Jessica Bilson felt her sides begin to split in two pieces. Her body was trying to force her to double over in pain, while her lungs gasped for just one ounce of sweet air, but she was denied this luxury. Her head began to spin and she truly felt dizzy on a scale that she had never known before. Her head pounded down the back of her skull, rocking from the base of her neck to the very top of her cranium, pinging out like laser beams to her temples. She felt nausea rocking through her stomach, turning to sharp pains as it reached her chest and dissipated to a dull ache in her jaw.

Still she would not let up.

Her feet pounded the pavement harder as she pushed her legs further. The morning sunrise was just coming up over the horizon and she was trying to fixate on that to take her mind away from the sheer misery that she was putting her body through. This was the third day of her new fitness regime that she had committed to and she hated every single second of it, still, but she had to admit that she was starting to find parts of it exhilarating—addictive even. It was a weird thing to explain. How had she become addicted to something she loathed?

Maybe it was the way she felt afterwards. It was like her body finally felt truly awake. She had found her mind was sharper and her energy levels were through the roof. She slept better and she found her body craving healthier foods. The sight and smell of greasy and disgusting fake foods were no longer nearly as appetizing as they had been. She found herself craving the crunch of leafy greens and the natural sweetness of fresh fruit over the refined carbohydrates that had been her staple diet for so many years.

She knew that the workouts would get easier, even though right now she was so sore she could hardly stand it. While her energy levels were great, her muscle aches were still nonstop. They were rebelling against her and the newfound work out she was putting them through.

The idea to start working out had come after she had seen that message warning her to stay away from Alex. Jess wasn’t sure why that was the catalyst for her newfound health obsession, but she had been all consumed with getting fit and healthy. She didn’t give a damn about being thin or having a rocking body—her body was already pretty damn sexy, she felt—but she did want to get stronger and feel better.

It was mostly due to the stress she had been under both at work and in her personal life. She had never had a problem handling the stress load at work. That was something she loved and craved even. She had always been a workaholic and she was damn proud of it, but her personal life had always been a non-issue because she didn’t really have one. Now with the past few weeks of juggling two budding relationships it had become rather difficult to deal with.

And with the threats she had been receiving it was getting to be a bit of a bear to deal with now. There had been two more since the first group (they always came in threes for some reason, but each message was always the same as the first one) and each one was making her more nervous, but she would not allow herself to be pushed around and to be pushed away from Alex. She had started to develop very strong feelings for him and he was also experiencing strong feelings for her. She knew it. She could see it in the way he looked at her, the way that he touched her, and the romantic lovemaking they shared. It wasn’t just sex; it was lovemaking. Of course there had been a time or two when they had done nothing more than hardcore, quick, passionate sex, but for the most part they took their time and made sweet love. She knew it was cheesy as hell to think of it that way and she almost wanted to smack herself upside the head because of it, but she was enjoying the whole experience way more than she wanted to admit to herself.

Each email she received had been more detailed than the one before. The first message had read “Stay away from him bitch!” The second one said “I’m going to cut you into little pieces if you don’t get away from Alex Mathers!” and the last one had been a direct threat that involved a plan. It was no longer a warning. It was a threat. “I’m going to kill you.”

Jess came to a stop at the finish line of the track as the visual of that last email swam in her mind. Someone was going to kill her. She felt very alone and very afraid, but she would not admit it to anyone. Alex was very worried about her and had basically refused to let her even live by herself until this person was apprehended. He had told her that she was going to be living at his place and that was that, but Jess had refused his offer. That would be too much like hiding and she was not going to let that happen. It was not in her nature to hide from anyone, no matter how scared she was.

And she was terrified. She felt it in every molecule of her body, but she was not a quitter and she did not allow anyone to scare her into submission. That was just not going to happen to her.

Even as she felt the tears welling up in her eyes right then she shook herself out of it and choked the tears back. If that psycho was watching her right now she would never give them the satisfaction of knowing that she was crying in fear. Jess grabbed her water bottle from her gym bag sitting on the ground beside the finish line and took a big gulp. It helped to snap her out of her temporary breakdown. She took a few deep breaths and picked up her bag.

She looked over at the man sitting in the bleachers. He was watching her intently and she thought she felt his gaze lingering on her in ways that was not quite professional. But she couldn’t blame him. She was wearing a very sexy, tight spandex gym outfit. Why work out if you weren’t going to look good doing it, right?

“Good run?” the man spoke as she came closer.

“It was. I really felt it today.”

The man’s name was Detective Tim Packard. Jess had contacted the police about the threats and she had noticed how the detective had taken an interest in her right away. She wasn’t sure Alex had picked up on it, but she was certain that the detective wanted her in ways that weren’t exactly professional. He had assigned himself as her primary bodyguard and protector instead of stationing this task to a rookie officer as was customary when someone was placed under police protection.

Jess had not been immune to his charms entirely, but she would never act on her desires. Tim was the quintessential sexy cop that you found on all of those detective shows on television. He looked like a male model, with his chiseled good looks, perfect hair, and piercing gaze. He embodied the body language and demeanor of an alpha male twice his age, all wrapped up in the body of a thirty-five year old.

Jess had found herself fantasizing about him more than a few times. She couldn’t help but feel a strong attraction to the man, but she was also very good at compartmentalizing her feelings. She knew that she would never betray what she had with Alex and the deep feelings she felt for him. Tim was just eye candy and there was nothing wrong with that. As long as she didn’t begin to entertain the notion of Tim being more than just a casual flirtation. That was where things could get messy, and she was determined to not let that happen.

“It’s a great discipline to get into,” Tim said as he rose from the bleachers to follow behind Jess.

Jess looked at the local college football field that was being lit up by the emerging sunshine. She loved it at this time of day. It was the best time to get a good workout in because the world was still asleep and the pressure of the day had not yet started to pin on your shoulders. She was just thankful that the school left the field open to the public at night. It was a nice gesture, and as far as she could tell no one really used it at night except her. It was almost as if the universe had aligned so that she could have the use of this track all to herself every day.

She knew that she could have achieved the same workout by going to the gym and running on a treadmill, but she hated being around a bunch of other people when she was working out and she hated smelling the sweaty, stale air of a gym. It was like being in a nasty sardine can. She loved the fresh air and she loved communing with nature.

Tim quickened his speed so that he was now matching her stride for stride. She thought it was funny and cute how he almost seemed to be chasing after her at times, but other times he seemed very reserved and almost like he was annoyed that he had to spend time with her. He did have other cases and other things on his plate, so occasionally Jess found herself under the direct care of Jimmy Woods, a rookie cop. He was cute, but had the personality of a stick. She found that when Tim wasn’t there she actually missed him a bit.

Jess reached her car and said goodbye to Tim. She was going to work, so she didn’t really require his protection there, but she knew that he would ask Jimmy or another officer to sit across the street and park on the curb so they could watch the parking lot of the law firm of Mathers and Clark for any suspicious activity. There was nothing to report so far, of course. Jess had told the cops how silly and what a waste of time it was. She did not leave the office for most of the day or most of the night most days. The only time she did leave the office at a relatively normal time was when she went out with Alex. Then she was with him all evening, usually spending the night at his place.

But when she came out to get in her car to leave to go running, she would see Tim sitting there again. He seemed to prefer the early shift. She wondered when he slept.

Jess had to admit that having Tim around made her feel safer than she had been feeling. She felt fine with Alex, but knowing that Tim was a trained police officer and he was looking out for her really increased her feelings of well-being. She would never tell Alex this, because she knew it would emasculate him. She knew enough about men to know that they all wanted to feel like providers and protectors. It was in their DNA and if you were to threaten that then they could get very paranoid and breakdown emotionally. As much fun as that sounded-- Jess didn’t really want to mess with it. She had a great thing going with Alex.

Jess swung by her house, showered, and changed really quickly. In the shower she had found herself briefly thinking about what it would be like for Detective Tim to come inside and wash her back for her. She imagined he would be more than happy to lend a hand. She laughed at her musings and then chastised herself for mentally cheating on Alex. It was a harmless thought, but she noticed how turned on she was becoming thinking about it.

She dismissed it from her mind as she went through her routine. Dressed and looking ready to kill, she wolfed down a quick breakfast of oatmeal with fruit, and a few hard boiled eggs that she had made at the beginning of the week. It was so easy to have a high protein snack at the ready for her to munch on as she was heading out the door.

Jess smiled at Tim and gave him an inadvertent wink as she hopped behind the wheel. She saw him smiling in her mirror as she sped away. He was right behind her, swerving and following closely until she pulled into work safe and sound. She gave him a slight wave as she walked into the building and headed towards her office.

Tim drove off, most likely towards the police station. She knew that he would be sending his replacement anytime now, and Tim would be spending a big part of his day trying to find out who was threatening Jess. It was turning out to be a monumental task. The email address being used to send the threats was fake, but Jess figured that. The IP address that was used to send them was also fake, which meant the perp knew how to cover their tracks well. This did not make Jess feel any safer by a long shot. She would have preferred to have a stupid stalker. If the psycho was clever than they would have to find another way to get to them. She was going to be ready though.

Jess made it to her office and switched on her computer. She had a lot of work to do this morning. She had actually finished up the Jones' case and had won a favorable verdict that kept the Dentist's good name out of the papers and did not imply any guilt on him. Basically they had come to an agreement where he would pay the victims off. In LA, there was nothing that money could not buy. Jess had learned that the first week she had started working at the firm. The disgusting things people in that town got away with because of money were insane. She almost had to laugh at it because if she had actually sat down to think about it and the work she did to get these people free, it would have overwhelmed her with sadness and she would not have liked herself very much. She wanted to scream sometimes, but when she saw the big, fat paycheck arriving into the hands of the firm and then a nice chunk of that going into her own pocket, she was suddenly OK with it. She realized this made her a despicable person in some ways, but a girl had to make a living.

Jess was just getting into her routine while sipping her second cup of coffee, when she heard a knock at the door. She found a stopping point and looked up to find Alex standing there, wearing his trademark smirk. She had to smile; the man was so damn smooth. He could just give her that “Alex” look and she found herself blushing like a school girl. It pissed her off, but it was also very sweet and she loved it. She hated that she loved it. Anything that made her feel vulnerable had a way of making her angry, but she found that with Alex the anger paled in comparison to the joy she felt when she was with him. She was learning that as a woman it was OK to be vulnerable at times.

“How’s it going?” Alex asked. He sauntered in and kissed her sweetly.

“It’s going,” Jess said. She settled back in her chair and let out a sigh. She had been going over the notes for a new case and some of the details were a little fuzzy. She hated to be interrupted when she was making notes about important things she had to discuss with the client. It was very difficult to get her mind back in the zone after the interruptions that Alex was always throwing her way. She realized that he was her boss and he could just tell her to take a break whenever he wanted, but it was still annoying. And she had expressed her displeasure to Alex, but he continued to do it. In fact she was starting to think that he did it even more just to irritate her. She wanted to be mad at him but for some reason she found the surly behavior adorable. She hated that.

“You lose your shadow?” Alex asked.

“What? Oh, yeah. The detective has allowed me to enter the building unescorted. I feel so blessed for the freedom,” Jess joked.

Alex smiled as he massaged her shoulders gently.

“He is just doing his job to make sure you stay safe,” Alex said.

“I know, but it is a bit much. I can take care of myself. I’m not sure I would have reported it if I’d known that I’d be followed around like a prisoner. It is starting to affect my concentration at work.”

“We had to report it. Who knows what kind of a psycho this person might actually be. They might be serious about hurting you.”

“I know, but I can’t live in fear. That is no way to live at all. I need to chill a bit, you know. The stress of everything is starting to box me in.”

“Aww, poor baby,” Alex said. Jess shot him a confused look until she realized he was being sarcastic.

“Jerk,” she joked hitting him playfully on the arm.

“What?”

“Way to be supportive,” Jess replied.

Alex smiled. “I try.”

“How about you try to leave me alone, so I can get some work done?”

Alex moved his hand from her shoulder to cup her breast softly. She felt an immediate jolt of lust which she quickly dismissed as she elbowed him in the ribs.

“This is not the place for that,” Jess said.

“You just assaulted your boss, missy. I’m going to have to put this in your performance evaluation at the end of the year,” Alex said as he walked towards the door.

“You have fun with that,” Jess called after him.

He dropped back into the doorway.

“What?” Jess snapped.

“I almost forgot why I came in here. I got a few tickets to the Foo Fighters show tonight. Front row seating; we are there.”

“Foo Fighters? Seriously? They are my favorite band,” Jess said.

Alex smiled. “I know. I’ll pick you up at six.”

“I have a lot of work to do,” Jess said.

“You always have a lot of work to do. That isn’t going to change. That is the nature of the business.”

“I know, which is why I need you to go away and let me do stuff,” Jess said.

“Who’s stopping you,” Alex called as he wandered down the hall.

Jess watched him go before turning her attention back to her work. She was really excited about the concert. She had not been to a rock show in a few years. It had probably been college the last time she really let her hair down and had some crazy fun. She shuddered thinking about it and scolded herself for not having more of a life. But it seemed that every time she tried to get a life together then something always came up and ruined it. She had been jaded too many times by too many of the wrong guys. She’d had to focus on her career to achieve her goals. It never occurred to her that one of those goals was keeping her heart safe by placing it in an iron vault and throwing it in the bottom of the ocean where it could never be touched or harmed again.

She noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. Alex had carelessly left her door open and she didn’t feel like getting up to shut it. Through the open door she noticed Dean coming out of the copy room with a handful of pages. He glanced up at her before he walked into his office. There was a cold and dead look behind his eyes. She had rarely seen him look so cold and unfeeling. It sent a small shiver up her back as she tried to remove her gaze from his.

He was obviously still pissed about the fact that he had lost her to Alex. It was times like this when Jess was sure she had made the right choice after all. Dean seemed to be acting very childish and insecure about the whole thing. There was a part of her mind that had suspected him of sending the threats to her, but she couldn’t bring herself to believe it for a second.

Dean was being a childish baby in some ways about the whole thing, but he wasn’t the kind of guy who would waste time trying to scare her. Jess liked to think she could read people pretty well. You had to if you were going to be a good lawyer. It came with the territory, and the vibe she got from Dean was nothing monstrous. In fact she was still very attracted to him and she found herself still wrestling over whether or not she had chosen correctly in all of this. It was a difficult decision to make and she cared deeply for Alex and was thrilled to be with him, but a part of her wanted Dean too. She wished that it had been possible to combine the two together into one perfect man, but that idea was ridiculous. She had made her decision and she was happy with it.

As she was just getting back into things with her work, her phone rang on her desk. She stared at it and wished it would burst into flames, before she answered.

“Jess? It’s Detective Tim Packard.”

“Hey, Detective. What’s up?”

“I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

“No, I was just taking a break,” Jess lied. The man’s voice sounded even smoother and sexier over the phone. Jess had always been a sucker for a deep, thick voice. It reminded her of her pension for other thick things…

“Great. The reason I called is that I may have found a lead on the person threatening you.”

“Really? That’s great.”

“Yeah but right now it’s just a person of interest. We checked out an ex-girlfriend of Alex’s and our tech guys were able to trace her email activity at the time the messages were sent to a DNS server with an anti-trace mask on it.”

“I thought you couldn’t trace it? You tried already, right?”

“Yes, the IP address was being blocked, but I have some friends in the FBI Cyber Tech Division who were able to do some magic and uncover it anyway. It just took a bit longer and they weren’t sure they were able to do it. Turns out our perp isn’t as sophisticated as we originally thought.”

“That’s fantastic. And you think it’s this person---“

“Veronica Daniels is her name. It is possible that her phone could have been cloned or that someone placed some sort of malware on her PC so they could hack into her email and also so they could share her IP address. So we don’t know it’s her for sure yet.”

“OK, I really appreciate you keeping me in the loop.”

“No problem. I’ll get back to you as soon as we have any other developments,” Tim said.

“Sounds great.”

Jess hung up the phone and went back to work, but her thoughts were never far from Detective Tim Packard.