Hunted: A Suspense Collection

by J. L. Drake

  We both sang our parts. I had to admit I had missed this with Pete. We sounded good together. Well, he made me sound good.

  “Such a pretty song,” Erin said as she snuggled up with Alex on the sand.

  Seth played mindlessly with a piece of my hair.

  “I didn’t know you could sing,” Garrett said to me as he took a seat next to Seth.

  I laughed. “Not really. Pete and I just like to play around.” We listened to Pete play some more songs, and I chimed in here and there.

  Scott moved down by my side. “The guys and I are going to head out. I’ll see you Monday?”

  “Yes, for sure, drive safe.”

  He turned his ball hat around and leaned in for a kiss on my cheek. “Night, hon.”

  Really not liking this nickname, Scott.

  “Emily, I hear your phone going off,” Alex said, holding up my phone.

  “Who is it?”

  He looked down. “Unknown number.”

  “Never mind.”

  He came back over.

  Seth leaned forward and hovered over one shoulder. “How many times has that number called you?”

  I shrugged and turned to him. “It’s nothing. No one is there. Just a wrong number.”

  Pete was in the middle of a soft tune. I leaned back and rested my head on Seth’s leg. The fire was soothing, and the alcohol hit me hard. My eyes soon closed.

  ***

  Seth

  I stared into the fire, deep in thought, when I heard Pete’s voice. “I think you lost her.” He leaned forward and saw Emily’s eyes were closed. I gently pulled her up on my lap and rested her head on my chest.

  “What?” I asked as I shifted lightly and took in Pete’s expression.

  “I don’t get it. You’re clearly in love with her, but you won’t act on it.”

  I looked down, brushing the hair out of Emily’s face. “It’s…complicated.” They won’t get it.

  Pete snorted. “What will really be complicated is when she finally gives up on you and moves on to someone else.”

  I looked up at the fire, knowing he was right.

  Pete stood. “Just do me a favor. If you’re not going to tell her the truth, let her go. She deserves to be happy.” He tapped his beer to mine and walked off. I hated that he was right.

  Garrett sighed. “You’re not the only one who would be losing her.”

  I cleared my throat and took a sip of my beer. I knew he was right too. I wanted Emily all to myself, but would giving in to my feelings make me selfish and reckless? I leaned down and rested my cheek to the top of her head, listening to her slow, even breaths as she slept peacefully in my arms.

  “Garrett, those phone calls…”

  “Yeah, I know. Tomorrow we better get on it.” We exchanged worried looks.

  Chapter 4

  Emily

  I heard the lawn mower going. “Ah, my head,” I muttered and reached blindly for the coffee pot. I tossed on a pair of sunglasses, went out on the porch, and sat on the swing, careful not to move it too much. Stupid Jell-O shots.

  I still had my clothes on from last night, and my hair smelled like salt water. Yeah, I was a hot mess. I sipped my coffee and watched a shirtless Seth mow. His skin was shiny from sweat, his hair messy. There was no hope for my lust for him. It was like he was dangling a piece of meat in front of a hungry tiger. When I’d bolt for it, he snatched it away.

  My phone vibrated next to me. It was a text message. I squinted at the screen and saw a video from an unknown number. I pulled my sunglasses off and opened it. It was a fifteen-second clip of Pete and me singing the night before. What the hell? It had clearly been taken from far away. A second text came through.

  Unknown Number: Will you sing for me?

  I looked at the number again. Oh shit, it was the one from last night! My fingers trembled as I typed.

  Emily: Who is this?

  I waited.

  Unknown Number: I still smell you on me.

  Oh gross! I tossed the phone next to me. Who the hell was that? It buzzed again. I thought about ignoring it, but something told me to read it.

  Unknown Number: I didn’t hurt your ribs too badly, did I, darlin’?

  As my eyes read the last word, I felt as if someone had hit me in the stomach with a shovel. Everything started to spin. I tried to stand, but my legs weren’t working.

  My brain screamed at me to do something, but there was no response. Seth looked over and saw me sitting there not moving, undoubtedly turning paler with each second. He was at my side in a flash.

  “Emily? Are you all right?” I could hardly hear him with the loud ringing in my ears. He bent down to my level. I met his gaze. He saw my tears, and then I handed him my phone. He slid it gently out of my grip and read the texts. He jumped up and looked around. It buzzed again.

  Unknown Number: Morning, Officer Connors.

  “How does he know my name? Where the hell is he?” Seth hissed to himself. He looked all around, then quickly pulled me up and walked me inside. He locked all the windows and doors, setting the alarm. He called Garrett. “He texted her phone. He’s watching us. How fast can you get here?”

  Garrett arrived in record time, and Seth filled him in. By then, I had managed to pull myself together a bit. Garrett texted someone. “Okay, Johnnie is going to stay with her until we get off work.”

  I looked at Seth. I wanted him to stay, but I knew he couldn’t. “Who’s Johnnie?”

  Garrett put his arm around me. “He’s a good friend of ours. We trust him. He’s been on the force for a long time.”

  I ran my hands through my hair. “Great, a babysitter,” I muttered under my breath.

  After I got showered, I started picking up my laundry from yesterday. I couldn’t find my neon pink panties anywhere. I knew I had kicked them off in the same spot as always.

  Then it hit me. What if whoever was in my room took them? No, don’t be ridiculous, Emily! They’ll show up. I shook my head, grabbed my bag, and headed down to my dad’s office to study. I turned off my phone and tried to focus. An hour later I heard a knock at the door. It was Seth, all dressed for work.

  “Johnnie’s here.” I followed him out to the living room. There stood a tanned, tall, medium-built guy with a shaved head. He was deep in conversation with Garrett.

  Seth put his hand on my waist. “Johnnie, this is Emily.” The man came over and shook my hand.

  He nodded. “Hey, Emily, I’ve heard a lot about you.” His smile made him seem softer than his appearance. He winked at Seth. “She is pretty,” he said and whistled softly.

  Seth smirked. “Thanks, man.” I fought back a smile.

  Garrett grinned at me, knowing I enjoyed where that came from. Seth must have been talking about me at work, and that made me feel good. “Okay, Em, we’ll be off at 6:30.” He showed Johnnie around the house.

  Seth moved in front of me. “You’ll be fine,” he said softly. “Johnnie’s good.” I looked down at my hands, wishing he didn’t have to go. He lifted my chin to make me look at him. “We’ll catch this guy, I promise. We need to talk later, though.”

  “About?” Oh, please say about us.

  “About this guy, Em. I really need you to—”

  Garrett came in. “We gotta go.”

  “I’ll call later,” Seth said, staring at me for a moment. Then he gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, and before I knew it, he was gone.

  I studied for the rest of the morning, though not much sunk in. I was constantly looking out from behind the curtains, wondering if he was still out there. I had Garrett’s phone so they could get hold of me. They had insisted on taking my phone with them. I came into the kitchen, where I found Johnnie on a laptop. “Hey, you hungry?” I asked.

  “Yes.” He stretched out his long arms. “I am.”

  I pulled out some burgers, but when I unlocked the door to go outside, I hesitated. What if he was out there? “I think I’ll fry these instead.” Johnnie nodded, agreeing with me.
We ate our lunch, and we chatted a bit about the force.

  I found out he was close to his brother who visited him often from the east coast. He had twin sisters who drove him crazy, but you could tell he loved it, and he saw his mother every Sunday for lunch. I slowly relaxed, letting my guard down. Johnnie was funny and could carry on a conversation easily.

  I cleaned up and went upstairs to prepare for school the next day. Seth texted me.

  Seth: You doin’ all right?

  Emily: Always.

  Seth: How’s Johnnie?

  Emily: Great, other than when he fell asleep on the couch.

  I waited for a few moments, grinning at my last text. It was kinda fun messing with Seth sometimes.

  Seth: You better be joking, or he’s dead. I’ll personally take him out.

  I swallowed hard. He was even scary over texting.

  Emily: Of course I am. Like I’d tell you if he was!

  Seth: I have ways of making you talk, baby.

  I tried desperately to control my stupid smile. I felt like an ass, grinning.

  Emily: Now that I’d like to see.

  Seth: I bet. Now if you don’t mind, I need to get back to ‘serving and protecting your ass’ as you so nicely put it the other day. Be good and listen to Johnnie. I’ll be home soon.

  Now that made me laugh. I flopped down on my pillow. Home. I loved the way that sounded coming from him.

  ***

  Seth

  I tucked my phone back into my pocket. I loved hearing Emily’s playful side. I loved that I even had a playful side with her. My life had been serious for so long that sometimes it seemed I’d forgotten how to have a little fun.

  Detective Michaels sat across from me and Garrett. He was wrapping up a phone call.

  “Okay,” Michaels said, rubbing his head and dropping his phone with a thud. “Her clothes came back with nothing, not even a print. Because of the weave of the material, nothing stuck.”

  My stomach sank. I had been banking on them finding something. It was pretty much our only hope.

  “Not even a print on the envelope from the note, and his calls are coming from a burner phone. I’m sorry, guys, but now this all falls on McPhee and what she can tell us.”

  I raised my head, trying to gather my thoughts. Why her? What did this prick want with my Emily?

  ***

  Emily

  I watched some TV and called Erin to meet up at school the next day. Johnnie checked in on me often. He even checked the locks on my window.

  At 6:00 p.m., I started dinner. Johnnie hung out, offering to help, but I noticed he didn’t even know how to chop an onion. I laughed, took back the knife I had given him, and shooed him to the table. I wondered if he lived off frozen dinners and canned goods, poor guy. I pulled out a beer and handed it to him. “Here, you deserve this.”

  He smiled. “Thanks, but I’m still on duty.”

  “The guys will be home any minute.”

  He smiled, unscrewing the cap.

  I poured myself a glass of wine to calm my nerves. The entire day, I had found myself glancing out the windows wondering if he was watching me at that very moment. Knowing he could be watching me all the time changed things.

  I didn’t enjoy the darkness anymore. Monsters lurked in the dark. He lurked in the dark. Ugh…I shuddered when I saw his face in front of me, staring at me from the tree outside. The bottom of my glass rattled against the counter. I knew it was my mind playing tricks on me, but it was still scary as hell.

  “Emily?” Johnnie asked softly. “You see something?” I heard him get out of his chair. I slowly shook my head, not looking at him. I closed my eyes, taking a moment.

  “Where was I?” I looked over at the stove.

  “Something smells good!” Garrett called out, coming into the kitchen.

  Johnnie laughed. “Try smelling it for the last forty-five minutes.”

  Seth came in. He looked tired, but his eyes lit up when he saw me. “How was your day?”

  I grabbed for some plates, “All right. Yours?”

  He pulled a chair out. “It went.”

  I set a large meat lasagna in the center of the table along with three hot French loaves.

  “I can see why you like it here,” Johnnie said, as he inhaled deeply. I enjoyed having new company, and I was thankful for Johnnie taking a day to watch over me. Maybe having a babysitter wasn’t all bad.

  Seth rubbed his head, looking troubled. “So, we got the results back on your clothes, and there wasn’t a hit on anything.”

  “What does that mean?” I asked.

  “It means we still don’t know the identity of your attacker.”

  “Oh.” My stomach sank and a rush of nerves hit me.

  Seth shook his head slowly. “Babe, we need to know what was said that night, and we need you to come in and look at some head shots.” He leaned forward, resting his arm on the table. “I know you thought you could move on and get past this, but he’s not going away. For some sick reason he’s following you, watching you, watching us. We need to nab this guy before he tries something else. Who knows what kind of sick, delusional ass we’re up against?”

  I cleared my throat, taking a moment, then reached for my water glass and took sip. Was I ready to open this box? I swallowed my lump past the sandpaper feeling in my throat. I knew it was time to tell them. I was nervous as hell, though. Oh shit, I felt sick.

  I took two deep breaths and looked up, while the three of them stared and waited. “O-Okay.” I fought to find my voice. Seth reached out and clasped my hand, giving it a quick squeeze before he returned to the water glass he was twirling anxiously.

  I tried to think back without opening the whole Pandora’s Box in my head. “I had to stop for gas. He came out of nowhere.” As I told them what had happened, I began to see it all in my head like a play. “He knew my name and told me not to anger him. He knew about the guy at the beach, Jacob. He didn’t like that I was flirting with him.” I looked down. “But I wasn’t…flirting with him, that is.”

  I closed my eyes, seeing him in front of my face and feeling his hand on my leg. My fingers wrapped around my glass as I took another unsteady sip, trying to dampen my cotton mouth. “He said if I…um…told my cop buddies that he’d...” I looked at Seth. Oh God, just say it. “He said he’d chop me up into bits and pieces and do the same to my cop friends.”

  Silence filled the room. I had no idea what they thought.

  Finally, Garrett broke the silence. “Can you describe him, Em? Anything you might have seen that would help?”

  “He was wearing a wool ski mask. I think he had a scar on his neck. I’m not sure, but I think. He smelled bad. His breath smelled funny, sort of sweet. It was terrible. He, he…” I began to shake.

  “Okay, a scar. That’s really helpful. Thank you for telling us, Emily. If anything else comes to you, you have to tell us, okay?” Garrett whispered.

  Seth still looked stuck in a parallel space. Garrett cleared his throat, bringing Seth back to us. He ran a hand through his hair, glancing at me as I stood up and placed my dishes in the dishwasher.

  The dishes rattled in my unsteady hands as I tried to act normal, but I couldn’t contain my fear. What would this guy do when he found out I’d told them everything?

  I excused myself and went into the living room. I figured they’d want to chat about stuff I didn’t want to hear.

  I felt exhausted and stretched out on the couch. I could hear them talking every once in a while, but I was thankful I couldn’t make out what they were saying. As soon as the darkness took over…he was there waiting for me.

  “I like this,” he said, touching my shoulder. I was in a red room, arms and legs bound to a bed, my body quivering in so much fear that I could barely catch my next breath. I could hear cars go by. I knew I was close to people. All I needed to do was get through that brown door.

  “Now, Emily, what are we going to do with you? I told you not to say a word, but you did
n’t listen, did you?” I looked at him, but I couldn’t see his face. There was a shadow over it.

  “Please, I’m sorry,” I sobbed. “Please don’t hurt me, I’ll do anything!”

  He stopped at the foot of the bed and rubbed his chin “Oh, I know you will, you’ll be mine forever.” The last word, ‘forever,’ was dragged out. As it danced over his tongue, he slowly pulled a pair of pliers off the table and came over to me. “Now let me hear you beg!”

  I started to scream…

  “Hey, hey.” I heard Seth’s soothing voice. I looked at him, then all around, trying to come back to reality. “You were dreaming, baby, it’s all right,” Seth said.

  I was breathing hard. My chest felt heavy as I put my hands over my face.

  “Was it him?” he asked.

  I nodded. He moved to lie down alongside me, rolling me on my side, my back against his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and tucked me into him. I felt so safe in his arms. Being held there gradually slowed my heart back to its normal beat. I spent the night like that, wrapped in the hope that I would make it through this.

  The guys drove me to school in the morning in their squad car. I was quieter than normal. I hated that I still couldn’t find my damn panties. My imagination filled my head with all kinds of sick thoughts. The idea of someone being in my room, touching my stuff with the perverted, twisted intent to harm me scared the life out of me.

  “You all right, Em?” Garrett asked, peering at me through the rearview mirror. I nodded and stared out the window, lost in my thoughts.