I don’t see him behind us yet, but I know he’s there somewhere. I quickly take the next exit, hoping like hell I put enough distance between us that he’s not close enough to follow. Passing through an intersection, I quickly spot the parking garage I was looking for. I grab a ticket and pull through as soon as the arm raises, quickly driving to the top floor. Parking the truck so we’re facing the entrance, I let out the breath I was holding.
“You okay?”
“Did you lose him?”
“Yeah, he’s gone. You can come back up here.”
“You’re sure?”
“Positive.”
I reach back and offer her my hand, which she quickly takes. Her hand trembles slightly in mine, but she pushes past it and slips back into the seat next to me. She immediately takes in her new surroundings, glancing out every window before finally landing on me.
“Thank you,” she whispers.
Chapter 27
Luke
“Wow, that’s some security system,” Emily says when the keypad lights up in recognition of my fingerprint. I shrug at her comment. Is it overdone? Of course, especially when you consider how difficult I’ve made it to tie this house to me to begin with. Still, I want, no, I need to know that I’m the only person who can get into my house. I need to know that there’s no chance of someone being here, waiting for me, when I get home from work.
Opening the front door, the house immediately lights up, leaving no room in complete darkness. I quickly close and lock the door before setting the alarm system again. With the perimeter alarms, the driveway motion sensors and interior alarms, I know Emily will be safe here. I usher her into the living room, where we sat just a couple of weeks ago when she first arrived unannounced on my doorstep. When she left that day I never thought she’d be sitting here again. Yet, I knew there was nowhere else I would rather take her.
I quickly grab two water bottles from the fridge before heading to my office to grab my laptop. She doesn’t say anything when I walk back into the room, but does accept the water bottle with shaky hands. She does a good job at hiding it, but I can still tell how much this is bothering her. When I sit down next to her she barely looks at me. I push down the incredible urge to dive into what’s going on and, instead, I focus on her.
Taking the water from her hands, I place it on the coffee table next to my computer before silently pulling her against me. She tenses, just long enough for me to question if I’ve somehow made things worse by touching her, but then she relaxes a little into me. With her arm over my stomach, I’m immediately taken back in time to when we used to fall asleep like this every night. Having her in my arms like this was the only thing I’ve ever missed from that place.
“Thanks,” she pulls away, long before I’m ready to let her go.
“You ready?” I ask.
“Yeah.”
“I’m going to call in Alec and we’ll both probably ask you some questions. If you’d rather him not be on the call, I can fill him in later but he might have questions about something I missed or—”
“It’s fine, if it means finding out who was following me, he can ask whatever he wants.”
“Okay…” I quickly dial Alec’s number and then put the phone on speaker. While the laptop boots up, Alec checks in with Emily to make sure she’s alright and she apologizes for having to involve him in this mess. Of course, he doesn’t want to hear any of that and cuts her off before she can continue.
“I’m ready,” I announce once the document I need opens. We have templates with questions pre-determined based on most common situations. This isn’t the first time we’ve needed to provide protection to a woman who had someone following her, though this is the first time that woman is our employee. Not just my coworker and employee, but my—
“Why don’t you start with walking us through your day again, Emily?” Alec begins.
She quickly reiterates what she already told me, nothing new standing out, but I take notes of what she says anyway. We can always come back and add something if we need to.
“Did anyone know about your plans for today?” I ask.
“Um…no, I mean I don’t think so. I mentioned it to you,” she says cautiously, probably not sure if Alec is aware that she was here previously. “I might have mentioned it to Margaret as well.”
“What about anyone outside of Dark Water Security?” Alec asks.
“No one.”
“Not in the hotel? Maybe in passing, when you’re in the elevator making small talk?”
“No, I don’t know anyone in the hotel.”
“Walk us through your routine after work?” I modify the next question on the template because I know enough about her work day. I doubt she knows just how often I find a reason to walk past her office during the day just to see her.
“There’s not much to tell,” she frowns. “I go to work, sometimes on my way home I might stop for takeout or grab groceries, but most days I just go back to the hotel. God, that makes me sound so boring.”
“No, it doesn’t,” I assure her.
“Was there anything you did every day or once a week? I know you used to teach self-defense classes in San Diego,” Alec prompts.
“I…I haven’t taught in some time,” she admits sadly. “I’ve been meaning to look into somewhere local…”
“That’s okay,” I grab her hand. “We’re just trying to see if you have an established pattern to your schedule. Something someone might pick up on—”
“No! I make sure I don’t,” she quickly interrupts. “I take a different route to work most mornings, I keep a list of places I visit on certain days so I don’t accidentally go back on the same day another week. Trust me, there is absolutely nothing predictable about my schedule.”
“Are you certain? Sometimes even the smallest task can become a routine without realizing it,” Alec points out.
“I’m certain,” she answers without hesitation.
“Who do you know in Virginia?” Even though she’s already answered this, I know I need to ask it.
“No one outside of work.”
“Have you met anyone online? Maybe through a dating site or—”
“No,” she interrupts Alec before he can finish his sentence. “And I say that, not because I’m skilled enough to not let anyone find me if I were to meet someone online, but rather because I don’t use sites like that.”
“You’re certain? As you know, someone can find out information about you online nowadays with just a few clicks on a keyboard. There’s no shame in using a dating service. Thousands of people do every day.”
“I have nothing against those sites, but I would never meet someone like that, not when they could hide everything about who they really are.” I watch the chill go through her and immediately I know what she’s thinking. Without giving it a second thought, I reach over and take her hand in mine.
“What about in San Diego?” I ask quickly, trying to keep her focus here.
“Uh…I didn’t use a dating site there either…”
“No, I mean dating in general? Did you leave a scorned boyfriend behind when you moved here?” I clarify.
“God, no.” She shakes her head.
“I know this is hard because we’re coworkers, but it would help if you walked us through your dating history. Statistically, stalkers are someone you know, so chances are high that this person either knows you from San Diego or is someone you’ve met since you moved here. Nine times out of ten they tend to be an ex-boyfriend or someone who thought they had a chance of something more with you. We know it wasn’t Jack, because we’ve had eyes on him since his bail hearing.”
“I know the statistics,” she snaps. “I haven’t been involved with anyone since my dad got sick; hell, I can’t tell the last time I even went out on a date.”
“Okay,” Alec tries to calm her. “Let’s talk about who you did date before your dad became sick.”
“I don’t see the point,” she argues.
“Humor him,” I suggest because I know chances are high that Alec is right.
“Before my dad…before he got sick, I was seeing someone,” she says after a few minutes of silence. “John…we worked in the same building but for different companies. We went out a few times, but it wasn’t anything serious…at least I didn’t think it was.”
“Meaning what?” I sit up straighter.
“He…he got weird when I began working from home.”
“Weird how?” Alec asks.
“He was suddenly calling more often, at odd hours too.”
“Then what happened?” I ask.
“Nothing, I told him he needed to back off, and that I had enough on my plate because of my dad being sick. He said he didn’t realize it was serious and thought I was blowing him off.”
“Jackass,” I mumble causing her to laugh.
“When did you hear from him last?” Alec asks.
“Gosh, I don’t know. Maybe a month or two before my dad…before he passed.”
“Normally I wouldn’t ask you to do this, but seeing as you’re also our computer expert, can you run a background check on him—”
“Already done,” she interrupts. “I wouldn’t go anywhere with someone I don’t know without one being completed.”
“Send that to me so I can take a look,” he says.
“What about before him?” I ask.
“Before John…um…there wasn’t anyone. I mean, no one serious. I went out on a few first dates that friends would set me up on, but no one that I saw more than two or three times.”
“Make a list so we can check on them.”
“What about someone from one of those chat groups?” Alec asks.
“No,” where her confidence waivered before, it’s now strong. “My identity in those groups is carefully hidden. Nothing can be traced back to me.”
“Still, it’s possible.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Okay, why don’t we check on this John character,” I suggest. “In the meantime, perhaps Emily can try to gain access to some of the traffic cams we passed today? If we can get a clear picture of his license plate we might be able to track down the rental company.”
“I can do that.” She suddenly perks up, probably liking the idea of a challenge. “I can access my software remotely if you have VPN access here, Luke?”
“I can set you up in my office here with everything you need.”
“Do you need me to make alternative accommodations until this is resolved—”
“She’s staying here,” I interrupt since I already told him this.
“Emily?”
“If Luke doesn’t mind…”
“I don’t.”
“If you need me to arrange something else, just let me know. Though you probably already know this, no one is going to be able to get to you in that vault that Luke calls his home.”
“I know.”
Chapter 28
Emily
Luke left me in his large office a few minutes ago, but I’m finding it difficult to concentrate. Instead I look around the room, taking in all the little pieces of him. The way the large bookshelves are organized, the incredible view from the floor to ceiling windows behind the chair and even the way things are set on the desk. The room itself has a very masculine feel to it, from the dark mahogany desk to the tan walls, pretty much exactly what I expected his office to look like. It even smells like the cologne he wears.
Pushing the thought of him in here out of my mind, I quickly connect to Dark Security’s VPN account and access my system. It’s not ideal, since VPN always runs a little slower than direct connect does, but it works and I’m able to have the programs running in next to no time. After checking my email and sending the background check off to Alec, which I still think is pointless, I head out to find Luke. I know if I sit too long in here, I’ll drive myself crazy trying to figure out who could possibly be following me and why.
“Something smells good,” following a delicious smell I find Luke in the kitchen.
“I thought you might be hungry.”
“Starving actually…I haven’t eaten since breakfast this morning.”
“It’s just about done, did you want to eat outside or in the dining room?”
“Do you mind if we eat outside? I can’t remember the last time I sat outside and didn’t hear cars flying by, horns beeping, or people walking by while on their phones.”
“Not one for the city life, huh?” he laughs.
“No.” I grab two bottles of beer from the fridge.
“Why don’t you head out and I’ll bring the dishes?”
Not needing to be told twice, I step through the sliding glass doors and onto a beautiful patio. There’s plenty of seating, though something tells me Luke rarely entertains here, but it’s the view that captures my attention. As stunning as it was from his office upstairs, being out here is even more breathtaking. The landscape around the patio is perfect, but it’s the woods that grab my attention just like they did the other day. Only this time, you can smell the forest as well.
Most people wouldn’t pay attention to the smell of the woods, but after we finally escaped we spent two long days in the woods. We actually skipped the first town we came across the night we left; Luke was afraid that we might run into someone from either the fights or… When he said we would keep going, I didn’t argue-not even when my feet were cut so bad they were bleeding. It took most of the second day before we finally came across another town and even though he was still hesitant Luke led us to the hospital. For those two days, the woods were our home. No matter how dark they got at night, as long as I could still smell the trees and dirt I knew we were safe.
“You doing okay?” he surprises me and pulls me from those thoughts. After placing a plate of chicken stir fry in front of me, he clicks a button starting a gas fireplace I hadn’t noticed before.
“Yeah…I think being here helps. It was so…unnerving. I haven’t felt like that in a long time,” I admit.
“It must have been frightening.”
“I think it was more frustrating than anything. I have all this training in self-defense and martial arts, hell I even had my gun on me—”
“Your gun? You carry?”
“I have a concealed weapon permit.”
“How did I not know that?”
“It never came up.” I take a bite of food, moaning in surprise as all the flavors hit me at once. “This is really good.”
“Uh…thanks,” he mumbles as if he might be embarrassed. “Did your dad teach you how to shoot?”
“Yeah,” I blink away the threatening tears. “After…while we were waiting for his transfer to go through, he took me to a shooting range and taught me how to use a bunch of different caliber guns. We went every day until I was able to shoot accurately with each one. Only then did he buy me one.”
“I’m really sorry for your loss. I know you two were really close.”
“We were. After my mom died it was just the two of us.”
“Did you know he hired me a lawyer?”
“He did? He never mentioned it.”
“He did…two actually. The first was there to make sure no criminal charges were pressed against me—”
“Against you? What the hell would they have arrested you for?”
“Assault—”
“It was fucking self-defense!”
“Was it?” he looks at me and we both know what he’s thinking.
“Yes, it was.” There is no doubt in my mind it was self-defense.
“Once I was cleared, I met the other attorney your dad hired for me.”
“What was that lawyer for?”
“I guess your dad had some connections or something because he knew I had been in foster care…before. Anyway, this lawyer…she took the county and state to court for me. According to her, and the judge, the system had failed me. I shouldn’t have ever been on the streets to begin with. If they had done their job
he wouldn’t have…”
“I had no idea.” I sit back in the chair, taking a drink of beer, surprised but also not surprised at what he said my dad did. As much as I wish he would have let me contact Luke, I can see him reaching out to help Luke. “My dad…like I said, he didn’t like talking about any part of what happened. He never mentioned you…”
“It was because of him that I was able to start Dark Water Security with Alec and then ultimately buy this place. The money I was awarded by the state was put into a trust fund, and since I went into the Army, I didn’t need it right away. If it wasn’t for your dad, Dark Water Security wouldn’t exist.”
“I wish I would have known. They must have sealed the case files because nothing came up when I was searching for you.”
“Speaking of… you changed your last name.”
“When we moved to California, my dad wanted a fresh start. Even though the press hadn’t figured out who I was yet, he was petrified they were going to at some point. So, we both legally changed our names so that if anyone looked for the old Emily Johnson, they wouldn’t find me.”
“It’s beautiful out here.” I gaze back out at the forest after we finish dinner.
“Thanks.”
“Do you remember the night we spent in the woods?” I don’t know if I should ask him about…any of that time, we’ve pretty much ignore it since the last time I was here.
“Yeah.”
“I should have been afraid, but I wasn’t. There could have been wolves, bears, or who knows what hiding in those woods, but somehow…”
“They were safer than the alternative.”
Luke (Dark Water Security Series Book 1) Page 17