Chapter 25

 

Elle

 

“Go ahead and go,” I repeated for the third time.  “I can clean up.”

“It’s no problem, E.  I don’t need to arrive at work any earlier than they are expecting me.  I still have some time.”

Leah and I finished breakfast and were cleaning up the kitchen before she had to head out to get to work.

“Well, I feel bad.  You cooked breakfast and you need to go to work today.  I don’t have much planned other than trying to get through the mounds of laundry I have stuffed in my suitcases.”

“Alright,” she acquiesced.  “I’ll run upstairs, brush my teeth, and grab my bag.”

She took off up the stairs while I finished loading the dishwasher and cleaning down the countertops.

After, I picked up my phone and checked in on social media.  It dawned on me that Becky had indicated she was in town yesterday; yet, she didn’t do anything last night.  I decided to check her social media news feeds.  I typed in her name and clicked on her profile.

My blood went cold. 

After yesterday’s post just outside of Lou’s, there hadn’t been anything.  That is, until this morning. 

A picture of a syringe against a plain background.  The caption stated: Change of plans.  This ends today.

Suddenly, I didn’t feel so well.  This was no longer a simple stalker.  This was deadly obsession.

I began to feel dizzy and disoriented.  My free hand instinctively reached out to the counter of the island.

I needed Levi. 

Leah’s footsteps were coming down the stairs.  Thank God.

As she walked out into the kitchen with her bag, she noticed something wasn’t right.  “Are you ok, Elle?”

I shook my head and gripped the countertop tighter.  “She wants to kill me.”

“What?”

“Becky wants me dead,” I struggled to get out.  “I don’t feel good.”

Leah came over to me and acknowledged, “You don’t look very good either.  Why don’t you go sit down?” 

She took the phone out of my hand and set it on the island before she wrapped her arm around my waist and attempted to help me to the living room so I could get to the couch.  I took three or four steps before my legs buckled.  Leah was so tiny she came down to the floor with me.

“Something’s wrong,” I pointed out.  “Please call Levi.”

“Ok, hang on.”

Leah was no longer at my side.  I closed my eyes briefly trying to dispel the dizziness I was feeling.  I felt like I was drunk. 

My eyes opened a few seconds later when I heard my phone ringing right next to me.  Leah had it in her hand and announced, “It’s Levi.”

“Answer it,” I begged.  “Tell him to come home.”

I watched as she declined the call and set the phone down on the floor too far for me to reach. 

I spoke again, but my speech was very slow.  “Leah…What are you doing?”

She just looked down at me.

My phone rang again.  My eyes shifted to where it was on the floor.  It was close, but too far considering my limbs felt like they weighed several hundred pounds each.  The phone stopped ringing. 

I continued trying to breathe, but everything felt like it was in slow motion.  My body felt tired. 

I nearly closed my eyes when the phone started again.  This time, Leah answered.

“Hello?”

Silence as she listened. 

“She’s not able to talk right now, Levi.”

That’s when I saw it.

The syringe. 

In Leah’s hand. 

“Levi?” I called out, but my voice wasn’t very loud.

My eyelids were heavy, but I knew I couldn’t close them.

“Well, right now she’s got a sedative running through her body.  You see, I know that physically she’d probably best me in a brawl, but if her faculties aren’t there, then I can do what needs to be done.”

Silence again.

I couldn’t believe it; Leah was Becky.

My best friend, who I loved and adored, wanted to kill me.  The pain that tore through my heart at this realization was like nothing I had ever experienced before.

I felt the tears fall from my eyes and drip down toward my hairline.

Leah laughed into the phone.  It was evil and cold-blooded.  “You can certainly try, but it won’t work.  All I need to do is inject her with this syringe I’ve got in my hand and her heart will stop.  When you arrive ten minutes from now, you’ll find her lifeless body on the floor of your kitchen and I’ll be long gone.”

 

 

Levi

 

From the moment I spoke with Trent while I was with Elle on her tour and he told me that someone indicated she trampled all over others to get what she wanted, I knew something about that didn’t sit well with me.  Those words indicated to me that Elle’s stalker was someone who had a personal grudge with her.  There was no doubt in my mind that Elle knew Becky.  Since Elle didn’t recall knowing anyone with that name, I had a feeling Becky was just a pseudonym.      

I never wanted to mention it to Elle because she’d take it hard.  My goal was to locate the individual and put an end to what was happening before Elle had to face the reality that someone she knew was out to get her. 

I walked in to my office this morning, leaving my beautiful girl home in my bed.  Truth be told, I hated leaving her there, but more than that, I disliked the idea of someone else being out free to continue to terrorize her. I wanted to put this situation to bed and if that meant I needed to forego some additional time in bed with Elle right now to make that happen, then I needed to suck it up and get it done.

Yesterday evening, before Elle’s performance, I told Trent, Cruz, and Holden that I wanted them in early so we could discuss some of the concerns I had and see if we could put our heads together and figure this out. 

We spent the next hour discussing the case, going over all the details.  I gave them my concerns and they had agreed that this person was definitely someone that Elle knew personally. 

“Let’s look at the social media feeds again,” I told Trent. 

He pulled up Becky’s account on the projector screen and set it alongside of Elle’s.  We went through each post, the most recent of Becky’s being from last night outside of Lou’s, working our way backward trying to find anything that made a connection.  It was beginning to feel like we were grasping at straws.  I was losing patience with the whole situation when something in one of the pictures caught my eye. 

“Stop,” I ordered Trent as he was scrolling. 

I stared at the picture.  I knew my eyes weren’t deceiving me, but it seemed so improbable that what this picture was showing and, ultimately, telling me was the truth.  I knew if it were the truth, not only was Elle going to be crushed, but she was currently in very real danger.  My stomach twisted. 

“Scroll up, Michaels.  Go back to the post about traveling.”

He scrolled up to it and I knew I had figured it out.  The post was all about disorganization and living spontaneously instead of having routine and order.  I had listened to and then discussed with Elle how her friend felt about organization and the fact that Elle seemed to live life off-the-cuff.

“Bro?” Cruz called from beside me.

“It’s Leah,” I seethed.

“Her best friend?” Cruz questioned.

I nodded.

“Wait,” Holden interrupted.  “Are we talking about the little red head from last night?”

“Yes,” I answered, pulling my phone out of my pocket. 

“How do you know?” Trent asked.

“The bag in the other picture.  Leah stayed at my place last night so she and Elle could catch up on everything.  The girl found out last night that Elle knew a whole lot more about the case than she told her about and she pretended to be hurt by it.  I’m guessing she realized we were on to her and it wouldn’t be long before we figured out who Becky was.  She’s at the house with Elle now; I’ve got to get home.”

I tapped on the screen of my phone and called Elle.  The phone rang several times before it went to voicemail.

“Fuck,” I yelled.  “Cruz, I need you to drive.”

“Boss!” Trent yelled.

I turned and saw him staring at the projector screen.  A picture of a syringe with the caption underneath it: Change of plans.  This ends today.

I dialed Elle’s number again. 

Leah’s voice came through the line, “Hello?”

I put the phone on speaker and tried to keep my voice neutral. 

“Hi, Leah.  I forgot something at the house that I need to have Elle look at for me.  Can you put her on the phone?”

“She’s not able to talk right now, Levi.”

Fuck.

We just barely heard Elle’s strained voice call my name. 

“What’s wrong with her?”

“Well, right now she’s got a sedative running through her body.  You see, I know that physically she’d probably best me in a brawl, but if her faculties aren’t there, then I can do what needs to be done.”

I pointed to Trent and Holden.  They offered chin lifts, indicating they knew what I needed them to do.  Cruz and I took off.

“Stop whatever it is that you are planning to do and listen to me.   You aren’t going to get away with this, Leah.  I’m already on my way there now and even though I’d never lay a hand on a woman, trust me, I’ll show you no mercy if you hurt her.”

“You can certainly try, but it won’t work.  All I need to do is inject her with this syringe I’ve got in my hand and her heart will stop.  When you arrive ten minutes from now, you’ll find her lifeless body on the floor of your kitchen and I’ll be long gone.”

“Leah…” I yelled out, but she disconnected the phone. 

“FUCK!”

“Dom’s already on the way,” Cruz informed me.  “Michaels texted.  He disabled the security system from the office.  Leah won’t expect him and isn’t going to know when he gets there.  Holden has an ambulance already on the way.” 

“Christ, Cruz, she doesn’t have any time left.”

“She’s going to be fine.  Dom’s going to get there in time,” he attempted to reassure me.  I’m not certain that he believed what he was saying. 

 

Dom

 

It was a nice day out, so I decided to ride the motorcycle to work.  I was just about to turn it on when my phone rang.  I pulled it out of my pocket and saw it was Trent.

“Yeah?”

“You’re home?”

“Just got on the bike and was about to head in.”

“Go to Levi’s.  Elle’s there alone with her stalker.  It’s the best friend.”

“The quiet, little red head?” I confirmed.

“Yeah. She’s already administered a sedative.  Levi and Cruz just left, but they’re ten minutes out.  You’re two minutes away.”

“A minute and a half on the bike.  Completely disable the alarm.”

I dropped my phone in my pocket, turned on the bike, and broke a couple of laws speeding over to Levi’s place.

I made it there in record time and parked the bike halfway down the driveway so I had the element of surprise on my side.  I made it to the door and picked the lock.  I moved quietly in the house toward the direction of voices.

“Why?” I heard Elle whimper.

Elle’s speech was slow, clearly indicating that she had been given a strong sedative. 

I made it to just outside the kitchen without being noticed and found that Leah’s back was to me and she was leaning over Elle, the syringe in her hand.

“It doesn’t matter anymore now, anyway.  You’ve ruined this for both of us,” Leah exploded.  “I just need to finish this before your precious Levi shows up.  It’s such a shame that you had to be so greedy.  The perfect career, the perfect man, the perfect family and friends.  What about the rest of us?”

Leah bent down closer to Elle and I made my move.  She pierced through Elle’s skin with the syringe and I pulled her away.

She yelled out as I wrapped my arms around her attempting to control her failing arms and legs.

“Elle!” I called out. 

She was unresponsive. 

I scanned the kitchen looking for something to use to neutralize the bitch, so I could check on Elle.  I moved out into the garage and found zip ties.  I carried Leah back in the house, zip-tied her wrists together to the handle of the refrigerator door.  There was no way Leah was moving that.  Then, I moved to Elle.  

“You’re ok, rock star.  Can you hear me?” I asked gently as I pulled the syringe from her body.  It looked full, but I had no clue if any of its contents entered her bloodstream.

She wasn’t responding. 

I pressed my fingers to her neck and found a pulse.  It was weak, but it was there.  “Elle, baby, talk to me,” I urged her as I ran my hand through her hair, attempting to comfort her.  I figured if she had a pulse she might still be aware of what was happening, even if she couldn’t respond to it.

Still, I got nothing.

I kept one hand on the top of her head and reached the other one down to hold one of her hands.  “Are you with me, El?”

She squeezed my hand.

Thank fuck. 

I continued to talk to her.

“Levi’s almost here.  There’s an ambulance on the way.  We’re going to get you help.  You’re doing great, rock star.”

Tears leaked from her eyes.   

The door opened; Levi and Cruz rushed in and froze on the spot, seeing Elle’s motionless body on the floor. 

I wasted no time in filling them in. 

“She’s got a weak pulse.  The syringe pierced her skin, but it’s still pretty full.  Not sure if anything entered her system from that.  She squeezed my hand when I was talking to her.”

Levi knelt down on the other side of her.  He took her other hand in his and brought his face close to hers.

“I’m so fucking sorry, Elle.  Can you give me your eyes, sunshine?”

She didn’t.

I removed my hand from the top of her head, but the second I did that Elle’s hand tightened again in mine.

“You want me to stay, rock star?”

She squeezed again.

Levi kept talking. 

“Dom’s staying.  I’m staying.  We’ve got you, sweetness.”

More tears fell from her closed eyes. 

Thankfully, we heard the sirens in the distance. 

I glanced up to see Cruz boring daggers from his eyes into Leah. 

“Cruz?” I called.

He didn’t take his eyes off her.  “What the fuck is wrong with you?” he bit out.

Leah didn’t answer.  She sat there staring off into space.  Clearly, she was fucked up in the head.  Not only did she stalk her best friend for weeks, but she had just attempted to kill her and sat there as if nothing happened.

“Cruz!” I shouted.

This time he looked at me. 

“Let the medics in.”

His eyes dropped to Elle on the floor and pain sliced through his face before he turned on his boot to let the paramedics in.

A minute later, they barreled through the door with a stretcher and a bunch of equipment.  It was tough knowing she didn’t want to let go of my hand, but also knowing I needed to let them help her.  I figured it was more important that Levi stay with her.

“Do we know what she was given?” one of the paramedics asked.

“A sedative for sure,” Levi answered.  “There’s something in that syringe that will stop her heart, but I don’t know what it is.”

“Was she given any of that?”

“The needle pierced her skin, but I don’t know if any of that got into her system.  I pulled it out as soon as I could.”

The police arrived minutes later as Elle was being loaded on to the stretcher.  She still hadn’t opened her eyes.  We’d had plenty of interaction with the Windsor Police Department, so they knew the instant they walked in to Levi place who the suspect was.  One officer began asking Cruz and me, while another removed Leah from the zip ties and handcuffed her. 

As Cruz and I answered questions, Levi walked past right alongside Elle’s stretcher.  He still had her hand in his.  He looked at me and pleaded, “Call Zane, let him know.  Make sure someone calls Wes.  When you finish here, come to the hospital.  Rising Sun Medical Center.”

I gave him a chin lift in acknowledgement and watched as they wheeled Elle out of the house.

Cruz and I spent the next thirty minutes answering questions and seeing to it that the officers knew exactly what Leah said to Elle when I entered the house.  Cruz filled them in on what she said to Levi over the phone.  The two of us explained the stalker situation, the Becky Blunt social media accounts, and all of the attempts to harm Elle. 

After we gave them all the information, Cruz called Zane and Wes to let them know they needed to get to the hospital, but didn’t provide them with any specifics.  After the officers left, I waited back to make sure Cruz was alright. 

“You good, man?” I asked.

“Fucking hell, Dom.  Both of my brothers have had some bullshit happen to their women.  Men as strong as the two of them are and they’ve been reduced to messes in these situations.  I hated seeing what happened to Emme a couple months ago and what just happened to Elle, but watching my brothers go through that is more torturous because they never fall apart like that.”

I laid my hand on his shoulder and gave him a squeeze.  “They’ve got you to keep it together for them.”

He let out a laugh and maintained, “I might seem like I’ve got it together and I’ll certainly joke with them about it after everyone is safe, but in the moment, that shit guts me.”

“And if the roles are ever reversed, it’ll be the same for them watching you.”

“Fuck me if that ever happens.  This is enough to make me not want to find a serious relationship.”

I had no response to that because it was the truth.  If you could avoid the heartache and terror that you’d feel if someone you loved was in danger, I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t.

“You want to get over to the hospital?” I asked. “I’ll take care of locking up here and then meet you guys there.”

Just then, Holden and Pierce showed up.

“Is she ok?” Pierce asked.

“Unconscious, but she had a pulse and was breathing.  She squeezed my hand a couple times.”

“Fuck,” Pierce hissed.  “Her best fucking friend.”

“Clearly, she wasn’t,” Holden pointed out. 

We let that truth settle between us a minute before Pierce spoke again.  “Michaels is waiting for a call from us.  He’ll get the security system set up again as soon as we give him the word.  Then, we’ll all head over to the hospital.  If you guys want to leave now, we’ll get everything squared away here.”

“Thanks, man,” Cruz sighed.

“We’ll catch you over there.  They took her to Rising Sun Medical Center,” I added.  “When you talk to Michaels, let him know the WPD is going to need the evidence he’s been gathering online.  And we’re going to need to get the security footage from here over to them as well.”

“Got it,” Holden acknowledged.

At that, Cruz and I left.  He got in his truck while I hopped on my bike.  Then, we took off to check on our rock star.