Sabrina set her tea and muffin on the table beside her bed, moving toward him.
Sitka stuck close to Sabrina’s side, her tail wagging. His dog stared up at Sabrina happily, the way she did with him at home, when she was relaxed and off duty. She was going to miss Sabrina as much as he was.
“He’s done this to other women?”
She sounded furious on their behalf, and it made him like her even more. She’d spent two and a half years afraid for herself, afraid for the people she loved because of Adam, and here she was, mad that he’d dared to make anyone else feel that way.
“Yeah.” He tried not to get distracted by her approach, by thoughts of how little time he might have left to spend with her. “But as far as we can tell, never like this. In the past, he stalked women he knew. Two ex-girlfriends and one coworker, who all went to the police. Two of them ended up with restraining orders against him, and one called the police multiple times because of incidents, usually him stopping by unwanted and refusing to leave.”
“Any violence?” Sabrina asked, her tone hesitant, like she was afraid to hear who else he’d killed chasing the objects of his obsession.
“None that I could find. He escalated with you.”
“Aren’t I lucky,” she muttered darkly.
The only one who was lucky in any of this was him. If Adam hadn’t stalked her, then Tate never would have met her. She would have gone on with her life in New York, gone on dating Dylan Westwood, maybe even married him.
Even the idea of never having the chance to know her put an uncomfortable tightness in Tate’s chest that made it hard to take a full breath. But he wished Adam had never set eyes on her, wished Sabrina had never known this terror.
When he didn’t immediately answer, she stepped a little closer, sending another waft of vanilla his way, and asked, “Have you been able to track his movements? Has he been behind me this whole time?”
“I don’t think so. We don’t know how he found you, but there’s evidence he was still in New York five months ago. He works as an independent software developer, and he’s able to work from home, so it’s possible he’s been traveling and returning to New York. But given what you’ve told me about all the places you’ve been, I have to think he found you here and then followed.”
Her shoulders jerked, and she let out a huff. “Of all the places I’ve hidden, this one is the most remote. The place I felt most safe. The place that felt most like home.”
Something pensive crossed her face, some emotion he tried to latch onto but couldn’t quite read.
It wasn’t fair to her not to keep his distance. But he couldn’t seem to stop himself from moving a little closer. “This is your home, at least right now. It’s your town. And we look out for each other here. We’re going to find him. It just...” He frowned, trying to figure out the best way to tell her, then decided straightforward was the best approach. She’d managed the threat alone for two years. She could handle his other news.
“It just might take a little longer than we’d hoped. Which is why I think the plan the chief mentioned yesterday is a good one. If you’re okay with it, we’re getting things prepped right now. In two days, it will be set up.”
Sabrina stared at him a minute, like she wasn’t sure which part of that to question first. Finally, she asked, “Why will it take longer?”
“We assumed Adam’s stories about living in Alaska were all lies.” When shock and compassion crossed Sabrina’s face, Tate rushed on. “And they were. He was never married. You don’t need to feel sorry for his loss. We suspect he made it up as a way to connect with you, to get you to talk about your own loss.”
Grief and fury flashed across Sabrina’s face in rapid succession, and Tate felt an answering pang of sympathy. Adam had killed someone she cared about and then tried to connect with her by pretending a similar loss.
Sabrina clamped a hand against her stomach. “He was hoping I’d talk to him about Dylan’s death, never knowing he’d actually caused it? That’s even sicker than the notes.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
Lines creased Sabrina’s forehead as she wrapped her arms around her middle, seeming to sink inward. “I’m glad I never did.”
But he could hear it in her words. She’d thought about it, thought Adam was someone who’d understand her loss.
Cursing inwardly, Tate readied himself to give her more bad news. “He never lived here, either. The thing is, he was probably able to convince someone like Lora who did grow up here, and in the mountains, no less, because the wilderness isn’t foreign to him. He grew up in Michigan’s upper peninsula, with parents who were known to have some survivalist mentality.”
“He understood how to hide here,” Sabrina summarized. “That explains why he was so comfortable trekking through the woods to spy on me.”
“Yes,” Tate confirmed. He took another step closer, until all he’d need to do was reach out and take her hands in his, pull her to him and hold her until the worry and betrayal left her face. He wanted to, especially when his movement made heat spark in her gaze again.
He wanted to forget all of his good intentions of remaining professional, helping her reclaim her life without making it even harder to say goodbye. He wanted to feel her lips on his again, wanted to run his hands through her hair and walk her to the bed that was way too close. Instead, he fisted his hands at his side.
From the way Sitka’s gaze moved from him to Sabrina, he couldn’t even fool his dog.
The last of the anger left her face as her lips twitched with sudden amusement. “So you want to go away with me for the weekend, then.” Her tone was teasing, but her gaze was serious as she moved close, slid her hands up his arms. The soft glide of her fingertips and the mix of nerves and desire in her eyes weakened his resolve.
Her fingers stalled on the edges of the scar hidden by the sleeve of his T-shirt. “What happened here?”
“A danger of the job,” he answered, a semitruth because he didn’t want to outright lie to her. “Gunshot wound.” At her gasp, he added, “It was a long time ago. And it just skimmed me.”
Summoning his willpower, he took a step back, watching the confusion in her eyes as he said, “I don’t want you to worry. You’re not going to be in danger. We have two days to set this up right. This is going to be a trap for Adam.”
She bit the edge of her lip, then whispered, “I’m not worried. I feel safe with you.”
Her words sent a rush through him even before she moved forward again. This time, she was less hesitant, giving him a shaky smile before she pressed her hands against his chest.
His arms twitched at the contact, and her smile grew more confident as she leaned into him, replacing her hands with the length of her body. “I think it will work.”
It took him a minute to take his focus off the feel of her pressed against him and understand her words. “I think so, too.” Adam was less likely to be able to resist if he and Sabrina were supposedly alone.
“And once he’s no longer a threat—” she slid her arms around his waist and leaned back slightly to stare up at him “—I was hoping you and I could try this for real.”
His mouth went dry, and for an instant, he couldn’t breathe. The desire to nod and press his lips against hers was overwhelming, but how could he make a promise he couldn’t keep? Even though there was no indication Kevin or Paul had found him as a result of the news article, he’d planned to leave town as soon as he’d eliminated the threat of her stalker. Even if he decided it was safe enough to stay in Alaska, what would he say when she inevitably wanted him to come see her in New York? What if he got too close to Boston again and the threats against him became a danger to her?
“I can’t,” he said, his voice a scratchy whisper.
She flushed deep red and backed out of his arms as Sitka whimpered and nudged up against her, eyeing Tate like
he’d just become the enemy.
“I’m sorry. I want to. You have no idea...” He took a deep breath, trying to be as honest as he could. “But Desparre is a long way from New York City.”
She nodded, ducking her head as she backed farther away.
An ache settled in his gut, for hurting her, for saying no when he so desperately wanted to say yes. But it wasn’t right. He’d come to care about her too much to hurt her. In the long run, pursuing a relationship with Sabrina could make her the target of someone new. The threat against him might never end.
“I promised to give you your life back.” He stepped closer, tipping her chin up with his hand even as he longed to pull her back into his arms. “I won’t stop until I do it. But that means leaving everything in Alaska behind. Including me.”
* * *
NERVES CHURNED IN Sabrina’s stomach as she waited for Tate to come to her hotel room and pick her up for their supposed romantic weekend away together.
Three days ago, when she’d kissed him in the street, their pretending had felt so natural, so real. When he’d said he wanted to continue what she’d started in private, she thought he felt all the same things she did. So when he’d shown up the next morning and insisted long-distance would never work, it had been a shock. Embarrassing. And devastating.
Yet, he’d kept coming to see her the next two evenings, bringing dinner and smiling at her like nothing had happened. She’d tried to smile back, act as unaffected as he appeared, but that pretending had left her exhausted and depressed.
At least he’d continued to bring Sitka with him. The sweet dog definitely sensed something was wrong, and she’d spent a lot of the visits at Sabrina’s feet, her head perched on Sabrina’s knees. She would miss Sitka when she left, too.
Despite everything, she still believed their plan could work. Adam had gone after Dylan the day she was meeting his family for the first time. Back then, she’d thought it was a terrible coincidence. But now, knowing how closely he could have been watching her in her cabin? Remembering how he’d managed to slip a note into her purse even after the police had been on high alert trying to find him back in New York? He’d probably known.
She’d been about to take a serious step in a relationship, and he’d stopped it. Given how much she and Tate had been spreading news about their intended getaway to a secluded cabin, she had to believe he’d repeat that pattern.
Her nerves intensified, shifted into fear that made her breathing way too fast. “Relax,” she told herself. Tate was a trained police officer. And they wouldn’t be alone. Much of the Desparre PD would be hidden nearby, ready to take Adam down.
It would work. It had to work. Because Tate was right. It was time for her to go home.
Acute homesickness swept through her, pricking her eyes with tears. Without conscious thought, she moved toward her phone. She’d never dared to go onto social media, hadn’t wanted to sign into an account that might leave some kind of trail. But if Tate had been able to see details about her brother...
Pulling up Conor’s social-media account without signing in, she realized he’d made a lot of his posts public. Her stockbroker brother, who lived by numbers and rules and always warned her about keeping her personal information locked up, had purposely left pieces of his life open to the world.
As she scrolled through, so fast the pictures and posts were nothing more than quick glimpses, she realized he’d done it two years ago. A way for her to stay connected with them, no matter how far she ran. And she’d never known, never even thought to check, because she’d been focused on pure survival.
Conor’s face blurred, and she swiped at the tears that had welled in her eyes as she scrolled back to the top of his feed. His latest post, dated yesterday, showed him beaming beside Jie, his longtime girlfriend. Jie was grinning, one hand held up to the camera, showing off a sparkling diamond.
They’d gotten engaged. Finally. They’d met in college, dated ever since. In the year or two before Sabrina had run, she could tell Jie was starting to get frustrated. They’d been together a long time. She wanted to get married and have kids. Conor was dragging his feet.
Sabrina got it. Their dad had taken off when she was five and Conor was seven. While she and Conor had watched their mom struggle to make ends meet, to try to fill the void their father had left, their dad had jumped from one woman to the next, carefree. He’d appeared every few months, or sometimes every few years, and dropped off presents, wanted to take them out. It hadn’t really put Sabrina off the idea of marriage, but from a young age, Conor had vowed never to wed.
Jie was so good for her brother. Sabrina had been worried he would lose her if he didn’t make that commitment. Now the leap of faith had happened. And she’d missed it. Still, a bittersweet smile pulled her lips at the happiness radiating from that picture.
Maybe she’d make it back to New York for the wedding. The idea buoyed her, took away some of the pain of seeing all she’d missed. She scrolled more, seeing birthdays and holidays. More happiness, but she could see it on everyone’s faces that they missed her as much as she missed them.
Then she found a picture of Conor and her mom from a few weeks earlier, smiling in Central Park, and a sharp pain clamped back down on her chest. She ran her finger over the side of her mom’s face, seeing new lines at the corners of her mouth and across her forehead. She looked like she’d experienced way too much sadness in the past two years. Conor, too, looked older, more weary.
Sabrina had done this to them by leaving. If she had to go back and make the same decision now, she’d do it again. But she was tired of being forced to choose safety over happiness.
There was a familiar knock at the door, a particular beat she recognized as Tate’s, followed by Sitka’s enthusiastic woof!
Closing the browser on her phone, she stood and took a deep breath.
It was long past time she made a stand for herself and reclaimed the life she’d left behind.
Chapter Eighteen
“Hi,” Sabrina breathed, feeling a flush creep up her neck and cheeks at the shy, uncertain tone of her voice. Clearing her throat, she opened the hotel door wider.
Sitka rushed inside at the invitation, running around Sabrina in a circle that made her laugh.
Tate smiled, something hesitant in his gaze, but he couldn’t seem to help a laugh at his dog’s antics. “She’s a pro at work, but get her off duty and she’s a big goofball.”
Woof! Sitka glanced back at him briefly, then returned her attention to Sabrina.
“You know you are,” Tate teased his dog as Sabrina leaned down to pet Sitka and hide her face behind a curtain of hair.
This was the Tate she wanted to know better. The Tate who teased his dog, who made her feel safe and excited at the same time. Even knowing that today was all for show, it was too easy to imagine a version of this that was real. The idea of going on an actual romantic weekend away with him made her pulse pick up again.
Her attraction wasn’t one-sided, that much she knew for sure. But Tate was too practical and realistic, probably the result of being a police officer—or maybe why he’d become one. She, on the other hand, had always indulged her creative, fanciful impulses. It was how she’d ended up in fashion design and now, finally, jewelry-making. More than once, those impulses had led her to take a chance on the wrong relationship. But until Adam had forced his way into her life, she’d lived without fear.
She hadn’t been irresponsible. Her mom had drilled into her from a young age the need to be diligent about safety. But she’d refused to let her dad’s leaving color the way she looked at relationships just like she’d refused to let her mom’s overprotectiveness and caution send her into a safe, staid career instead of the uncertain field of creative arts that she loved.
After six months of notes and then Dylan’s murder, she’d lost too much of that freedom to fear. Tate made her want to to
ss aside caution, toss aside her own pride and go after what she wanted, no matter the obstacles.
Sitka gave a sudden wet slosh of her tongue over Sabrina’s cheek, as if she knew what Sabrina was thinking and was on board. Laughing, Sabrina wiped away the dampness, pet Sitka once more, then stood.
It was still awkward, with Tate standing there, looking way too tempting in black pants and a T-shirt that didn’t hide the lean muscles underneath. At least some of her embarrassment had faded, and her face no longer felt like it was on fire.
She’d kissed him. He’d ultimately rejected her. But that didn’t mean she had to give up.
The idea brought a slow smile to her face, and he swayed backward slightly, as if he’d felt the sudden force of her determination. Still, he gave her a smile in return, then asked loudly, “You ready to go?”
Then she realized something. Usually, he closed and locked the door as soon as he arrived. Today, it was wide open. She didn’t see anyone in the hallway behind him, but that didn’t mean Adam wasn’t somewhere nearby.
Shoving back a surge of fear, she nodded and grabbed her duffel bag, packed with enough clothes and toiletries for the weekend. Hopefully, Adam would take the bait early and not make her and Tate play out a whole weekend of this awkward farce with all of Tate’s colleagues watching. If he didn’t, maybe she should take advantage of it, see if she could change Tate’s mind.
The idea gained traction as he reached over and took her bag, slinging it easily over his shoulder. Then he took her hand in his and pulled her toward the door.
She sidled closer to him, the way she’d do if they were really dating, and he shot her a quick glance, full of surprise and heat, before calling, “Come on, Sitka.”
The dog raced after them, sticking close to Sabrina as they took the elevator down to the lobby. Even where no one could see them, Tate kept his hold on her hand. But his gaze was focused on the closed door.
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