Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 36975 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 185(@200wpm)___ 148(@250wpm)___ 123(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36975 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 185(@200wpm)___ 148(@250wpm)___ 123(@300wpm)
“Until we know who he is, he has the upper hand. He could have snapped before, and no one would have been the wiser. We need to be smarter than that.” I kiss her lips and hold her close, letting her put on the next romantic comedy of her choice after Demi and Bee left.
I heat up the rest of the pizza, and we eat that for dinner. “I swear, tomorrow I’ll make you a better meal.”
“It’s cool. I know this isn’t normal circumstances.” She kisses my cheek and ducks her head against my chest, snuggling in as we continue to watch this movie that’s funny and cute. I’m surprisingly not bored by it, which is a good thing. Although I really need to get back to work, and I can’t get that out of my head. Soon, I hear the slight sound of snoring coming from her, and I know I’ve found my out. Sliding her down onto the sofa, I cover her with a light blanket, turn off the television, and get back to work in the office. I have to find this asshole, and it takes forever, but finally, I find him. It’s a rare glimpse into the camera. It’s purely by accident that he looks directly upward, giving me the one-second shot I need. Taking a screenshot, I import the image into the facial recognition program and wait for it to do its magic.
Sneaking back into the living room, I check on my woman, who is still knocked out. I clean up the mess and carry her off to bed, helping her change and then doing the same thing before climbing in behind her. This is becoming a pattern.
Chapter Nine
Andi
I wake up to the sound of something beeping. Crawling out of Elijah’s embrace, I rub my eyes and follow the sound. It’s in the computer room. Even though I probably shouldn’t be in here, I still peek at the thing making the noise. It’s the computer with a large image of a man that I recognize, looking a little more familiar in this picture. A shiver runs up my spine as reality hits me. I fall back and drop down to the chair behind me, but I miss and fall onto the floor, hitting my ass bone and knocking some stuff down in the process.
The loud sound of Elijah rushing into the room with his gun sends me falling backward just as I start to get back up. He releases a deep sigh before setting the gun down and then says, “Andi, what are you doing in here?”
“That thing was going off.” I point at the computer as he grabs my arm and lifts me easily off the ground.
He turns to the computer and checks the screen. “Do you recognize the man?”
“Yes. He was the piano tuner at my old music school. I didn’t remember him until I saw this image. I remember seeing the staff picture so many times over the years. His name is Silas Grimes.”
“When’s the last time you saw him at the school?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t gone there in five-plus years, and he stopped working there a year before that if I’m not mistaken, but I’m not sure why.” I shrug because I don’t have more concrete answers. My eyes dart toward that image and then away again. How did I not recognize the man in the crowd? He’s been following me for a year now, and I hadn’t remembered where I’d seen him before. How fucking pathetic. I could kick myself. Pissed, I stormed off from the disheveled room and into the living room.
“Stop it, Andrea.” I hear Elijah, but I just can’t listen. I won’t listen.
“Damn it, Andi. Listen to me now. I’ll fucking spank that pretty little ass if you don’t.” I freeze and then turn around to face the man who has stolen my heart. My eyes dart up to his, and I see that fire in them that almost dares me to challenge his threat.
“Stop what?”
“Stop this fucking guilt. I don’t know what you feel guilty for, but you need to quit that shit instantly. Not one moment of this is your fault. He’s an old man with a crush on a girl. Fuck, you were a child, and that makes him a fucking pedophile.”
Shit. Six years ago, I was fourteen and still wearing braces and pigtails. No joke, this guy was twisted if he was admiring me then.
“I can’t say he was interested in me then because his stalking started this past year.”
“That’s true. He could have seen your performance. Either way, I don’t give two fucks. He’s a fucking sick bastard, and I’m going to get my hands on him,” Elijah snarls.
“He looks so harmless,” I say offhandedly, even though I know it’s not the case.