Just to be Left Alone (23 page)

I
found the hidden key before getting Bella and my backpack. A flash lit up the
room, followed by thunder as it shook the cabin. Poor Bella bolted under the
couch as soon as the carrier was opened.

I
changed into fresh pajamas and put my tennis shoes next to the hot water heater
to dry. I was too keyed up to sleep and had to be up in five hours so I turned
on the television downstairs. I set the alarm on my phone and curled up on the
sofa with a blanket that smelled like Conrad. I called to Bella, who jumped in
my lap just as another streak of lightning flared through the room.

She
settled on my stomach as we both tried to ignore the chaos around us. It took
sometime, but we finally fell into the sleep of the exhausted.

* * * *

The
thunder woke me just before my alarm. Bella protested, so I had to coax her off
of my stomach anyway. She was not happy at all. I understood her feelings.

I
padded to the kitchen and made some coffee. It would be a three cup day.
Thankfully, he had a thermos under the sink. I used his chocolate syrup instead
of cream and sugar. The taste was richer, like his kisses. It would’ve been
heaven if he’d had French vanilla marshmallows to top it off.

I
padded to the shower and made it quick since I was standing in an old cast iron
tub. I wasn’t taking any unnecessary chances these days. My point was made as a
loud crack shook the walls just as I had gotten out of the antique tub.

I
barely even dried off before I shoved jeans on my damp legs and yanked the gray
T-shirt over my head. My hair went into a French braid and I exited the
bathroom for my tennis shoes. Thankfully they were dry, so I got them on with
less trouble than the jeans.

The
coffee smelled amazing to my dull senses. I sipped a small cup as I smoothed
makeup over my tired features. I wasn’t going to show up looking as bad as I
felt.

I
was aggravated at myself for forgetting Bella’s cat food and rummaged around in
the cabinet for a replacement. I was grateful to see one can each of chicken
breast and tuna fish. I opened up the tuna for Bella and knew she wouldn’t pout
with me for much longer.

I
headed out the door and drove on the flooded streets back to work. It wasn’t as
torrential as last night, but it was still dangerous out on the roads. I was
glad that the inspector wasn’t coming until next Tuesday.

The
crew was understandably late, so I checked in with Conrad. I thanked him for
the use of his cabin and told him about the cat food. He had chuckled and said
he would be gone for two more days, considering the weather. He might even have
to reschedule the whole trip, if it got any worse. I’d stay at his place until
my place was repaired. He is such a good man. I was lucky.

It
was still storming as I headed out of work at four, thankfully it had lessened
a bit. I was relieved to see fewer people on the roads. My cell phone rang, but
I wasn’t about to take my hands off the wheel to answer it. Slow and steady, I
made it back to the cabin without accident.
 
I grabbed up my stuff and ran for the door.

I
was exhausted and debated going to bed early.

My
phone rang again.

“Hey,
girl.”

“Hello,
Parker. How’s the weather over there?”

“Miserable,
how are you?”

“Okay,
considering.”

“Uh
oh, what happened?”

I
told him about my apartment.

He
whistled and said, “Should we change your name to Luck? You are always having a
run of it, whether it is bad or good.”

“I
totally agree. I’m at Conrad’s until my place is safe to go back to again.”

“Well,
I’m heading back early in the morning, rain or not. The case is closed and I’m
tired of this hotel. Don’t tell Chastity. I want to surprise her.”

“No
problem. Be careful. I’ll see you later.”

“Night.”

I
hung up and went to make a grilled cheese sandwich. He had several cheeses, so
I made it gourmet. I made some tea and turned on the television to see a
vampire classic was playing.

I
went to flip my sandwich when I heard something scratching outside, even though
I couldn’t see any car outside. I sat at the bar, facing the movie and took a
bite of warm cheese. I loved when the cheese would stretch out in golden
strands, like mozzarella sticks. I heard the noise again and shrugged as I
realized that the wind was still whipping things around outside. It always
takes time to become accustomed to noises in a new place.

I
was half way done with my cheesy masterpiece when I heard a crash. The front
door slammed against the wall. Bella took off up the stairs. I jumped up and
couldn’t believe what I saw. Jason.

I
was frozen in shock, this couldn’t be happening. His breath heaved as water
dripped from his body. I dropped the sandwich and ran for the stairs.

“Hi
baby, long time no see.”

He
stalked toward me. Where the hell was I going to go? Jason was between the
front door and me. Thoughts flew around in my brain. Did Conrad have a gun
upstairs? Did Jason have a gun? How was I going to get out? Was Jason going to
kill me?

He
grabbed me from behind before I got to the closet.

“Why
ya running? Didn’t you miss me?”

Shit,
my cell phone was in my purse on the top of the fridge. I prayed he wouldn’t
find it.

“Jason,
what are you doing here?”

“Silly
thing, I‘m here for you.”

“How
did you know where I was?”

“That’s
a secret. A guy has to keep a few up his sleeves when it comes to beautiful women.”

He
rubbed the tip of his wet nose over my ear. My stomach rolled with disgust.

“Samantha,
I’m glad that I found you alone.”

“I
still want to know how you found me.”

“I’ve
been tracking you, literally. I had to get sneaky in order to get some alone time
with you.”

“Why?”

“You’re
too smart to ask dumb questions.”

He
loosened his grip a little. I went to turn away from him, and then something
stuck me in the butt. He pulled me back against his body. The room got fuzzy.

“What
did you do?”

“Oh,
that. I brought along some nice party favors, just in case you needed to
relax.”

“Relax?”

“Yes,
I can’t have you stressed out while I plan our special time together. That
wouldn’t be very nice of me.”

“Nice?
Nothing you’ve done lately has qualified as nice.”

My
voice slurred. The walls looked very far away. I had to fight this. I couldn’t
fall sleep knowing this man was insane. I may never wake up.

“Don’t
fight it, baby. You’re only making it worse and will get a terrible headache,”
as he rubbed the back of my head. The room began to spin.

“No.”

“Yes,
sleep now. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

“No.”

Then
the room went black.

Chapter
Thirteen

The
pounding wouldn’t go away. The storm was beating unmercifully against my brain.
Make it stop.
I realized the storm in
my head was actually worse than the one outside. I tried to sit up, but my
stomach turned. I lay against the pillows that smelled familiar. It was
Conrad’s scent. Then the images hit me.

Holy
shit! Where was the crazy bastard? Had he done anything to me? I took a painful
inventory of myself and realized that, thankfully, I was completely dressed.
Apparently, he had left me to sleep off the injection he’d given me. I strained
for any sounds.

He
was laughing at something, with that new creepy laugh of his. Maybe he was on
the phone, would it be Chastity? I slipped off my shoes and silently crept down
the stairs.

I
saw him on the couch with his feet up. He was on his cell phone and hadn’t
heard me. I listened in on his part of the conversation.

“Yeah,
I hear ya.”

“Yes,
I’m being a good boy.”

“No,
I’ve decided to leave her alone. I know she’s your friend, but she’s too much
of a priss for me.”

“Yes,
I truly mean it. She’s nothing to me.”

“Chastity,
I promise to be a good boy. You’d seriously kick my butt if I stepped out of
line again.”

“I’ve
been on some medication that had bad side effects. I’m off it now and away at a
conference.”

I
slid up behind the sofa and yelled at the phone, “Chaz, red alert. Code Red.”

Jason
whipped up and backhanded me before I could say anything else. My ears rang. I
could barely hear him.

“No,
I’m fine. That was a girl here at the bar. I didn’t want to tell you that I was
calling you from a bar when I’m supposed to be in a meeting. That was wrong of
me.”

“I
don’t want you to think any worse of me.”

“Chastity,
seriously. How would I be near her? Didn’t you admit that she had a restraining
order? Have you heard anything at all about me being around the last couple of
days? I’m not even in the same state as her.”

I
looked up at the evil gleam in his eye. He was daring me to say something. The
pain between my head and jaw had me swallowing down bile.

“Okay
sweetie, I’ll talk to you later. Call me any time and enjoy that new man of
yours.”

He
closed the phone and stepped closer to me. I inched backward until I hit a
barstool.

“You’ve
been a bad girl. You’re supposed to be asleep.”

I
met his glance. I refused to look away or show fear. Fear would fuel him. I
mustered more strength.

“Fuck
off, Jason.”

He
laughed. I thought he was going to hit me again. He laughed as if I had just
told him the joke of the day. He was truly insane.

“I
always loved your spirit, Samantha.”

He
looked out the big window.

“The
storm hasn’t died down yet, so my plans will have to be slightly delayed.”

“What
plans?”

“I
want you to myself, once and for all.”

“Jason,
I don’t have the same feelings about you.”

“You
did. Now you get dirty with another man.”

“I
haven’t gotten dirty with anyone in years.”

“That’s
good. I know you’ve gotten pretty close to it. You can’t lie about that.”

“How
would you know?”

“I’ve
been keeping an eye on you. That’s how I knew where to find you. I’ve heard
your conversations and watched your actions. I’m very disappointed.”

“How
the hell have you done that? Have you been following me?”

“It’s
very simple,” he said as he yanked down my purse. He tossed it at me. Some of
the items fell out.

“Grab
your phone.”

I
held it in my palm.

He
pointed at it and said, “That’s how.”

I
looked at it as if it was alien to me. “How?”

“Remember
the day that you broke down?” He smiled, as if he was the smartest person in
the world.

“You
did that to my motor?”

It
started to make sense. I was so unbelievably stupid.

“Your
phone disappeared, didn’t it?”

I
nodded.

“Well,
I saw you go there and I threw acid on your motor. I waited for you to drive by
before I showed up to save you.”

“So
how did you get my phone?”

“Ah,
easy. You left it on the seat with the doors unlocked, like the trusting fool
that you are. I grabbed it and inserted a GPS transmitter plus a little beauty that
called me every time you opened it. I then slipped it between the cushions at
the diner and acted surprised when the busboy acknowledged it. You forgot what
I do for a living, dear.”

“You’ve
listened in on all my calls?”

“Yes,
all except your work calls. I even saw your texts. I love technology. Now, what
are you fixing us for dinner?”

Yea, I’d like to order a side of sanity with
that.

He
waited. I slowly walked around the bar. I noticed the barricade holding the
front door closed.

I
grabbed the oatmeal. He hummed as he walked around, familiarizing himself with
all of Conrad’s personal items.

I
hoped Chastity had heard me. Did she believe Jason’s story? I thought positive
thoughts and was rewarded when my cell phone rang. Jason grabbed it off of the
couch where he had tossed it.

“It’s
Chastity. She’s checking on my story. Will she be worried if you don’t answer?”

I
stayed still, not offering any help.

“Answer
it. But I’m warning you, say anything out of line and that slap will look like
kiddie play.”

He
handed me the phone. I quickly thought of what to say that wouldn’t get me
slapped again.

“Hello,
Chaz.”

“Hi,
you okay?”

“Yeah,
I’m fine. Why?”

“I
was just thinking about you. Whatcha doing?”

“I’m
dandy, just putting up those red rain boots you sold me. I finally broke them
in.”

“Huh,
what rain boots?”

“I
know, alert the media, I wore red boots.”

“I
don’t sell rain boots.”

Thankfully,
Jason hadn’t heard her.

“Tell
her you need privacy this weekend,” Jason whispered.

“I
know. Well, I have a crisis here so I’ll let you go. Tell the girls that I want
some downtime this weekend.”

“Crisis?
Sam, I have a bad feeling.”

Jason
reached for the phone.

“Yes,
you do. Love ya, bye.” I hung up before he could pick up what I’d said.

“Good
girl.”

He
took it away, put it in his pocket and sat on the sofa.

I
prayed that she understood my clues. She was smart and should be able to
decipher them.

Sighing,
I turned toward the stove to boil the water. I went for the butter and saw a
small brown envelope tucked in the corner of the bottom door shelf. I slid it
under the butter and kept my back toward Jason as I peeked into the envelope.
It was a hypodermic needle full of clear liquid and some sample sleeping pills.
It must be what he injected into me. Well, turn about was far play.