“We need to talk.”
Matt stepped forward then and Eli realized he hadn’t even greeted him. He stuck out his hand. “Thanks for getting to her so quickly.”
Matt returned the handshake and glanced over at Kay. “I’m just glad she came easily. I thought she was going to deck me when I interrupted her studio time.”
“I thought about it,” Kay muttered behind her mug. “Am I in danger? What’s going on?”
Eli retrieved the envelope he’d tucked in the inner pocket of his coat. He sat on the edge of the couch tentatively. “Does this look familiar to you?” He opened it and the cat figurine slid out and into his palm.
“Hey! I have one just like that.” She reached out to touch it and then her gaze settled on Eli. “I have one exactly like that. What’s going on?”
He held out the note next. “Someone sent this to me at ASI headquarters. It had to be checked by my mail department before I opened it, so I didn’t see it right away. It was sent last week.”
Matt leaned over and, after reading the note, shared a look with Eli. He then picked up the figurine and turned it upside down, peering into the tiny hole at the bottom. “He’s taunting us. Showing off that we failed to catch him last time.”
Eli agreed. They didn’t have anything concrete that linked the two yet, but in his gut, he knew this was the same guy.
What did he miss last summer that could have kept her safe? They’d been so sure they had the right guy. The dumb ass had already had a warrant out for a drug charge, so he’d been picked up and was serving time. Could he have gotten someone else to pick up where he left off harassing Kay? But what would be the point if he was already in jail? He had to know that the police would immediately know it was him and give him more time. It didn’t make sense.
Kay’s safety hinged on something that was completely illogical.
“This note is sending a pretty direct message. He’s right under our noses and he wants us to know it.”
Kay read the note, her lips moving slightly as her eyes scanned the page. “I don’t understand. What does this all mean?”
“It means we might have made a mistake last summer.” Eli took the figurine from her trembling fingers.
“It means you aren’t safe.”
KAYLEE FOLLOWED RIDLEY into the kitchen, conscious of Eli’s gaze on her back.
“I figured you could use a break,” Ridley whispered as they sat at the small dining table in the kitchen.
“Thanks. A little space is much appreciated right about now.” It had only been a few weeks since she’d last seen Eli at Christmas. So why was her traitorous body reacting like he was just coming home from war? Kay accepted another cup of steaming hot cocoa from Mara, who sat on her left. “Did Matt call you?” she asked the pretty brunette.
They’d spent a lot of time hanging out when Matt had been her bodyguard last summer. With her curvy figure, long dark curls, and sultry bedroom eyes, it would have been easy to hate Mara if she wasn’t such fun. It was hard to believe she and Matt were related sometimes since their personalities were such polar opposites. She wouldn’t have guessed that those two could have even come out of the same family, much less be twins.
“He did. He’s worried about you. We all are.” Mara took a sip of her own tea. “How are you holding up?”
Kay shrugged. “Okay so far. I’m just not sur
e why this is happening. I’m nobody. The album I did with Divine had lackluster sales, and I haven’t released any music since. If it’s true that the police arrested the wrong guy last summer, why would he suddenly start stalking me again now? It doesn’t make any sense.”
Mara regarded her over the rim of her mug. “Maybe this isn’t a stalker. Well, not a random one. Maybe it’s someone you’ve dated who is mad that you’ve moved on.”
“That’s just it. I haven’t moved on. The only things I do are go to work, take care of Hope, and record music. Other than Nick’s clients, I don’t come into contact with many people.”
“Well, that doesn’t sound like much fun.” Mara glanced over Kay’s shoulder. Her eyes narrowed and then sparkled with a mischievous gleam. “You know what you need? You need a man. Penny told me what you guys talked about at Christmas. About how you’re going to let us fix you up on a blind date.”
Kay thought back to all the things they’d discussed on Christmas Day. Once she’d realized that Eli had left his own family celebration just to avoid her, she’d tearfully confided in the other girls. They’d rallied around her, supporting her decision to move on and start dating after the holidays. But she didn’t remember agreeing to any setups. She hated blind dates.
“But I never said—” Kay’s mouth dropped open as Mara kicked her under the table. “Ow,” she whispered.
Mara typed something quickly on her cell phone and pushed it across the table. Raina, Ridley, and Kay all leaned forward to read what it said.
- - - Eli is outside the door listening.
“What?” Kay exclaimed. Then she crossed her arms. Pretending to set her up on a date to make Eli jealous was ridiculous. And childish. And unlikely to work since he couldn’t seem to care any less about what she was doing.