Page 20 of Deadline for Love

Disappointed by the words you scribed,

Did my art fail to imbibe?

Beauty, they say, lies in the eye,

Yet I’ll prove my love; and you won't deny.

Green eyes shimmer beneath the dying sky,

Skin pale, lifeless, to the beholder’s sigh.

As she points at you, my affection’s nigh,

Proving my love for you, oh so high.

Had I angered him? Did he already have his next victim? Why was I selected for these letters? And why were people being killed because of it? Oh God…

Tearfully, I called the police and described the situation; they assured me that they would come and asked me not to touch anything, which I unfortunately had already done.

A few minutes passed, which felt like an eternity until someone arrived.

“Bella!”

My legs became weak as Nathan’s voice called out to me. He parked his car behind mine and got out while calling my name.

I looked at him and realized he was still wearing the same clothes as earlier; it seemed he had just gotten off work, too.

As he approached, he analyzed me, his eyes shimmering as our gazes met.

“Are you all right? Did something happen to you?”

My tension eased, and I would have collapsed if Nathan hadn’t held me with his strong arms.

“Careful,” he whispered and pulled me close as I began to tell him everything that involved this unknown sender without taking a breath.

He listened quietly and hugged me closer, almost as if he wanted to give me a sense of protection. His gaze, however, was blank and mysterious.

As I was talking, the police arrived.

Mr. Morgan too.

I instantly felt a rush of adrenaline. I squeezed away from Nathan and ran to meet Mr. Morgan halfway. Two more officers were behind him, but my gaze remained solely on him.

“You see! I’m not making anything up! Do you want to tell me again that the sender has nothing to do with it? There is hair on my car that looks like the hair from the women! I think he’s holding another girl! He’s already got the next victim!” I ranted without missing a beat.

Mr. Morgan raised his hands and bobbed them up and down. “Stay calm, Miss Carter. Take a deep breath.”

“How am I supposed to stay calm with a killer on the loose sending me weird letters?” I almost shouted, but then I felt two hands on my shoulder gripping me. Nathan was holding me close and trying to keep me in check, which he somehow managed to do. It was almost like magic because I shut my mouth.

“Thank you. Could you take your girlfriend to the side while I take a look at the car?” He continued emotionlessly, and I could already feel my heart rate rising—I was almost freaking out again—but Nathan interrupted me.

“Yeah, I've got her.” Then he pulled me along to the streetlight to stand a few yards away from my car and hugged me.

“Relax, Bella. Everything will be fine. I’m here and I'm not going anywhere,” he repeated a few times until I calmed down.

I breathed in his beautiful scent and snuggled against his chest. His heart beat in a calm and loud rhythm, which helped me compose myself.

“You’re okay,” he praised as he realized I had regained my senses.