Page 45 of Colton On Guard
When it came time to check out, she tried to make small talk with the cashier, acting as though her heart wasn’t racing. Once she’d paid for her items, she left the cart in the front of the store and loaded JB up in the tote bag. Taking a deep breath, she paused just outside the entrance and once again searched for any sign of the black SUV. She hated being so jumpy and on edge. And angry, she realized as she loaded the bags and her dog into her car. It was not only frightening, but infuriating to be made to feel like a target. There had to be a safe way to put an end to this.
Right now though, she just needed to avoid the stalker. No way did she intend to confront him alone.
She took another quick scan of the parking lot before getting into the driver’s seat. Once inside, after immediately locking the doors and starting the ignition, she tried to figure out where to go next.
Her first thought—RTA headquarters—she immediately discarded. It looked bad enough that she’d already put in an appearance there on her day off. Yet she couldn’t go to her house and she didn’t want to take a chance on driving to Parker’s while he wasn’t there in case someone followed.
As she drove slowly down Main Street, her anger subsided and she realized she wanted to cry. Since she didn’t consider herself a weepy kind of person, this only increased her irritation. Swiping at her eyes, she tried to blink the tears away while she decided where to go and what to do.
CHAPTER 10
As usual, Parker thoroughly enjoyed taking his eager group on the hike. Not only did he love the physical exertion, but it was fun watching the tourists’ reactions to the beautiful foliage and the occasional wildlife sightings.
But he couldn’t stop worrying about Genna. With two house break-ins and now a vehicle following her, the threat seemed urgent. Even if she had no idea who might be doing this or why, with a serial killer terrorizing young women, she couldn’t afford to take risks with her safety.
The thought of something happening to her made his blood run cold. And Hetty, ever perceptive, had asked him how long he’d been in love with Genna.
He’d managed to blow the question off, acting incredulous that she’d even suggest such a thing. In reality, he knew he’d been fooling no one. If Hetty thought she knew, it wouldn’t be long until everyone at RTA would be talking.
For himself, he knew he could live with gossip. With a business like theirs, run by family and employees who’d been there so long they were like family, it seemed there was always some rumor going around.
Parker and Spence tried to ignore them. Lakin had always delighted in them, claiming she found the talk hilarious.
But Parker didn’t know how Genna would handle the rumors. She’d just started working for RTA and while she’d made everyone’s acquaintance, she’d likely still feel like an outsider.With everything else she had going on, he wanted work to be a safe haven.
Returning after the hike to headquarters, he let Spence handle the checkout. He went back to the break room to grab a bottled water.
He wondered how Genna’s afternoon in town had gone. Hopefully, there’d been no more incidents with someone following her. Pulling out his phone, he saw no missed calls or texts, so he had to assume everything had been okay.
Once the last guest had trundled off, Parker made his way out front. “I’m going to head home,” he said. “You all set here?”
“Sure.” Spence grinned. “Is Genna waiting for you to get home?”
Parker should have been surprised that Hetty had already spread the news, but he wasn’t. Spence and Hetty were super close. “It’s not like that, and you know it,” he said, shaking his head at his cousin. “She’s staying in the guest bedroom after someone has tried to break into her house twice.”
At his words, Spence’s teasing expression vanished. “And now she’s had someone following her.” He clapped Parker on the back. “Sorry, man. I just wanted to give you a hard time. You know I’m all in to do whatever you need to help catch this guy.”
“I appreciate that.” Barely able to contain his need to rush home, Parker said his goodbye. He called Revis and, after his dog jumped up into the back seat, got in his truck and headed home.
As he pulled up in front of his driveway, disappointment mixed with worry as he realized Genna wasn’t there. With the truck still running, he got out his phone and called her. She answered on the second ring.
“Are you home yet?” she asked, her voice shaky. “I’ve been driving around with JB, and didn’t want to go to your place unless you were there.”
“I’m sitting in my driveway,” he said. “Did something else happen?”
“Yes and no.” She sighed. “Would you mind watching for me? I’m about five minutes away. I’ll only stop once I’m absolutely sure that I’m not being followed.”
“Revis and I will wait right here,” he promised. “Please stay on the line until I can see you.”
“I will. Right now, no one is following me. I’ve been on the lookout for a black SUV. I haven’t seen it since lunchtime.”
The fact that she had seen it again wasn’t lost on him. Though he wanted to press her for details, he knew it could wait until she was safe and sound with him and ready to talk.
“How was your tour?” she asked, her voice still shaky. Understanding her need to discuss something ordinary, he told her about the group. They’d been repeat visitors, two families who lived next door to each other somewhere in California.
“I’m almost at your place,” she said once he’d finished. “Thank you for talking.” She paused for a moment. “I really just needed to hear the sound of your voice.”
Stunned, he told himself what she really meant was the sound a friendly voice. Anyone would do.