Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 99960 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99960 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
Relief filled me as soon as I could make an excuse to leave. There might as well have been heavy clouds hanging over Inverness for what little good the sunshine did to lift my mood.
Needing a pick-me-up, I walked across the bridge and traversed the streets until I found the coffee place I liked. It was in the opposite direction of where I’d parked my car, but it was worth it for their latte and croissant. I’d thought earlier about doing a little shopping in the city, but now I just wanted to return to Ardnoch.
As I stepped out of the coffee shop, caffeine and carbs in hand, a tingling sensation on my nape caused me to pause. I looked to the left and locked eyes with an unfamiliar man. What was strange and roused my instincts was that he looked away from me as quickly as possible. He scrolled through his phone, casual, as he leaned against the building.
Something about him was too casual.
I tried to place him but couldn’t. He was dressed in a long-sleeved dark tee and dark jeans and he really didn’t look that threatening. Dark hair, clean cut. But there was tension along the lines of his shoulders that someone who had drawn a shit ton of live-model nudes for four years could easily observe.
My stomach flipped unpleasantly, and I slipped on my sunglasses, trying to shake off the paranoia. For the most part, I could walk around Inverness with anonymity, but occasionally someone recognized me. Trying to remain calm, I strode up the street, past him, heading toward the parking lot where I’d left my Wrangler.
That tingling sensation on my neck returned within seconds. Pretending to stop to fumble through my purse, glancing back as if I’d forgotten something at the coffee place, I caught sight of the man walking behind me. He glanced down at his phone again, slowing to a stop outside a pet store.
My heart beat hard in my chest as I faked finding what I’d been looking for in my bag and walked forward again.
Some people might call it being neurotic, but when your sister and friends had a history of being kidnapped, you kind of jumped to worst-case scenario in situations like this. Fumbling for my phone, I called Jared as I strolled into a clothing boutique. I smiled tightly at the blond woman behind the counter as I pretended to peruse the items, all the while glancing outside.
The man had stopped at the building opposite the clothing boutique and was staring inside at me.
Fuck.
Jared picked up. “Can I call you back?” He practically shouted, the sound of the tractor loud in the background.
I hurried to the back of the store. “Jared, I think I’m being followed.”
“What?”
“Jared—”
“Hang on.” The noise of the tractor cut off. “What did you say?”
“I think I’m being followed,” I hissed impatiently in my freak-out.
“How? What? Where are you?” I heard the panic in his voice and hated it.
“I’m still in Inverness. I noticed this guy watching me and then I turned around and he was following me. Now I’ve walked into a store, and he’s stopped outside the store opposite. It could be paranoia, but my Spidey senses are tingling like crazy.”
“Is there a back way out of the store you’re in?” His words were calm, but I could hear the sharpness edging them.
“I don’t know,” I whispered shakily.
“Ask whoever is running the store. Stay on the phone.”
Nodding, I ignored the quizzical look another customer threw me and hurried over to the blond behind the counter. Another glance out the window told me the guy hadn’t moved and he was watching me.
Double fuck.
Smoothing my expression, I asked the woman, “Is there a back door out of here?”
She frowned. “Um … it’s staff only.”
“Explain to her who you are and what’s happening,” Jared commanded sharply in my ear.
I nodded again, even though he couldn’t see me. Shifting my sunglasses off my face, I was relieved to see recognition flicker across the blond’s expression. That would make things a lot easier. “My name is Allegra Howard McCulloch—”
“I know who you are.” She beamed excitedly. “I am such a fan of your father’s work. And your sister’s husband, oh my God! Congrats on your marriage! Do you—”
“A man is following me,” I cut her off, keeping a smile on my face and probably looking deranged.
The woman stiffened.
“Don’t react. Don’t look. But he’s outside and he’s following me.”
To her credit, she smiled in return, even though it didn’t reach her eyes. “Okay. What do you need?”
“Is there a back way out that will let me get to my car on Charles Street?”
She kept smiling as she nodded. “Why don’t I show you, madam?”
Relief filled me. “Thank you.”
“Thank fuck,” Jared murmured in my ear.
I followed her through the store, past changing rooms and into a staff-only area. Out of sight of the man, I dropped the crazy smile. “Thank you for this. What is your name?”