Richard

I leapt off the couch at the prospect of doing anything other than twiddling my thumbs for the next eighteen hours and made a beeline right for the bathroom. I tossed my cell phone onto the counter and abandoned my sweats and tank top on the floor. No reason to pick up after myself when Gunner wasn’t around.

The heat was exactly what I’d needed, and the massage feature on the showerhead didn’t hurt, either. Sex with Gunner had been a workout, and every muscle in my body was sore. Delightfully sore, but sore nonetheless.

I closed my eyes and let the heat flow over me. This was bliss. Sheer, simple bliss. Right now, I didn’t have to think. I didn’t have to feel. I just had to let the rising steam carry me away far from where anything mattered.

Except Gunner kept crawling back into my mind. I couldn’t stop him. He was just_._._._there. Invading every memory. Every personal space.

Like how he’d invaded my pussy last night.

It was no use. Nothing could take my mind off Gunner. I’d spent years trying to forget him, and now that I’d let him in, it was all going to be in vain. How could I forget the way he’d touched me? The way he’d looked at me last night? The hot press of his lips—his teeth on my neck—the sound of his wordless cries in my ear?

I smiled. Things could be worse. You got a lot worse memories to look back on.

That smile faded as soon as I’d had the thought. Was that what Gunner and I would be, in the end? A handful of memories? One or two nights of passion, and then back to the real world where people like us weren’t allowed?

And how the hell had it come to this, anyway? I’d wanted to keep him at arm’s length. I’d wanted out of his house. I’d wanted him out of my life. Yet here we were, closer than ever before.

You sneaky son of a bitch. How the fuck did you get into my heart?

I shut off the shower and grabbed one of the super plush towels from the rack, then another for my hair. Once I’d twisted it up over my scalp, I wiped down the bathroom mirror. My phone was blinking.

I picked it up, expecting another message from Chel, or maybe a sexy text from Gunner. He’d made mention of wanting me to ache for him while he was gone. Wanted me to be a good girl and wait for him to get back before scratching that itch he’d instilled in me. He was probably busy waxing his engine or something, but hey, a girl could dream.

Except what I saw on my screen wasn’t a dream. It was a nightmare, coming from a blocked number.

O Rose thou art sick.

The invisible worm,

That flies in the night

In the howling storm:

Has found out thy bed

Of crimson joy:

And his dark secret love

Does thy life destroy.

I held my breath, as if some part of me knew there was more.

And there was. Not a moment later, like he knew I was standing there in that bathroom reading his texts, he sent another.

YOU CAN’T RUN FOREVER, TANYA.

Chapter 15

Gunner

I pressed the new phone into Tanya’s hand, looking her right in the eye.

“No calls. The only people you’re allowed to call from now on are the police and me.”

I’d gone down to the convenience store on the corner and bought my stepsister one of those pre-paid burner phones you always heard about in spy movies. It was nothing glamorous, but I knew no one would be able to trace her number, so long as she wasn’t stupid.

And she wasn’t stupid. Which begged the question of why the hell she was acting like she was.

It still boggled my mind how that freak could have gotten a hold of her phone—the phone she’d only just bought, and with my credit card, no less—in order to clone it. That was the going theory, anyway. I’d watched enough TV to know that people only needed your phone for a second, then boom—they could read every message and hear every phone call. I hated how easy it was for creeps like this to do what they did.

“But what if he does it again?” she asked. I could see the worry etched all over her face as she looked at the block of ancient tech I’d handed her. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen a flip-phone, let along one that big.

“He won’t be able to do any of that stuff so long as you don’t make any calls to anyone but the cops or me. Those things can’t be traced.”

“You’re sure?”

“As sure as I can be.”

Tanya nodded, heaving a great, big sigh before she glanced over at her old phone still lying on the table. I’d told her to turn it off and take the battery out of it—making it all the harder for anyone to find her.

You can’t run forever.

I could only hope that it had been a bluff, some big scare tactic to make my sister panic all the more. But I couldn’t take that chance.

“No opening the door, either. Not for anyone.”

“Okay,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. I didn’t know what else I could do to keep her safe—to keep that monster from doing God knows what to her.

“I’m going to talk to a friend of mine to see if he can make this investigation go a little bit faster.”

“A cop?” she asked. She sounded pretty hopeful.

“No, not anymore. He’s a PI, but he knows the system and he knows what buttons to press.”

Tanya’s worried expression never left her, my assurances having little effect to boost her confidence. Somehow I had to make her think that everything would be okay—despite all evidence to the contrary.

“I just feel like all of this is never going to end—that it’s all my fault. I feel like I dragged you into something you should never have gotten involved it. You’re taking all of my problems on your shoulders when I should be the one who takes care of this.”

I shook my head, resting my hands on both her shoulders.

“None of this is your fault, Tanya. You shouldn’t have to deal with some freak pretending that you belong to him—some weirdo in a mask playing like he’s the Phantom of the Opera. You don’t deserve to be in this mess.”

“But—”

“No. None of this is your fault, and I don’t even want you thinking that I shouldn’t be helping you. I love you, Tanya, and I’m going to make sure this asshole gets locked up for good.”

“Maybe we should just let the police take care of it—what if he hurts you, what will happen then, if you’re hurt and I’m left all alone. I don’t think I can handle if I lost you, Gunner. I can’t lose you and Mom.”

“I told you I won’t let that happen. I’m going to keep your safe. I tried to talk to the detectives, but they’re dragging ass on this. No leads, no suspects. You think I’m just going to let this go?”

Tanya smiled, blinking at my through the tears as she rested her cheek against one of my hands. I brushed my thumb over her skin, wiping away the trails of moisture her sadness had left behind.

“My hero.”

I tried to give her an encouraging smile, but all I could manage was a grimace. More than ever I felt connected to Tanya, almost like our bond had evolved into something I’d never thought I’d have in my life—love. And I wasn’t about to let that get taken from me by some mouth-breather.

“I should get going. I’m meeting my friend at a restaurant to talk about what he’s found out so far.”

“Okay,” Tanya said, wrapping her arms around herself almost like she’d gotten a sudden chill. Maybe she was feeling the same emptiness that I was feeling. “Just make sure you call me. I don’t want to find out you got killed or something on the news.”