Read Online Enemy From The Past (Unseen Enemy Book 4) by Marysol James - Free Book Online
Authors: Marysol James
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come back to you this time, Chris?”
They stared at her as her words sank in fully.
“He knows how to hurt me, guys. He likes doing it.” Kat’s voice was quiet now, resigned. “Back then, he made sure I knew how much power he had over my friends and family. He’d offer my friends rides home from work, and make sure I saw them with him. He’d show me pictures he’d taken of my parents walking out of their house three states over. I was beside myself with worry, knowing that he had that kind of control over people I cared about. I stayed quiet and I toed the line to keep them safe.”
“The best way to hurt you is to hurt the people you love,” Dean said slowly.
“Damn right. And if he found me here, he’d find the girls, too, and once he did, how long before he found out how best to hurt them, huh? Liv’s stalker has been all over the news, the details of Jenny’s attack are easily accessible to cops, and Emma’s health is easy enough to figure out. All he has to do is follow her to the hospital oncology wing just once.”
They gulped, starting to share her fear.
“And you think that I want to be sure I’m safe here just for me?” she hissed at Jim. “ Fuck you. I’d never forgive myself if anything happened to my friends. Or to any of you, for that matter, despite you being such a dick.” She jabbed her index finger in Jim’s direction. “You really think I could live with myself if one of you – my best friends’ boyfriends and fiancé – got killed stepping between me and that psychotic piece of shit?”
“Oh, my God, Kat.” Jim sounded stricken. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry…”
“My name is not Kat,” she said. “But you know that, right?”
They paused.
“Yeah,” Dallas said. “Yeah, we know that. You going to tell us your real name?”
“No.” She turned. “I’m leaving.”
“OK, hold on, sweetheart.” Chris held out his hands to her. “Let’s all just calm down. Come and sit down again, Kat.” He smiled at her. “I know that’s not your name, but it’s all I’ve got to call you right now, alright?”
Despite herself, she found herself softening towards Chris.
God, he’s a nice guy.
“Yeah, OK. I mean, I did promise to give you a chance to convince me, so I owe you at least that much.” She sat down on the chair, took a deep breath. “So, you get it now, right? What I’m up against and what I’m scared of. What you’re supposed to keep me safe from – me and the girls.”
“Yeah, we do.” Dean’s voice was low. “We get it, hon.”
“And?” she asked.
“And,” Dallas said. “You tell me his name and I flip the tables on him.”
“What?” she said, perplexed.
“Well, unlike you, he’s not in hiding, is he? He has a job – a pretty visible one – so it’ll be easy to keep tabs on him. I can check his credit card activity, get in to his bank accounts, track his cell. Ask a staff member to fly on out to Oregon and shadow him.” Dallas shrugged. “If I do it right – and I always do it right, babe – I’ll be able to tell you what he had for lunch on any given day and what he bought his mother for her birthday.”
She blinked at him. “Is all this legal?”
“Who cares about legal?” Dallas said. “It’s not like I’d be building a case against him that has to stand up in court. I’d just be keeping an eye on the fucker, making sure he doesn’t come anywhere near you. Think about it, Kat: you’d know everything about him, and he’d know nothing about you. How much safer could you be?”
“You can do all of that?” she asked.
“I can and I will. If you tell me his name, and the name of your hometown.”
“I – I…”
“Kat,” Chris said. “Just let Dallas do this, OK? Let him do his checking and tracking, see what he turns up. Then make a decision. If you don’t like what he finds, then you can run.” His gray eyes were steady and dark. “Hell, I’ll even drive you to the bus station personally,
They stared at her as her words sank in fully.
“He knows how to hurt me, guys. He likes doing it.” Kat’s voice was quiet now, resigned. “Back then, he made sure I knew how much power he had over my friends and family. He’d offer my friends rides home from work, and make sure I saw them with him. He’d show me pictures he’d taken of my parents walking out of their house three states over. I was beside myself with worry, knowing that he had that kind of control over people I cared about. I stayed quiet and I toed the line to keep them safe.”
“The best way to hurt you is to hurt the people you love,” Dean said slowly.
“Damn right. And if he found me here, he’d find the girls, too, and once he did, how long before he found out how best to hurt them, huh? Liv’s stalker has been all over the news, the details of Jenny’s attack are easily accessible to cops, and Emma’s health is easy enough to figure out. All he has to do is follow her to the hospital oncology wing just once.”
They gulped, starting to share her fear.
“And you think that I want to be sure I’m safe here just for me?” she hissed at Jim. “ Fuck you. I’d never forgive myself if anything happened to my friends. Or to any of you, for that matter, despite you being such a dick.” She jabbed her index finger in Jim’s direction. “You really think I could live with myself if one of you – my best friends’ boyfriends and fiancé – got killed stepping between me and that psychotic piece of shit?”
“Oh, my God, Kat.” Jim sounded stricken. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry…”
“My name is not Kat,” she said. “But you know that, right?”
They paused.
“Yeah,” Dallas said. “Yeah, we know that. You going to tell us your real name?”
“No.” She turned. “I’m leaving.”
“OK, hold on, sweetheart.” Chris held out his hands to her. “Let’s all just calm down. Come and sit down again, Kat.” He smiled at her. “I know that’s not your name, but it’s all I’ve got to call you right now, alright?”
Despite herself, she found herself softening towards Chris.
God, he’s a nice guy.
“Yeah, OK. I mean, I did promise to give you a chance to convince me, so I owe you at least that much.” She sat down on the chair, took a deep breath. “So, you get it now, right? What I’m up against and what I’m scared of. What you’re supposed to keep me safe from – me and the girls.”
“Yeah, we do.” Dean’s voice was low. “We get it, hon.”
“And?” she asked.
“And,” Dallas said. “You tell me his name and I flip the tables on him.”
“What?” she said, perplexed.
“Well, unlike you, he’s not in hiding, is he? He has a job – a pretty visible one – so it’ll be easy to keep tabs on him. I can check his credit card activity, get in to his bank accounts, track his cell. Ask a staff member to fly on out to Oregon and shadow him.” Dallas shrugged. “If I do it right – and I always do it right, babe – I’ll be able to tell you what he had for lunch on any given day and what he bought his mother for her birthday.”
She blinked at him. “Is all this legal?”
“Who cares about legal?” Dallas said. “It’s not like I’d be building a case against him that has to stand up in court. I’d just be keeping an eye on the fucker, making sure he doesn’t come anywhere near you. Think about it, Kat: you’d know everything about him, and he’d know nothing about you. How much safer could you be?”
“You can do all of that?” she asked.
“I can and I will. If you tell me his name, and the name of your hometown.”
“I – I…”
“Kat,” Chris said. “Just let Dallas do this, OK? Let him do his checking and tracking, see what he turns up. Then make a decision. If you don’t like what he finds, then you can run.” His gray eyes were steady and dark. “Hell, I’ll even drive you to the bus station personally,
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