Read Online Out Of Her League by Kaylea Cross - Free Book Online Page B

track him down and serve him the papers before he does anything more?”
    Oh, right. Those were important little details. “Good point.”
    “Hey, he probably won't do anything. I just don't like you being out here all alone in this big house.”
    “Don't forget, I've got Jake.”
    Hearing his name, Jake came loping up to them and put his furry chin on her lap.
    Rayne scratched the dog's ears. “He's pretty scary all right.”
    “He might not be intimidating, but he's really smart. Aren't you, boy?” Jake gazed up at her with intelligent brown eyes. “See?”
    “I'd better stay over.”
    Was he joking, or did he mean it? The Hallelujah Chorus blared in her head. Did she dare call his bluff? “Suit yourself.”
    “And I think I'll take you over to meet Nate, get his two cents on all this.”
    She swallowed her dinner past the constriction in her throat. “Sure, if you think he can help.” As much faith as Rayne seemed to put in the man he'd described as his surrogate father, it didn't thrill her to consult the head of the serious crimes unit regarding her personal dilemma. All it did was remind her she might be in serious danger.
    Rayne stood to take the dishes to the sink, rinsed them and loaded them into the dishwasher. He seemed so comfortable in her home, as if he belonged there. “In fact, let's go see Nate right now.”
    She'd rather he came over and kiss her senseless, but hey, as far as distractions went, she'd take whatever she could get. And spending the whole evening with Rayne would do nicely.

    * * * *

    Rayne knew Nate took a shine to her immediately by the way he teased her, and he guessed the same applied to Christa because she dished it right back. She was a curious mixture of independence and vulnerability, and it drew him to her like a magnet.
    Nate regarded him with knowing eyes. “So is this a social call, or for something specific?”
    Leave it to Nate to get down to business. “Actually, Christa's been having a problem with this guy who keeps following her around at her softball games. Yesterday she got injured and he lost it right there in front of everyone. Now the girl who slid into her is in the hospital after a hit and run.”
    Nate's chocolate-brown gaze darkened. “Was it him?”
    “No evidence confirming that yet. But she had some roses delivered this morning, along with a note telling her everything was ‘taken care of'.”
    “You should get a no contact order,” Nate told her.
    “I tried to, but I don't know his last name.”
    He drummed his fingers. “I don't like the feel of this at all. Seems to me he's escalating things every time. If he comes near you again, call 911. No reason to risk him getting close. Over ninety percent of rapes are committed by someone the victim knows, and it wouldn't surprise me if he'd already fixated on you sexually.”
    Rayne saw her shiver and spare a nervous glance at him. “You think he's planning to attack me?” Her eyes were enormous.
    Nate leaned back in his chair. “I think he's at least fantasized about it. That's what most stalkers are after. You need to be aware of the danger, because this guy is a potentially serious threat.”
    Rayne slipped his hand onto her shoulder to rub the tension away.
    “If, God forbid, he does come after you,” Nate continued, “do not under any circumstance go with him into a vehicle or secluded place. Even if he has a weapon, chances are he won't use it because it would draw attention to him, and if he did, the odds are he would only wound you.”
    Rayne cringed. “Nate, maybe this is a little too much information— ”
    “No, Rayne. She needs to know what to do. If it scares you, Christa, I apologize, but I see this kind of thing every day in my job, and I don't want it to happen to you if I can help it.”
    “Okay,” she said in a small voice. “What else?”
    “If you do somehow end up in a vehicle with him, you might have to crash it in order to get away. If he pulls a knife, you—