by Susan Stoker
“Of course. Now that you’re here, I know that guy won’t come back.”
Eagle wanted to tell her that he loved her, but this wasn’t the time or place. He wouldn’t be able to keep quiet for long, however. Everything in him begged to let her know how much she meant to him. That he wasn’t going to let her go. Not ever.
But . . . first he had a mystery to solve.
Brett scowled as he recalled the way the man Taylor was dating had prowled the parking lot, looking for him. The dumb bitch had ruined his fun by calling the guy. He had no idea how she’d gotten an inkling that he wasn’t who he said he was. She shouldn’t have been alarmed at all. He knew she couldn’t recognize him. He had to have given something away.
But even if he wasn’t able to fuck with her head today, he’d loved the way her voice had trembled as she’d talked on the phone. He’d gotten to her—and it had been just as exhilarating as he’d known it would be.
Brett couldn’t help but think of how scared she was going to be when he got her into his basement and tied her down. Completely at his mercy. There wouldn’t be anyone for her to call to come save her.
It was almost time to put his plan in motion. He’d been following her for months, and the more he got to know his Taylor, the more excited he got. But he had one more face-to-face meeting planned for her . . .
Brett had overheard her talking on the phone when he’d followed her around a grocery store just days ago. It was clear by the obnoxiously flirty banter she’d been talking to her boyfriend . . . and she’d called him Eagle.
It was perfect for his last surprise. Using the man’s nickname would make her trust him—then completely freak her out once she’d seen his “delivery.”
As for snatching her, he still had to wait until just the right moment. When there weren’t any eyewitnesses around to describe him to the police. When it was just the two of them.
When he could overpower her and bring her home.
“Donald?” he heard his mother call out from above his basement lair, and he sighed in frustration.
“I soiled myself again. I need help!” she said in a voice that wavered with fright.
“Fuck,” Brett swore. He didn’t mind when his girls peed in terror. That was amusing and exciting. But cleaning up his mother’s excrement wasn’t any fun.
Deciding she could sit in her own shit for a bit longer, Brett went back to planning his last encounter with Taylor. She knew something was up now, which made things trickier, but learning the name of that asshole she was dating would make it easier to gain her trust. She’d find out that she should’ve been more careful, but not until it was too late.
Yes, while it was fun to mess with her head, it was almost time. Time for the real fun to begin.
Chapter Fourteen
Eagle looked over at Taylor and couldn’t help but smile. They were hanging out in the basement of Silverstone Towing, and she had a wrinkle on her forehead as she concentrated on the manuscript she was reading. He’d never thought he’d be enamored of how a woman looked while she was reading.
He and the guys hadn’t found anything in the parking lot at her complex, nor around it. He’d talked to the manager of the place and verified that maintenance was scheduled, but the apartments on Taylor’s floor weren’t scheduled to have their filters replaced until tomorrow. Eagle didn’t want to think about what might’ve happened if she hadn’t had the presence of mind to call him while the man had been in her apartment.
Taylor had been very hard on herself as well, pissed that she’d let the man into her apartment in the first place. He’d tried to reassure her that she’d done nothing wrong . . . but that didn’t mean they both weren’t taking more precautions with her safety.
She’d been spending the night at his apartment since the maintenance-man incident, as they were calling it. Eagle had been mildly concerned he’d feel stifled, that having her in his space twenty-four seven would be awkward. But in actuality, he loved it. Genuinely liked having her there. They never seemed to run out of things to talk about, and she was equally happy sitting next to him without saying a word. It was refreshing, and it solidified his decision to do whatever it took to make her want to be with him forever.
During the day, they’d been coming to Silverstone Towing to hang out. She worked while he took a few shifts. He and the team discussed where their next mission would take them . . . it was looking like Africa, to deal with the leader of Boko Haram, who’d recently attacked another girls’ school and taken more hostages. They’d learned that in the latest incident, there had been an American kidnapped along with the girls. No one had heard from her or the others who had been taken. It was a clusterfuck, and the leader needed to be stopped.
Along with keeping an eye on international current affairs, the team was also doing what they could to figure out who the man was who’d been in Taylor’s apartment. They weren’t having much luck. The dementia care center didn’t have any information on the man, and in the surveillance videos they’d gotten their hands on from the center and her complex, the guy kept his head down, and they had no opportunity at all to identify him.
It was around lunchtime when Taylor’s phone rang. Eagle listened in on her side of the conversation.
“Hello? Yes, this is she. Oh . . . hi. Yeah. Of course I remember, I loved that story. Really? Wow, that’s awesome. She would? Um . . . yes, I’m interested—when is it?”
Taylor’s eyes met Eagle’s when she said, “I’m going to have to check my calendar and get back to you. Of course. I understand, and I’m flattered she even thought of me. A proofreader isn’t usually on the guest list for most award ceremonies. I know . . . but still. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Probably sometime today. Thank you for calling. Okay, bye.”
“What is it?” Eagle asked as soon as she clicked off the phone.
“That was the agent for one of my authors. I proofread a book last year that ended up on the bestseller list for a few weeks in a row. The author lives in Bloomington and works at Indiana University. The school is hosting a special awards ceremony for her, and she wanted to invite everyone who had anything to do with her book. Her agent, editors, and me, her proofreader.”
“That’s great, Tay,” Eagle said, happy she was getting some recognition for her hard work. “When is it?”
She bit her lip. “Next weekend. I know it’s really short notice, and the agent apologized, but she figured since I’m so close, I could just drive down. But with everything going on, I’m not sure—”
“Accept the invitation,” Eagle interrupted.
“But—”
He walked over to her. “You should go. You work really hard, and it’ll be nice to get out of Indy for a while. Leave all the stress behind.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
She looked up at him uncertainly. “Um . . . I can bring a guest. I’m not sure it’s really your cup of tea, but I’d love to have you with me. I can ask Skylar if you don’t want to go, though, it’s just—”
“Of course I want to go,” Eagle told her, shocked that she’d think for even one second he didn’t want to be by her side.
“Oh, okay.”
“Taylor,” Eagle said quietly, “I don’t know what you think is happening between us, but this isn’t casual for me. I was already going to invite myself to go along with you but didn’t want to be presumptuous. I’m proud as hell of you, and I want to support your career any way I can. And you being invited to an awards ceremony for one of your clients is definitely something I want to be involved in.”
“I’m not getting the award,” she said wryly.
“Doesn’t matter,” Eagle said. “You’re invited because you had a hand in someone else’s success. That’s awesome.”
She stared up at him for a long moment, then said, “Sometimes I lie awake at night and wonder why in the world you’re with me. It makes no sense. I’m the girl who never had a family, never had a true friend, and
now you’ve given me both. Your friends are like your family, and they’ve invited me into their world without a second thought. It’s crazy.”
“It’s because you were made for me,” Eagle said seriously. “We balance each other out. I can recognize everyone, and you can’t recognize anyone. Together, we’re the perfect couple.”
He saw her swallow hard and bite her lip. He hated to see her cry, even if she was happy, so Eagle quickly asked, “Can you get a list of people who might be there? I can study it, find pictures of the big players, and give you a heads-up about who everyone is when we’re at the shindig.”
She blinked at him. “You’d do that?”
“Flower, I’d do anything for you,” Eagle said without hesitation.
“I can ask the agent who will be there and show you their headshots when we get home.”
Home. He liked the sound of that. “Great.”
Taylor threw herself into his arms, and Eagle chuckled and went back on one foot as he hugged her tightly. “Are you happy?” he asked.
“Yes. So much so, I’m afraid everything’s gonna go to hell if I admit it.”
“Nothing’s going to hell,” Eagle said firmly.
Taylor pulled back. “But what about that maintenance guy? We don’t know anything about him or what his motivation is.”
“We’re going to find him,” Eagle said confidently.
“How?”
“If he is truly obsessed with you, I have a feeling he’ll reach out again. Want to make contact. You’re more aware of the people around you now, and you’re more careful. If anything unusual happens, you’re going to take note.”
“I don’t understand why, though,” Taylor said. “I’m nobody. I’m just me!”
“You’re not nobody,” Eagle said. “You’re Taylor Cardin, and you’re amazing.”
She smiled. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Are you at a good stopping point? Want to go up and grab some lunch?”
Taylor fiddled with the name tag on his chest that he’d put on when he’d walked into Silverstone Towing. None of the employees had batted an eye at having to wear them, and in fact, most had been very interested in learning more about prosopagnosia.
“Yes, and yes. I’ll call the agent back later. I don’t want to look too eager and call her back two minutes after I hung up.”
Eagle chuckled. “Come on, then, let’s go feed you.”
“Feed me? You know you’re the one champing at the bit to see what Shawn made for lunch today.”
“True. You got me.”
As he walked up the stairs, Taylor’s hand tucked into his, Eagle made a mental vow once again to do whatever it took to make her feel safe, even if that meant Taylor eventually wanted to go back to her own apartment. He loved having her in his space, but he wouldn’t rush her into moving in. He’d rather she be there because they’d both decided it was what they wanted, not because she was scared and felt as if she had no choice.
Taylor couldn’t keep her eyes open. After a large delicious lunch, and after calling the agent back to tell her she’d be in Bloomington the following weekend with Eagle as her guest, and after reading the same paragraph in the manuscript three times and not seeing a word of it, she realized she needed a break.
She could go upstairs into one of the rooms with a bed and take a nap, but she really wanted some time to herself. Taylor was an introvert. She liked her alone time. Had learned over the years that she was comfortable with her solitary life. And for the last week, she’d had very little private time.
She loved being with Eagle. The man was the epitome of a gracious host. But she wanted to sit in silence and just be by herself for a moment.
But she didn’t want to go back to her apartment. She didn’t really feel safe there anymore, which sucked.
“Eagle?”
“Yeah?” he asked, looking up from the computer he’d been on since after lunch. Taylor knew he and his friends were doing their best to figure out who the mystery man in her apartment was, and dealing with whatever research they were doing for Silverstone. Eagle had been intently clicking away and staring at his computer screen as she’d worked.
“I think I want to go back to your apartment.”
Without hesitation, Eagle closed his laptop and started to stand.
“No . . . I mean . . . I’d appreciate if you gave me a ride, but I need some alone time.”
He stared at her intently.
“It’s not that I don’t like being with you. Of course I do. I just . . . I’m used to being by myself a lot. And while the last week has been wonderful, I could use a few hours on my own. I won’t go anywhere, promise. I might take a short nap, then I’ll make a pot of coffee and work some more.”
Eagle came over to where she was sitting at the small table and leaned over and kissed the top of her head. “You don’t have to explain, Taylor. I get it.”
“You do?”
“Of course. I’ve lived by myself for a long time. I love having you with me, but I know I can be pretty intense, and it’s not a problem if you need a break.”
“It’s not you,” she tried to explain. “It’s everyone. I enjoy being at Silverstone. I feel safe here. But sometimes . . . I just need some quiet alone time. I can’t explain it.”
“You’re doing fine. Will you feel safe at my apartment by yourself?”
“Yes,” she said immediately. “This is stupid, too, but . . . it smells like you. And your scent calms me. Makes me feel as if you’re right there with me. In fact, I might steal one of your shirts and nap in that.”
Eagle grinned. “Feel free to steal my clothes whenever you want. I’d love seeing you in my shirt, wandering around my apartment.”
Taylor rolled her eyes. “You’re such a guy.”
“Yup. Guilty,” Eagle told her. Then he pulled her up so she was standing next to him. “Anything you need, Tay, I’ll bend over backward to give to you. If it’s alone time, you’ve got it. My apartment complex is safe.”
“Thanks. And I might not be a supersoldier, but the same goes for you. I never want to crowd you or make you feel stifled. I know I’ve kinda just moved in over the last week, but I can go back to my apartment if you need me to. I don’t want to overstep.”
“You aren’t overstepping anything,” Eagle told her. “I’ve loved having you in my apartment. Holding you every night is not a hardship. So don’t worry about that.”
“Okay.”
“Okay. Pack up your stuff, and we’ll get you home. You want me to pick something up for dinner?”
“Well . . . yeah, if that’s okay. I could cook, but I’m not sure what we have. And cooking might break into my nap time.” She grinned.
“Perfect. I’ll think of something, then. Taylor?”
“Yeah?”
He stared at her for so long, she began to get nervous. Then he said, “Nothing. I’m just so happy we got our heads out of our asses and admitted that we wanted more than a friendship.”
“Me too,” Taylor said.
Three hours later, Taylor felt much better. Eagle had walked her up to his apartment, kissed the hell out of her, then left her alone. She’d changed into one of his T-shirts, taken a forty-five-minute nap, worked a bit more on her current manuscript, and she was currently lying on the couch, watching a cooking show on television.
She was hungry, but Eagle should be leaving Silverstone soon, and he’d be bringing dinner home.
Taylor had no idea when she’d started thinking about Eagle’s apartment as home, but she wasn’t troubled by it. Pretty much wherever Eagle was seemed like home to her. As a child, she’d moved from foster home to foster home so often, she’d never felt as if she belonged anywhere. And her apartment was fine to sleep and work in, but it had never really felt like a true home.
Here, everywhere she looked, there was something to remind her of Eagle. Not to mention his scent, which permeated every nook and cranny.
A sudden knock on the door had Taylo
r stiffening.
Shit, not again!
She looked at her phone, hoping she’d missed a text from Eagle, but he hadn’t sent her any messages. It was about time for him to be home, but why would he knock on the door? He had a key.
Tiptoeing to the door, not wanting anyone to know she was there, she looked through the peephole. A man wearing a red-and-blue shirt stood there, holding a large flat box that was immediately recognizable. Pizza.
“Who is it?” she asked.
“Pizza delivery,” the man responded.
Taylor closed her eyes and tried to decide if she recognized the man’s voice. It was impossible to tell. “I didn’t order a pizza.”
“Right. The guy who did told me to tell you that Eagle ordered it.”
The fear in Taylor’s gut dissipated at hearing Eagle’s name.
“He already paid for it too,” the delivery man added.
“Just leave it out in the hall,” Taylor told him without opening the door. She’d learned her lesson with the maintenance man. While it was likely Eagle had ordered it since the delivery guy knew his name, she wasn’t going to take any chances.
“Sure thing, no problem,” the man said.
Taylor watched through the peephole as he bent down, obviously placing the box on the floor, and she waited a few moments after he left before cautiously opening the door.
She grabbed the delicious-smelling pizza and locked the door behind her before heading to the kitchen. She wanted to dive into it right then and there, but that would be rude. Since he’d ordered a pizza, that meant Eagle would be home soon. So she opened the oven, set it on low, and placed the box inside, hoping that might keep it warm until Eagle arrived.
Twenty minutes later, Taylor’s phone buzzed with a text.
Eagle: I’m on my way up.
Loving how considerate he was, Taylor stood and waited impatiently for him to arrive. She’d unlocked the door and waited for him with the door open once, but he’d scolded her, saying he’d prefer she just stay locked inside until he got there. All it would take was ten seconds for someone to overpower her, and he didn’t want that to happen.