Secret Admirer

by Cynthia Eden

  She ignored him, for the moment.

  Alice bounded after Tiffany. Alice grabbed the other woman’s shoulder and whipped her around. “Who sent the flowers?”

  Tiffany gaped at her. “You don’t like them?”

  “Who sent them?”

  The deputy was closing in. “Ms. May, calm down.”

  The hell she’d get calm.

  “It was an-an online order,” Tiffany stammered. “You fill out the request on the computer—we just get the flowers ready and print out the note. That’s it. The note said ‘Secret Admirer’ and that’s all I know!”

  If the flowers had been ordered online, there had to be a way to trace the buyer. “Get the credit card number,” Alice barked.

  The deputy put his hand on Alice’s shoulder. “You should let her go.” His voice had hardened.

  “She should get the credit card number!” Alice snapped back, but she let Tiffany go. Alice was trying her hardest not to freak out, but her control was holding by a thread.

  The nearby elevator dinged, and the doors slid open. Zander marched out, but he came to a quick stop when he caught sight of Alice standing in the hallway, clad in her hospital gown.

  “What’s going on?” Zander demanded as he hurried closer to Alice.

  Tiffany pointed at Alice. “She’s acting crazy!” Her cheeks had turned blotchy. “I just—just delivered her some roses and she’s—”

  “They’re from my Secret Admirer.” Alice shoved the crumpled card at Zander. She’d fisted it in her left hand.

  He took the card, unfolded it, and then swore. Dark, inventive words that she would have appreciated under different circumstances. Not then, though. Right then, she couldn’t appreciate anything. She was too terrified.

  Zander turned a lethal look onto the gift shop employee. “Who sent the flowers?”

  Tiffany’s eyes were the size of saucers. “I told her.” She directed a pointed glance at Alice. “The order came in online. It was paid by credit card. I didn’t see anyone!” She huffed out a hard breath. “Sorry you don’t like the roses, lady, but it’s just my job to deliver them.”

  No, she didn’t like the roses. Alice wanted to rip them apart.

  Zander pulled out his FBI badge. “I want that credit card number and anything else you’ve got on the guy who made this order. And I want that information now.”

  Tiffany wilted a bit. “What’s happening?”

  Oh, not too much…except that Alice was afraid a killer was stalking her. It very much looked as if the Secret Admirer had focused on a new victim…

  And that victim is me.

  ***

  The hospital room door opened again. Alice tensed and so did the deputy who’d been sent to keep watch over her.

  Zander stalked into the room. His hard gaze swept over the deputy. “Give us a minute.”

  The deputy rushed out.

  Alice crossed her arms over her chest. She’d changed back into her jeans and t-shirt. Shoved on her shoes. No way was she planning to stay longer in that hospital. She wanted out, right then.

  Zander closed in on her, and the closer he got, the more she tensed.

  “The sedan that almost hit you was stolen from a lady named Hannah Ivory. Turns out that Hannah’s wallet was in the sedan when it was stolen. And the perp used her credit card to make the order for the flowers.”

  She tried to head around him and get out of the room.

  Zander just side-stepped and blocked her path. “Alice, I need you to talk to me.”

  “And I need to get out of here.”

  Zander nodded. “I’m going to get you out. But…you aren’t leaving on your own.”

  What?

  His jaw locked. “The perp is targeting you. That’s fucking obvious.”

  “Is it? Because I thought it was obvious that I was the killer. Isn’t that what you think? What you and your buddy Randall think? That I’m a killer? That I was helping Hugh all along with his crimes?” She couldn’t stop the torrent of words. “That I recently killed that poor woman, Julianna Stiles?”

  “The perp left Julianna’s necklace in the abandoned sedan.”

  Her lips parted, but Alice couldn’t speak.

  “He put it in the glove box, like he was leaving us some kind of present. He wanted us to know that he’d killed her. And he sent you the flowers because he wanted you to know that he was hunting you.”

  Her breath was heaving in and out. She rubbed her sweaty palms on her jean-clad legs. “My bedroom—”

  His gaze was dark and grim. “If you hadn’t come to my cabin last night, he would have found you in your room. And I think he would have killed you.”

  Her knees wanted to buckle. Shit, they did buckle, but Zander caught her. His strong hands closed around her shoulders.

  “Baby?”

  “No.” She jerked away from him and the back of her legs hit the hospital bed. “Don’t you dare ‘baby’ me right now. Don’t act like we’re close. Don’t act like I matter to you.”

  I think he would have killed you.

  “You do matter,” Zander growled.

  Such a lie. “I’m a case. I was a suspect, until, what—five minutes ago? An hour ago? Or for all I know, I’m still a suspect to you. Maybe you think I’m working some kind of major con job on you with a secret partner that I have hidden away some place.” She couldn’t let Zander keep standing that close to her. Her nerves were shot.

  He exhaled slowly. “You were a suspect.”

  Well, he wasn’t pulling punches, finally. And at least he’d said were, though she didn’t completely buy the past tense idea. Alice wasn’t going to put her trust in Zander any time soon.

  “But right now, I think you’re a victim.” His gaze bored into her. “You’re his next target, Alice. And I know you see that. Fuck, he told you that.”

  I won’t miss you again.

  “But I’m not letting that happen,” Zander swore.

  “Get out of my way, Zander.” She was getting out of that room.

  Zander shook his head. “You aren’t leaving me.”

  “Zander—”

  “Until we catch the bastard, you’ll stay in federal custody. My custody.”

  “No.” Alice shook her head. “Absolutely not. I will not—”

  “I’m sorry, but you don’t have an option here. Your life is on the line, and whether you like it or not, whether you like me or not, I’m not leaving you on your own. Not when this guy is fixated on you.”

  The flowers were gone. The roses had already been taken in as evidence. But her gaze still slid to the little table where they had rested before.

  “You know how the Secret Admirer worked, Alice.”

  Her hands clenched at her sides. “This isn’t Hugh. He’s dead and buried, remember?”

  “The authorities always considered the possibility that Hugh had an accomplice—”

  “Me! The FBI thought it was me!”

  He didn’t deny her charge. “One year has passed. The bastard killed Julianna Stiles. And now, he’s coming after you.” Determination blazed in his eyes. “He’s not getting to you, Alice. I’m not letting that happen. So if I have to handcuff you to my side, I will. But you aren’t walking out of this hospital alone. Consider yourself in protective custody from this moment on. You’ll be moved to a safe house, and you will remain safe. I’ll be damned if I let you become his next victim.”

  ***

  Alice should have received his flowers by now. And the authorities—those clueless FBI agents and the foolish local deputies—would have found the sedan.

  He’d needed to get their attention. The dumbasses had been going after Alice. As if she were the criminal.

  Not Alice. Sweet Alice had been something altogether different.

  He wouldn’t have let her die in front of the sheriff’s station. The intent had been to scare her. To make a show for the agents watching. So many FBI agents—they stuck out like a neon sign as they invaded the little office tha
t passed for the sheriff’s headquarters.

  He’d wanted Alice to know he was there. Wanted everyone to know.

  But he wouldn’t have let her die that way. Not Alice. Alice wasn’t like the others. She never had been. Alice was special, and he didn’t think that she even realized the truth about everything that had happened…all because of her.

  He would have swerved. Would have let her get across the street. But the fucking FBI agent had tried to play hero. He’d rushed after Alice. Swept her away.

  Heroes got on his damn nerves.

  Now, though, the agents would understand that he was the one pulling the strings. They’d know he had taken and killed Julianna. Alice shouldn’t be treated like a criminal. Alice wasn’t bad.

  She was so very good. Perfect, in fact.

  For a whole year, he’d watched her. Alice had stayed true to Hugh’s memory. She hadn’t dated anyone. Hadn’t screwed the horny bastards who’d chased after her. No tell-all books had been written by sweet Alice, though he knew she’d gotten plenty of offers. She’d kept her silence. Hadn’t gone out of her way to make Hugh look like a monster.

  The Press had been busy doing their own job of that.

  No, Alice had held her silence. She’d kept her secrets.

  Perfect Alice.

  That was why he’d gone to her the night before. But…

  Where were you, Alice? He still didn’t know that answer, but he’d be asking Alice, soon enough. When he hadn’t found Alice in her cabin, his rage had taken over.

  He was in control now, though.

  And he’d keep his control, until he was with Alice again. He couldn’t wait to see her. To touch her. To own her.

  His Alice.

  A whole year had passed. Time for Alice to end her grief. Mourning was over.

  Alice could love again. She could—she would—love him.

  After all, he’d been waiting so patiently for her.

  Chapter Seven

  “Your cabin?” Alice stared at Zander with her wide, deep blue eyes. Her hands were fisted as they rested on her hips. “If you think I’m staying here with you tonight, you’re crazy.”

  “Why?” This low question came from Randall, not Zander. “You stayed with him last night.”

  Alice’s gaze cut to the other FBI agent. “Let’s be clear.” She gave an ice-cold smile to him. “I don’t like you. This morning, you were ready to lock me in a jail cell and call me guilty.”

  Randall shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants as he rocked forward. “Yeah about that…” He gave a faint shrug. “I’m still not convinced that you’re one hundred percent innocent.”

  No, the guy wasn’t. Randall had been arguing the possibility of her involvement with the perp for most of the evening. And Zander had argued back just as fiercely as he defended her.

  “If you are innocent, though,” Randall continued with a slow nod, “then this is the perfect chance for you to do your civic duty.”

  “My duty?” Alice’s delicate brows rose.

  Randall smiled like a shark. “Help us catch the bastard.”

  Alice sucked in a sharp breath. Immediately, her gaze flew back to Zander. He almost winced at the fury he saw in her stare. “Is that the plan? Use me to catch him?”

  He should tread carefully. He didn’t want to lie to her again. He wanted her trust back, and Zander knew that was going to be one hell of a battle. He’d shattered her faith in him. And he hadn’t even realized that would damn well hurt him, not until he’d walked into that closet of an interrogation room at the sheriff’s station…and Alice had stared at him as if he were a total stranger to her.

  Because that’s exactly what I am.

  “Is that the plan?” Alice pushed as she strode closer. Her scent—light jasmine—seemed to envelope him. “I thought you said I was in protective custody. You never mentioned I was bait.”

  His back teeth had locked. With an effort, Zander unclenched them. “I want to keep you safe. This cabin is secure. No one is going to get close without my team knowing.”

  “Am I bait?” Her voice was low, husky.

  And he was an asshole. “We think he will come after you. It’s obvious, based on what he’s already done—”

  Her mocking laughter cut him off. It was so different from the few, precious laughs she’d given him before. Now her laughter was flat and hard. Bitter. “Then I guess I’m doing my civic duty, huh? Whether I like it or not.” Her hands fell to her sides. “Here’s the thing, though. For the record…” Her chin notched up. “I would have volunteered to do this. You didn’t have to lie to me about wanting me to be safe. Didn’t have to keep pretending. I want to stop this guy. I would have stopped Hugh, if I’d known the truth, and there is no way I can just sit back and let this monster kill someone else. If I can do anything to stop him, I will.” Her shoulders rolled back. “So maybe stop lying to me, and just bring me in on the plan, okay?”

  She’d surprised Randall. Zander could see it, though the other agent worked hard to school his expression.

  “All right.” Zander paced away from her. His gaze cut to the window. Darkness was already falling. Darkness came early in the mountains. “We think he’ll try going to your place first. We’ll have a female agent inside, someone who looks like you. Cara McCoy is well-trained, and she’ll be ready for any attack that comes her way.”

  “We’ll be watching the place,” Randall added quickly. “Our agents have eyes on it. We’ll know if he’s getting close. The minute he steps inside, he’ll be ours.”

  Zander glanced back at Alice. A furrow had appeared between her brows. “Doesn’t sound like you’re using me as bait,” she murmured. “Sounds like this Cara—she’s the bait.”

  “There was a…pattern to the Secret Admirer’s attacks before,” Zander began carefully. “He sent his victims flowers—”

  “Just like the roses I got in the hospital, yes, I know.” She began to pace. “He saw someone who caught his eye. He tried romance first. Sent his target flowers. He locked on to her social media profile. Learned everything he could about the woman.” She stilled. “I’m not online. Not anymore.”

  So the perp would advance to the next step. “He sent texts to his victims. He called them.” Always from a burner phone. Something they’d learned after the victims had died, and they’d gone through the phone records. “He preferred to call at night, when they were at home, sometimes when they were even in bed.”

  She flinched.

  And he remembered…she’d been questioned about those calls. Because according to her own accounts, Hugh had been with her at the same time that some of the calls had been placed. Either the guy had snuck out of the bedroom, getting a few moments of secrecy…or there had been a partner. Someone else who’d made the phone calls when Hugh had been with Alice.

  “He’ll call you,” Zander murmured. He wanted to get closer to her, but every time he did, she tensed. So he stayed near the window. “We want you to talk to him. Keep him on the line. Draw him in.”

  Randall nodded. “If you keep him talking, then maybe we’ll get lucky and be able to trace him through the call.”

  Yeah, that was option one. Option two, though…the perp would make the call, then he’d go to Alice’s cabin. Inside, he’d find Cara waiting.

  “And in the meantime, you stay with me,” Zander said. Because I want you close. Protected. “You stay here where I can keep an eye on you. You stay safe. You stay with me, until we end this thing.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest. Resumed pacing. “This Cara—she’ll be safe? You’re sure of this?”

  It was Randall who answered, “She’s a trained FBI agent. She can handle herself.”

  Alice tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “He’s going to be angry when he goes in and doesn’t find me.”

  Yes, he would be. They were counting on his rage.

  “Angry people make mistakes. This bastard is going down.” Randall’s face hardened with determination. �
�Because I’ll be damned if I have to look into the eyes of another grieving family and tell them that this bastard took away someone they loved.”

  ***

  “You’re safe.”

  Alice jumped when she heard the low rumble of Zander’s voice behind her. She’d been staring into the fireplace, lost in those flickering flames, and she hadn’t even heard his approach.

  He cursed, then said, “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

  Then maybe don’t walk up behind me when a killer is on the loose.

  They were alone in his cabin. Randall had left over an hour before. Clothes had been brought to her. Toiletries. All the comforts of home. Enough supplies to last for days. Because no one seemed to know how long this little visit with Zander would last.

  Zander had started the fire. It wasn’t cold outside, so she didn’t even know why he’d lit it. Maybe the guy had thought the flames were soothing? If that was the case, he was dead wrong.

  “Alice?”

  She made herself turn to face him. “I’m not scared of you.”

  His eyes narrowed. “No, you’re just pissed as all hell, aren’t you?”

  Pissed? “Not quite a strong enough word.” Her chin lifted. “I don’t exactly like it when men use sex to try and manipulate me.” She pushed past him.

  But he caught her wrist and spun her back around to face him. “That’s not what happened.”

  “No? From where I stand, it sure as hell seems to be.” And it wasn’t just rage that she felt. Pain. The pain was the worst. Because she’d believed he was someone she could trust. But she’d put all the puzzle pieces together and realized how truly foolish she’d been. “How many lies have you told me?”

  “Alice—”

  “You know, I was thinking about it…so incredibly convenient, wasn’t it, that I needed all of those repairs at my place?”

  A muscle jerked in his jaw. “Wasn’t convenient.”

  No, she hadn’t thought it was. “You did that,” Alice accused. “You broke those things, just so I’d call you. So I’d need you.” Damn him. Damn him. “You weren’t helping me. You were trying to trick me all along. And I was so stupidly grateful for everything you did. So glad that I’d found someone who seemed nice.”