by Laura Ann
Everly rolled her eyes. “Men,” she muttered, but her smile let him know she was enjoying the conversation.
Ridge rubbed his hands together. “All right. Anything else you need me to do?”
Everly pursed her lips, then shook her head. “No. I don’t think so.”
A small amount of disappointment ran through Ridge, but he pushed it away. I shouldn’t even be here anyway. Best to go and tell Sawyer what happened. “Okay. Well then...I guess I’ll be going. I’ll...I’ll check in soon.”
Everly nodded and followed him to the door. “Thank you for your help.” She bit her lip, leaning her head against the open door.
Ridge stopped and turned back. His fingers itched to touch the smooth planes of her cheeks, but he kept himself in check. Getting to spend the last hour with her was more than he could have asked for anyway. “You’re welcome.” He made a stern face. “Remember to call next time. Don’t go out alone.”
She nodded. “You’re right. I’ll do better. I promise.”
With a nod, Ridge forced himself to turn toward his car and leave. As he started the engine, another idea sparked in his mind. Oh, ho, ho! he crowed internally. This might just be my best idea yet!
CHAPTER 4
Everly found herself humming while she put away the groceries, a small smile playing on her lips. When she realized what she was doing, she abruptly stopped and scrunched her nose. “Geez, Everly. You spend an hour in a grocery store with a handsome man and suddenly you can’t stop grinning like a fool.” She shook her head and laughed. “I’m so ridiculous.”
Forcing herself to quit, she finished her work and made herself a cup of tea. While blowing on the hot liquid, she grabbed her laptop and settled into the couch to go through all her social media accounts.
“Ouch,” she muttered after burning her tongue. Frowning, she put the mug on the coffee table to cool and focused on the screen in front of her. She smiled as she read the words of praise and excitement for her latest song. “People liked this one a lot,” she murmured, scrolling down.
A moment later, she stopped. Her finger froze and then began to shake as she read the words left so innocently in the comment section.
“Is it cold in Colorado? I’ve heard they get a ton of snow. In fact, I’ve heard it can absolutely bury someone. It seems to me that’s exactly where a homewrecker like yourself should be...buried.”
“They know.” Everly’s voice shook and she felt herself begin to hyperventilate. Shoving the laptop to the side to land on the couch, she bent forward and forced herself to breathe. In...out...in...out...
Over and over, she pushed air into her lungs and out of her lungs. It took several minutes before she felt her body relax enough that breathing wasn’t a chore. Putting her hands on her knees, she slowly pushed herself upright. “Leon,” she rasped. “I need to call Leon.”
Scrambling to her feet, Everly stumbled to the kitchen where she’d left her phone when she was making tea. She punched the correct number and put the phone to her ear, praying her brother would answer right away.
“Hey, sis,” he said in a cheery voice. “What’s up?”
“Leon...” Everly swallowed hard. “They know.”
There was a moment’s pause before his voice came through again. This time it was short and angry. “What do you mean they know? Who knows what?”
“The...stalker. They know I’m in Colorado.”
“What happened?” Leon shouted. There was a flurry of voices behind him and Everly could hear other voices shouting as well, but she had no idea what they were saying.
“My video a few days ago,” Everly whispered. “They left a comment about Colorado. They know where I am.” She squeezed her eyes shut, striving to hold off the tears that were threatening.
“Are you hurt in any way? Do you feel like someone is watching the house?” Leon began firing questions at her in a rapid fashion and Everly could barely get her hazy brain to cooperate.
“No, no. I’m fine. Just...in shock, I think.”
“Have you called Harlan?” A car door slammed through the phone line and Everly heard an engine start.
“No. My first thought was to call you.”
“Okay. I want you to hang up and call Harlan. I’m on my way, but it’ll take me a few minutes and Harlan will start to assemble the troops.” He took a couple of deep breaths. “Hang in there, Ev. We’re going to get this guy.”
Everly nodded, then realized Leon couldn’t see her. “Thanks,” she said softly. “I’ll call.”
“Okay. Oh, and make sure the front door is locked. See you in a few.” The phone line went dead and Everly’s knees crumpled. Slowly, she slid to the floor, her back to the cabinets.
“Call Harlan,” she repeated as her fingers fumbled through the buttons on her phone. The phone rang twice before someone picked up.
“Lockwood Industries, this is Cora. How may I direct your call?” a cheerful feminine voice said.
“P-Please,” Everly pushed out through her chattering teeth.
“Ma’am?” Cora asked, concern evident in her tone. “Are you hurt?”
Everly shook her head. “No. I just—” She took a deep breath. “I need to speak to Harlan, please.”
“I’m putting him on the line. Please hold.” Cora’s voice abruptly cut off and a gruff, male tone took its place.
“This is Harlan.”
“Harlan...it’s Everly Madison.”
“Everly? What happened? Are you hurt?”
“No. I just...” Everly pinched the bridge of her nose. “I’m sorry. I think I’m in shock and I’m having a hard time making my words work. Leon is on his way over and told me to call you.”
“What happened?”
“The stalker knows I’m in Colorado. I-I found a comment on a video I put up a couple of days ago and they know. They know where I am.”
A rough curse word came through the line. “Okay. Everly, I want you to listen to me and do everything I say. Can you do that?”
“Yes.” Her voice was too quiet, so she cleared her throat and took a deep breath. “Yes, I can.”
“Good. First off, I want you to make sure every window and door in your house is locked. Then I want you to wait away from the front of the house until we get there. Okay? I’m grabbing Sawyer and we’ll be right over. He’s going to stay with you from now on. When we arrive, we will go over what all this means. Can you do all that?”
“Yeah.” Everly pushed herself to her feet. “I’m sorry I’m all over the place. The comment just came as a shock.”
“You’re doing fine. Shock is a perfectly normal reaction for someone in your situation. Just lock down the house and stay somewhere safe until we and your brother arrive. It’ll only take us a few minutes.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
Everly’s hands were trembling as she shut down her phone. She forced her feet into motion and left the safety of the kitchen to check the front door. A breath of relief came out of her when she realized it was still locked from when she had left for town earlier.
Sawyer...her mind grabbed the thought. Sawyer will be back, this time to stay. “Too bad he didn’t stick around the first time,” she muttered. Heading back toward the kitchen, Everly sat down in the middle, surrounded by the cabinets. Something about the small space felt safer than the openness of the rest of the house.
“Please hurry, Leon,” she muttered, rolling her phone through her fingers. “And you too, Sawyer.”
RIDGE WAS IN A PANIC when Harlan stormed out of his office and demanded Sawyer accompany him to Everly’s.
“What’s going on? What happened?” He trailed after Harlan, who was rushing toward the front of the office building. I just saw her a bit ago. What could have happened? He groaned. Why didn’t I stick around and make sure she was all right?
“Roman!” Harlan barked.
The big guy poked his head out of his office.
“There was a new comment left on her latest video. Find it and
see if you can trace it.”
Roman nodded and disappeared again.
“Harlan!” Ridge grabbed his brother’s arm, halting Harlan’s progress. “What happened? Is she okay?”
Harlan frowned. “She’s fine, but the stalker made reference to where she lives. We need to get over there and get Sawyer settled. I don’t want to risk that the perp will do anything drastic.”
“What? How?”
Harlan shook his head. “I don’t know yet. She just barely called. But she’s scared and alone, so we’re getting there now.”
Sawyer came jogging up. “What’s going on?”
“Everly’s stalker knows where she is. I need you there now.” Harlan started for the door again.
“My gear is at home,” Sawyer clipped, picking up speed. “I need to run and grab it.”
Harlan glared. “Why didn’t you keep it in your car?”
“Because I still need some of those bathroom items on a day to day basis,” Sawyer shot back. “You go. I’ll follow as quickly as I can. Make sure she’s okay.”
“I’m coming with you,” Ridge blurted before he could think better of it.
Harlan stopped moving and glanced back. “Why do you need to come?”
Ridge’s mind scrambled as he tried to figure out what he could say. “Uh, you might need help until Sawyer gets there. Two heads are always better than one.”
Harlan rolled his eyes. “Whatever. I’m leaving now.”
Ridge jumped into motion, following Harlan through the front lobby. “See ya, Cora!” he called as they headed out. He didn’t hear the secretary’s reply since they were moving too quickly.
Jumping in the passenger seat of Harlan’s SUV, they took off. Ridge held onto the dash as Harlan took a turn too quickly. “I thought you said she wasn’t hurt,” he nearly shouted, worry pounding in his chest at Harlan’s reaction to the events.
“She’s not,” Harlan said, easing up on the gas pedal. “But she was scared and she thought she was in shock.” Harlan shook his head. “Sorry. Sometimes I still find myself going into instant army mode.”
Ridge relaxed in his seat a little. “I get it. Coming back to normal life has been hard.”
Harlan didn’t respond, but a muscle in his jaw ticked and Ridge knew it was time to stay still.
The silence stayed full of tension until Harlan pulled up next to Everly’s home. “Come on. Might as well make yourself useful,” Harlan growled as he stepped out.
Ridge quickly followed and together they walked to the door. Leon opened it before they knocked.
“Thanks for coming, man.” Leon shook Harlan’s hand and then Ridge’s.
Harlan nodded. “Anytime. I’m sorry that things are getting worse.”
Leon sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah. I mean, logically, we knew it would, but still, I was kinda hoping the guy would get bored and disappear.”
Everly cautiously walked toward the group. “Thank you for coming, Harlan.” Her eyes locked with Ridge’s and he felt his pulse speed up. Dang. She gets more beautiful each time I see her. “Sawyer,” she said with a nod of her head.
“Ridge,” Harlan quickly corrected. “Sawyer had to grab his stuff from home, but he should be on his way now.
Ridge froze when Everly’s eyes widened and then narrowed. Crap! I didn’t even think about the fact that I’m wearing the same clothes as earlier. She’s totally going to recognize me.
“Sorry,” Everly finally said, closing her eyes and rubbing her temple. “I guess I’m a little mixed-up today.”
Ridge shrugged, praying he looked nonchalant. I’ve got to tell Sawyer about the grocery store thing. Otherwise I’m totally messed over. “No biggie. Happens all the time.”
Leon chuckled and rubbed his neck. “Yeah, sorry. I assumed you were Sawyer as well.” His eyes went back and forth between the two brothers. “You’d think I’d be able to tell you apart by now, but geez. Sometimes it’s hard.”
Harlan smiled and shook his head. “Don’t worry. Our own parents had trouble with it. At least now that we’re grown, we’re usually in different clothes or whatever.”
“Yeah, your scruff really helps, Harlan,” Everly said, her eyes still studying Ridge. “Is there some kind of trick to telling who’s who?”
Harlan looked at Ridge, who shrugged. “Not that I know of. At least not anything that’s easily visible. Sometimes we have different haircuts and I’m sure if we did a body search or something, we would find a mole or two that’s not the same, but I’m pretty sure society would frown on us walking around in the all-together just so you could tell us apart.” Ridge nearly laughed out loud at the blush that crept up Everly’s face at his comment.
Leon, however, was not as amused. “Sawyer warned me about you, Ridge.” He narrowed his gaze.
Ridge opened his eyes wide and tried to look innocent. “Yeah? What did he say?”
“That you didn’t have a filter.”
Harlan gave a light snort as Ridge folded his arms across his chest. “I guess that’s the best way to tell us apart, then,” Ridge snapped.
Harlan tilted his head toward the family room. “Come on. Let’s sit down and see what’s going on, shall we?”
Leon nodded. “Sure.” He swept his arm wide to let Everly and Harlan start walking, but when Ridge started to move, Leon pressed a hand to his chest. “Everly’s not your type, man. So just get that thought out of your head.”
Ridge’s eyebrows shot up. “Really? That’s a pretty bold statement since we don’t even know each other. How do you know she’s not my type?”
Their voices were low and hushed as they attempted to keep their words from carrying to the other two people in the house. “Because I’ve met men just like you and I know my sister. She deserves someone who won’t take her out for a good time and then drop her for the next thrill. She needs the white picket fence and a steady man. And we both know that isn’t you.”
Ridge could feel his anger boiling. He was usually a pretty easy-going, joking type of guy, but he didn’t handle personal attacks well. “Look, Leon,” Ridge started, “first off...I’m here as part of Lockwood Industries to help keep your sister safe. Second off, you have no idea what kind of a guy I am or what my history with women has been. Third, if something were to develop between your sister and me, it would be none of your business because she’s a full-grown adult who can make her own decisions.” He stepped closer and dropped his voice even more. “Now, are you going to let me do my job or not?”
Leon may not have been quite as tall as Ridge, but he held his ground without flinching. “I’m doing my best to give you the same respect I have for your brothers, but you mess with my sister and it’s all over. So for now, I’ll give you my trust to help keep her safe, but know that I’m watching you.”
“Are you two coming?” Everly had backtracked and was standing near the front entryway.
Leon turned and smiled. “Yeah. Sorry.”
Everly frowned, her eyes darting between the two men, then nodded and left again.
Ridge began to follow, but said over his shoulder, “I think you have things mixed up, Leon. We’re here to catch a stalker; I’m not the guy you need to worry about.”
CHAPTER 5
Everly twisted her fingers until they ached as the whole group sat down. Leon plopped down next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. The weight of him was familiar and comforting.
Harlan was already sitting in a chair across from the couch. Everly decided the frown on his face must be a permanent fixture. Apparently, he’s not as happy-go-lucky as his brother.
Ridge sitting down caught her eye and when Everly looked over, their gazes locked. Heat rushed into her face and those darn butterflies went into a crazy spin. Oh my gosh! What is wrong with me? How can I feel this way about both Ridge and Sawyer? It doesn’t make any sense!
“Sawyer will be here shortly,” Harlan said after glancing at his phone. He looked up and pinned Everly with his stare.
“Tell me what happened today.”
Everly scrunched her nose and wrung her hands again. “After I got back from the grocery store, I decided to—”
“Hold on.” Harlan held up a hand. “You went to the grocery store today? Did you call Sawyer ahead of time?”
Everly scrunched her nose.
“Everly,” Leon groaned. “I thought we went over this.”
She put up her hands. “I’m sorry. It was just the store. I didn’t think it would be a big deal! And besides, I ran into Sawyer there anyway, so I wasn’t by myself.”
“You ran into Sawyer at the store?” Harlan furrowed his brows.
“Yeah. He ended up walking me around to get my food and then followed me home.”
Harlan grunted and shook his head. “I guess I didn’t hear about it. Okay. Go on.”
Ridge shifted in his seat as if uncomfortable. When Everly realized she was staring, she pulled her eyes away and hurried to finish her story. “Anyway, after he was gone and I’d put the groceries away, I grabbed my computer to check the stats of a new video I put up the other day.” She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “That’s when I found the comment.”
“Can you show it to me?”
Everly nodded and stood to grab her laptop from the side table. Once she had everything up, she handed it to Harlan.
He studied it for a few moments, then handed it back. “Well, the good news is, it doesn’t look like they know where your exact house is.”
Leon held out his hand for the computer. “And the bad news?”
“They’ve obviously narrowed it down to Colorado.”
Leon growled when he read the words. “This guy is getting bold.” He pushed a hand through his hair. “And I still don’t understand all these comments about you being a home-wrecker.” He turned his heavy gaze on Everly. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”
“What?” Everly was shocked Leon would suggest such a thing. “Are you kidding me, Leon? When was the last time you heard about me going on a date, let alone cheating behind someone’s back?”