“You mentioned you were up for a promotion at the hospital here,” Derek pointed out, not that he had any personal stake in her decision. Would he be disappointed if he’d left the Corps and moved back home to find that she no longer lived in Catfish Creek? Of course he would. “Would it be worth waiting to see what happens here before making such a momentous decision, such as moving to another state?”
“It’s not so much a promotion, as my name was thrown in the hat for Nursing Director of the cardiac unit. It’s a totally different position, with a lot more responsibility and a lot more time required on my part. It would be hard to turn down, and yes, maybe that is why I haven’t made a decision about Florida yet,” Tessa contemplated, lifting her wine glass and staring at the contents in thought. “What would you recommend?”
“What would I do?” Derek paraphrased her question, surprised she would ask him his opinion about her life. She truly appeared to want to know his thoughts, but he couldn’t very well tell her that he’d rather she stayed in Catfish Creek in case he decided to return home within the next year. That would be downright selfish and he’d never mislead her that way. “Having been in numerous parts of the world where war has torn apart villages, towns, and cities…family is the only thing that matters in the end. Material possessions are transitory. They’re meaningless in the grand scheme of things. Family is life’s sole comfort. I’ve seen homes destroyed, leaving behind people with only the clothes on their back. And they would have gladly given those remaining shreds of fabric if it meant bringing back one of their own.”
Tessa fell silent, her blue eyes studying him in a quiet manner that made him think she saw more than he wanted to disclose. Derek wasn’t a difficult man to read. He had nothing to hide, speaking his mind only on matters when asked his opinion. But it was as if she saw something deeper that most people overlooked—his compassion and dedication.
“Why haven’t you married?” Tessa’s soft inquiry came out of nowhere, surprising him, considering he’d pondered that same question earlier. “Your conviction to family is so strong, I’m surprised you haven’t started one of your own before now.”
“Life in the military can be rather hard on a relationship, not to mention a marriage.” Derek thought back to his childhood. He wanted a solid marriage like his parents, and he wouldn’t settle for less. He had a plan to wait until he served out his contract, though he recognized temptation when he saw it. “I want—”
Derek caught sight of the sudden blur of movement out of his peripheral vision. He reached for Tessa’s arm and had her out of her chair before she ever saw the body come out of nowhere. An inebriated classmate, one Derek couldn’t place, had decided to cross the room by maneuvering around the tables instead of using a more direct route through the middle of the room. He’d obviously had too much to drink and lost his balance, but the weight he’d packed on over the years would have definitely made a mark on Tessa if unintentional contact had been made.
“I’m so sorry,” the man muttered, holding his hands up in regret. “I don’t know what happened. I must have tripped on something and—”
“It’s fine,” Tessa said, trying to smooth over the situation. Derek had automatically taken her glass of wine and had snatched a napkin off the table. She’d avoided getting thrown to the ground by this man’s inability to keep his balance, but she’d lost control of her wineglass in the process. “Really. I’m okay.”
The man continued to mumble apologies as he backed away. His name continued to escape Derek, and it didn’t help that nametags had not been handed out at registration. Karly apparently thought it would be more fun for those attending to try and figure out one another’s identities as they met. Had Derek and Tessa joined in the previous activities, then the lack of identification wouldn’t have come into play as much as it did. He didn’t like going into a situation blind even though there were a few people who could easily be recognized, especially seeing as people had dropped the pretense of their masks early on.
“Thank you for that, Derek. I have a feeling I would have ended up on the floor if you hadn’t pulled me out of my chair.” Tessa had taken the proffered cloth napkin, but the wine had also gotten all over her right arm. She held her hands up in defeat. “I’m going to have to use the restroom before this becomes a sticky mess.”
“Takes you back to those wild parties, doesn’t it?” Derek said with a laugh, grateful that she hadn’t been hurt. “Let’s go and get you cleaned up. We can head out of here when you’re done, if you like.”
Derek thought he caught a glimpse of disappointment in her blue eyes. Honestly, he hoped he was correct. He wasn’t ready for this evening to end either and was anticipating that he could take her home, maybe continuing some of these topics they had been discussing over the course of this evening. He really enjoyed talking with her and wasn’t ready to call it a night.
Tessa slowly made her way across the crowded floor, all the while trying to dry her arms with the tiny napkin. Their evening had gone well, considering her apprehension over a run-in with Harris. She had finally divulged the events that had unfolded these past couple of weeks, even going so far as to tell him that she’d authorized the police to put a trace on her cell phone after yesterday’s call. He feigned surprise and displayed real concern.
Derek hadn’t wanted to disappoint her with the fact that it took a couple of days to get that type of trace activated. Her fearless action alone gave her security and he wouldn’t take that illusion away from her. Which was why he’d explained to her how she should handle this evening, all the way down to the subtle warning she was about to convey. That chance had never come, but it might be offered now that she’d had wine spilled on her accidentally. It appeared her luck had run out.
Derek spotted none other than the man himself standing no more than ten feet away. Bennet Harris’ face was plastered on the large billboard at the entrance of town, so his mug was unmistakable now. Harris had apparently caught sight of Tessa as she made her way to the public restroom on the other side of the building. Where had he been hiding all evening? Had Derek been so preoccupied with Tessa that he’d lost sight of his surroundings?
Derek was disappointed in himself for being so careless, and he wasn’t about to let his guard down now. He took a step back and made sure to grab both his mask and Tessa’s, as well as her clutch. Unfortunately, another group of people decided this was a great time to leave the reunion also, briefly blocking his view of his intended target.
When the crowd cleared?
Bennett Harris was no longer in sight.
He’d simply vanished.
CHAPTER SIX
Tessa grimaced at the thick layer of sticky sweet wine that had dried on her skin. This was not how she’d planned for this evening to end. She glanced up in the mirror as she flicked on the faucet. The first thing she noticed was that her beautiful black dress was stained all down the front. At least with the dark coloring, the cleaners shouldn’t have too much trouble getting the stain out of the material. There wasn’t much chance of a shadow being left in the fabric. It could have been a lot worse had Derek not had such quick reactions, which caused her to detect something else in her own reflection—a flush of desire on her cheeks that she’d not witnessed in quite some time. It was all due to one man.
Derek Spencer.
He’d intrigued her all evening. From the moment she’d swung her front door open, it had been like walking through a time portal. Would she have loved it as much had he paid this kind of attention to her back in the day? Of course she would have, but then tonight wouldn’t have happened, and she wouldn’t have gotten to know the man Derek had become—kind, compassionate, gentle, protective, loyal, and honorable.
Tessa pressed down on the soap dispenser, lathering the suds underneath the warm stream of water as she thought back to their numerous conversations throughout this evening. Naturally, they’d shared memories of their high school days, but he also told her stories about his time g
rowing up in the Marines. He enlightened her with accounts of his duties during the average day, his experiences on various deployments around the world, his life living in San Diego while serving at MCAS Miramar, and of course his plans for the future.
He was coming home.
Well, at some point in the future. Derek had one more year on his contract with the military, and he was seriously considering returning to his Home of Record (HOR)—Catfish Creek. His father’s health was the primary factor, and there were other things that Derek would like to do with his life. Pursuing a professional career being one of them. Tessa wanted to hear about all of them, and she certainly wasn’t ready for this evening to end. Maybe they could—
The room went dark.
Not like a bulb burning out either. The entire restroom had descended into pitch blackness, heightening the echoes of splashing water in the sink. She’d immediately jerked her arm away, turning so that she faced the direction of the exit. Something held Tessa back from calling out, hoping that someone had entered through the door and simply bumped into the light switch. Maybe it was because she was subconsciously aware that the door had never opened.
Had it?
Tessa slowly reached out in front of her until her fingers wrapped around one of the handles of the faucet. Her heart was pounding inside of her chest to the point of pain. Her blood was pushing through her veins at such a high rate of speed that red, white, and blue dots appeared in front of her. She was finally able to turn the knob on the other side of the faucet.
The deafening silence wasn’t so silent. Tessa tilted her head to try and get rid of the ringing in her ears, hoping to hear any little sound that would give her any indication to determine if she wasn’t alone.
She’d let her guard down. Bennett hadn’t shown up at the reunion thus far, and Derek had somehow made her forget what had taken place for these past two weeks. How could she have been so foolish as to wander off alone?
Derek, himself, had said that there was no evidence pointing toward Bennett being the responsible party. She hadn’t wanted to believe that, because having a name to put toward an unknown threat made it easier to face than imagining the threat coming from a stranger. But what if he was right? Bennett wasn’t here and that could only mean that someone else was trying to scare her.
Why? What had she done that someone would want to terrorize her like this?
Tessa stepped away from the sink, careful not to let her high heels click on the tiled floor. Should she make a break for the exit? Was someone standing just inside the doorway, waiting for her to make a move? Should she stay where she was until someone else tried to enter the restroom? Would anyone hear her scream for help over the loud music outside in the large hall?
One thing was for certain. Tessa couldn’t just stand here waiting for someone to attack her and not do a damned thing about it. She slowly reached out to her right, shifting her body until she could touch the metal door frame that surrounded the toilet stalls. The cold power-coated aluminum grounded her as she took a tentative step forward.
Her arms were still wet, but that wasn’t what caused the hair on her arms to raise. What would she do if someone were to reach out and touch her? What if they had a knife or a straight razor? Tessa’s throat constricted in pure terror at what could happen inside these four walls while everyone outside that door carried on as if nothing sinister was happening inside her little world.
Would the police finally believe her story when they found her lifeless body? Tessa covered her mouth to prevent a guttural scream of rage that was just waiting to be released. Why was this happening to her?
She refused to be a victim. She wouldn’t just stand here like a frightened doe and wait to be attacked, or worse…to be killed. She used the metal frame to steady herself as she bent her knee and ever so quietly removed one of her high heels. She then did the same to the other heel, enabling her to move freely around the restroom without making a sound and arming herself with two pointed weapons.
Tessa gripped each shoe so that the heel was up and facing outward. It was the only weapon available to her and she couldn’t afford to do nothing. What came into play now was if she should make a run for it or if she should quietly make her way to the door, praying that no one was there waiting for her. She chose to go with option two. The cool tile was wet from the water that had dripped from her arm, but she hardly noticed as she slowly began to make her way toward the wall where the exit should be.
She abruptly stopped, swearing she’d just heard someone breathing. She dug her fingers into the leather of her high heels in both hands. Her entire body was tense and ready to swing. It was then she realized that the low rustling sound had come from the fabric of her own dress.
An hour could have passed by, though it was more like only a few minutes. How long had she been gone? Had Derek noticed the unusual length of time since her departure? Would he come looking for her and save her from a fate worse than death?
Tessa took another step, unable to stop the small cry of alarm from crossing her lips when her leg met something hard. Shit. She stumbled backward so fast that she almost lost her footing, but she caught herself in the nick of time before she ended up sprawled on the floor.
She couldn’t take this anymore. Panic and distress had invaded every pore on her body and she couldn’t stay in this restroom a second longer.
Tessa rushed forward, not caring that she couldn’t see a thing. She’d angled her body so that she would be able to swing her heel should she need to defend herself. Her shoulder hit the wall, but she felt nothing but a small jarring. It was as if she wasn’t even inside of her body as her mind only had one goal—to reach the door.
There was only one direction to take since the wall was in front of her. Tessa wasn’t sure how it happened, but one second she was encased in darkness and the next she was bathed in light and Derek’s warm embrace. She wrapped her arms around his neck, not caring that she still held her heels in her hands. She had no air in her lungs in which to tell him what had happened. All she could do was close her eyes and savor the strength he conveyed, along with the security he provided from all the evils in this world.
“Tessa, what happened?” Derek murmured the inquiry against her ear, holding her even closer as he kept reassuring her that she was safe. She wasn’t, though. Why couldn’t anyone understand that? Her fear started to slowly dissipate and in its place a fury unlike anything she’d ever experienced surfaced. Her throat had closed off and a burning settled in her chest. “Are you okay?”
Derek ran a warm hand up and down her back, as if to see for himself that she wasn’t hurt. Physically? No, she wasn’t. But she was mentally tired of being scared all the time and she was emotionally exhausted due to no one truly believing that her life was in danger. She finally found the strength to open her eyes, words forming on her lips to tell him that these incidents weren’t unrelated at all.
Someone had been terrorizing her.
The last person she expected to see was Bennett standing across from her. The look of shock on his face at her reaction was just too much, so she stepped out of Derek’s embrace to finally face her tormentor.
Everyone had been wrong—her colleagues, Jackie, Kate, Rae, the police, and even Derek. They’d all been wrong. Bennett had been at this masquerade ball the entire time and he’d been the one who’d bided his time until she was alone so that he could intimidate her once more.
Well, his fun time was over.
“You stupid son of a bitch!” Tessa moved past Derek, who had never really released his hold on her. His large hand was wrapped around her upper arm to prevent her from getting too close to Bennett, but she wasn’t scared any longer. She was angry. She was furious. And she wanted her life back. “I know it was you, Bennett. I know that you’re the one who’s been harassing me and I want it to stop—right fucking now!”
* * * *
“Tessa.” Derek called to her, hoping that she would listen to what he had to say befor
e she caused a scene. He didn’t know what the hell had happened in the bathroom, but he was fairly certain that Bennett Harris had nothing to do with it. The man had only been out of his sight for a moment. “Tessa, look at me.”
“Did you think that was funny?” Tessa asked, ignoring Derek and trying to shrug off his hold on her arm. She was too worked up, and he honestly couldn’t blame her. It was apparent that whatever happened in the last ten minutes was enough for her to confront who she thought was responsible. Only she was wrong. “What kind of sick individual are you that you would—”
“That’s enough.” Derek stepped in front of her, forcing Tessa to look him in the eye and hear him out before they gathered any more spectators. This confrontation would be the talk of the town come Monday morning. “Whatever happened in there, Bennett wasn’t responsible.”
“Derek, he is standing right here. I know he’s the one that—”
“I spotted him the second you left our table,” Derek revealed, holding up a hand when Bennett tried to intervene to defend himself. The man could have his say in a minute, but not before Derek had a chance to give the facts to Tessa. “I gathered your belongings and immediately sought him out. He was glued to the side of his date this entire time, Tessa. He didn’t do whatever it is you think he did. What happened?”
Derek had originally given his opinion on Harris before they even walked into this conference center. It didn’t make sense for Bennett to be the one responsible. One, the minor offenses he’d had in his past were juvenile, and the man didn’t strike Derek as stooping to that kind of immature level. Two, what would be the purpose of committing these types of acts? It didn’t make sense if he wanted her back, and Derek was concerned Tessa would get hurt because all her attention was on Harris—not the real culprit. And that’s almost what happened here.
“Tessa, I know I didn’t handle the end of our relationship that well, but I would never do anything to hurt you.” Bennett had come to stand beside them, his date practically attaching herself to his arm while displaying a self-satisfied smirk. Derek’s first thought was that Harris might not be the one responsible, but that didn’t mean this maniacal-looking femme fatale didn’t have it in her to torment the ex of her current lover. “What happened to you in there?”
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