Shake It Up (Man of the Month 8)

"No," she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. "I don't think it is. I'm certain of it."

Chapter Seven

"He had this obsession with Buddy Holly," Taylor told him once they were back in his car. "Holly. Hall. Get it?"

"I get it." Landon had already started the car and shifted into reverse, but now he turned to her, his gaze hard enough to make her squirm. "I get that there's no question left. This guy from Arkansas tracked you to Austin. This guy from eight years ago followed you here and is gaslighting you. We both know it. Don't we?"

Slowly, she nodded.

"What I don't know is why. But I think you do."

"He's fucked up," she said, and wasn't that the damn truth? Never in her life had she brushed up against anyone as messed up as Beauregard Harkness.

Landon's hands tightened on the steering wheel. His eyes closed, and she was absolutely certain that he was counting to ten. Finally, he drew a breath and looked at her again. As calm as a pond on a still winter morning. "I want to help you, Taylor. Hell, I think it would probably kill me to fail you. To watch you get hurt. But I can't do it alone. You have to help me. You have to tell me everything."

Fear-soaked cotton seemed to fill her throat, blocking the words that wanted to burst out. She wanted to tell him everything--the whole sordid, horrible tale. But it wouldn't come. Instead, she just shook her head. She couldn't do it. Couldn't stand the thought that he'd see another version of her.

A Taylor who wasn't a Taylor at all.

She closed her eyes, counted to ten, and then slowly shook her head. "I've told you," she finally whispered. "He's bad. No," she corrected. "He's evil. And if he finds me, I swear to God, he'll kill me."

He slammed the gearshift back into Park and turned to her. "Dammit, Taylor, you need to trust me."

"I do." Hot tears streamed down her cheeks, fueled by fear and anger and frustration. She wanted to tell him--she did. But he didn't truly need to know any of it, and telling him would just open doors that were better off closed.

She sucked in a long breath. "But if you really want to help me, then please, just help me stop him. He's bad, Landon. That's the long and the short of it. There's nothing else you need to know."

"Isn't there?"

She shook her head.

"So there's no reason to get to know you?" He reached for her, then pressed his hand against her thigh. She closed her eyes as the warmth from his touch seeped through her. "Don't you get it, Taylor? I don't just want to help you. I want--"

"What?" Her word was barely a whisper.

A beat, then, "I want to know you."

She lifted her chin until she was looking straight at him. "Then we want the same thing. Because you do know me. That girl from before? The girl who left Arkansas? That girl isn't me, Landon. Even I don't know her anymore."

Now, his kind eyes looked sad. But it was true. It was all true.

Bottom line, if he wanted to help her, all he had to do was stop Beau. The rest was just noise.

For a moment, he just looked at her, and she sat stiff in anticipation of his words. Fortunately, the sharp ring of his phone broke the moment. He answered it, glanced at her, then said, "Glad to hear it. Thanks."

When he hung up, she cocked her head. "What?"

"Your security system. It's installed and ready to go."

"That's great. So I can stay at my apartment tonight?"

"Looks that way."

She exhaled in relief. "Not that it wasn't a fun experience, but I prefer being in my own space. Can you take me to the hotel? I left a few things in the bathroom that Mina brought. Plus, I should probably check out, then get my car. I left it in a lot near The Fix."

"I'll take you," he said. "But I want to go through your apartment first. No sense checking out of the hotel if everything's not copacetic."

Since she couldn't argue with that, she nodded, then leaned back as he navigated to her West Campus apartment. A small building, it had five units and was on a narrow lot between two larger complexes.