Protected by the Officer: A Safe Stalker Romance (Safe Stalkers)

by Phoebe Buck

  Phoebe Buck

  Protected by the Officer

  Copyright © 2021 by Phoebe Buck

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

  First edition

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  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Epilogue

  Chapter 1

  Michael

  She twists her long yellow hair around the fingers on her good hand, nodding along, but not really listening.

  “Joanna, this is serious.

  You can’t just pretend it didn’t happen.” I lay a hand on her arm, but she pulls away. I forget sometimes that I can’t comfort people the way my partner can.

  Avery is a petite woman with big, expressive brown eyes. A touch of her hand instantly causes shoulders to drop and tears to run down cheeks.

  That doesn’t work when you’re a six-four man who gets compared to the Hound from Game of Thrones.

  I could be the mushiest, cuddliest teddy bear on the inside, but my appearance makes people scared. It works in my favor when hunting down the baddies, but I fumble when it comes to comforting victims.

  “You’re making this into a bigger deal than it has to be.” She rubs the spot on her shoulder where the strap of the sling is digging into her skin. “It’s just a sprain. Doc says I’ll be fine in a few days.”

  “It’s not just the injury that I’m- that we’re worried about.” I run a hand through my hair and sigh.

  I’ve been in to question her three times since the incident, and she still doesn’t seem to understand how serious the attack was. I’m starting to think she’s willfully ignoring the danger she’s still in.

  “He pushed me off my bike.”

  “He tried to kidnap you.”

  “Says you.”

  “Says the bystander who pepper-sprayed him and scared him off.”

  Joanna rolls her eyes and picks up her phone. “It’s just Greg, he’s harmless.”

  “Wait a second. You know who this guy is?” I must have asked her a hundred times if she knew anyone that wanted to hurt her and each and every time she shook her head and made me feel like an idiot for asking repetitive questions. And now she throws out so casually that she knows the guy who attacked her?

  “Yeah, I mean, I don’t know him, know him. He’s kind of my stalker.”

  “And you didn’t think I needed to know any of this?”

  “Like I said, he’s harmless.”

  I gesture to her arm wrapped in hot pink athletic tape. “Doesn’t seem too harmless to me. I need a last name. Greg who?”

  She sighs and leans back against the mound of pillows she sweet-talked the nurses out of. “I really need to go. I’ve already been here too long taking up a bed that another person might need.”

  “You’re being discharged today. You just need to be patient. But to make sure you’re safe when you leave, I need Greg’s last name.”

  She presses her full lips together and pokes her pink tongue between them before meeting my eyes. “I don’t know his last name. I don’t actually know his name is Greg, to be honest. That’s just what I started calling him when I noticed he was following me.”

  I want to grab her and shake her. “How long has he been following you?”

  “I don’t know. Six months, maybe?”

  “Why didn’t you report it sooner?”

  “Because I’m not scared of him.”

  I lean down and put my hands on the flimsy hospital bed on either side of her legs, boxing her in.

  It creaks against my weight as I lean in and force her to meet my eye. “Let me tell you a little something about fear, Joanna. You don’t have to be afraid to be hurt. You being a big, brave girl isn’t going to stop him from coming for you again and again until he gets what he wants.”

  She looks so small as she shimmies her way under my arm and out of my trap. “There’s nothing I can do about it, so why worry about it? I’m not going to live my life in fear just because someone might hurt me.”

  “Joanna, please. This isn’t some random stroke of bad luck like a car swerving into your lane. This was a targeted attack. I’ve seen guys like this before. One thwarted attempt isn’t going to deter him. He’s hunting you and you need to take precautions.”

  “Are we done here?” She swings her coat over her shoulders with her free arm,

  “You’re the victim here. You’re free to go whenever you want. Here, take this.” I hold out my card to her, but she doesn’t take it, “Just in case Greg comes back. If we can catch him, we can put him someplace he can’t hurt you again.”

  “I’m fine.” She stares at the floor in front of me, my card dangling in the air like a soiled diaper.

  I place it on the table next to her and her eyes flick to it for just a moment. “I need my bike back so I can get home,” she says just above a whisper.

  “It’s in evidence at the station. Even if it wasn’t, you can’t ride home with a sprained wrist.”

  “I’ll take the train then.” She’s all the way on the other side of London from the address she recited to me the first day she was here. There’s no way I’m letting her spend two hours on the train trying to get home.

  “You will take a cab.” She opens her mouth to object, but I raise my hand between us, “No arguing. My treat.”

  Joanna smiles weakly, “Thank you.”

  “I’m also going to request a surveillance detail for you,”

  The smile that was on her lips just a moment before turns into a scowl. “Absolutely not.”

  “I’m afraid that’s not your call to make.”

  “I’m not some goldfish in a bowl for you to gawk at.”

  “No, you’re the victim of a violent crime who is still in danger and I’m not interested in being called to investigate your murder. They won’t be in your way or spying on you. I just want to put an officer outside your house until we can catch this guy.”

  A nurse knocks lightly on the door and cheerily chirps, “Ms. Fletcher? I’m here to go over your discharge paperwork and then we can get you headed home?” The huge smile on her face doesn’t falter for even a second as she looks back and forth between the two of us who look like we’re ready to throw hands at each other.

  “That means you have to leave,” Joanna spits at me, crossing her one functional arm over her chest with a cat that caught the mouse smile on her face.

  “I’m sorry Detective Albright, but she is correct. Patient confidentiality and all.” This nurse is either oblivious to the tension simmering in the air or she’s the most professional woman to ever grace an NHS hospital.

  “Fine, but you’re getting that detail.” I jab my finger in her direction, but she refuses to even glance at me.

  “Good luck with that,” Joanna shouts as the heavy hospital-grade door slam shut behind me.

  * * *

  “What do you mean, no?” I slap the side of the captain’s desk.

  He just shrugs as if he’s not condemning this girl to certain death. “Don’t have the resources.”

  “Fucking hell. You’re telling me Bill wouldn’t be just as effective sitting in a car as he is sitting hi
s fat ass out there eating sausage rolls all day?” I gesture to Bill who’s gleefully stuffing a pastry past his lips and scrolling through his phone. He’s that rare breed of cop that’s happier at his desk than out in the field of action. It’s helpful when you need some pesky paperwork done, but not so great when it’s all hands on deck like it is now.

  “I’m sorry. We’re too busy with all these protests.”

  I scoff and wave my hand at him. “Why the hell do we even go to those things? Bunch of hippies walking around with signs never hurt anybody.”

  “Well, the PM wants us there so I have to send people.”

  “And you’re telling me that corralling demonstrators is more important than protecting a woman’s life?”

  “I am telling you I don’t have the resources to go chasing ghosts.”

  “He’s not a ghost, he attacked her.”

  Captain House runs a hand over his face, “And if I had a surveillance detail on every woman who was attacked in this city, I’d have to hire half the city as officers. I’m sorry Michael, I just don’t have a spare man.”

  “I can do it then.”

  “No, you can’t. I need you working your other cases. The whole world can’t stop for this one woman’s problems.”

  I bite my tongue because if I let myself say what I really want to say I’ll be out of a job. Why does no one else seem to realize how serious this situation is?

  “So, what? We just let this guy come after her again?”

  “I’m sorry that you haven’t realized this by now, but we cannot stop all crime in this city. Now, I’m very sorry for the girl, but I can’t help her until she reports him for stalking.”

  I’m obviously not getting through to him. Time to change tactics. “Come on, Captain. Do it as a favor, for me, your best detective.” I flash him a full-tooth smile, but the same smirk sits heavy on his face.

  “No, now get out of my office.” He rises painfully from his chair, pointing to the door.

  I’m out of ideas except for the crazy one. If I’m being honest with myself, I had it in my head before I even walked in this room.

  It’s my last resort and even as the words leave my mouth I can’t really believe I’m doing this.

  “I need to take some personal leave.”

  Captain House groans, “You can’t be serious. After I just told you we were low on resources?”

  “Sorry, something has come up.” I meet his eye and I know he knows what I’m planning.

  “Fine, you can have one week, but then I need you back, no matter what. Got it?”

  I nod and head for the door.

  All I need is a week. I’ve solved cases with less evidence in less time. A week is enough for me to catch this asshole, “Greg.”

  “What is it about this girl that’s got you so hooked?” he says to my back.

  I wasn’t expecting this question. Up until this moment, I thought my interest in her case was purely professional. I think that, but I don’t feel that, do I? Deep in my stomach I know there’s something else that’s forcing my hand.

  “She’s just an innocent girl who needs some help, that’s all.” I close the door behind me and hurry to my desk to collect my things before the boss man has time to ask any more questions.

  I’m a terrible liar.

  But there’s a gnawing in my guts that won’t let me rest until I know she’s safe. Because the truth is I understand Greg. I know what’s inside him boiling away, pressing him to follow her, to try to take her, because the same feeling is swirling around in me. There’s just something about her defiant fearlessness that hooks you and won’t let you go. The three scoops of plush curves and a full ass don’t hurt either.

  Yes, I know exactly what Greg sees in Joanna, the depths of that need. And that’s why I know how dangerous he really is.

  Chapter 2

  Joanna

  “Is he still out there?” Marcy says, lazily taking a sip of her cider.

  “Yeah,” I push the curtain back just enough to see him, still sitting on the stoop of my apartment building. “You know, when he said he was putting a surveillance detail on me, I didn’t think it would actually be him doing it.”

  “Maybe he fancies you,” Marcy says, peeking around me to watch him scan the face of every person who walks past. He doesn’t even know what Greg looks like so I’m not sure what he thinks he’s going to see.

  He wouldn’t be able to tell Greg from any other random guy on the street.

  Because that’s the thing about Greg; he looks completely normal. Maybe that’s why it took me so long to notice him following me. At first, that’s all it was, just a man spending too much time focused on me. That wasn’t anything new. I’ve had these curves since I was thirteen and I know the effect they can have on the opposite sex.

  Until a few days ago, that was all it was. It was just a little obsession that I thought would run its course and peter out when he realized I wasn’t interested. But of course, that was before he came charging at me while I was waiting for the light to turn green.

  Officer Albright turns and meets my eyes for just a second before I slam the curtain closed. Marcy giggles and drops back on the bed in my tiny studio apartment. London, am I right?

  I stretch my arm out in front of me and trace the pink tape with my eyes.

  “Should you be doing that? With your arm, I mean.” Marcy waves the cheap sling the hospital insisted I wear while they wheeled me out to the curb in a wheelchair I didn’t need.

  “My wrist feels fine. I’m fine.” I toy with the edge of the tape but decide not to pull it off for now. I know I have a tendency to be bullheaded and don’t want to hurt myself worse due to my own stupid pride. I’ll let the doctors and nurses have this one.

  “You’re not fine, Joanna.” Macy sits up straight and gets that serious look on her face that makes my stomach do flips. No, no, I don’t want her feeling sorry for me.

  “I am. It was a freak thing.”

  “No it wasn’t and you saying that is what is going to get you hurt much worse.”

  I roll my eyes and let my head fall backward. Not this again. I can’t do anything about Greg so why does everyone want me to be so afraid? I can’t live my life always looking over my shoulder.

  “I never should have told you about him,” I grumble and flop down next to Marcy who puts her arm around me.

  “I’m glad you did.

  You don’t have to do everything alone, you know? Are you sure you’re going to be okay when I go to work tonight?”

  The second I got home from the hospital, Marcy was here, sharing my cramped double bed and insisting on staying with me until they caught the guy. I guess she was hoping they’d catch him before her next shift because after two days she’s got a late night and I’ve got the first night to myself in nearly a week.

  I don’t know if I hate that she’s leaving or am relieved to have some time alone. Then again, I won’t really be alone with the detective out there. His presence is like a shield that makes me almost forget about Greg and the blackness of his eyes as he rushed toward me, a cruel snarl on his face.

  I shiver to remember and Marcy pulls me closer.

  “I can call off if you need me. My boss is really cool and the restaurant is never really busy on a Wednesday anyway…”

  “No,” I can’t ask her to put her life on hold any longer for me. “Go to work. I’ll be fine.”

  She kisses the side of my head and hugs me hard one last time before checking her watch, “Shit, I have to go if I’m going to make it.”

  Marcy pops up and slings her purse over her shoulder before waving and stopping twice as she walks out the door.

  I lay back on my bed and cover my face with my hands, breathing out the breath I’ve been holding since I woke up in the hospital.

  I want to be angry at Detective Albright for turning into his own version of a stalker. He showed up a few hours after I got home and has been posted outside my house ever since. He’s either
outside the main door or in his car, but even when I check in the middle of the night, he’s there.

  The only time he left was when Macy and I went for a coffee. He was six steps behind us the whole way. Macy even waved at him and blew him a cheeky kiss, but his eyes remained focused entirely on m, his face wearing that same stern expression he held while he lectured me in the hospital room.

  I’m not gonna lie; it’s a nice face. It’s the kind of stern daddy face that I dream about when I’ve got my vibrator set on high, but the obstinate man attached to it makes me second guess the gush in my panties every time I see him.

  I don’t want to be alone in this apartment with my thoughts, but I’ve got nowhere to go. My family is all five hundred miles away and the only real friend I have in this city is currently on her way home to shower and jump into her work uniform.

  That leaves me with only one choice, and even as I’m slipping on my flats and throwing on a thin coat of lipstick, I’m still not sure it’s a good one.

  I swear Officer Albright jumps when I put my hand on his shoulder. Up close, that handsome face looks worn. The bags under his eyes are dark as anything and his crooked smile is weak at best. I guess I didn’t think about the reality of him being out here for so long. If he hasn’t left that means he hasn’t showered or eaten a hot meal or slept in a bed for over three days.

  “If you’re going to try to chase me off, you’re going to have to try a lot hard than that,” he says, ending with a harsh laugh.

  “No, I’ve accepted that you’re here to stay. I was actually just wondering if I could buy you dinner, as a thank you.”

  The hard edges of him soften and I feel his shoulder go just a bit slack under the hand that I still have planted firmly on him. “I’d like that.”

  He stands and offers me an arm like a proper gentleman. It feels wrong to refuse so I tuck myself behind his muscular frame and let my fingers slide over his thick, taut forearm. I expect to feel uncomfortable being led around by this man I hardly know, but with him next to me I feel safe as if there’s a bubble around me that nothing from the outside world can penetrate.