Chapter Twenty

Jenna

I stepped into Carla’s coffee shop. There was no line when I entered, and Carla immediately started getting our usual lattes ready. I smiled at her and gave her a grateful nod, and went to take our usual seat by the window as she finished up.

The night before, I’d asked Carla if she would collect my mail for me for the next few days. She’d wanted to know why, and I’d told her it wasn’t the time or place. Now, she wanted to know why I’d made the strange request.

A moment later, she came to sit opposite me. Sitting down, she took out a bundle of letters from her purse and slid them across the table to me. “I did what you asked, Jenna. Now, are you going to tell me why?”

I took the bundle from her and fiddled with the paper. I looked down at the table.

Carla reached across and took hold of my hands. She bowed her head to try and catch my eye. “What’s wrong, honey? You can tell me.”

I took a moment to gather my words. There was a lump in my throat. I so badly hadn’t wanted all of this to follow me here. I had wanted to leave it all far, far behind. I took a deep breath and spoke. “I received a letter in my PO box the other day.”

“What kind of letter?”

“It was from Victor.”

Carla’s brow furrowed for a moment while she tried to recall the name. She gasped. “Your ex? Oh my God, what did it say?”

I clung onto the handle of my latte glass tightly and took a deep breath. “Read it.”

I withdrew the original note from my purse and handed it to her. Carla’s eyes scanned the writing and then she began to shake her head slowly. She looked up at me with concern. “What are you gonna do?”

I gave a little shrug and shook my head helplessly. “I just don’t know. I’ve already been to the police.”

“What else do you think Victor knows?”

“I don’t know. I mean, he knows where my PO box is. He knows I’m in Brayford. It can’t be that long until he finds out where I live if he doesn’t already know.”

“You wanted me to collect the mail in case he was watching.”

I nodded. “I’m sorry. I just knew I couldn’t go back there myself in case he was watching. I figured he wouldn’t know who you were. I thought you might be able to pick it up easy.”

“Nobody said anything to me. I didn’t feel like I was being watched.”

I breathed a small sigh of relief. “Good. I won’t ask you to do it again. I’m going to cancel that PO box.”

“I don’t mind picking it up for a while until this blows over.”

“Thanks, Carla, but I think it’s best I change it. Just to be safe.”

Carla let out a long, low, breath. “What do you think he wants with you?”

I shook my head. “God knows. At first, it was like he was trying to get me back, but then I started to feel like he was punishing me. He’s sick. I don’t know what else to say.”

“Would he ever hurt you?”

My silence was all Carla needed to know the answer.

She reached out to lay her hand on mine again. “Have you told Nate?”

“No. No way.”

“Why not?”

“I didn’t want him to know.”

“Why?”

I gave a little shrug and sighed again, putting a hand to my head. “Things are going so well. I didn’t want to bring all my baggage into it. Besides, what can Nate do?”

“He can watch out for you, for one thing.”

“It’s not his job to keep me safe. I don’t want it to be like that with us. He’s got a daughter to look after. That should be his priority. Not looking after me. I don’t want to be that person.”

“Nate would never forgive himself if anything happened to you.”

“I’ve been to the police about getting my restraining order transferred.”

“You had one before?”

I nodded.

Carla’s expression was sympathetic. “Well, that’s something. But you still need to keep your wits about you. This guy is obviously a stalker. He’s obviously unhinged. I mean, Jesus, Jenna—he’s followed you all the way from Pennsylvania. Normal people don’t do that after a breakup.”

“I know, I know…Kacey has been telling me the same thing.”

“Nate’s sister?”

“Yeah. She runs a support group.”

Carla’s eyes widened and then softened. “Oh, honey…why didn’t you tell me? That group is for victims of domestic violence, isn’t it?” She let out a long, sad breath. “I just thought you’d had a rocky break-up. I had no idea…”

“Kacey’s been great. The support group is great. They’ve really helped me get my head together and really focus in on the things I want. Everything’s been coming together and falling into place.”

I looked out the window across the street to the fire station. Nate would be working right now. He was on the night shift this week. He would have just started his shift. I didn’t know whether he was in the station, out on a call or doing some kind of community work out in the town somewhere. My heart ached for him, and I wished that I could tell him everything that was happening. I bet that he’d know just what to say to make me feel better. But, I just couldn’t tell him. I didn’t want to test our relationship so early. Not when everything was going so well, and we had a chance together.

“She’s the one who knew about transferring the restraining order I had back in Pennsylvania,” I continued. “I didn’t know you could do that.”

“Well, I think that’s a smart idea.”

“Let’s hope it does some good. It never took in Pennsylvania.”

“What do you mean?”

I explained. The words came out angry; frustrated. “All the other cops were just too happy to have Victor’s back. He made out like I was some hysterical woman. They all knew him as such a nice guy. Wouldn’t hurt a fly. He had them all wrapped around his little finger, and nobody wanted to turn against him. Not for me.”

Carla shifted her seat, so she was sitting beside me, and she put her arm around my shoulder. “This isn’t Pennsylvania. The police here aren’t Victor’s friends. They’re here to protect you. Not him. You needed to get that restraining order transferred. Then you’ve got some power to do something if he shows up.”

“Yeah…maybe.”

I knew there was sense to what Carla was saying, to what Kacey had been saying, but still, I couldn’t help but feel like it was all pointless. I’d tried before.

Still, I’d done what I knew I needed to, and now I had to just hope that this time would be different.

Carla nodded towards the mail in my hands. “Has he sent you anything else?”

I swallowed. My mouth was dry. I almost didn’t want to look. I felt like I was a horror movie, where the monster was a step closer every time I blinked. Still, I had to know.

With trembling hands, I began to shuffle through the mail. The first few letters were nothing to worry about. Bills. Adverts. Coupons. Then came the familiar handwriting I’d been dreading seeing.

I looked up at Carla and couldn’t stop the tears from welling in my eyes. When I spoke, my voice came out hoarse. “It’s from him.”

“Open it.”

I stared at the letter in my hands. The written address was unmistakably Victor’s handwriting. Even his writing was angry—violent slashes across the page in black ink. I’d recognize it anywhere, slanted and furious.

It took me a long time to summon the courage to open the envelope. Another note inside, just a slip of cream paper.

Pretty little green dress you wore last night. And who’s your new friend? I’m watching you, baby.

I gasped, and my hand flew over my mouth. A cry escaped me, and tears began to fall. My shoulder began to heave with sobs, and I shook.

Carla asked me what it said, but I was crying too hard to answer her, so she gently pried the note from my hand and read it. When she did, her face creased with concern, and she grew quiet. She wrapped her arm tighter around me and pulled me towards her, resting her face close to mine, and brushing my hair back from my face, making soft, comforting sounds. “Oh, Jenna, honey—don’t cry. It’s going to be all right.”

I was filled with a dread so intense that it made my blood run cold. A terrible sickness was twisting in my stomach. My throat felt tight.

I was picturing him watching me, following me. I didn’t know when Victor had first found me, or for how long he’d been stalking me, but it was clear that he’d been at the bar last night. He’d been watching me. He’d seen me in that little green dress that would have filled him with jealous fury when we were together. He must have been filled with rage last night.

So why hadn’t he come forward? Why hadn’t he confronted me last night? What was his end game?

Victor was toying with me. He was out there somewhere in the shadows, enjoying watching me squirm. He probably got some sick pleasure out of knowing I was looking over my shoulder. Maybe he was watching me now.

I looked out the window again and cast my gaze up and down the street. Mothers and children, couples, little old ladies with their groceries…no sign of Victor. I cast my mind back to the night before, trying to bring back to memory every step I’d taken, trying to recall if I had seen anyone who looked like Victor.

I hadn’t, and that terrified me. That meant that he could be watching me right now, and I wouldn’t even know it. Maybe he was sitting in one of those parked cars outside; the one with the tinted windows, perhaps? Maybe he was in one of the stores across the street, watching me from a distance. Maybe he was somewhere further, a pair of binoculars in hand. He could be anywhere.

“He was watching me…”

Carla rubbed my back comfortingly. “Jenna, honey, you have to take steps now. These notes are evidence.”

“He’s seen me with Nate. That’s who he’s talking about, right? My new friend?”

A shudder ran down my spine. I could only imagine how furious Victor must have been when he saw me with Nate. I could only imagine the jealousy churning in him, and what viciousness it might inspire. I was so scared I felt faint.

“I’m taking you to the police station. Right now.”

“No!”

Carla’s caring voice grew stern. “Well, you have to do something, Jenna. If you won’t let me help you, you’ll have to tell Nate. You can’t just pretend this isn’t happening.”

Fresh tears began to spill. “What if it’s too much for him?”

“For Nate?” Carla smiled knowingly. “Honey, he’s not the type to give up easy. He cares about you. Trust me. He won’t leave you when you need him most.”

“But I don’t want to need him,” I argued. “What will he think of me? Some helpless woman hiding behind him like a shield? I just don’t want it to be like that.”

“Nate won’t think that.”

“I just don’t want to ruin it.” I tilted my head back and ran both hands through my hair as I let out a long, long, breath. “Jesus…Carla, this relationship has made me happier than I’ve ever been. When I’m with Nate…it just feels like everything is right. I just don’t want to risk losing it.”

“All right. So, let’s say you don’t tell Nate. And you don’t go to the police. Let’s say you just bury your head in the sand and pretend that none of this is happening. What then? Victor just goes away? You know him better than me, Jenna—is he going to just give up and leave?”

No. Victor would never give up. Victor would never leave. He would hunt me down until he had me in his grasp, and then who knew what he would do?

Carla was right. I couldn’t just bury my head in the sand. I couldn’t just pretend this wasn’t happening. I had to take action. If I didn’t, then I was left with two choices: running away again or coming face-to-face with Victor.

Reluctantly, I nodded. “Fine.”

“Fine?”

“I’ll tell Nate.”

Carla let out a sigh of relief. “Thank God. He’ll know what to do. Nate knows how to stay calm in serious situations. He’ll be able to help. If nothing else, he’ll be there for you.”

I nodded, and I hoped she was right. I trusted Nate. I’d not known him long, but I felt a deep connection to him. I believed that if any man would stand by my side through a storm, it would be him. Yet I still feared that maybe the relationship was too young to survive this much, this soon.

I pushed the fear away. This was no time to cut myself off and push Nate away. My mind was made up. I would go to him.