by C. M. Steele
I found a local hotel on the southwest side and got a room for a week. I felt my life was never going to be right. I’d been running for two years now and was on my third teaching job. I should just give up. I already had enough money to live on for the rest of my life. My parents’ death had left me with three million in a wrongful death suit with the train company. The biggest problem was that I craved a family. I wanted children and couldn’t have them because of Ken, so teaching was the next best thing.
~~~~
The next morning, I drove to work, still sleepy from a busy night. I was quitting at the end of the year. Arriving early for our Monday morning meetings, I was in for the shock of a lifetime.
“Selene, we have a new teacher joining us this quarter, Mr. Ken Matthews.” My heart was racing. My worst nightmare was here to haunt me. His smug expression was all I needed to know. He was beyond insane. It was crazy for him to be this close to me and risk me calling the police, but that just proved how nuts he was.
Then he turned to Ken and said, “This is Selene West. She teaches kindergarten.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said sweetly while giving me a look that no one would think was odd, but I knew I was in trouble.
“Mr. Matthews, so where did you teach before?” I asked, letting him know I was going to play along. That is until I could make a break for it.
“Selene, call me Ken. I actually stopped teaching after I moved. I waited for a position and have been working at the local history museum,” he remarked as though making regular conversation, but he was letting me know how he found me. He saw me that day. The day I met Devlin. I hope he didn’t see Devlin talking to me. Panic set in that he would attack another innocent man because of me.
“That’s interesting.” I turned back to the other staff members and let the meeting continue as it should. I was ready to have a nervous breakdown when I felt his foot rub mine under the table.
I wanted to report him, but I’d been through this before. He’d never been charged with anything that stuck. They didn’t even revoke his teaching license. For all I knew he would get away with it again.
My phone pinged with a text message from Devlin.
Good morning, Selene.
“Somebody’s popular,” Ken said teasingly pretending like he was trying to be friendly as he tried to see my screen, but I knew he was pissed. If he couldn’t have me no one could. He made that clear more than once.
“Excuse me, Principal Redding, but I have to call my doctor’s office back,” I lied calmly.
“Oh, I love those text reminders they send. It always keeps me on track,” Miranda said. Thank you, Miranda, I mentally said.
I walked out into the hallway, then to my classroom where I closed and locked the door, then called Devlin back. He picked up on the first ring. “Hi, baby. I hope you’re having a good day.”
“Devlin, please don’t contact me anymore,” I told him as firmly as I could, but I wanted to jump into his arms and ask him to protect me.
“Tell me you’re not interested in there being an ‘us’ and I will,” he added. I knew he was telling the truth. He walked out yesterday when he saw I really wanted him to leave. I wanted to say I wasn’t, even though I was more than interested, but after what happened to James, I couldn’t.
“Say something, Selene,” he ordered. His voice was unsure like he was afraid of the answer.
I looked to see Ken staring right into the classroom door. “I have to go,” I said in a rushed whisper and hung up the phone.
I needed to face down my dangerous stalker. He wasn’t going to leave me alone until I did. I planned to confront him in the hallway, but he pushed his way in, closing the door behind him.
The kids would be here any minute, so I was certain this wasn’t the time for him to make his move. I called him out. “Ken, it seems you haven’t gotten over your fascination with me.”
He stepped closer, looking crazed. I was suddenly second guessing my words. “You’re meant to be mine. I know it wasn’t the doctor’s office, unless there’s a Dr. Devlin that calls at seven just to tell you good morning.” I didn’t know how he knew it was Devlin.
“Stay away from me or I’ll report you,” I threatened.
“No one believed it before. There is no one to help you run from me. You can’t hide from me. I couldn’t believe my luck when that broad tore up the paper with your name and number on it. It took six months to find you again. This time I’m not letting you get away. Could it be that you were talking to Devlin Jacobs? I saw you two in the office that day. Stay away from him or he’ll be next.”
“Why me?” I asked almost in tears.
“We’re perfect together. Don’t you see that?!” he roared as he inched closer to me. His hand brushing my cheek, making me shudder.
The bell rang, and it saved me. It’s cliché, but true.
He leaned into me a little closer, then whispered, “I’ll see you later. If you tell a soul that you know me, maybe one of your precious students won’t make it home.”
I gasped at his words. He knew he’d won. The first student walked into the classroom, and he gave the little girl a big smile and me a nod before waltzing out the door. I was shaking as I tried to get through the school day. I never took the chance of running into him. It was almost time to go, and I was a mess. I didn’t leave when my students did. I wanted to make sure everyone was safe before I fled. I hated to do it, but I was going to run again. I would leave a note with the hotel owner to give to the school.
When I walked out the door, I could feel him behind me. Then I heard, “Mr. Matthews, can I have a moment of your time?” The principal stopped him and that was my chance. I rushed out as fast as I could. My car was the farthest from the rest, almost on the street. I was about halfway there when Devlin hopped off my hood and walked toward me. He was about fifteen feet away from it when I watched my car explode with everything I owned in it. I knew it was Ken. I rushed to Devlin who was laying on the ground. Screams and cries were all around me. I felt like I was reliving my past all over again. I cradled Devlin’s head and begged him to be okay.
Chapter 5
Devlin
My eyes were opening, but I could barely make out a shadowy figure in front of me. I kept blinking, and it worked. My vision cleared, but my head felt like hell. I looked at my father who had a smile on his face. “You’re awake, son. God damn it, boy, who’d you piss off this time?” he tried to joke, but the shaking in his voice told me he was frightened. He grasped my hand and I squeezed it back.
I tried to crack a smile, but his words only served to make me furious. “It wasn’t me, but I want to know who is after her,” I growled.
“After who, son?” my dad asked fearfully.
It was a fucking close call today, but I didn’t know how she was. I knew she wasn’t close enough for the blast to get her, but I wondered if it was just a diversion to snatch her. “Selene. Her car was the one that exploded. Damn, my head is throbbing.”
“Devlin, you suffered a concussion, as well as some bruising and scrapes, but thank God you didn’t blow up, too,” he said. I could feel my body and besides being sore as hell there wasn’t too much wrong.
“Do you remember what happened, sweetheart?” my mother asked, stepping up and sweeping a kiss on my forehead.
I told them what happened. “I was sitting on the car, but when I saw Selene come out of the building and into the lot, I jumped off and started walking towards her. She looked scared, so I rushed and then boom.”
“Well, I guess she had reason. Who is she?” he continued to question me, but I didn’t mind talking about Selene.
“The woman from the museum,” I said as I hit the button to lift my bed to a sitting position.
“The bitch who cost the company our business because she was acting like a slut?” He was indignant.
“No, the other one,” I admitted proudly.
“Oh, the one you were interested in. The single mother
?”
“Yeah, that’s her, but she doesn’t have any kids. She’s a teacher. Now I need to know who’s after her,” I stated with conviction. My father nodded next to me.
“Please, Devlin, stay out of it.” I looked to the door. Selene stood right there, watching me with tears in her pretty blue eyes, her arms hugging herself.
“I’m not going to,” I stated plainly. I was already too invested. She didn’t have any idea yet, but she soon would. The fact that someone tried to steal my something special from the world would be the reason for their eventual fate. I didn’t get to the top playing nice and walking away with my tail between my legs.
“You don’t know what he’s capable of,” she tried to plead with me.
“The guy from last week?” I growled, thinking it was her lover who may have found out about me.
“There was no guy. I lied. It’s my stalker. He found me again.”
“Dad, call Reggie in. I need a favor,” I quietly requested. My father stepped out of the room for a second, but not before giving me another small nod. I knew what he meant, but now wasn’t the time to talk about my relationship with Selene.
“Devlin, please. You’re lucky to be alive. Just leave it alone,” she pleaded again, but she was crazy if she thought I was just going to let this go. Even if it wasn’t for her, I wanted revenge for myself. Sitting there, I just stared at her beauty. She was perfect even stressed. She hadn’t changed out of her school clothes yet, and I thought she looked sophisticated and sexy. Her dress suit was a light gray color and tight to her figure. My father walked back into the room and said, “Done.” Reggie would be here soon to protect my woman.
“Come here for a moment, please, Selene.” She came fully into the room, but unhurriedly to the side of my bed. She was nervous as she looked around at my parents. “Selene, this is my father, Devlin, Sr, and this lovely woman is my mother, Marie. Dad, Mom, this is the beauty I told you about.”
“Devlin, please. Just forget you met me. I’m leaving before he finds me here,” she sobbingly muttered. I could feel the fear pouring off her. I knew the guy was dangerous, but I’d protect her with everything I had.
“Why didn’t you have him arrested?” my father asked Selene. If he’s her stalker, I couldn’t believe she didn’t have him locked away already.
“Mr. Jacobs, sir, it’s not that easy. He’s gotten away with it. It’s his word against mine. When I went to file a restraining order, they told me he would get my address, so he’d know to stay away. I refused because I didn’t feel it would protect me. Then he came around and I went back to do it, only to find he’d just filed one on me. They had me keep my distance from him, and I used that to get far away”
“How could he get away with that?” I shouted. I took her hand in mine, holding it tight. She didn’t pull away, but I could see that ready to run look on her face.
She took a deep breath. It was clear it was something big. I wondered if they had a relationship and it ended badly. “Because I accused him of attempted murder, and since he supposedly had an alibi, it looked like I was out to get him.”
“Who do you think he attacked?” I inquired. This fuck was super dangerous.
“I don’t think, I know.”
Squeezing her hand, I asked, “Who, baby?” I wanted answers because somebody was going to pay.
She took a long time to speak. “My then boyfriend. He walked straight up to us in a mask and shot James right in the chest. I’ll never forget Ken saying it was my fault. Now, please, Devlin, for your own safety, stay away from me.” After dropping that bombshell, she pulled her hand out of mine and rushed from the room.
My dad had his phone to his ear by the time she reached the door.
Chapter 6
Selene
I rushed out of the hospital in a hurry, looking around like a crazed woman. Not sure where I was going, just that I had to get away. It was a foolish thing to do and I learned quickly how dumb I’d been to do it. I didn’t make it far when I was grabbed by a man and tossed into the back of a black unmarked car, who then jumped into the front seat. I thought Ken had gotten to me, and I started to squirm and fight.
“Calm down, Miss West. You’re not going to be hurt. I can promise you that,” he said, pulling out of the parking lot.
“Who are you?” I muttered to my captor, trusting no stranger. He was fast for someone that big and strong.
He turned to answer me. “I’m Reggie, Mr. Devlin asked me to protect you.”
“That was fast. I heard him say something like that about ten minutes ago,” I said.
“I was waiting in the car for Devlin while he stood outside the school. I saw it happen and made the call to the medics, then his family. You were so focused on Devlin that you didn’t even notice me.”
“Where are you taking me?” My emotions were running high, but I suddenly felt safe. I was still worried about Devlin. Ken was nuttier than all get out and needed to be locked away because he would never stop until I was dead.
“Somewhere safe,” he said as he continued to look at his mirrors.
“Are we being followed?” I panicked, twisting in my seat, looking out all the windows. My heart hadn’t stopped pounding in my ears, but now it felt amplified.
“It doesn’t look like it, but we can’t be too careful,” he admitted frankly. He seemed to drive around for about an hour before finally going into a building in the heart of downtown. We were in an underground parking garage. Once he parked, he got out and looked around before he opened the door for me. He never stopped even though we were in a private, gated garage.
“Come, Miss West.” He grabbed my hand, tucking me tightly to his side, and walked me to the bank of elevators. I realized how large he was. He and Devlin had to work out together. They both had broad shoulders and a large frame.
“Mr. Kind, the elevator is secure,” said another big man in camo pants and a tight black fitted shirt with a gun at his waist.
“Are you running a military operation here?” I asked.
“No. Mr. Jacobs specified that I be extremely careful with you,” Reggie said. How did they round up a crew that fast?
“Devlin is the one who needs to be careful.” My fear nearly tore through me again.
“It was Mr. Jacobs Sr. who told me to protect you. Devlin is safe, and he’ll be on his way tomorrow,” he informed me. His dad was trying to protect me.
“Oh…” We entered a private elevator that had a special key to get to the only floor it seemed to go to.
The elevator opened into the entrance of a beautiful and spacious foyer. I walked in, full of trepidation. I’d never been in a place this nice. It was extremely modern, the dark hardwood floors looked brand new, and though the walls were all white, everything else was either gray or black. It was like something you’d see in a magazine. An orchid plant sat in a matte gray vase on a dark wooden table.
“Is this your place?” I turned to ask Reggie.
“No, this is Devlin’s,” he replied. His hand pressed on the small of my back as he walked me toward the kitchen.
“Oh,” I murmured. Instantly, I thought this was where he kept his mistresses or took them to have sex. I didn’t care for that notion one bit. It burned in my gut and my eyes unexpectedly welled with unshed tears. I tried to hide it, but Reggie saw it.
“Miss West,” he called, looking down at me.
“Selene,” I told him. I didn’t like the formality. After having to keep people at a distance for so long, I felt safe enough to be real.
“Selene, Devlin is not as bad as he seems. He may not have had a serious relationship in the past, but it’s not like you’ve read about,” he said. I arched my brow at him and huffed. I didn’t buy that, not after the conversation we’d had yesterday.
“I call bullshit. Maybe you don’t know what he does when you’re not around, but he propositioned me. And that’s very telling.”
“Devlin doesn’t pay for a woman’s company. They have their own
places, and none have ever been here. I can assure you of that.” I wanted to believe that, but I couldn’t shake his words. “If it counts for anything, he regretted what he said to you. He’d kill me for saying anything to you about it, but he really cares for you. He wanted you to move in with him.”
“He wasn’t trying to buy me?” I questioned.
“You’re different to him. You make him different.” Reggie looked at me sincerely. He walked to the cabinet and grabbed a couple glasses. “Please take a seat wherever you like. I’ll get you something to drink and eat. I know you’ve got to be hungry and thirsty right now.”
“I am, thank you.”
“How’s a pop and some leftover pizza sound? That’s all that’s here and fast.”
“That works. He heated up the slices and handed me one. It was cheese and sausage, and smelled so good. “Thanks.”
We were eating and talking about everything. I liked Reggie. “So how long have you worked for Devlin?”
“About six years. We’ve been friends a lot longer, but I was in the Marines for eight years. When I retired, Devlin offered me a job. I’ve been working for him ever since.” I was really getting calm and sleepy. We had moved to the sofa so I could relax and then my cell rang. I blanched when I saw Ken’s name and started shaking so much that Reggie took it from me. He did something with his own phone before handing mine back to me.
“Get him to talk,” he whispered.
“Hello,” I stammered after I hit the green button.
“Hello, my love.” I shivered in revulsion with that endearment.
“What do you want, Ken?” I asked indignantly.
“I want to know where the fuck you cut out to. Blowing up your boyfriend wasn’t enough, was it?”
“The bomb wasn’t meant for him, and you damn well know it.”
“No, it was in case you tried to run again. I told you earlier I wasn’t going to let you get away. All you had to do was surrender to me, instead you chose to run.” His words were frightening, but I had to stand my ground. “What makes you think you’re going to get away this time?”