Real Shadows

by M. E. Clayton

  I inwardly cringed at her words.

  Karla’s plan was simple. She claimed her husband’s best friend was the most honest man she knew, aside from her husband, and her plan was sound. See, her plan was that this: Xander Raynes would put my entire life in his name financially, and that way I could live life off the grid and the odds of finding me would diminish greatly. Karla promised he was a decent guy and I could trust him not to make off with everything I owned-but didn’t own.

  Over the past six years, I’ve managed to save about eighty-thousand dollars, and I was looking to buy a small home or use most of it for down payment on whatever I could find. I planned on finding a cheap, used car, but even then, I was finding Brant to be small enough that I might be able to get away with not having a car. Of course, I needed a job first before most everything else.

  For years, I’ve fought this…invisible monster on my own. And the first time I agree to lean on someone for help, it’s a complete stranger who owes me nothing.

  I trusted Karla, though. And I had to accept that if she says this guy is trustworthy, well then, he must be. But what about his wife? Did he have a wife? Kids? I’m entrusting my life to a complete stranger and that’s probably just as frightening as living in fear of someone coming for me.

  I said the only thing I could say. “Thanks, Karla. That sounds good.”

  Her smile remained. “I’ll let you get settled,” she replied as she walked out of the room.

  Ironic words considering that I didn’t think I’d ever feel settled.

  Chapter 6

  Xander~

  I cut off the engine after pulling up to the curb in front of Trevor’s house and, again, I swore a blue streak for even showing up.

  It’s been a shitty day and, sitting here, I realized I didn’t really want to do this.

  I mulled over everything Karla had said, but at the end of it all, I’d be tying myself to a complete stranger financially. Even if she did pay for everything, I would still be taking responsibility for someone who was embroiled in some seriously heavy drama. And after a supplier trying to fuck me earlier today, that didn’t sound enticing at all. The love of money was the root of all evil for a reason.

  Not to mention, if I did this, what would happen if I did meet someone I wanted to get serious with? What then? How would I explain this crazy situation?

  I took a deep breath and steeled myself for the conversation I promised to have. I gave Karla my word that I would hear her friend out and really give this proposition some serious thought. And I would. I have. It’s all I’ve been thinking about. However, I still couldn’t shake the twinge in my gut telling me that I shouldn’t get involved in this mess. My instincts were telling me not to borrow trouble when I didn’t need to. I had a great life. Why would I risk fucking it up for a complete stranger?

  I got out of my truck, click the key fob to lock it, and made my way up the walkway to the front door. I’ve been here a million times. But, right now, I felt like a formal guest. I felt like I was here officially, and the feeling left a lot to be desired.

  I rang the doorbell and waited until Trevor or Karla answered. A few seconds later, Trevor was opening the door, and that told me they were already in there waiting on me.

  Trevor smiled. “Hey, man.”

  I gave him a quick nod. “Hey,” I greeted back.

  I watched as his eyes sliced to the side and he closed the door tighter behind him before facing me and saying, “Look, Xander, before we go in there, I just want you to know that there will be no hard feelings if you say no to this.”

  I wasn’t too sure about that, but I nodded anyway. I knew Trevor wouldn’t hold it against me, but I wasn’t too sure about Karla. “Okay. Sure, man.”

  He grimaced a bit before opening the door all the way and stepping aside, so I could enter. “We’re all in the back,” he said. “On the deck.”

  Since I knew my way around, I didn’t bother with letting Trevor lead the way. I just started walking towards the back of the house and he followed. Once we got to the sliding glass door that led out onto the decking, I slid the door open and the two women immediately stood up from their chairs.

  Karla smiled at me and walked over, engulfing me in a hug. “Hey, Xander,” she greeted. “Glad you came.”

  Hugging her back, I leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Hey, Kar,” I replied.

  She stepped back and reached over to pull her friend next to her. Looking back and forth between us, Karla made the introductions. “Xander Raynes, I’d like you to meet my very good friend, Fallon Reese.” She reached behind Fallon and rubbed her back. “Fallon Reese, I’d like you to meet Xander Raynes. He’s Trevor’s best friend and my friend, as well.”

  Fallon’s arm shot out as she reached over to shake my hand. “Hello, Mr. Raynes,” she said. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  I understood why we were here, but I wouldn’t be a man if I didn’t notice how attractive Fallon Reese was. She stood about five-foot-five-inches and, from what I could tell with her clothes on, she seemed to be perfectly proportioned to fit her frame. She didn’t have over-exaggerated tits or ass. She had a delicate hourglass figure that boasted of anatomical perfection.

  However, her stature was the only thing ordinary about her. Her fucking face was stunning. She had ink-black hair and ice-colored eyes. They danced back and forth between light blue and grey. They were framed by dark-as-night lashes, and they sat underneath a perfectly plucked set of brows. She had a delicate nose that sat perfect between two rosy cheeks, and her lips were evenly plump. There was no denying that Fallon Reese was beautiful, if a little tired looking.

  I took her hand in mine and her small hand was immediately swallowed whole by my hold. “Hi. It’s nice to meet you,” I repeated. “And you can call me Xander.”

  She pulled her hand out of my grip and I felt a quick stab of irritation, but I ignored it as she said, “In that case, you may call me Fallon if you don’t think it will interfere with…uh, business.”

  My irritation inexplicably spiked at her choice of words. “I-”

  “Why don’t we all sit down,” Trevor suggested, cutting me off. “Do you want something to drink?”

  I glanced over at him as the girls returned to their seats. “Yeah,” I answered. “A beer. Whatever you got.” He nodded and went back into the house as I turned to eye which seat I was going to take. I opted to sit next to Karla, directly across from Fallon, so I could read her face as we spoke. I needed to absorb as much as I could about the woman and her situation.

  Trevor came back outside with my beer and, after handing it over to me, he sat next to Fallon. Trevor was sitting directly across from Karla, and I was sitting directly across from Fallon. I wasn’t sure how the girls felt about the seating arrangement, but that was the least of our problems. This shit was uncomfortable as hell.

  Karla finally spoke, trying to ease the awkwardness. “So…uhm, I only told Xander the basics,” she started. “I…uhm, felt it would be better if you answered his questions directly instead of third party.”

  Fallon gave Karla a small nod before turning that powerful gaze my way. “What questions did you have?” she asked, point-blank.

  “You’re positive you’re being stalked?” Fallon’s entire back snapped straight, and I knew I had hit a nerve.

  A big one.

  She recognized her immediate response to my question, and I watched as she took a deep breath and said, “I apologize. I’m a little sensitive when it comes to that question.” I didn’t comment, but she went on to elaborate. “I’ve dealt with a lot of…unhelpful police officers in the past and that question puts me on the defensive.”

  I had thought it was a fair question, but I could see how indelicate the delivery might have been. I should have just listened to her story before raising doubts about it. “I’m sor-”

  “No,” she said, shaking her head and interrupting my apology. “With what is being asked of you, you have the right to ask that questi
on.” Fallon shrugged a shoulder. “Any question, really.”

  I leaned back in my chair and took a drink of my beer. After swallowing, I repeated the question. “So, are you sure you’re being stalked?”

  “I’ve never lived with anyone before,” she replied. “And after the first two years, or so, of…this, I stopped inviting friends to my home. No one ever came over and very few people knew where I lived, no matter where I was living. And every time I would come home to find something in my apartment moved or messed with.” She let out a humorless chuckled. “And I don’t believe in ghosts, Mr. Raynes.”

  We had just given each other permission to use our first names, but she called me Mr. Raynes, anyway. That meant she knew I was going to say no, or she wasn’t going to trust me beyond this arrangement.

  My irritation level spiked again.

  I wasn’t so clueless as not to know that we saw through each other the second we shook hands. She knew I wasn’t going to believe her and do this, and I knew she wasn’t expecting me to.

  “Karla’s explained about how your cameras never seem to work, and she mentioned that you’re not exactly comfortable with a gun,” I replied.

  Fallon nodded in agreement. “I think he might be into computers, or something, because my feeds are always corrupted. And she’s right about a gun. I have nothing against them. I just don’t think I’m…calm enough to be responsible with one.”

  “And the police have never found fingerprints or…anything like that?”

  “Contrary to popular belief, the police don’t go to great lengths for victimless crime,” she answered with a little bite in her voice. She obviously felt let down by our men in blue. “I’ve never been attacked, and nothing has ever been stolen, Mr. Raynes.” That ‘Mr. Raynes’ crap was really starting to annoy me for some reason. “After all these years, it’s still just my word that something is amiss.”

  “And you think living off the grid, with nothing in your name, will finally get you free of this person?”

  “Nothing else has worked so far,” she replied. “And, right now, I don’t have a better idea. I’ve moved too many times to count, and he or she still finds me. Do you have a better idea?”

  I didn’t. But then, this was all new to me. I’ve never had a stalker or have stalked someone. I didn’t know the first thing about taking precautions for something like this. But I did find it strange that someone obsessed with her enough to stalk her for years has never attacked her.

  I stared at this stunning woman in front of me and I knew I wasn’t going to help her.

  I couldn’t be sure it wasn’t all in her beautiful, crazy head.

  Chapter 7

  Fallon~

  He wasn’t going to help me.

  I knew it the second I shook his hand.

  He looked at me like he already knew I was more trouble than I was worth. There was no logical reason for him to invite drama into his life, and I didn’t blame him. I just resented this little song and dance he was insisting upon when he knew he wasn’t going to help me.

  I doubt he ever was.

  “I’ll admit, I’ve never had to deal with something like this, so, no, I don’t really have any…informed ideas on the subject,” he answered.

  I began to digest his words but quickly stopped. His words didn’t matter at this point. Besides, it was probably a good thing that he wasn’t going to help me.

  When Xander walked out of the house onto the deck, I couldn’t help but notice how hot the man looked. He was tall, even by men’s basic standards. He had to be a couple of inches over six-foot, at least. He had rich, dark brown hair and light brown eyes. His eyes were bright and intense, and a person could easily get lost in them. He filled out his button-up and jeans beautifully, and his sleeves were rolled up to showcase muscular, sinewy forearms.

  He had a straight nose and sharp cheekbones. His jaw was strong and pronounced, and it worked for him. Karla had mentioned he was thirty-years-old and he looked it.

  He looked good.

  The last thing I needed was to give into the possibility of an attraction that can usually occur between men and women simply for just being a man and a woman.

  “Look, I understand this is…unconventional, and…” Christ. How do you explain something so personal to someone who doesn’t believe you or doesn’t care? “I know this is a lot to ask.”

  Xander cocked his head and his eye narrowed a bit, studying me. “It’s just…difficult to grasp that someone has been stalking you for years, yet, hasn’t made a move to…I don’t know. Isn’t the point of stalking someone to, eventually, get to them?”

  “Sometimes, it’s about the hunt,” Karla said, chiming in. “I’ve read up on it, and the studies say that sometimes the stalker is obsessed with the fantasy and not the reality. If he makes himself known, then he no longer has the upper hand. He can no longer get off on frightening her. Stalkers control their victims through fear.”

  I looked back at Xander. “The only thing I can conclude is that if he attacks me or makes himself known, then this all ends. Whether by him killing me or him getting arrested, it still ends. He’s had a one-sided relationship with me for years. Maybe he just doesn’t want it to end.”

  He looked to be pondering my reasoning, but I knew it was just for show. He was obviously close to Trevor and Karla, so my guess was he didn’t want to look bad in front of them. Xander needed to go through the motions, so Karla wouldn’t think he was a dick.

  “So, how would this work, exactly?” he asked before taking another drink of his beer.

  I took a deep breath and laid out Karla’s plan. “I would look for a house I can afford, but you’re the one who would buy it on paper. You’d have to be the one to meet with the realtors, banks, or mortgage lenders. The second an offer is accepted, I’ll give you most of my cash for a sizable down payment on the property. I’d give you money for all the deposits on the utilities and stuff, too.”

  He glanced over at Trevor and I didn’t like it. While I had nothing against Trevor, and even liked him, Karla was my friend. Karla was the one who knew what was going on. What could Trevor offer Xander regarding all this?

  Xander looked back at me and asked, “Okay, so what about a job? I mean, you put your house and bills in my name, but you’re going to have to work for a living, right? What’s the point of doing all this when you’re going to have to find employment under your real name?” Xander shrugged a shoulder. “Seems to me that if he is versed in computers or is a cop, he’s going to be able to find you as soon as you land a job.”

  This is the part where things got tricky and a might bit illegal. “I’m hoping living in a small town there might be an opportunity to find something that’s cash only and under the table, maybe,” I admitted.

  His brows shot up in surprise. “And if you can’t?” he asked.

  “I have enough savings to get me by for a while,” I told him. “I was hoping to include a car in all this, as well. I could always find a job a couple of hours away if I have to. I don’t mind a commute. I don’t have a husband or kids, so the drive time won’t take away from anything.”

  “So, now, there’s a car in my name, too?” he asked, and no one could miss the irritation in his voice.

  Before I could reply, Trevor stood up and said, “It looks like everyone needs top offs.” He jerked his head towards the house. “Help me grab some more drinks, Xan.”

  I bit the inside of my cheek as Xander took the hint and stood up to follow Trevor into the house. This was turning into one of the most embarrassing disasters of my life, and that’s saying something.

  As soon as the sliding glass door shut, Karla reached over and patted my hand on the tabletop. “It’s going to be fine, Fallon,” she said unconvincingly. “He just…Xander’s just trying to wrap his mind around everything.”

  I didn’t trust myself to address her comments, so I took the coward’s way out to buy myself some time. “I’m going to visit the restroom really quickly bef
ore they get back with the drinks,” I told her and then stood up to go into the house.

  I shouldn’t have lied.

  I shouldn’t have lied, and I should have stayed my ass outside with Karla.

  I wasn’t thinking about how I’d have to use the hallway that passed near the kitchen to get to the guest restroom. I didn’t really think about it until I heard Trevor’s and Xander’s voices as clear as day.

  “Alright, I admit, she’s Karla’s friend and I don’t know much about her, Xan,” Trevor was saying. “But Karla believes her, so…”

  “Come on, Trev,” Xander replied. “Do you really believe someone’s been stalking this woman for years and the cops haven’t been able to help her? It’s like a bad Lifetime Original Movie. She was raised in foster care, only to have someone from her past, suddenly, start stalking her years later, but she has no idea who it could be.” I heard the crack of a can open. “Then the dude’s been stalking her for years by doing nothing but moving some shit around in her house?”

  “Karla vouches for her,” Trevor repeated. “That’s good enough for me to have her in my house.”

  “Because you had a choice?” Xander countered. “And even so, Trev, it’s not you or Karla who is putting themselves on the line for someone who is probably just crazy.”

  Trevor’s voice sounded incredulous and genuine. “That’s a bit harsh, don’t you think?” he asked. “You just met her. Why do you doubt her story?”

  “I know you’re married and you’re wildly in love with your wife, Trev,” Xander replied. “But you can’t tell me love and marriage has made you blind. That woman is beautiful. Do you really think if a guy were obsessed with her enough to stalk her for years that he wouldn’t have made a move by now?”

  “How the hell would I know?” Trevor exclaimed. “I’m not a stalker. How the fuck would I know what goes through a psycho’s mind?”