks, looking around to see my one small suitcase and backpack. “That’s it?”
I laugh. “Uh, we are coming back Sunday night, right?”
“Yeah…”
I lean forward so we are mere inches apart. “Here’s a little secret; I’m low maintenance.”
Grady’s panty-dropping smile graces his face and he leans in and plants a kiss on my lips. “You just keep getting better and better.”
I laugh again. “Come on, Casanova. It’s time to hit the road.”
He picks up my suitcase and we head down to his car. I notice that a security guy is in a car behind us.
He watches my gaze and clears his throat. “They wouldn’t let me leave without a security detail. He won’t be in our way. He’s just going to stay near us for the weekend as a precaution.”
I nod and fiddle with the music selection as he gets us on the freeway.