There on the round, wooden red table was the contents of the envelope, sprawled out for all to see. The first was a collage of pictures, hastily cut from rectangles into rounded curls or jagged outlines. The photos were all of her. Every photo was her face, walking down the street, getting on the subway, heading out of work, or walking Frankie.
The second was all of Riley—a hard face as he held the phone to his ear, reaching to shake the hand of an acquaintance with that big smile, or out for lunch on a meeting.
The third showed them together, laughing, having a drink, walking hand in hand down the sidewalk. Rachel picked it up with shaking fingers. Her throat was tight and tears threatened to spill from her in pure fear. Their faces were scribbled with red pen; the ink was sticky and dried, and it flaked off in some places. They both appeared to be covered in blood, their faces distorted. Sometimes things were cut off and scribbled on. It was a mess, but the work clearly had a message.
The last page was a letter, and Rachel couldn’t even pick it up, let alone read it. The images themselves were too disturbing; she could only imagine what this held. She felt herself sink into a pit of darkness. It was happening all over again, everything with Melissa—only now it was so much worse, so much more horrifying.
Someone was stalking them, and not only together, but separate. They knew where each of them worked and lived, knew their routine and habits. Rachel realized she hadn’t had a moment truly alone. This someone was always watching her; only when they stalked Riley was she left alone, but even then he still sought her for some heinous reason.
Rachel felt her breath catch—the black haired man! This all had to be him. She felt the nausea spike again, but she fought to keep it down. It had to be, though he hadn’t been seen since that day at the Capitol. How? How the hell with a security team always around them, was someone watching them? How for fuck’s sake were they being stalked?
Rachel now felt her anger flare. Who was this guy? Who did he think he was? And why did he think he could just stroll into their lives and threaten their existence. Now her blood was boiling; her skin pricked with the heat, and she felt the fear-spurred anger ripple through her body. She wanted answers. She needed to talk to Riley and Tom and figure out what the hell this entire thing was about.
She took a deep breath and tried to calm down. The emotions were all running through her at once, and she was suddenly lightheaded. This was all too much for one person to handle. She ran a hand over her eyes and tried to take another deep breath. How were they going to handle this? Would she need to be holed up again? Why was this becoming so normal? Would it ever end?
Rachel felt the panic racing again, and a small tear slipped from her eye. She wiped it away and tried to hold herself together, but every minute that passed and those photos stared at her, she felt like she was going to lose it, just break down, collapse to the floor, and cry.
“No.” She stated it out loud, surprising herself and Frankie.
She swallowed. “I can handle this. We can get through this.”
She gritted her teeth and took a few moments to compose herself then reached down, picked up her phone, and called Riley.
The rings seemed to last forever. Each one screamed in her brain, and she could hear the blood as it pulsed through her ears. Her breaths were ragged, and she tried desperately to slow them. The call went to voicemail, and Rachel felt her heart skip a beat. His phone never went to voicemail. Rachel’s mind whirled into a state of frenzy—what if the man had gotten to him? What if he had Riley right now? What if he had already killed him? Rachel choked at the very notion. Her racing thoughts consumed her, and all composure was lost as she imagined Riley’s dead face.
Her phone buzzed to life and Rachel nearly dropped it as she frantically fumbled to slide the call open and press it to her face.
“Riley!” She was sobbing now, all emotions lost.
“Rachel?! What’s going on? Are you okay?!” Riley was startled by the fear and panic in her voice, his response urgent.
“No! You need to come over NOW! Please, hurry!” Rachel yelled, grabbing the curtains and shutting them all as she clutched the phone.
“Rachel, are you okay?! Please tell me what’s going on?” Riley pleaded, and she could hear him scrambling on the other end.
“No! You, me, we’re being stalked by that man!” Rachel yelled again, and through her tears and panic, she realized the explanation probably didn’t make much sense. She inhaled and tried to calm down, so she could explain it further.
“Riley, I got a package in the mail. It’s… it’s all pictures of you… you and me. Whoever made it, they… they cut it up and colored it with red ink. And there’s a letter, but I haven’t read it yet. Riley, please, I’m so scared.”
“I’m on my way. I’m going to keep you on the line, Rachel, okay? Just keep talking while I drive.”
Rachel paced the apartment and talked to Riley as he drove. It was late evening and traffic wasn't terrible, but the twenty-five minute drive seemed agonizing to Rachel. She kept asking him how close he was, and he would calmly tell her the minutes. He tried to get her to focus on something else, telling her to cuddle with Frankie or put on Planet Earth. But she was consumed with the dark, oily pit of anxiety. She couldn’t see anything but the black abyss of this looming danger.
Riley parked the car and rushed through the garage, sprinting to the elevator and back out of it, down the hall and to Rachel’s apartment. He was on the phone with her still, when he gave a gentle knock as to not startle her. She quickly ran to the door and let him in. Tears streamed down her face, and Riley wrapped his arms tightly around her petite frame. She clung to him tightly, her sobs rocking her as she let herself cling to him. He closed the door behind them, carried her to the couch, and nuzzled her as he sat down and held her.
After a few moments she calmed herself down, taking deep breaths and slowly focusing on each inhale and exhale. She felt the fear and panic begin to recede from her mind. Riley waited patiently, his eyes closed as he kept a tight hold on her and let his presence anchor her. She felt the warmth of his compassion and finally opened her lips to speak.
“I’m sorry, I’m just so scared, Riley.”
He nodded. “I understand, beautiful.”
“Ok, the stuff is over there.” She pointed as she untangled herself from his arms. Riley rose to his feet and walked over to the table where the messy collages lay. Rachel slowly followed him, her gut wrenching at the site of the threatening messages. Riley picked up the collage of them and studied it for a few moments.
“He’s been keeping out of range of security, using a long lens on a fairly high powered camera. He’s probably a few hundred feet away from us when he’s taking them. Tom and the crew probably haven’t seen him, too focused on us.”
“I’m beginning to doubt your security team,” Rachel deadpanned as she crossed her arms and stepped up beside him.
He cracked a small smile. “I wish I could blame them, but they’ve been focused on our immediate surroundings, and this person is just always out of reach.”
“So, what do we do now?” Rachel asked as she wiped her cheeks dry, finally beginning to get her feet back under her as Riley analytically took everything in and processed it. He was a grounding force for her.
“Right now, we head back to my place and I call in Titan Brim. He’s a military vet turned private investigator. I have a feeling he’ll be able to dig up who our lovely stalker is.”
“It’s that man, from the Capitol and bar.”
“I know, it most likely is, but we need to find out who he is and how he’s connected to us. Neither of us recognized him, yet he wants us dead.” Riley sighed and dropped the letter to the table, then turned to Rachel, leaned in, and gave her a tender kiss.
“Okay. I just don't know if I can ever get used to this.”
He opened his hands in a confused gesture, “Hey, this is all new to me as well. I’ve never had anything like this happen.”
Rachel bit her lip and looked to her room and then to Frankie who watched them with big, concerned eyes.
“Alright, let me get a few things together, and we’ll get out of here. Where’s the team?”
Riley threw a thumb at the door. “One in the hall, two in the garage. We’re going to be followed home.”
They packed up Rachel’s clothes, Frankie, and his food plus a few other odds and ends Rachel needed for work. She knew Riley had a lot of things she could use at his place, but she wanted to bring a piece of home with her—who knew how long she’d be kept away from her apartment again. She looked to her dresser and saw a picture of her, Sarah, and Frankie. She picked it up and put it in her bag as well.
Within minutes, they were on the road. Riley was driving his Charger down the freeway at a good pace as Rachel watched the streetlights flash by. Her eyes were swollen from crying, and she was emotionally exhausted from the evening. Her mind ebbed and flowed between panic and anxiety and bouts of hardly being able to keep her eyes open, her weary mind unable to stay awake.
Riley placed a hand on her leg; the warmth from his thick fingers spread, and she felt herself relax under his touch. It was a double edge sword for both of them; it was their problem to face now, but both wondered if the other would be better off alone in a time like this. Riley felt the guilt in his chest, and he swallowed hard as he realized once again he had brought a hellish existence into Rachel’s life.
“Hey, I just want to say… I just want to say that I’m sorry about all of this, about everything. You should have never been dragged into this mess. I’m sorry, Rachel.”
A moment of silence lingered between them, and Rachel let out a long, tired sigh.
“I know you are, Riley. But sometimes I wonder if I would have been better off alone.”
Rachel felt her heart sink at her reaction. Her emotions were erratic, and she knew she was taking out her fear on him, but it was as if she couldn’t keep the words from tumbling out of her mouth, laced with venom.
He pulled his hand away and nodded, his eyes returning to the road. She closed her eyes and rubbed her temple, her feelings of anger at him now replaced with upset at herself. But right now she was too out of it to apologize; she just needed to cool down.
They arrived at his estate in silence. Both exited the car and headed in. Riley clutched the envelope in his hand and headed into the dining room. He set the papers down, and then headed across the room where a door opened up to a bar. Rachel watched him walk in and leave the door open behind him; she knew the invite was for her, but she just couldn't do this right now.
She sat down at the dining room table and watched him from afar. He strode behind the giant marble bar, the low blue lights the only thing that silhouetted his tall frame. He reached up and pulled down his bottle of Four Roses, poured it over ice in a whisky glass, and then lifted it to his lips for a sip.
Rachel didn’t know what to do… Riley was her everything now. While neither had said it yet, she felt it coming, the words that so badly wanted to reach her lips. And this, this hadn’t stopped her from loving him, but it made her hate this lifestyle. People were after him because of his money, or because they had lost their mind. Had he been a normal man, instead of a billionaire in DC, this problem wouldn’t be there. She shook her head. She knew the thoughts did no good to either of them, but she was too overwhelmed to not think about all the what-if's and focus on the negative.
A sudden ring of the bell made Frankie bark and startle Rachel. Riley walked out from behind the bar, across the tiled floor, and back into the dining room. He brushed past Rachel and down the hall to open the front door and let his guest in. He returned a moment later with a tall, broad, older gentleman at his side.
“Titan, this is Rachel, Rachel this is Titan Brim. He’s going to be the one who takes care of all this for us.”
The man chuckled gruffly. “It’s my specialty.”
The men sat down at the table, Riley at the head and Titan across from Rachel. His hair was all grey, buzzed in an old army fashion. He had creases and wrinkles from age and a scar down one side of his face. His nose and brow were broad, and his blue eyes hid behind the folds of his lids and scraggly eyebrows. He placed thin framed glasses on and picked up the letter in his gnarled, meaty hands. He began to read, nodding and humming as he did so.
After a few moments of studying everything, he looked up at both of them.
“Either of you read the letter?”
“I skimmed it, seemed like a bunch of nonsense,” Riley replied as he took a sip of his bourbon.
The older man nodded. “Just a rambling of threats, but there might be more to it. I’ll have to take it home and go over it. I’ll need to talk to Tom, but what’s the hunch you two have? I always find it best to get an idea of where you’re at that might connect to our stalker here.”
“It’s the man we saw with long black hair at the bar and Capitol. And he’s connected to Melissa—I know it.” Rachel stated, her eyes looking back and forth between Riley and Titan.
Titan nodded, but Riley shook his head.
“Rachel! We don’t know that for sure,” he snapped, the stress in the air tangible.
“Yes, I do!” Rachel stood up, as her upset flared and she felt overwhelmed again. This time she stormed out of the room, leaving Riley with an open mouth and Titan looking up at the ceiling.
Riley paused for a moment, and then turned to Titan. He gestured toward the open door to the bar, and Titan gave a shrug and a nod of agreement. They stood and walked into the shadowed bar, the white marble top glowing in the blue and pink hues of the bar lights.
“I’m sorry. She’s very upset about this whole ordeal,” Riley said as he took another sip of his drink.
Titan chuckled dryly. “As she should be, and Riley, don’t be stupid.”
He cocked an eyebrow and gave Titan a confused look.
“Son, there is nothing more powerful than a woman’s intuition, trust me on this one. I’ve got the case handled. I’ll get everything I need from your security. Tonight, take care of her.”
Riley sighed and rested his chin on his hand. “I’m guessing I owe her an apology?”
Titan smiled and laughed. “You bet your ass you do.”
…
Rachel knew she was brooding, and she didn’t care. She was curled up on the giant king bed with Frankie curled up on her toes as he watched her with sleepy eyes. She knew Riley was trying to be analytical about this, take it all in from the outside perspective, but Rachel knew in her gut this all tied back to Melissa, and while she had nothing to support that, she could feel it.
It was frustrating to not only have been pulled into this by Riley, but to have him not believe her. She shook her head, her internal conflict pulling her in every direction. She also realized he had no control of this, and that he had made her life worth living here in DC. They felt more like a team now, and when she thought these things, she felt like she was letting down her best friend. She rolled over with a sigh and stared at the ceiling… what had become of her life?
There was a light knock on the bedroom door and then it gently opened. Frankie bounced from his spot, jumped down to the floor, and trotted over with little clicks as Riley entered the room. He gave Riley a whine, and the tall man reached down and picked him up, scratching him behind his ears as he sat at the end of the bed and looked to Rachel with soft eyes, his brow knit in concern.
“Rachel, I’m sorry.”
Rachel felt her own anger drain, and she gave him an apologetic look, “I’m sorry, too.”
Riley gently set Frankie on the bed, but the dog hopped down and trotted out of the room to go get his dinner from Leone. Those two had become close friends over the last few weeks. Riley returned his gaze to Rachel.
“I know this is a lot, and you’re doing all you can to hold it together. This is more than anyone should ever have to ask for.”
Rachel nodded and started to sit up. “I know, but, it’s not like you asked for this. These people are out of your control.”
“Yeah, but if it wasn’t for my lifestyle and career, and let’s face it, money, they wouldn’t be here to bother our relationship.”
Rachel paused and bit her lip as a thought struck her, and concern along with it. Her eyes met his.
“You know this has never been about the money for me, right? Riley, you know this is all about us, that it’s nev—”
Riley silenced her with a kiss. His lips lingered on hers, and she felt herself soften under his touch. He slowly pulled back and looked at her with a small smirk.
“I know, gorgeous, trust me. It’s always been about us for me, too.”
Rachel smiled and looked into those hazel eyes she had come to know so well. She ran a delicate hand through his thick beard and held the back of his neck with the other. She smiled up at him, and he looked into her eyes with piqued curiosity.
“What are you smiling at?” he asked as he nuzzled her cheek.
She laughed and kissed him. “I… I just love you.”
Riley felt his heart warm, and as Rachel looked at him with those inviting eyes, he knew then that it was final—this was it for him.
“I love you too, gorgeous.”
They kissed, their lips pressed close. Riley slipped a hand behind her lower back and held her close, even as Rachel wrapped her legs around his waist and pressed closer to him. She felt herself warm in the middle, and his groin began to harden in response to her touch.
Riley leaned back so that she straddled his waist. Simultaneously, he reached down and pulled her shirt over her head. She smiled at him as she bit her lip, and he reached back, quickly unsnapping her bra so that she was bare chested. He teased her with his lips and gently kissed his way up her neck, the sensation making her moan. She reached behind his back and pulled his own shirt off, his arms raised as she clawed the material off. Then their hands reached back to pull one another closer and feel each other’s flesh.
Her kisses traced up and down his chest and neck, her warm breath sending chills down his back. She nuzzled his beard and continued placing long, slow kisses, inhaling his scent and feeling his body surround hers. He was all that she needed, all she needed to make things whole. Her body pressed against his was absolute divinity, and her senses seemed to come alive more than ever when his fingertips traced down her body.
Riley laid her on the bed and with quick hands pulled her jeans from her body, then reached down and tugged his own off. She felt herself grow wet as his hungry eyes bore into hers. She so badly wanted to feel him press himself deep inside her. She smiled. She could see he wanted it just as badly. His thick hair fell over his eyes as he stalked up the bed and lingered over her, the heat radiating from his body like a furnace. She laid her hands on his face and pulled him close to her, their lips meeting yet again with teases, licks, and kisses.
He made his way down her cheeks, past her neck and collar bones, and then slowly over the excited peaks. He gently blew on each, the cool sensation rapidly warming as he wrapped his lips around her bosoms. His tongue carefully twirled around each, and she ate up each caress of pleasure.
He continued down with tiny kisses, the noise and tickling sensation of his beard making her giggle. He stopped at her shaved pubic area. The sensitive skin rolled under his gentle touch as she yearned for more. His kissed his way to her lips, and then with a precise tongue began to stroke the outer skin and tease her. She moaned and squirmed, raised her hips to try and align her throbbing clit with his tedious tongue, but he continued to evade her and smiled as he danced around her aching pussy.
She let out a hiss, and this time, he obliged her desires. He lowered himself further, and she let out a cry of sexual ecstasy as his warm, wet tongue made contact with her blossomed cherry. He once again swirled in subtle, mapped strokes, and she rocked harder with each as her excitement began to build more and more.
He was hard for her. He so badly wanted to pull her onto his throbbing cock, but he knew he had to wait until she begged for it. His tempo quickened as he worked to stay with her rhythm, allowing her ebb and flow of excitement to guide him. Her hands ran through his thick hair. Her thighs were wrapped around his face, and her entire being encompassed him. He needed to be inside her, to penetrate her so deeply she could no longer contain her orgasm and released her pleasure onto him.
She looked up, her eyes smoldering as he grasped her legs and held them tight. She gasped and pulled his hair gently so that he looked at her.
“I need you inside of me, please,” she said in a velvety voice.
Rachel sat up and swung around as Riley lay back on the bed. His erection was throbbing for her. Breathlessly she was on him, and as he pressed inside her, she yelled in pleasure at the sensation, at the relief of finally having him fuck her.
She began to ride his cock, each rocking motion building her euphoria, like a balloon being blown up until it popped. She felt him hit her just right. His hands squeezed her breasts as they bounced with each motion, and he felt so damn good between her legs.
She looked down at him and felt the onset of the orgasm. She was practically vibrating with sexual satisfaction. She thrust harder and faster, and then she felt the eruption of her pleasure come from deep within her. Hard, jolting spasms of bliss rippled throughout her entire being again and again. She screamed with her head back, lost in the animalistic act of it all. Her eyes were closed, and her hands squeezed his waist as if to hold on for dear life. She felt the motions begin to slow, and with complete satiation, she collapsed on his chest, out of breath and smiling ear to ear.
“My turn,” he growled with a grin.
He whisked Rachel from atop him, taking the top position without ever leaving her. He began to thrust, and she moaned and whispered to him, begging him to fuck her. He watched her gorgeous figure bounce to his motion, the sight and the sensation too much to bear. He let himself go inside of her with a loud, savage grunt. He felt each twitch and sighed as the feeling of complete relaxation washed over him. Then he rolled on the bed next to her, scooping her up in his arms and holding her close.
They lay in complete rapture for a moment, absorbing the sensations, then Rachel grasped his hand and squeezed. He squeezed back and kissed the top of her head, while she looked up at him with shining eyes.
“I love you.”
He smirked back. “I love you, too.”