Make It a Double

Page 18

  Around mid-morning, I yelled at Brody to come in from the barn where he was cleaning out Midget’s stall and commanded him to get in my truck. Then I drove him to The Sand Shark, where we commenced the first breakfast meeting of The Haven’s Volunteer Group. Brody had his buckwheat pancakes, pleasure overtaking his face on the first bite, and it warmed me deeply to see something so simple have such an effect on him.

  Now we’re at the feed store, stocking up on a variety of supplies. Now that I have Brody’s muscles, I can buy in bulk, which gives me a better discount. Brody pulls the large, flat cart down the aisles as I tick items off my list when we pull them from the shelves.

  “God, I hope all of this will fit in the truck,” I muse, tapping the end of my pen against my chin.

  “I’ll make it fit,” Brody says assuredly, as he comes up to stand beside me, leaning over my shoulder and looking at the items remaining on my list.

  Rolling my eyes at him, I say, “Typical man,” and he rewards me with an amused snort.

  See… everything has changed.

  I companionably bump my shoulder into his arm, and even though I wasn’t seeking it, a thrill of excitement just from that simple touch courses through me. “Thanks for giving me so much help at The Haven. I don’t know what I’m going to do once your service hours are up. ”

  Brody bumps me back. “I’ll continue to volunteer after. No worries. ”

  Turning to him in surprise, I ask, “Really?”

  He looks down at me, a wealth of unspoken sentiment in his eyes. He bumps against me again, this time lighter so our arms stay touching. “Absolutely. ”

  We stare at each other, the quiet between us in no way awkward. I can’t help myself. I raise my hand slightly and lace my fingers through his. He contracts his hand, giving me a squeeze. His smile is accepting of my physical contact, and I squeeze back.

  “Alyssa? Is that you? What are the chances of running into you here?”

  A jolt of fear sizzles through me, and I drop Brody’s hand like a hot potato. Turning around, I see Chad walking down the aisle toward me. He has a warm and open smile on his face that matches the tone of his voice.

  I don’t buy it for a second. Deep in his eyes, I see a flicker of anger toward me but he camouflages it well.

  He walks right up to me and gives me a hug, which happens so fast I’m powerless to avoid it. I just lightly pat his shoulders until he releases me. When he pulls back and looks at me, I see something ugly vibrating in his gaze again.

  Before I can say anything, he turns to Brody with a million-dollar smile on his face and sticks his hand out. “Hi. I’m Chad Gates. You’re one of Alyssa’s volunteers, right?”

  Brody may have spent time in the big house, but he’s not lacking in manners. He immediately shakes Chad’s hand, but I can see by the look on his face that he’s not buying this friendly demeanor being offered to him either.

  “Yeah… Brody Markham. Nice to meet you. ”

  Releasing Brody’s hand, Chad turns to look at me. “So, you two stocking up on supplies for The Haven?”

  “Yeah,” I answer him vaguely, because I’m just stunned that he’s here, and also by this unrealistic display of affability.

  “Well, I’ve got some other errands to run. I just saw you here and thought I’d say hello,” Chad says with a plastic smile. He turns back to Brody. “It was very nice meeting you, Brody Markham. ”

  My blood chills instantly because that last phrase toward Brody was not said with even any attempt to disguise Chad’s jealousy toward Brody. His words were coldly challenging, and I could see by Brody’s expression that he got the message loud and clear.

  “I’ll be seeing you around, Alyssa,” Chad says with a hard edge before turning around and walking away.

  When Chad turns the corner at the end of the aisle and is out of sight, Brody turns to me. “Okay, that guy is seriously unstable. You know that, right?”

  “So you got that too? That fake, ‘Oh what a surprise running into you here’ routine?”

  “He’ll never make it as an actor. He’s seriously pissed at you. ”

  “He saw us holding hands,” I murmur. “He purposely introduced himself to you to get your name. ”

  “Yeah… got that much. I had no problems giving it. He’s more than welcome to find me if he wants something. ”

  Putting my list and pen in my pocket, I say, “Let’s get out of here. ”

  “Wait,” Brody says as he puts his hand on my arm. “You have to tell me what the deal is with that guy. There’s something off about him. Is he stalking you?”

  “I think so,” I say quietly. “But let’s get going, and I’ll tell you about it in the truck. ”

  Brody pulls the cart to the front, and we check out. He makes short work of unloading the bags of dog food, cat food, treats, and nutritional supplements in the back of my truck. Taking my keys out of my hand, he says, “I’ll drive so you can talk. ”

  I don’t argue with him. I just climb in the passenger seat. As Brody pulls out, I look all around the parking lot for Chad’s BMW as I half expect him to be watching us. I don’t see him though, and as Brody heads down the highway, he says, “I don’t see anyone in the rearview mirror. ”

  Taking in a deep breath, I let it out with an aggravated sigh. “I so don’t need this crazy in my life right now. ”

  “Start from the beginning,” is all Brody says.

  And I do. I start from how I knew Chad through family connections and how we had dated, all the way through the breakup where he put his hand around my throat and choked me briefly. Brody cursed when I told him that, but otherwise didn’t interrupt me. I ended my story by Chad’s email proclaiming love for me.

  “We never spoke about love when we were dating. It was casual for me, and I certainly didn’t have those feelings. He never said he loved me before, but he was very possessive. This was the first time he said the “L” word, and it’s creeping me out. ”

  “You need to go to the police,” Brody says adamantly.

  “I talked to Wyatt about it at the beach party. He didn’t think there was enough to arrest him. ”

  “But that was before this latest email, right?”

  “Yeah. ”

  “Call him,” Brody commands me. “Now. ”

  Brody’s right. It’s escalated even further and maybe now there was something that could be done. I pull my phone out of my pocket and turn it on.

  My eyes are immediately drawn to a new text message, and my heart starts a frantic gallop when I see it’s from Chad. It was sent just a few minutes ago.

  Not cool to flaunt yourself with another guy. I can’t overlook this.

  “Shit,” I curse.

  “What?” Brody says as his head snaps over to look at me briefly.

  “A text from Chad,” I tell him, and then read it out loud.

  “Wyatt. Dial. Now. ” Brody’s hands are clenched tightly on the wheel, and I can tell by how clipped his words are that he’s pissed. The threat from Chad against Brody wasn’t very subtle, and I know Brody doesn’t need any more “crazy” in his life right now either.

  “I’m sorry,” I tell him softly, clutching my phone to my chest. “I hate that you’re dragged into this drama, and now he’s fixated on you. You don’t need that shit. ”

  Brody glances at me briefly and in that one look, I see a world of annoyance. “What the f**k, Alyssa? I don’t care about that dude coming after me. That guy has a hard-on for you; that’s why I’m angry. He’s lurking around your house and making veiled threats against you. So, yeah, that f**king pisses me off. ”

  “Oh,” is all I can think to say, a kernel of warmth flaring bright inside of me that Brody seems to care about me. This wonderfully tragic and twisted man, who fate was unbelievably cruel to, cares about me.

  “Call Wyatt,” he tells me again, and by the tone of his voice, I know I should do it.

/>   ***

  Wyatt pulls his unmarked car around the back of the main kennel where Brody and I wait for him. When I had talked to him briefly on the phone, he had told us to go to The Haven and he’d meet us there.

  While we waited, the silence between us was heavy. I know he says he’s not worried about himself, but still… this has just gotten ridiculous. I’m embarrassed that this part of my life is encroaching on the delicate bonds I’ve been developing with him. I don’t want him to see me as a liability, because I have feelings for him and I want to explore those. In fact, I think Brody may even be ready for me to explore them.

  As Wyatt gets out of his car, I watch as Brody pushes himself off the side of my truck where he was leaning. He walks over and shakes Wyatt’s hand, and they both turn toward me.

  “Show Wyatt the email and text,” Brody tells me, so I do, handing over my phone for Wyatt to read.

  “And what exactly did he do at the feed store?” Wyatt asks after he hands my iPhone back to me.

  “He didn’t exactly say anything threatening,” I say, and I realize that sounds lame. Without any context, his words to us were nothing but friendly. “He introduced himself to Brody. Uttered some pleasantries. ”

  “But he was pissed,” Brody interjects. “You could see it… and that text he sent afterward proves it. ”

  “Why would he have been pissed that you were at the feed store buying supplies?” Wyatt asks as he jots some notes down on a little pad of paper he pulled from his back pocket.

  I look at Brody, because I’m not sure exactly what to divulge. He doesn’t return my look, just answers Wyatt’s question. “Because Alyssa and I were holding hands… and we were standing close to each other while we talked. ”

  Wyatt’s eyebrows shoot straight up and a small smile comes to his face, but he makes no comment about that, for which I’m grateful.

  “So now his anger is directed at you as well,” Wyatt muses out loud.

  “I’m not worried about me,” Brody scoffs. “But I am worried about Alyssa. Tell me you have enough to arrest him. ”

  Wyatt puts the pad of paper back in his pocket and turns to me with a sympathetic look. “How does all this make you feel, Alyssa?”

  “What the f**k?” Brody explodes as he throws his hands up in the air. “She doesn’t need a shrink. She just needs you to arrest this nut job. ”

  Holding his hand out to Brody to shut him up, Wyatt looks at me with searching eyes.

  “I’m scared,” I admit. “I’m really afraid he’s going to hurt me. ”

  Brody lets out a stream of curses under his breath as he glares at Wyatt. “Are you happy she admitted that now?”

  Wyatt just grins. “Yeah. I needed to know. The law is specific that the harassing behavior has to cause fear for her safety or emotional distress. I just needed to hear it. ”

  “Asshole,” Brody mutters as he turns his back on Wyatt. “Wasn’t it obvious to you without making her say it?”

  “Brody,” I snap at him. “Enough. Wyatt’s just doing his job. ”

  “I’ll need you to come down to the station with me, Alyssa, and swear out a formal complaint. Then we’ll arrest him. Just so you know, he’ll make bail easily and will be out within a few hours, but hopefully, that will be enough to scare him into leaving you alone. ”

  I let out a sigh of relief that something could be done. “That’s great. Thank you. ”

  Brody steps up to me, his face filled with worry. He places his index finger under my chin and pushes up. “I’ll stay here… take care of everything for you and lock up. You just go straight home after, okay?”