by Susan Stoker
Taylor had agreed immediately. It felt rude to let him fumble with his keys to unlock and open the door, but she did as he’d requested.
Within two minutes, she heard the familiar sound of the locks disengaging as Eagle opened his door. “Hey, Flower,” he said.
“Hi!” she returned, walking up to him. Going up on tiptoe, she kissed him long and hard.
When they finally broke apart, Eagle grinned and said, “If a little alone time gets me a greeting like that, I’m gonna have to insist you have alone time every day.”
She smiled back at him. Lying in bed earlier, surrounded by his scent, had made Taylor very horny. She hadn’t touched herself, but she’d thought about all the amazing things he’d done to her in that very bed. She was primed and ready and couldn’t wait to show him later how much she appreciated every little thing he’d done for her recently.
A wonderful smell hit her nostrils, and she looked down. Eagle was carrying two paper bags with the logo of the Chinese restaurant they liked to order from. Her brows lowered in confusion. “You got Chinese?”
“Yeah, I told you I was going to bring dinner home.”
“But you ordered pizza.”
“What?” Eagle asked.
“Pizza,” Taylor repeated. “I put it in the oven to stay warm. The delivery guy said you ordered it.”
“Me specifically?” Eagle asked, all business now. He walked into the kitchen, and Taylor followed.
“Yes. He said your name. He said”—she closed her eyes to remember exactly what the man had said—“Eagle ordered it.”
“Fuck!” Eagle swore. “I didn’t, Taylor. I would’ve let you know if I’d done that. Besides, I would’ve picked it up and brought it home myself so a stranger wouldn’t show up at the door and scare you.”
“God . . . I’m such an idiot,” Taylor whispered.
Eagle pulled her into his embrace, but she didn’t relax or put her arms around him.
“It’s okay. You’re okay.”
She shook her head. “At least I didn’t open the door this time. I told him to just leave it outside.”
“That was smart,” Eagle told her.
Taylor looked up at him. “How’d he know your name?”
“I don’t know.”
That didn’t comfort her in the least. They stood together for another minute or two before Eagle pulled back. He turned from her and opened the oven door. The sight of the pizza, which had smelled so good earlier, made her stomach turn.
Eagle put on an oven mitt and pulled out the box. He placed it on the counter and looked at the information on the receipt at the edge of the box . . . and frowned.
“What?” Taylor asked. “What does it say?”
“It’s addressed to Thanatos,” Eagle said grimly.
The hair on Taylor’s arms stood up. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah.”
“That was the name of the guy who rear-ended me,” Taylor said unnecessarily. It was obvious Eagle recognized the name.
“It’s got your address on it, too, not mine,” he informed her. Then he flipped open the box—and swore again.
Taylor walked up to his side and stared down at the pizza. It looked cheesy and gooey, covered in pepperoni, sausage, and chopped olives . . . but the olives were arranged in such a way that they spelled out a word.
Soon.
Taylor shuddered violently.
“I’m calling the cops,” Eagle declared and reached for his phone.
Taylor grabbed his arm. “To tell them what? That I let someone into my apartment and he changed my air filter, then left? That a man ran into my car, promised to take care of the damage, and didn’t? To tell them we got a pizza we didn’t order? They aren’t going to take this seriously, especially when I can’t describe the guy. Yeah, I can tell them what he was wearing—overalls, a pizza-place uniform—but that’s it. We have no evidence of anything!”
By the time she finished speaking, she was almost hysterical.
“I’m going to keep you safe,” he told her.
Taylor shook her head. “You can’t! He’s just fucking with me now. He could’ve hurt me in my apartment the other day, easily, because I stupidly opened the door to him! Now he’s letting me know he can get to me at any time. Even here! But for some reason, he’s waiting for something. Toying with me!”
“Listen to me,” Eagle pleaded, but she couldn’t. Everything seemed to be crashing down on her.
“He knows your name! What’s next? He’ll go after you? We don’t even know who this guy is or why he’s messing with me!”
“I hope he does,” Eagle said.
“No! I don’t want anyone coming after you! Or me! It doesn’t make sense. What’d I do to deserve this? I just want it all to stop!”
“It will.”
“When, Eagle? When is it gonna stop?”
“I don’t know, but—”
“No one knows! It might never stop! I could be eighty-seven, and this guy could still be messing with my head!”
“He won’t. He’ll make a mistake and—”
Taylor was too far gone to listen to his efforts to placate her. “I need to leave. To move. Go someplace where no one knows who I am or where I’m from, maybe then I can—”
It was Eagle who didn’t let her finish a sentence this time. He pulled her into him, one hand behind her head and the other arm banded around her waist.
Taylor struggled to get out of his grip, but he wasn’t letting go.
“I love you!” Eagle blurted almost angrily.
Taylor froze.
“I love you,” he repeated a little softer. “I’m not going to let anyone get their hands on you. I’ve never felt for someone the way I feel about you, Taylor, and I’m not going to let anyone fuck up what we have.”
Taylor lifted her head, Eagle’s hand shifting so his fingers were in her hair. “You love me?” she repeated meekly.
“Yes,” he said, simply and without prevarication.
Taylor was literally at a loss for words. No one in her entire life had ever told her that they loved her. Not that she could remember.
“Tay? Say something,” Eagle pleaded.
And for the first time, she saw the uneasiness in his gaze. He may not have meant to blurt out his feelings, but she didn’t want him to regret them. Not for one second.
“I love you too,” she told him, voice breaking. “You’ve made my life better in so many ways, I can’t even list them all.” Then she admitted her deep shame. “No one has ever loved me before.”
“Their loss,” Eagle said immediately. “You’re the most loveable person I’ve ever met,” he told her.
They stared at each other for a moment before Taylor asked, “What are we going to do about this guy, Eagle?”
“We aren’t going to do anything. I am. Silverstone and I. We’re going to find this asshole, and you’re going to keep on living your life as best you can in the meantime. It does mean you probably won’t get much alone time in the near future, until we nail his ass.”
“I have no problem with that,” Taylor agreed without hesitation.
“You’re going to have to get used to me being around you every second of every day,” Eagle warned.
“Okay,” she said. Then asked, “Is that supposed to be a hardship? Because it’s really not.”
She couldn’t believe she was teasing him seconds after a mini breakdown. In the past, when she’d been bullied, her foster families hadn’t cared. No one had done a damn thing about it. And now here she was, with a former Delta Force soldier completely pissed off and determined to find whoever was stalking her to make him stop. She’d honestly never felt safer in her life.
“Eagle?” she asked.
“Yeah?”
“Remember when you told me last night that you’d teach me how to give a blow job?”
Eagle’s eyes widened, and Taylor could see his pupils dilate. “Yes . . .”
“I thought about that all afternoon. I’
m ready. I want to please you like you do me. Help me forget about all of this, especially that asshole . . . just for a little while. Please?”
He moved quickly, turning and shutting the lid of the pizza box. He grabbed the Chinese food and put it in the fridge. Then he took hold of her hand and practically dragged her down the hall toward the bedroom.
“We’ll eat afterward, and I’ll call Bull and the others later to let them know about the fucking pizza.”
Taylor couldn’t help but smile as she stared at the back of Eagle’s head. She should probably still be losing her shit over whoever it was who seemed to delight in scaring the hell out of her, but at this moment, all she could think about was getting her hands—and mouth—on Eagle’s cock. He hadn’t let her play much up until now, claiming that he’d lose it too fast if she did. But for tonight, all bets were off. She was his, and he was hers. “Sounds good. I love you, Eagle.”
“I love you too, Flower.”
Brett couldn’t stop fantasizing about how freaked out his Taylor must’ve been when she’d opened the pizza box to find the message he’d left for her. He had no idea if she’d read the name he’d put on the label, but it didn’t matter. He was ready to claim what was his.
His to break.
His to torture.
His to kill.
Using her boyfriend’s name had been genius. He’d heard the relief in her voice when he’d used it. Sneaking around and spying on her had gained him the perfect information to notch up the torment. Showing up at the boyfriend’s place had been a risk, but it was one well worth taking.
He’d have to be ready at all times now. Follow her around and wait for just the right moment to grab her. Brett had no doubt he’d be successful. He hadn’t been caught so far because he was smart and careful.
Taylor Cardin would soon be at his mercy. All he needed was a small window of opportunity, and she’d be his. No one would get in his way. Not even that fucking boyfriend of hers with the ridiculous name.
And if the man had to die for Brett to get what he’d waited months to claim . . . so be it.
Chapter Fifteen
“This guy’s a ghost,” Bull said in frustration. “It’s pissing me off.”
“He’s been lucky,” Gramps agreed.
“Lucky?” Smoke spat. “He’s managed to avoid every surveillance camera we’ve found so far. We literally have nothing other than approximately how tall he is and the fact he’s got brown hair. Somehow he’s managed to avoid the cameras at her place and Eagle’s. He’s obviously very good at staying under the radar, almost as if he’s had plenty of practice.”
Eagle sat at the table in the safe room listening to his friends discuss Taylor’s stalker. They were no closer to catching him now than they’d been five days ago, when the guy had dropped off the fucking pizza at Eagle’s apartment. The man knew where they both lived. It was a good bet he knew about Silverstone Towing too. And somehow he’d found out Eagle’s name—which all added up to the fact that he’d repeatedly gotten way too close to Taylor for Eagle’s comfort.
But the best thing Taylor had going for her was that Eagle wasn’t going to let this asshole get anywhere near his woman from here on out.
He and Taylor had practically moved into Silverstone Towing. There was no way anyone was getting through all the security they had there. And while it might not make Taylor comfortable, she was never alone.
Eagle hadn’t taken any towing jobs since the pizza incident, and he spent as much time as possible trying to track down the mysterious man. With no luck.
The man really was a ghost, and it was frustrating as hell.
Surprisingly, Taylor had been taking everything in stride. She hadn’t complained about basically being locked down at Silverstone. Bull, Smoke, and Gramps were also impressed by her stoic attitude. When Eagle had asked her last night if she was all right with everything, she’d laughed. Actually laughed. Then said, “Eagle, if I have to be on lockdown anywhere, this is where I’d want to be. There’s a safe room, I have a personal chef, all the pinball I can play, and you’re never farther than a few steps away. What do I have to complain about?”
When she put it like that, Eagle had to agree. But still. He knew this wasn’t easy. Knowing someone was out there stalking her, and not knowing why, sucked.
But in an hour or so, they were heading to Bloomington. Eagle had talked it over with her, and they’d decided to go down today, spend the night, hang around Bloomington for the day, go to the awards ceremony tomorrow evening, spend another night, then come back to Indy on Sunday. That would give them both a weekend away to enjoy themselves and have a bit more privacy than they’d had recently, and it would give his team a chance to hopefully figure out who the fuck was messing with her. It was a win-win situation.
But Eagle couldn’t shake the feeling of dread that had taken root in his belly.
“When are you guys leaving?” Gramps asked, jerking Eagle back to the present.
“In about an hour or so. We need to stop by both our apartments to grab some things. I need my tux, and Taylor needs to get her dress and a few other things.”
“How you gettin’ there?” Smoke asked.
“I think we’ll go down 37 to Martinsville. I thought about taking the scenic route from there, but it might not be a good idea to get off the main road, just in case.”
Bull and Smoke nodded, but Gramps said, “Although it might be harder to follow you if you don’t take the main route into Bloomington.”
“I’ve thought about that,” Eagle said. “I’m going to play it by ear. If I feel at all uneasy, I’ll probably stick to the more populated route.”
“If you need us, yell,” Bull said.
“You know I will,” Eagle reassured them. “I’m hoping this will be a stress-free weekend for Taylor. Even though she’s been handling everything well, I know she’s nervous leaving Silverstone.”
“Sucks,” Smoke commiserated.
“How’s your arm?” Gramps asked. “Back to full range of motion?”
“Yeah, it’s good,” Eagle told them. “It was stiff for a while, but now the wound just itches, and it doesn’t even hurt when I do push-ups.”
“Good.”
“Hey, Eagle,” Bull said.
“Yeah?”
“Happy for you,” his friend said. “It’s obvious things between you and Taylor have progressed past the friendship phase. You look happy.”
“I am,” Eagle said, not embarrassed in the least to admit it. “Things just kind of happened when I got back. I was hurt and thinking about what I might’ve missed out on if that bullet had been a few inches to the right, and when she saw I’d been wounded, she kinda flipped out too.”
“We all like her,” Smoke added. “She makes you laugh, which is awesome.”
“The test will be to find Gramps someone who makes him laugh,” Bull said with a chuckle.
“Fuck off,” Gramps said with a little shake of his head. “I laugh.”
“Not really, and then usually at our expense,” Smoke threw in.
“You too?” Gramps growled at Smoke. “I thought you’d be on my side, being single and all.”
“Look . . . I know when Eagle first told us about Taylor, I wasn’t all that enthused about relationships. But she’s grown on me. I’ve had a chance to get to know her better, and I really like her. And Skylar. Both women have been good for Bull and Eagle.” Smoke shrugged. “If I could find someone as great as they are, I might not mind settling down. You know, someone who doesn’t give a shit about how much money is in my bank account and likes me for me. But I’m not counting on it.”
“It’ll be hard to find anyone around here who doesn’t know you inherited a shitload of money from your uncle,” Eagle said.
“I know,” Smoke said on a sigh. “But hell, if Bull and Eagle can find women, then there’s got to be hope for an asshole like me. I just need to go on more towing calls to find a nice damsel in distress.” He grinned.
&n
bsp; Bull, Eagle, and Gramps all rolled their eyes at the same time. “You don’t want a damsel in distress,” Bull told him. “You want a woman who can hold her own when the shit hits the fan. Who doesn’t fall apart in a stressful situation. Someone who can fight by your side as easily as she can fight when you aren’t there.”
“Does a woman like that exist?” Smoke asked.
“Yes,” Bull and Eagle said at the same time, then smiled at each other.
“Of course you two think that,” Smoke grumbled. “You’ve already found your women.”
“Gramps? You’re being awfully quiet over there,” Bull said with a smirk.
“I’m not going to speculate on love. I have no idea if there’s anyone out there for me. If there is, I’m gonna take her exactly how she is. Short, tall, fat, thin, snarky, sweet . . . timid, or a woman who’s not afraid to speak her mind. As long as she can put up with me, I’m good with anything.”
“You’re not that hard to put up with,” Eagle said.
“I’m forty-five and have never been married. What does that tell you?”
“I think you’re selective . . . as you should be,” Bull said. “Don’t settle. Trust me, when you find your match, it’s worth all the lonely years that came before her.”
Quiet settled over the team for a moment.
“On that note, my brain hurts from trying to figure out who this asshole is who’s stalking Taylor,” Eagle said. “I’m going to leave you guys to it and get out of here. If you need me, or if you find out any information, please let me know. I might be taking the weekend off, but . . . not really. On the off chance this guy follows us to Bloomington, I need to be on the lookout.”
“You think he will?” Gramps asked.
“That’s the problem. We don’t know what this guy’ll do. He must’ve followed her to my place at some point. He hasn’t acted maliciously, per se, but he’s still menacing. Until we find him, and know what his motive is, we have no idea what he’s got planned. He might decide to follow us, or he might decide he doesn’t want to leave the Indianapolis area to do his stalking. But I’m not taking any chances.”