Chapter Eleven

 

 

Maddox pulled his car to a stop at the curb in front of Ruby Jackson’s house. He’d been wracking his brain as to the identity of the stalker ever since he’d seen that most recent note in Bellamy’s office. Then Ruby’s face had flashed in his memory.

He hadn’t been able to get the hero worship expression she’d worn at the practice out of his mind. What if she’d been watching Keaton specifically with that look on her face? She’d want Bellamy and Gloria to both stay away from him.

Unable to shake the feeling she was dangerous, he’d gotten in touch with one of his contacts at the electric company and wrangled her address out of him, along with the promise he’d never divulge how he obtained her contact information.

He climbed out of his car and strode up the sidewalk to her house. When there was no answer to the doorbell or several raps of his knuckles on the door, he pulled out a lock pick kit and went to work. In about five seconds he had the front door open and was inside, closing the door quietly behind him.

The small living room was neat, the furniture nondescript. The kitchen was large enough to include a small dinette pushed up against a wall. He walked soundlessly down the hallway to her bedroom and entered. A queen-sized bed was centered along one wall, with a large dresser opposite it. Two doors along the third wall probably led to a closet and the bathroom. He crossed the room and pulled open the first door. Bathroom. He opened the second door. Closet, with shoes lined up just so on the floor and hanging clothes grouped by color on the rod. He started to close the door but stopped when he saw what she had taped on the inside of it.

Picture after picture of Keaton. One of Gloria, with what looked like red lipstick scribbled across the surface of her face. And one of Bellamy, with a big black X across her face, not done with lipstick or marker, but with a knife.

She’d sliced through Bellamy’s face in a picture with a knife.

He grabbed his phone from his back pocket and punched in her number. It immediately went to voice mail. Muttering a curse, he closed the closet door and went back to the front door, locking it behind him, and jogged back to his car. He slid behind the wheel, clicked into his seatbelt, and started the car. As he pulled away from the curb, he voice-instructed his cell to call Bellamy’s office phone.

As soon as Bellamy’s assistant answered the phone, Maddox put the call on speaker and said, “Bellamy’s not answering her cell phone. Is she there?”

“No. She went to Gloria Alvarez’s house,” Laura responded. “She thinks Gloria’s in danger from the stalker.”

“God damnit,” he muttered. Louder he asked, “Why didn’t she call me?”

“I don’t know, Joe,” Laura said. Her tone hardened a bit as she added, “Maybe she thought, as Director of Security for a multi-million-dollar corporation, she could do her job and handle herself without help.”

She had a point, but he wasn’t in the mood to acquiesce to it. “Everyone can always use a little help,” he told her. “Where does Gloria live?”

Laura apparently didn’t feel there was a need to guard that information, because she surrendered it easily enough.

“Thanks,” Maddox muttered and ended the call. Scowling, he pulled over to the curb, out of the flow of traffic, and programmed the address into his GPS. While he had his phone in hand, he called Bellamy, getting her voice mail. He left her a message that he was on his way, and that she needed to watch her back. Then he got underway again.

~ * ~

“Gloria, I’m telling you, Ruby is Daryl’s stalker.” Bellamy stood just inside the door of Gloria Alvarez’s apartment, pleading with the younger woman to gather a few things and go with her. Bellamy had already ignored her phone ringing twice, the last time just a minute ago or so. She didn’t feel it would be wise to allow the distraction because she was so close to convincing Gloria to get the hell out of there. “I’m sure the police will find proof at her house—” once she was able to find actual evidence to point them in the right direction “—but in the meantime, we need to go. You’re not safe here.”

“I’ve known Ruby for over three years,” Gloria said. “Almost four. We met on the first day of school. She’s my friend.”

“She may have started out as your friend, but something got rewired in her brain, and she’s become obsessed with Daryl.” Bellamy’s pulse thudded in her throat. “Look, if I’m wrong, I’ll apologize. But if I’m right…you’re in danger. Please.”

Gloria stared at her a few seconds, long enough for Bellamy to have to fight the urge to grab her by the shoulders and give her a good shake. Finally, the other woman’s shoulders slumped a little and she said, “Okay. Give me a few minutes.”

“Just pack enough for a couple of days,” Bellamy told her. “I can always send a couple of the security officers over for more if it takes longer than that.”

Gloria nodded and disappeared into the bedroom.

About ten minutes later she came out rolling a large suitcase behind her. “I have to pack Mr. Paddywhacks things, too. Would you put him in his carrier? It’s in the hall closet there.”

Bellamy walked over to the closet and pulled out the carrier, placing it on the floor by the door, then went over to the couch. Bending she picked up the twenty-pound Maine coon cat, smiling when he immediately began purring in her arms. “Who’s a good boy?” she baby-talked at him. “You are, that’s who. Little Mr. Paddywhacks.”

He went into his carrier without a fuss, and Gloria walked into the living room with a plastic sack dangling from her fingers. “Cat food and his dish.”

Bellamy took it from her and picked up the carrier.

Gloria grabbed her suitcase handle and wheeled it to the front door. She opened it and, with a gasp, took a step back, then another. And another.

Bellamy flattened herself against the wall. As slowly and unobtrusively as she could, she set down the carrier and drew her weapon.

Ruby stalked inside, her movements fluid, though her right hand holding a gun trembled. Whether from excitement or nerves, Bellamy couldn’t tell.

Once Ruby made it a few more steps inside, leaving Bellamy to one side but still behind her, Bellamy made her move. She jumped forward, grabbing onto Ruby’s gun hand and forcing it up, yelling at Gloria at the same time: “Run! Gloria, run!”

This time, Gloria didn’t argue. She booked it out of the apartment.

Bellamy struggled with Ruby, at a bit of a disadvantage because the other woman’s height gave her a few inches on her. But Bellamy had had hand-to-hand combat training with one of the finest police forces in the country. A couple of punches and a well-placed roundhouse kick put Ruby on the floor, moaning, cradling her dominant hand against her chest. Bellamy picked up Ruby’s gun and shoved it into the waistband of her slacks. Keeping an eye on the erstwhile stalker, she grabbed her phone and called Detective Rivera.

When he found out she had the stalker, he was delighted, though his delight was quickly overshadowed by concern. “And you went there by yourself? Ms. York, what were you thinking?”

“I dunno,” she said, trying not to let his sexist attitude get to her. “I suppose I was thinking I was a cop for several years with all the training that goes into it, and now I’m the director of security for a major NFL team.” She injected sweetness into her tone and added, “I’m sure if my name were Bill York, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

“Yes, we probably would, but not with the same level of concern.” He sighed. “I apologize.” He went on to tell her a squad car was on the way and said goodbye.

“Bellamy?” Gloria called from outside.

“Stay out there,” Bellamy told her, and tucked her cell phone into the front pocket of her slacks.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine.” Relatively speaking. She was going to have some doozy bruises and sore muscles tomorrow, but at least she’d have a tomorrow.

“And Mr. Paddywhacks?”

She glanced to the side. “Still in the carrier. He’s fine.” When she looked back at Ruby, she saw the other woman had struggled to a sitting position. “Stay down, Ruby,” she warned.

The redhead bent her legs, knees to the floor, soles of her feet together. “Bitch,” she muttered.

“Yep.” Bellamy heard footsteps coming up the sidewalk and called out, “Gloria, stay outside.”

“It’s not Gloria,” came Joe’s deep voice.

Relief flooded her system, making her a little lightheaded for a moment. She turned toward the door just as he came through it.

His gaze went straight to Ruby. His eyes widened, face paled, and his hand came up, gun pointing at Bellamy. “Get down!” he roared.

Bellamy dropped to the floor.

One gunshot boomed, followed by another. Almost simultaneously came a feminine cry, then silence.

Bellamy turned her head, face plastered to the carpet, and stared at Ruby. Blood trailed from one corner of her mouth and her eyes stared at Bellamy. For a few seconds Bellamy thought the stalker was dead, but then the woman gave a slow blink. “He’s…mine,” she rasped.

“Never in a million years,” Bellamy whispered.

Joe walked over and took the gun from Ruby’s loose grasp. He turned and helped Bellamy to her feet and wrapped her up in the warmest, tightest hug she’d ever had. She slid her arms around his waist and held on just as tightly.

He let go of her with one arm and lifted his phone to his ear. “I need an ambulance at…” He rattled off the address. “Detective Rivera already has a couple of unis on their way to take the suspect, but she’s been shot.” He listened for a moment, then repeated, “Detective Rivera. I don’t know his first name.”

“Marco,” Bellamy muttered. Closing her eyes, she leaned into him, resting one cheek on the broad pectoral muscle over his heart.

He gave the dispatcher the first name. “No, I can’t stay on the line. I need to leave my phone open. I’ll be here when the uniformed officers and the ambulance arrive.” He swiped his thumb across the screen, ending the call, and shoved the phone into his back pocket. He then wrapped his other arm around her and pulled her into a tight embrace again. “Damn, baby. You scared me.”

“I scared me, too,” she murmured. Rubbing her cheek against his shirt, loving the feel of the hard muscle beneath it, she added, “You saved my life. Thank you.”

“My pleasure, baby. My pleasure.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

“What’re you doing here?” she asked. “How’d you figure it out?”

“It came to me that Ruby might be the stalker. I remembered her from the stadium, remembered thinking there were a couple of times she didn’t look quite right. I got her address and headed over to her place. She has something of a shrine built to Keaton, plus she has pictures of you and Gloria that were marked up.”

“You didn’t call me?” Bellamy loosened her grip on Joe and pulled back to look into his face.

He looked down at her and gave a little jostle with his arms still around her. “Now, listen, honey—”

Someone cleared a throat, and she along with Joe looked toward the open door. Two uniformed officers stood there.

“We can talk about it later,” she said and stepped out of his embrace. You bet your sweet bippy we’re gonna talk about this, she thought. She wasn’t an amateur, and it was past time he stopped acting like she needed that knight in shining armor to come in and save the day. She was just going to overlook, for the moment, that whole thing about him keeping her from being shot in the back. “We can talk about it later,” she said and stepped out of his embrace. You bet your sweet bippy we’re gonna talk about this, she thought. She wasn’t an amateur, and it was past time he stopped acting like she needed that knight in shining armor to come in and save the day. She was just going to overlook, for the moment, that whole thing about him keeping her from being shot in the back.