Carter
1981, Fort Lauderdale
Carter stood at her kitchen counter and sliced an apple, popping a piece into her mouth to enjoy as she worked.
“We’ll go for a walk as soon as everybody gets their treats,” she said to her Golden Retriever mix, Cooper, who stood next to her with his leash dangling from his mouth.
A knock at her door interrupted her work. She stiffened and with the paring knife still in hand and Cooper at her heels, cautiously approached the front door. She didn’t get many unexpected visitors.
She took a quick look through the peephole and gasped. Him. He’d been looking down, but she recognized the haircut and general shape of his head.
He knocked louder this time, causing her to jump.
“I know you’re home, Carter. I see your car. Please open up. I’m only here to apologize.”
Yeah, right.
“Look, please, just tell your friend to stay away from me, okay?” There was desperation in his voice that she’d never heard. “I’m only here to tell you I’m sorry about what I did to scare you with the raccoon. I didn’t kill it. It was already dead on the side of the road when I found it. I only put it in your car to shake you up.”
She bit her lip.
“Look, can you please open up so I don’t have to yell? I can’t do anything to hurt you with a broken arm. I don’t want trouble. I just want you to call off your attack dog.”
She looked through the peephole again and this time saw he was holding up his right arm. It had a cast on it. It could be a fake cast. Would he go to all this trouble to get inside her apartment? Before she could ponder further, he lowered his arm, and it was then she noticed his left eye was swollen, and the side of his face was sporting some bright blue bruises.
What was going on?
She undid the chain and slid the deadbolt open. She opened the door and noticed the look of relief on his face.
“Thank you. Can I come in?” A pause. “Please?”
She stood aside and motioned with her hand that still held the knife.
“I can promise you that you won’t be needing that. Okay?” he said as he walked into the apartment and sat uninvited on the couch.
He looked up at her. He looked so different than the confident and cocky jock she’d gone on exactly one date with. She’d enjoyed herself on that date and had been looking forward to going out again. The only problem was she’d been busy—and he took that as flat-out rejection. Which it wasn’t.
She’d tried telling him her schedule was full, had even tried to say she could meet up for quick lunches until they could actually plan another date night. But he’d rapidly jumped into full-fledged stalker mode. When she let herself think about it, it was almost as if he enjoyed tormenting her. The dead raccoon was the straw that broke the camel’s back. She’d told Kit, who convinced her to go to the police and file for a restraining order.
And that was exactly what she’d planned on doing, right after taking her dog for a walk this morning.
She remembered thinking before how good-looking he was. Interesting how someone’s personality can affect how they look. She was seeing him through new eyes now, and she had to admit—he was downright ugly. And the fresh bruises and swollen eye had nothing to do with it.
Now, watching him visibly shake while sitting on her couch, she saw something new in his expression. Something she’d not seen before.
Fear.
“Please,” he said in a trembling voice. “Please tell him I came here and apologized. Tell him I’m never coming near you again. Tell him I’m not some sociopath who gets off on killing animals. Just tell him. Tell him you’ll never lay eyes on me again. Please tell him all of that. Okay?”
He gave her a pleading look. Carter was truly baffled. She sat down on the chair across from him and absently petted Cooper, who sat at her feet. Her brows furrowed.
“Who? Who am I supposed to tell this to?”
She saw a quick flash of anger in his face, but he reeled it in quickly and drove it back.
“Don’t play dumb, Carter. Your friend. That fucking gigantic monster with the crazy long hair and scary-ass tattoos. The one that rides a motorcycle?”
She blinked without saying anything. She only knew one person who fit that description, and she’d only met him once. Kit’s husband. Grizz.
She’d been invited to Kit’s house in Shady Ranches while her husband was away on business. He’d returned early, and Carter almost crapped herself when he’d let himself in the back door.
Grizz was nothing like she’d expected. She always associated “being away on business” with someone who wore a suit and tie and carried a briefcase. They’d just stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity but was only a few seconds when Kit, who’d been putting a load of clothes in the dryer, came back into the room and launched herself into his arms. She looked so small compared to the giant man that Carter slowly gave the once-over, taking in the long hair, five o’clock shadow, and tattoos that covered his massive body.
But it was the look of love and gentleness he gave his wife that shocked Carter far more than his appearance. He’d missed her, and he was totally smitten. It was too obvious to miss.
Carter shook off the memory as she listened to her repentant stalker.
“You’re going to try and tell me you don’t know who I’m talking about? Well, I get it. You have to play dumb, don’t you? He probably doesn’t want me to go to the police.”
Carter raised a brow.
He rushed on, watching her face. “Okay, so he’s not the kind of guy to care what I’d do, which is nothing. I wouldn’t do anything. Don’t tell him about the police comment, Okay? I—I was just kidding.”
Carter couldn’t help herself. She smiled. Then she gave him a serious look.
“I’ll tell him you apologized. I’ll tell him you won’t bother me again. I’ll tell him you don’t kill small animals. At least, I don’t think you do. You could be lying. You seemed to enjoy tormenting me.”
“It was road kill, Carter. I swear the raccoon was road kill that I found.” He stood up then, raised his broken arm. “He did this slowly. Not quick. Slowly, so I could feel it. He wanted me to hurt for scaring you.” He gulped. “I can promise you I never want to see him again in my life. And don’t take this as an insult, but you’re not worth it. Nobody would be worth it.”
He didn’t wait for her to answer, just walked to the front door and opened it. He stopped to look back at her.
“Okay?”
She nodded her agreement, and he was gone.
Three days later, Carter sat at the gas station and watched Kit’s husband, Grizz, lean back against his car while he pumped gas. She swallowed thickly, put her car in park, and approached him.
Without making eye contact, she heard him say, “I was wondering when you were going to make yourself known. You’ve been following me.”
“Uhhh...I didn’t realize you noticed. It just never seemed like a good time to talk to you,” she stammered.
He smiled at her then. Her heart actually gave a jolt from the attention he gave her in that one smile. She didn’t remember thinking he was good-looking that first and only time she’d met him. Her only recollection had been big. But his smile was disarming.
“I know you followed me to my bars and out to the motel, at least until you thought better of it and turned around. That was smart. Turning around. I’m thinking that you don’t want Kit to know what I did. You could’ve asked to see me or made an excuse to see her in the hopes of running into me, but you didn’t.” He nodded as he spoke. “I appreciate that.”
“You do?” The surprise in her voice evident.
“Yeah, I do. I try to protect her as much as I can. She doesn’t need to know I broke that shitbag’s arm.”
“Why? Why did you do it?” She couldn’t help but ask.
He retrieved the nozzle from his gas tank, placed it back on the pump, and started to put the gas cap back on. Without looking at her, he told her.
“Because Kit was afraid for you. She cares about you, and he was scaring and upsetting you. That was scaring and upsetting her. And nobody upsets my wife if I can help it.”
Carter smiled shyly. “Well, no matter why you did it, I appreciate it, and I owe you.”
“You don’t owe me.” He leaned back on his car, crossing his arms over his chest. The look on his face was nothing but serious and totally focused.
The sound of traffic and the smell of gasoline were nothing compared to his captivating stare. His green eyes bored into hers. No wonder Kit fell in love with this guy. There was something about him that was powerful and extremely attractive. I am not going to crush on my new friend’s husband. Not happening, Carter.
She swallowed hard and gave him a genuine smile.
“Well, I feel like I do. If there’s anything I can do for you, and I can’t imagine what that could even be, but if there’s anything, let me know.”
He didn’t answer her. He just nodded. She nodded back and turned to walk back to her car.
She was getting ready to open the door and get in when she yelled back over her shoulder, “Just remind me never to do anything to upset your wife!”
She giggled and looked his way to see if she could gauge his reaction, but he’d already climbed back into his black Corvette. Gee, if he heard me, I hope he knows I’m only kidding. I don’t ever want to get on the wrong side of him.
She thought about what he’d done to her stalker and shuddered as she got into her car.