me?”
“Lisa—” She glanced at her watch. “Damn. Lisa’s gone for the day.”
“We can get her back if we need to. See if you can find them for me.”
“Yes. Of course. I’m being stupid. Sorry.”
“You’re doing great,” he said soothingly. He rose and held out his hand. She clutched it, letting him pull her to her feet. Even now she wondered if there was a camera recording her. Microphones. How had some nutbar invaded her space like this? He knew what she was wearing? Today was the first day she’d worn that blue suit. She felt watched. She felt violated. Vulnerable.
Why would someone want to scare her?
The why was bad enough, but the part of her inner questions that really disturbed her was that there was also a who. A faceless, anonymous creep who wanted to scare her.
Which brought her right back to why?
7
S HE LED A DAM out to the main office. Lisa had left the reception area immaculate, as she always did. Serena booted up the computer.
It took her a couple of minutes of searching but she found the file Lisa had insisted on making containing the disturbing emails she’d received.
“Here it is.” She clicked open the file. Adam leaned over her shoulder. She felt ridiculously reassured by his big strong capable presence.
“This was the first one?” He clicked on the message amd frowned.
“Yes. I’ve been getting one every few days. As you can see, they all basically say the same thing. I don’t even read them. If Lisa gets to them first, she puts them in the file so I don’t have to see them. If I get the message first, I forward it to her.”
He read them all in order. Didn’t comment until he got to the end. “This is all of them?”
“Yes.”
“Have you told the cops?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s exactly what he wants me to do, act scared. I refuse to give some negative fearmonger the satisfaction.”
“This guy could be a dangerous psychopath. He didn’t get any reaction from the emails. Now he’s upped the ante. Shown you he’s capable of getting closer to you. That he’s watching you. You need to go to the cops.”
“Maybe the text and the emails are from different people,” she said.
He shook his head. “I don’t think so. They all talk about fear. And every one of them ends with the same emoticon.”
She ran a hand through her hair, lifted it off the nape of her neck and let it drop again. “I won’t give in to fear.”
He laid a hand on her shoulder. “Fear isn’t all bad. It can be a healthy response to a danger that’s very real.”
“You’re not helping.”
“Serena, you need to take this seriously.” He squeezed her shoulder, then said, “Let’s leave it for now. I’ll walk you to your car.”
“All right. Let me lock up.”
He watched her routine, turning off the computers, then the lights. To lock her office she punched a code into an electronic panel.
As they walked down the hallway to the elevators, she was embarrassingly glad to have Adam beside her. She didn’t want to be a victim, but right now she felt too vulnerable to be alone. How had her creepy email guy known what she was wearing?
The possibilities made her nervous.
She was a bit surprised when Adam didn’t walk her to her car and leave her. He said, “I have a better idea. I’m going to take you for dinner. You need to eat and I need to ask you some questions.”
“No.” She knew she sounded panicky. “I don’t want to go out in public. Not right now.”
“Okay. I’ll take you to my place. It’s completely safe. No one would think to look for you there.”
His place. Safety. Also a chance to see how he lived, what was important to him. Because whatever else he was right now, he was her client and she still planned to help him face his demons.
But...his place.
He looked at her and suddenly grinned, as though reading her mind. “You’d be giving up control. Not easy for you to do.” His expression turned serious. “And you’d be
“Lisa—” She glanced at her watch. “Damn. Lisa’s gone for the day.”
“We can get her back if we need to. See if you can find them for me.”
“Yes. Of course. I’m being stupid. Sorry.”
“You’re doing great,” he said soothingly. He rose and held out his hand. She clutched it, letting him pull her to her feet. Even now she wondered if there was a camera recording her. Microphones. How had some nutbar invaded her space like this? He knew what she was wearing? Today was the first day she’d worn that blue suit. She felt watched. She felt violated. Vulnerable.
Why would someone want to scare her?
The why was bad enough, but the part of her inner questions that really disturbed her was that there was also a who. A faceless, anonymous creep who wanted to scare her.
Which brought her right back to why?
7
S HE LED A DAM out to the main office. Lisa had left the reception area immaculate, as she always did. Serena booted up the computer.
It took her a couple of minutes of searching but she found the file Lisa had insisted on making containing the disturbing emails she’d received.
“Here it is.” She clicked open the file. Adam leaned over her shoulder. She felt ridiculously reassured by his big strong capable presence.
“This was the first one?” He clicked on the message amd frowned.
“Yes. I’ve been getting one every few days. As you can see, they all basically say the same thing. I don’t even read them. If Lisa gets to them first, she puts them in the file so I don’t have to see them. If I get the message first, I forward it to her.”
He read them all in order. Didn’t comment until he got to the end. “This is all of them?”
“Yes.”
“Have you told the cops?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s exactly what he wants me to do, act scared. I refuse to give some negative fearmonger the satisfaction.”
“This guy could be a dangerous psychopath. He didn’t get any reaction from the emails. Now he’s upped the ante. Shown you he’s capable of getting closer to you. That he’s watching you. You need to go to the cops.”
“Maybe the text and the emails are from different people,” she said.
He shook his head. “I don’t think so. They all talk about fear. And every one of them ends with the same emoticon.”
She ran a hand through her hair, lifted it off the nape of her neck and let it drop again. “I won’t give in to fear.”
He laid a hand on her shoulder. “Fear isn’t all bad. It can be a healthy response to a danger that’s very real.”
“You’re not helping.”
“Serena, you need to take this seriously.” He squeezed her shoulder, then said, “Let’s leave it for now. I’ll walk you to your car.”
“All right. Let me lock up.”
He watched her routine, turning off the computers, then the lights. To lock her office she punched a code into an electronic panel.
As they walked down the hallway to the elevators, she was embarrassingly glad to have Adam beside her. She didn’t want to be a victim, but right now she felt too vulnerable to be alone. How had her creepy email guy known what she was wearing?
The possibilities made her nervous.
She was a bit surprised when Adam didn’t walk her to her car and leave her. He said, “I have a better idea. I’m going to take you for dinner. You need to eat and I need to ask you some questions.”
“No.” She knew she sounded panicky. “I don’t want to go out in public. Not right now.”
“Okay. I’ll take you to my place. It’s completely safe. No one would think to look for you there.”
His place. Safety. Also a chance to see how he lived, what was important to him. Because whatever else he was right now, he was her client and she still planned to help him face his demons.
But...his place.
He looked at her and suddenly grinned, as though reading her mind. “You’d be giving up control. Not easy for you to do.” His expression turned serious. “And you’d be
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