I handed my Wii controller to Arielle and sat next to Ezra on the couch, handing him my phone without a word. I didn’t want to worry Arielle. He looked at it and pulled me into his side, kissing my temple.
“You’re safe here, angel,” he whispered into my ear.
“But what if I’m not?” I asked. “What if they figure out where I am?”
“Then you’re with someone who isn’t going to let anything happen to you, and who keeps a gun in his nightstand,” he said, still whispering.
Suddenly, I got an idea. A friend of mine, another musician, had a house in the Hamptons. It was gorgeous, private, and had a patio that led right onto the beach. She was on her own tour right now, so I happened to know that it wasn’t being used. And it wouldn’t be obvious that I’d gone there, because while it was obvious that we were friends because we’d posted pictures together on our social media before, no one really knew that we were close enough for me to ask her for access to her vacation home.
“How would you feel about me taking you and Ari to the Hamptons for a couple of weeks?” I asked. “Chanelle Nielson has a house in East Hampton, right on the beach. She’s a good friend of mine, and she’s on her own tour, so it’s not being used right now. I think she’d let us use it.”
He laughed quietly. “Sure, call your other A-list celebrity friend. I feel like I’ve entered some alternate reality where I have connections to famous people.”
“You sort of have. I don’t like throwing my name around, but I have that ability,” I pointed out. “I’ll call her and see, but it looks like we’re going to the beach.”
As I walked out onto the beach, beers in hand, I almost couldn’t believe that this was my life. Even though I lived less than half an hour from East Hampton, I’d never actually spent any significant amount of time here. It was always way too rich for my blood, and I figured it was completely overpriced to spend that kind of money to go to the beach. But now, here I was, watching my daughter play in the ocean while my girlfriend sat on a towel right at the water’s edge laughing at her antics. I had to admit I could get used to this.
“I like this look on you,” I said as I handed Daphne a Heineken.
She smirked as she took a drink. “Maybe if you’re lucky later you’ll get to take this look off of me.”
Okay, so the hot pink bikini she was wearing was borderline torture. Coupled with her belly button ring today, which was two pink fire opals? Agony. And my swim trunks weren’t doing much to hide what it was doing to me.
“I wouldn’t complain about that, but I meant the relaxed look. I haven’t seen nearly enough of it.” I sat down next to her and stole a kiss.
Daphne leaned back against me and took a long pull from her beer. “Is it weird that it hasn’t even been that long and I already barely remember what it feels like to be relaxed?”
I set my beer down in the sand and pulled her over so she was settled between my legs. Like it was just instinct, she curled closer to me, as if she was trying to shield herself from the outside world.
I’d be her shield for the rest of my life if that was what it took, but what I wanted more than anything was to give her a life that she didn’t need a shield from. A life where all she had to worry about on her concert tours was being mobbed by screaming fans and having the paparazzi sneak pictures of her without her knowledge. A life where we didn’t have to hide anymore, and where the worst thing we had to worry about was how to make this work when I wasn’t working on her tour anymore. Because, as far as I was concerned, us not working wasn’t an option. Maybe it had only been a few months, but I couldn’t imagine my life, or Arielle’s life, without her anymore. She just fit, like she’d always been here.
“No,” I told her, pressing my lips to her hair. “It’s not weird. But it’s also not permanent. Because we’re going to find this guy. And we’re going to stop him. You know that, don’t you?”
“I know you’re going to do your best. But we don’t even know who he is. So how are we supposed to find him, let alone stop him?”
“He’s getting desperate,” I sighed. “I could tell that when you got that fucking chastity belt delivered to the arena two and a half weeks ago. And what he did to your house? He’s spiraling, and fast. Yes, that means he’s more dangerous now, but it also means he’s more likely to make a mistake and do something that’ll tell us who he is.”
“I hope you’re right. I don’t know how much longer I can live like this. Being scared every second of every day that maybe this is the day he’s going to come for me,” she sniffled.
I put my hand under her chin and turned her face toward me. Her eyes were brimming with unshed tears and the fear and uncertainty in them broke my heart.
“You’re not the only one who’s scared, Daph,” I said, just above a whisper. “Thinking about anyone trying to hurt you scares the shit out of me. I…I won’t let anything happen to you.”
A sob caught in her throat as she claimed my lips, and I tightened my hold on her, trying to reassure her that I wasn’t going anywhere. And trying to show her those three little words that I was still too much of a chickenshit to say out loud.
“Okay, it’s been a while since I’ve actually made this, so be kind,” Daphne chuckled as she set three plates full of pasta primavera with grilled chicken and a plate of homemade garlic bread on the table.
“I’m just impressed that you know how to cook. Don’t most people in your circle have personal chefs?” I teased.
Arielle giggled, but Daphne groaned.
“Do I really seem like that much of a snob?” she asked.
“Maybe a little?” I said, like it was a question.
“Daddy, be nice,” Arielle scolded.
“Listen to your daughter,” Daphne laughed as she set a bottle of white wine in the middle of the table and a glass of lemonade in front of Arielle. “Ari, it’s okay if you pick around some stuff, but will you do me a favor and try a bite of everything before you decide you don’t like it? And it’s all covered in cheesy sauce, so I bet you won’t even be able to taste a lot of the veggies anyway.”
If she managed to get Arielle to eat anything green, she deserved a medal. I’d tried getting my stubborn daughter to eat pretty much every green vegetable known to man, with no success. She always insisted that she didn’t like it and refused to even take a bite. And, frankly, I had to pick my battles, and green vegetables was one that I was never going to win, so I’d stopped trying.
“Okay,” Arielle muttered.
“Thank you,” Daphne said, ruffling my daughter’s hair as she sat down. “That’s what my parents always told me. It’s okay if you don’t like something, but you have to at least try a bite first.”
As I grabbed Daphne’s glass and started to pour the wine, Arielle stabbed a piece of broccoli with her fork like she was trying to murder it and shoved it in her mouth. I rolled my eyes, and Daphne’s lips twitched, like she was fighting a laugh. But, much to my surprise, she didn’t immediately spit it out.
“Well? What’s the verdict on the broccoli?” I asked.
“It’s okay,” Arielle announced. “It’s not my favorite, but it’s not disgusting.”
“Okay, Daph, you’re officially a miracle worker,” I chuckled, kissing her cheek.
After Arielle practically licked her plate clean, Daphne stood up and started collecting the dirty dishes, but I took them from her.
“You cooked; I can manage loading the dishwasher,” I told her.
“Okay,” she said, taking another sip of her wine. “I won’t complain. Ari, what do you think about watching one of my favorite Disney movies tonight?”
“What is it?” Arielle asked.
“It’s called Moana. I think you’ll like it.”
“I’ve never seen that one.”
“That’s what I heard. So, think we can give Anna and Elsa a break tonight and give Moana and Maui a shot?”
“Sure.”
My phone rang, and I pulled it out, i
ntending to send it to voicemail. But when I saw that it was from my security alarm company, my stomach dropped to the floor. I quickly left the room to take the call, almost positive what I was going to hear.
“Hello?” I answered, unable to keep the tremor out of my voice.
“Hi. This is Belinda with All-American Alarms. I’m looking for Ezra Ramsay.”
“You found him,” I told her.
“Mr. Ramsay, the security alarm at your home was triggered at seven-seventeen this evening. Was this an unintended activation?”
Shit. Maybe it was me jumping to conclusions, but I couldn’t help feeling like this was connected to the break-in at Daphne’s house. Thank God Chanelle had agreed to let us use the beach house. Even if this was just a random break-in, at least all they’d found was an empty house.
“No,” I choked out. “No. I’m out of town with my girlfriend right now. That wasn’t a false alarm.”
“Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. We’ll go ahead and notify your local law enforcement,” she informed me. “Is there anything else they should know?”
I knew I needed to tell the police what was going on, but the less people who knew, the better. And I really didn’t want to explain this situation to a call center employee in God knew what state. Especially not when I was still so close to Montauk. I could easily go meet the police at my house and be back here in a couple of hours. I trusted Daphne with Arielle.
“Just let them know I’ll meet them at my house. I’m only half an hour away,” I said.
After I hung up with the alarm company, I went back to the living room, where Daphne was busy pulling up Moana on a streaming app.
“Sorry to say this, but you ladies are on your own this evening,” I announced. “I have to run back home really quick, but I’ll be back in time to say goodnight.”
“Everything okay?” Daphne asked me.
“Come talk to me for a minute,” I sighed. I couldn’t keep this from her.
I headed back toward the master bedroom, where we were set up, and grabbed my gun and holster just in case. Daphne’s hand landed on my arm, and I turned to look at her, taking her face between my hands.
“I need you to stay calm for me, angel,” I murmured, kissing her forehead.
She took a shaky breath, but nodded.
“The security alarm at the house was activated. That was the alarm company on the phone just now. They’re notifying the local police, but I want to go there and meet with them. Explain the situation and make sure they don’t miss anything.”
“No,” she whispered. “He found me.”
I pulled her into my arms and squeezed her tight. “No, baby. He found my house, which was empty, thanks to you. You’re still safe. But I need to go meet with the police and tell them what’s been going on. So I need you to stay here with Ari.”
A few tears wet my shirt, and I made a snap decision. I took my gun off my belt and put it on the nightstand. I hated thinking about Daphne having to use that gun, but I also didn’t want to leave her with absolutely no protection.
“You ever fire a gun before?” I asked her.
“Once, at a gun range,” she sniffled. “But it was a .22, not a .45.”
I gave her a quick tutorial on how to safely fire my gun, and with every instruction I gave, more tears fell. I felt like a horrible boyfriend for leaving her, and like the worst father in the world for leaving Arielle, but I couldn’t see any other option.
“Don’t go,” she said in a small voice. “Please.”
A lump formed in my throat and it felt like an invisible hand was clutching my heart. Leaving her was the last thing I wanted to do, but I also didn’t want to let the police process this crime scene alone and end up missing some sort of evidence that might have told us who this freak was. I didn’t have a choice.
“I’ll be gone for two hours, tops,” I told her, giving her a kiss and folding her back in my arms. “Watch Moana with Ari, get her showered and ready for bed, and I’ll be back before bedtime. I promise.”
Daphne kissed me, and the heart-stopping terror that I felt coming from her almost made me rethink my decision. But then she pulled back and took a deep breath.
“Be safe. And come back to me,” she sniffled.
I kissed her again. “I will always come back for you. Always.”
There were two police cars with flashing lights sitting outside my house when I pulled up. I quickly parked the car on the street and approached one of the officers.
“Excuse me, officer?” I asked.
“I’m sorry, sir. I’m going to have to ask you to step back. This is a crime scene,” he said, like a robot.
“This is my house!” I exclaimed.
“We’re almost finished processing the scene, and then you may go inside,” he informed me, still in the same monotone voice.
“Okay, we’re all clear!” came a voice I could have sworn I recognized, from inside the house.
A minute later, one of my friends from high school, Tommy Parker, walked outside, holstering his gun.
Thank fuck. Someone who would actually give a shit. Someone who might actually help me so I could get the fuck back to Daphne and Arielle. I’d left them in that house unprotected, and now these fuckwads weren’t letting me into my own house to see what the hell had happened.
I ignored the officer next to me as I walked toward Tommy.
“Tommy!” I called.
His head turned in my direction. “Ezra. What are you doing here?”
“This is my house,” I told him. “I was out of town with my girlfriend. She’s been getting anonymous threats for the past few months, and her house got broken into a couple of days ago. That’s why we left town. I think her stalker found her here.”
Tommy looked like he was debating something for a moment, then sighed. “I’m not supposed to do this, but you work in security, right?”
I nodded. “I can’t tell you who my girlfriend is, but I can tell you that she’s someone you’ve probably heard of. I started as her security guard a few months ago, and she’s been getting notes and threats ever since I’ve been working for her.”
“Come with me,” he instructed.
I followed him inside, where I found a broken television, a broken Wii, and a couple of pictures of me and Arielle broken in their frames on the floor.
“There’s more,” Tommy told me. “Come on.”
I followed him to Arielle’s bedroom. The bed was broken, and a picture of us had been smashed on the floor.
God damn it. Now this psycho knew that I had a daughter. And that meant this wasn’t just about keeping Daphne safe anymore. It was about keeping Arielle safe too. Because clearly there were no lengths this person wouldn’t go to. And that meant he would have no issues hurting Arielle to try to get to Daphne, or even out of revenge.
And then he took me to my bedroom. The bed had been trashed, just like Arielle’s was, and there was a huge hole in the drywall above it, like someone had driven their fist through the wall.
“Thank God you were out of town,” he said quietly, then pulled a flat evidence bag out of his jacket pocket. “This was left on your bed. I can’t let you take it with you, but I’ll let you snap a picture if it’ll help you and your guys catch the son of a bitch.”
Before I even looked at it, I quickly pulled my phone out and snapped a photo. After checking to make sure it came out clear, I slid my phone back in my pocket and took the evidence bag from Tommy. It was a handwritten note that looked like it was scrawled on the back of a bill I hadn’t paid yet.
The longer you try to stay away from me, the worse it’ll be for you. You’re only prolonging the inevitable, doll. You WILL be mine soon, and you’ll learn what happens to bad girls who don’t obey.
I went over the note a couple of times. There was something different about the language. It wasn’t just that it was getting more threatening and hostile. There was something familiar about it too.
And then it hit me. When Daphne made
the call to tell her manager to authorize the extra guards in New York, he hadn’t wanted to do it. And right after she threatened his job if he didn’t sign the paperwork, she’d told him to stop calling her “doll” and hung up on him.
I’d told Daphne that her stalker was spiraling. I’d told her that he would slip and make a mistake. And I was right. He had. He’d left a note calling her by a name that only he used for her. A name she hated.
Hugh Shapiro was Daphne’s stalker.
I was waiting for Arielle to get out of the shower and get changed into her pajamas when Ezra walked back in the door, and from the look on his face, I knew. I was right. My stalker had figured out I was with him and tried to kidnap me from his house.
And when they didn’t find me there, how long would it take until they found out I was here? It wasn’t a secret that I knew Chanelle. Granted, the media didn’t know that we were more than just casual acquaintances, but still. It wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility for them to try to figure out who else I knew in the area and break into every single person’s house. They’d already proven how sick and depraved they were, and they’d already proven that they’d stop at nothing to get to me.
The second Ezra’s eyes landed on me, he sighed in relief and it looked like the weight of the world had been lifted off of his shoulders. He came and sat next to me, enveloping me in his arms without a word. Like he’d done on the day that damn chastity belt had been delivered to me. Tears stung my eyes, and a few slipped down my cheeks as I returned his embrace.
“Where’s Ari?” he said, just above a whisper.
“In the shower,” I told him.
“Good. We need to talk, and I don’t want her hearing it.”
“How bad is it?” I sniffled.
He let go of me and took his phone out of his pocket, fiddling with it for a second before handing it to me.
“You tell me,” he said.
Falling Angel Page 25