by Anne Rainey
As she turned a corner and started down the long, winding road to her apartment complex, her mind once again went back to Wade. God, the man was beyond delicious. His large, hard body and gorgeous brown eyes were like something out of a tough guy action movie. She’d been sucked in. He’d grinned at her, and she’d nearly fal en at his feet. His dark hair seemed forever disheveled. Models spent good money on hair products to get that tousled look, while Wade simply ran a hand through his hair. Women sighed as they watched him, longing to do the same. She knew, because she was one of those women.
The first time he’d asked her out, she’d nearly caved. Then, like an omen, a bel on her computer signaled a new e-mail message. When she recognized the e-mail address as her stalker’s, the “yes” she’d been about to utter died on her tongue. She’d tried every trick in the book since to keep Wade at a distance, but, damn, the man was tenacious. She had to admit to herself that he didn’t push, not real y. Deep down Gracie knew if she truly meant no, he’d hear it and leave her alone. He wasn’t an ass, just intuitive. He knew the attraction wasn’t al on his side of the desk. He just couldn’t understand why she was so reluctant to act on it. Unfortunately the truth simply wasn’t something one brought up in casual conversation. “Oh, by the way, you might become the target of a crazy man if you and I went out on a date. My stalker has this thing about having me all to his wacko self.” Yeah, that’d go over wel .
As she neared the S curve a half mile from her home, Gracie pushed the maudlin thoughts out of her head and concentrated instead on simply getting home in one piece. Friday night, and she was alone. Damned pathetic. Pressing her foot down on the brake, Gracie managed the first curve and had started into the second when something slammed into her rear bumper.
Gracie automatical y hit the brake. As she slowed down, her hands shook as panic started to settle over her. She glanced in the rearview mirror, but it was too dark to see more than a set of headlights behind her. She started to move her smal sedan to the side of the road, her mind already on cal ing the police and exchanging insurance information, when another impact, harder this time, sent her car careening out of control.
“Oh, God!”
Panic turned to al -out terror as she witnessed the other vehicle speed up and smash into her yet a third time. As fear tore a scream from her throat, her car spun. Looking through the windshield, Gracie’s gaze locked onto the thick woods, and the deep ravine she knew lay hidden fifty feet beyond. She clutched the wheel in a death grip and pushed the brake pedal clear to the floor, her only thought on keeping from diving into that ravine. Her car tore through weeds and brush, the world turning upside down. Suddenly, everything went black.
2
Gracie woke to a conversation that sounded way out of control. While she tried to get her eyelids to lift, she heard her father’s bel igerent voice, and she stil ed.
“I’m her father! You have no right to keep me from seeing her.”
“You can see her once you’re sober. I won’t have my patient stressed unnecessarily.”
“Bul shit. Gracie can handle it. She’s a sturdy girl.”
“That may be, but I can’t al ow you to upset her in her condition. I wil cal security and have you escorted out of the hospital if you insist.”
“Fine. What the hel do I care? Damn girl’s nothing but trouble anyway.”
Gracie waited for her father to leave before she opened her eyes. Her gaze clashed with the doctor’s, and she saw sympathy there. She’d seen that look before. First on the teachers’ faces during her school years and later on her boyfriends’. She hated that look.
The elderly doctor took her wrist and looked at his watch. After a moment, he smiled, kindness in his brown eyes, before writing something in her chart. “So you decided to stop playing possum, huh?”
Gracie tried to sit up and regretted the action instantly. “Ouch.”
“You have a fractured wrist and lots of bruising. Thank God that’s al you ended up with, considering.”
She remembered then. “My car.”
“Is probably totaled,” he said, compassion clear in his expression. “Did you have insurance?”
“Yes. And I wasn’t playing possum . . . exactly.”
“Wel , young lady, you’re very fortunate. The outcome could have been much worse. Your seat belt and airbag saved your life. The good news is you wil mend, and you can buy a new car.”
“I can leave then?”
He patted her hand. “Let’s wait until tomorrow. I’d like to do a few other tests to be sure everything is okay.”
Damn, she hated hospitals. The last hospital she’d been to she was ten years old, and her grandma had lain there dying. Gracie had been too young to understand why her grandma couldn’t just wake up and come home. After she’d passed, Gracie had been left alone with her father. Her mother had never been in the picture. She had no memories of her at al . Her father never let her forget how grateful she should be that at least he’d stuck around.
“In the meantime, there are a few people who want to see you,” the doctor said, interrupting the train wreck of her thoughts. “A Cherry DuBois and Wade Harrison. Ring any bel s?”
“Cherry’s my boss, and Wade is . . .” She stal ed out. What was Wade?
“A friend, yeah, I figured that out by the way he was carrying on in the hal . He’s none too happy to be kept outside the room. He rather insisted on seeing you immediately.”
She smiled despite her aches and pains. “Persistent. Yes, that’s Wade.”
“Would you like to see them? They’re pretty anxious about the accident. I don’t think Wade is going to be convinced you’re alive until he sees you with his own eyes.”
“Of course. Thank you.” Then another thought occurred. “Wait, who told them about the accident?”
“You asked us to cal your boss. Don’t you remember?”
She shook her head. “I remember driving home from work, but nothing much after that.”
“A hit-and-run.”
Gracie tried to remember, but her mind was a blank slate. “Someone hit me then took off?”
He nodded, his eyebrows scrunching in anger. “It happens more than you’d think.”
“I wish I could remember. It’s so strange. I just remember getting in the car and starting out of the parking lot.”
“Don’t force it; you’l remember soon enough.” He paused a moment, then said, “You were in shock when the paramedics brought you in, but you did ask someone to cal Ms. DuBois. I believe she notified your friend and your father. Speaking of which, when your father returns would you like to see him as wel ?”
She knew what he was asking. Say the word, and she wouldn’t have to deal with his drunkenness. She sighed, wishing she’d gain a damn backbone for once. “It’s fine, doctor. I’m used to him.”
“If you’re sure.” He stepped away from the bed and went out the door. Seconds later, Wade strode through it, his expression set in hard lines.
When he looked at her, he stopped and cursed.
“Do I look that bad?”
He grunted, then closed the distance. “You look like hel .”
Gee, what a charmer. “Thanks, real y.” She tried to smile, but it hurt too much.
“The airbag,” he explained when she touched her cheek. “You have bruises al over your face from the impact. It looks like you went a few rounds with a heavyweight.”
“That’s about how I feel.” She looked over at the cast on her wrist and groaned. “What a mess. I real y didn’t need this right now.”
He pushed the hair out of her face and tucked it behind one ear. His touch was so gentle; it surprised her that a man so large and intimidating could be so tender.
“What happened? Al I got was that it was a hit-and-run accident at a curve near your apartment. How’d you end up in some damn ravine?”
As she stared at him, a memory started to break through the fog blanketing her mind. “It wasn’t an accident.”
&nb
sp; Wade frowned down at her. “Tel me what you remember.”
Her heartbeat sped up as fragments of memories surfaced. “I just . . . I think someone forced me off the road on purpose.”
“What makes you think that, Gracie?” he asked, his gentle tone drifting over her body in a soothing caress.
“Someone hit me from behind.”
“We know that much, and it bites that he took off, but how was it a deliberate attempt to force you off the road?”
“Not once, Wade. He slammed into my car three times. I think he was trying to . . .” The e-mail from her stalker popped into her mind. His warning that she needed to learn obedience. It’s for your own good; remember that. No, she was reading too much into his words. It was an accident. A drunk driver maybe. That had to be it, right?
Wade stroked her hair. “Gracie, is there something going on that you’re not tel ing me? Talk to me, honey. Let me help you.”
“I don’t even know where to start.” Her voice broke when she admitted, “H-He’s . . . I’m just so tired, Wade.”
Wade’s hand stopped moving. “Wait, he? Is this about an ex-boyfriend or something?”
“I wish it were so simple. No, he’s not an ex-boyfriend. It’s about . . . I have a stalker.” It sounded so insane when she said it aloud.
Wade was quiet a moment, as if assessing whether she’d lost her mind when her car had gone into that spin. “Since when?” he final y asked, his voice matter-of-fact enough to calm her anxiety.
“He’s been e-mailing me for about two months.” She let out a breath and plucked at the bed sheet. She hadn’t realized how good it would feel to confide in someone. She’d kept it to herself for so long.
Wade moved his hand away and crossed his arms over his chest. “How often does he e-mail? And does he communicate any other way?
Has he approached you?”
She answered his questions in order. “He used to e-mail once a day. He’s graduated to nearly every three hours. And yes, he’s cal ed. I can’t swear it’s him, because he never says anything, just sits there, listening. The cal er ID always says ‘unknown.’ ”
“He hasn’t approached you? Have you gone to the police?”
She shook her head, regretting it when her brain seemed to rattle around inside her skul . “No, he hasn’t approached me. I did go to the police, but the e-mails haven’t been threatening so there wasn’t a lot they could do.”
Wade touched a fingertip to one of her bruises and growled low. “And you think this guy is the person who hit you?”
When he put it like that it sounded absurd. Like something out of a movie. “I don’t know what I think. I don’t even know why I brought it up.”
“You brought it up because you think he tried to drive you off the road. Don’t negate your gut instinct, Gracie. It’s trying to tel you something; listen to it.” She nodded, and he went on. “I’m going to be severely pissed at you later for not tel ing me about this guy before. For now, you’re going to do what the doctor says. After the tests, you’l rest. When you get out of here, you’re coming to stay with me.”
The authoritative attitude didn’t sit wel . She’d been taking charge of her own life since she was ten years old, after her grandmother had died, leaving her with her drunken father. Gracie wasn’t about to stop now. “Forget it, Wade. I’m fine at my own apartment.”
His dark espresso eyes locked onto her and held. “Yeah, I can see how fine you are. This asshole tried to kil you, damn it.”
“What?”
Gracie groaned as she looked at the door. Cherry and Dante stood there. Dante had his arm around a very pale Cherry. Gracie glared at Wade and grumbled, “When I can move again without pain, I’m going to kil you. One inch at a time.”
Cherry walked to the other side of the bed and took Gracie’s hand. “You can threaten him later. What’s this about someone trying to kil you? I thought this was a random hit-and-run accident.”
Gracie fil ed Dante and Cherry in on everything. By the time she was finished, Cherry, the traitor, was siding with Wade. “Please, Gracie, I’d feel so much better with Wade protecting you. He’s a good PI. He can find out who this guy is and put a stop to it. Let him help.”
“I’m going to talk to the police again,” Gracie hedged, unwil ing to drag anyone else down with her. “There might be more they can do this time.”
Wade rol ed his eyes, as if the very idea was ludicrous. “Unless there was a witness, and I’m not seeing one at the moment, there isn’t much they’re going to do.”
He had a point, but it stil surprised her that he would suggest she not involve the police. “You don’t think I should tel the police about this?”
Wade sifted his fingers through his hair, mussing it beyond repair. She ached to reach out and touch the dark strands. It drove her crazy wondering about the texture. “You should definitely make a statement,” he said. “This needs to be on record. I’m just saying there might not be much they can do. On the other hand, I can do what the cops can’t.”
Gracie pul ed her attention back to the problem. Wade managed to distract her just by being Wade. He always had. “Like what?”
“I can devote countless hours to finding out who this dickwad is and keep you safe at the same time.”
Gracie was starting to see his point. Al the same, she didn’t want him in potential danger. The idea that something could happen to Wade caused her stomach to rol . “No, it would put you at risk. For whatever reason this guy has it in his head that I belong to him. If he learns you’re helping me there’s no tel ing what he’d do. I think the only reason he hasn’t done anything drastic so far is because I’m alone. I haven’t dated anyone for a long time.”
“You know this by the fucking letters he sends?”
“E-mails,” she corrected. “And yes. It’s crazy, but he cal s me his ‘love’ and tel s me we’l be together some day.”
“You’re in the hospital because of this asshole,” Dante said, his Italian accent thick as he glared down at her.
“Yes, but why are you in the hospital?” Cherry asked, al eyes suddenly on her. “What set him off enough to drive you off the road?”
Gracie’d known that question would pop up. “It’s because I wouldn’t quit working at Serene Comfort, which he sees as some sort of den of iniquity or something. He saw that as ‘disobedience. ’ This was his way of putting me in my place.”
“Oh, God,” Cherry cried.
“I’m stil not quitting.” Gracie clutched the sheet with her uninjured hand. “I’m sick of playing his game.”
Wade spoke up then. “So, the accident was his way of letting you know who’s in charge.”
“Yes. Wel , at least I think that was his plan.”
Wade smiled, but the smile was fil ed with menace. She’d never seen him look so cold. “Then maybe we should push him a little harder. It could bring him out in the open.”
Gracie didn’t like where Wade’s mind was going. “You think tempting a lunatic is a good idea?”
“I’m saying if he thinks you’re no longer his love, maybe he’l get careless, make a move. Then we can catch him.”
“That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard. Besides, I don’t have a lover and, considering he thinks of me as belonging to him, I’m pretty sure that’s the one thing that would real y set him off.”
“You’re about to come and stay with me. He’l think we’re lovers. That should be enough.”
He said it as if it were a foregone conclusion. “But we aren’t lovers.” She tried to hold on to her temper when she gritted out, “And I didn’t agree to live with you, so stop putting words in my mouth.”
“We’l see,” he said as he stepped away from the bed. “First, you need some rest. We’l talk about al this tomorrow.”
“We’re done talking, Wade. I’m not moving in with you, and that’s final.”
Cherry and Dante both smiled. Cherry patted her hand. “Everything’s going to work out fine. Y
ou’l see.”
Why did she feel as if she’d lost an argument? Cherry let Gracie know she’d be back in the morning. As Dante escorted her out the door, Gracie was left alone with Wade. She looked up at him and sighed. It’d be easier to say no if he resembled a trol . With his sexy grin and rock-hard body, she could al too easily imagine relying on him to solve this mess for her. No, it’d be crazy to put him directly in the path of a stalker.
“I can see those thoughts as clearly as if they were flitting across your face. You think I should keep my nose out of it. You’re worried I’l get hurt.”
“Wrong. I’m worried you could get kil ed.”
“Gracie—”
She cut him off with a hand in the air. “Look at me, Wade. This was just a warning. He’s teaching me a lesson. What do you think he’l do if he suspects we’re sleeping together?”
“Do you honestly believe he’l be content to keep you at a distance forever? Eventual y he will make a move on you. The only thing I’m suggesting is that we force him to act sooner rather than later. This way we’l be ready.”
“He might just lose interest.” Even as she said it she knew she was deluding herself. “It’s possible he’l just get tired of the game and move on. We don’t know he’s going to escalate, Wade.”
“Do you real y believe that? In your gut, do you real y think this bastard is going to walk away?”
Crap, she hated to admit it, but he was right. She didn’t truly believe her stalker would give up and leave her alone. Not after two months of e-mails and phone cal s. The first time she defies him, she lands in the hospital. No, he wasn’t going to stop. “Don’t curse. It’s real y annoying.”
“Get some rest, honey,” he whispered. “We’l figure this al out in the morning.”
He moved closer and leaned down. The brush of his lips over her forehead had Gracie going stiff as a statue. His lips, soft and ful , felt much too good against her skin. She couldn’t al ow herself to imagine what they might feel like elsewhere. That road led to disaster. When he stepped back and sat in the chair next to the bed, she frowned. “What are you doing?”