Three Weeks Ago
Pepper slipped quietly through the front door, hoping her mother wasn’t home. She didn’t need questions, particularly ones jaded by alcohol, and she had to make a phone call she was dreading.
The house was quiet, so she pulled out the burner phone she’d paid for with cash and dialed Dalton’s number.
“Dalton Moore.”
“Hi, it’s Pepper,” she whispered.
“What number are you calling from?” he asked.
“It’s a burner phone.”
“What happened to your phone?”
“It’s a long story.” She squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath. “I need your help.”
“Does that mean you’ve forgiven me?”
“Don’t, Dalton, okay? Someone’s stalking me and you’re the only one who can help me.”
“What do you mean ‘stalking’ you?”
“Some guy has been leaving weird crap at the diner for me, calling a hundred times a day, and now he killed Rover.”
“What the hell, Pepper? Why didn’t you call me sooner?” he snapped.
“Because I thought I could handle it, but then he used your name specifically, so I thought you might know him.”
“Can you narrow it down? I’m not in the habit of keeping company with dickheads who stalk women.”
“All I know is he’s the guy who burned down the diner and the same one who calls me every fifteen minutes on my frickin’ phone!” she snapped. “You know everyone. You must have sold a car to someone in the law enforcement field, right? I need your help.”
“Let me think. I’ll call you back as soon as I can, okay?”
Pepper squeezed her eyes shut and slid down the wall. “Okay.”
She hung up with Dalton just as her other phone rang. “Hello.”
“Hello, my love. You had a good day today.”
She bit her lip. “I did everything you told me to.”
“I know you did. Well done. Tonight I’ll let you sleep through the night. I’ll call you in the morning. I left you a bottle of your favorite wine on the patio.”
She wiped the tears from her cheeks. “Thanks.”
“Enjoy it.”
He hung up and Pepper sat in silence for several minutes before making her way to the patio. She had no intention of drinking the wine, but she’d had another flat when she refused his gift of a bottle a week earlier, so it was easier just to open it and dump it. She was pretty sure he didn’t have cameras in her house… at least, so far.
Her mother’s house was the one place she felt safe, and the irony wasn’t lost on her. It was the same place that several of her mother’s “friends” had tried to take advantage of her, forcing her to add several locks to her bedroom door and hide whenever her mother’s “company” was being entertained.
Pepper grabbed the wine and locked the door again. Once she dumped the bottle down the sink, she took her migraine medication, shut off all the lights, rushed to her room, and locked herself in. She sat on the bed, back to the wall, and prayed she didn’t have to pee. Nothing outside of a burning inferno was going to get her out of the bedroom.
* * *
Pepper came awake with a fright when she felt a strong, calloused hand press over her mouth. The smell of soap and burnt fireworks assaulted her nose. She tried to scream as she kicked and scratched and did whatever she could to push the person off her.
“Shhh, Pepper, it’s me.”
She blinked. “Dalton?” she mumbled behind his hand.
He was kneeling beside her bed, black jeans and a black T-shirt helping disguise him in the dark. “Yeah. I’m gonna let you go. Okay?”
She nodded and he removed his hand.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“I did some checking, and someone’s definitely messing with you.”
She sat up and pushed the covers off her legs. “Did some checking?”
He nodded. “Yeah. I have a secret to tell you, but you have to promise not to tell anyone. Not even Sam.”
“I promise.”
“I’m with the FBI.”
“What? What does that mean? You’re a spy?”
“Sure. We’ll go with that.”
Pepper burst into tears. “Is this why you’ve been shutting me out?” she asked in a sob.
Despite her protests, Dalton wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his lap. “Hey. It’s okay. I’m sorry, babe. Seriously. There’s so much I want to tell you, but I can’t.”
She knew she couldn’t fight against his strength, so she sagged against him and sobbed into his chest for what seemed like forever, the relief and fear finally merging into one. Dalton held her without speaking and she began to calm.
“How did you get in here? I locked both locks.”
“Deadbolts are easy-peasy,” he said.
“But how did you get into the house?”
“The basement.”
She gasped. “Oh! The broken window. I forgot about that.”
He shook his head. “No, not that. I fixed that last week. But I fixed it so I could still get in.”
She frowned. “You did? How come I didn’t know about that?”
“There are a few things you don’t know.” He lifted her chin with his finger. “This creep might be watching you, but so am I, okay?”
“Why?”
“Because I promised you I’d never let anything happen to you again, remember?”
“That was a long time ago, Dalt.”
“Doesn’t matter…I keep my promises. Got me?”
Pepper nodded.
Dalton stroked her cheek. “Let’s figure out what to do going forward. I want to get this creep. It’s your birthday in three days, and I’d like to present him on a platter as your gift.”
* * *
Pepper sat in Dalton’s office at the Mercedes store and pretended to read a magazine. She turned the page, frowning at the sight of her shaking hands. Dalton had insisted she wait for him here, because it had a panic room right off the office. He was drawing her stalker out and he wanted her somewhere safe. She really just wanted to hop on a plane and escape, but she knew she needed to see this through. If she didn’t, she’d always be looking over her shoulder.
She swung her leg up and down in irritation. Dalton had closed the dealership almost an hour ago and she still sat by herself in the windowless room with no idea what was happening outside. Without warning, she heard what sounded like firecrackers and her heart raced.
Then, just as quickly, the office door flew open and she was being dragged into the panic room. The door shut and she heard the lock before Dalton collapsed next to her. She let out a squeak and knelt next to him. “Dalt?”
He let out a hiss of pain when she tried to move his arm. She noticed red seeping through his shirt. “You’re bleeding.”
He squeezed his eyes tight and took a deep breath. “I think my shoulder’s dislocated.”
“That wouldn’t explain the blood, Dalt.”
“He got a shot off. Damn it. He’s fast.”
“Did you see him?”
“Nope. He wore a mask.”
Pepper ripped his shirt open and tried to ignore his perfectly formed chest. She pressed her palm to the gunshot wound on his bicep. “Too much? Are you okay?”
He set his lips into a tight line. “Yep.”
“I need to call 9-1-1… as soon as I get the bleeding under control.”
“Just lift the phone, it’ll go straight through.” He nodded behind him. “And then you need to get out of here, Pepper.”
“How? I’m kind of stuck in this room with you.”
“There’s a hidden exit. If they find you, there’ll be more questions than answers and I’ll have to explain what you’re doing here.” He shifted with a grimace. “In my right pocket are keys to a green Mercedes right outside the door. You can drive it to my place and leave your car here. I’m hoping the jackwad will be watching for your car… throw him off the scent.”
“I can’t leave you here alone. What if you bleed to death?”
“I’m not that badly hurt.”
“Hero to the nth degree, I see.” Pepper scowled. “But I’m not leaving you.”
“You’re the most stubborn woman alive.”
“And your point is?” she challenged.
“Fine.” He sighed. “You can wait until we hear the sirens.”
She grinned. “Thank you.”
“I guess it’s officially your birthday.”
Pepper glanced at the clock on the wall. Just after midnight. “A whole quarter of a century.”
He chuckled and then groaned. “Ow.”
“Just stay still. They’ll be here soon.”
“I owe you dinner.”
“Are you ruled by anything other than food, Dalton Moore?”
He gave her a lascivious grin. “Just one.”
Pepper felt the heat creep up her neck. “Okay, Romeo.”
“Mr. Moore?” The muffled shout of a woman floated through the door.
Dalton nodded toward the back wall. “Hit the tile just below the switch. The hidden door will open. Be quick, it closes again in seconds.”
Pepper did as he instructed and a hidden panel popped open.
“Go, babe.”
“Are you sure?” she whispered.
“Yes. Go!”
As the paramedics banged on the panic room door again, she slipped through the panel and made her escape, heading to the safety of Dalton’s apartment. She found a bottle of wine and sat down in front of Dalton’s ridiculously big screen television to keep her company.
Sam called to wish her a happy birthday, and keeping the news about her brother from her was the hardest thing Pepper had ever done.
Pepper managed one night in his apartment alone but was forced back to her mother’s house with a threat from her stalker to hurt Rio if he couldn’t find her. There was some comfort in knowing that he obviously had no idea where Dalton lived, but her relief was short-lived when she was told Sam would be arriving to check on her brother. Another person to worry about would just about send her over the edge.