Page 46 of Stormswept Colorado (Hart County #3)

THIRTY-NINE

Teller

The moment we got inside, I hugged her to me.

“You’re not mad I came out there, are you?” she asked.

“I don’t like that you put yourself at risk, but I’m not surprised.” I kissed her temple. “I love that you’re you. Are you mad at me for being protective?”

She smoothed down my shirt. “I love that you’re you.”

I smiled fondly. “Watching you trash that flower arrangement was something to see. Good thing I took a picture of it beforehand.”

Ayla made a sheepish face. “I was pissed off. I’m so tired of this nonsense. And now that awful picture of you with your eyes marked out? What the hell? Seems like he’s threatening you.”

“Let him. It’s not going to change anything. Nothing is going to keep us apart.”

“But how does he even know about you? What if it’s leaked to the media that we’re dating?”

“Then we can handle that too.” I pulled her over to the living room couch, where we’d been napping peacefully less than an hour ago. “Let’s take a look and find out.”

Using my phone, I googled Ayla’s name. There were the pictures from the event she attended with Paul a couple of nights ago. But nothing in the news since. Nothing at all about me.

I set my phone down, thinking it through. “The photo of me was taken from my department’s public website. How he knows we’re dating, I have no clue.” It was concerning. Hardly anyone knew about us, except our closest friends and family and a few people who worked for Ayla.

And a lot of folks in Silver Ridge. At least, they suspected.

“His last email said he’s watching me.” She shivered, and I tucked her closer.

“But if that’s true, why wouldn’t he send a photo that’s not publicly available? Every pic this guy has used was online already, including that paparazzi shot from outside the recording studio.”

“Not the very first one. The first flower arrangement I received in Toronto. My sister took that photo of me, and it’s never appeared online.”

Dammit. That was right. “So, he somehow got access to a private photo of you as a teenager. He used it like an opening gambit. Trying to get your attention. Which worked.”

“But then, why the large gap in between sending the flowers to my Toronto concert venue, and then the flowers and email when I was in Silver Ridge? It was almost six months in between.”

“We’re probably not talking about a sane individual.”

And I couldn’t forget what Ayla had shared with me earlier today about Sergeant Carpenter. The red daisies.

If I’d had access to my office computer, I would look up Carpenter using my law-enforcement databases. But I couldn’t do that with just my work phone. I could ask Susan to do it for me. But that would mean sharing personal things about Ayla. I didn’t want to do that unless we had no other options.

“Can we talk to River?” Ayla asked. “See if he’s made any progress on tracing Biggest Fan’s latest email?”

“Good idea. I’ve been meaning to check in with him. Should inform him about the latest flower delivery.”

Me

Ayla received another flower arrangement from the stalker.

He wrote back almost immediately.

River

Sorry to hear that. I know it’s not pleasant for her. But I’ve got an update myself and was about to text the both of you. Want to call Ayla and conference me in?

Actually, I’m with her in LA right now.

Nice. You two are official?

As far as I’m concerned, yes.

Put a ring on that finger. Don’t let her get away. That’s what I did with mine, and it’s working out great.

I snorted.

“What?” Ayla asked.

“Nothing. River’s being his usual self.” I video-called him. After the usual friendly greetings, Ayla held up the new photo we’d received.

River whistled. “Somebody doesn’t like you, Landry. Luckily, I have a pretty good idea of who.”

Ayla sat forward, getting closer to my phone screen. “You traced the email?”

River had his glasses on, his hair messy and clothes rumpled like he’d been at his computer all night and all day.

“I was triple-checking my work. Had to be sure. You recall the previous email that you received from Biggest Fan in Silver Ridge? I was able to narrow down the origin to the west side of Los Angeles, but couldn’t get a closer pin than that. ”

“I remember,” Ayla said .

River’s mouth quirked at the corner, a devious half-smile. “Biggest Fan messed up this time. Used his personal phone to send the email. It was sent from the same restaurant you were at for the event. The phone is registered to a Paul Ruxton.”

Ayla flinched like a bolt of electricity had just gone through her. “You are fucking. Kidding. Me .”

River twisted back and forth on his swivel chair. “Afraid not. I did some quick background on him. He works for the label that owns your recording rights?”

I was struggling to stay calm. But darkness feathered at the edges of my vision.

Paul Ruxton. That piece of shit. I should’ve done more than give him a split lip.

I hadn’t lied before about wanting to destroy anyone who’d hurt her.

Ayla nodded. “He’s been working with me on my new album. But why would he do this? It’s…beyond bizarre. It’s pathological.”

“Because he wants you,” I bit out. “It’s obvious he’s wanted you for months. He set up this stalker fiction in the hopes you would go running to him for help and he could play your hero.”

“Do you think Paul seemed especially desperate at the event the other night?” River asked. “Enough that he’d ignore all caution and email you directly from his personal phone?”

Ayla’s hand flew to her mouth. “I told him I have a boyfriend. He seemed angry.”

I reached out for her hand, though honestly I was trying to soothe my own fury. Remind myself that I couldn’t just storm the streets of LA to hunt Ruxton down.

“I ditched him once we arrived at the restaurant, and that’s when the email came in.

Then he got in my face right after. Said he knew about the stalker and wanted to help.

Tried to kiss me. I thought Cheryl must’ve told him about the flowers, but he didn’t need that.

Because the asshole sent them himself. He invented the whole thing. This is sick.”

I thought back to Silver Ridge. How the email from Biggest Fan had arrived at the start of the wedding weekend, then the flowers, then Ruxton himself the next day. The bastard must’ve expected to find her terrified about her stalker. Instead, I was there.

No wonder he’d gotten increasingly desperate.

And shit, the flowers today with the defaced photo of me. Yeah, the man was no fan of mine. Explained how the stalker knew about us dating, though.

Ayla let go of my hand. “I need to call Cheryl. Right away. She needs to know.”

“Do you want me to be there?” I asked.

“No, I can handle it.” She picked up her phone and walked to the hall. I assumed she was heading toward her office.

River was still on the line, swiveling in his chair as he waited for what I’d say next.

“Thank you. This would’ve been much harder to figure out without your help.”

“No problem.”

I glanced toward Ayla’s office, then back to River on my phone screen. “There’s a loose end, though. Something maybe you can look into, since I’m away from my office computer and my database access.”

River’s fingers poised over his keyboard. “Hit me.”

“I need you to find a Sergeant Roy Carpenter. He was stationed in Upstate New York about a decade ago, when Ayla’s family lived there. He could be a different rank now, or might have left the military. I want to know where he is and what he’s been doing.”

“You think he’s got some connection to Paul Ruxton and this stalker business?”

“It’s possible. Hard to imagine their paths have ever crossed. But Paul got that photo of Ayla as a teenager from somewhere. There are other reasons to think Carpenter has a tie to this stalker situation too. Won’t know until we have more information.”

“Then I’m happy to do what I can. That’s what I’m here for. ”

“Let me know if I can return the favor for you or any of your friends at Last Refuge.”

“I’m sure we’ll think of something.”

I found Ayla sitting in her office and staring into the distance, deep in thought. She looked up as I came in, not quite smiling at me.

“How are you doing with all this?” I held out my hand and helped pull her up, drawing her close.

“I’m angry. Aside from that, it’s still too fresh. Cheryl doesn’t want to believe Paul really did this, but she’s coming around. She’s heading over here right now. She wanted to call my publicist too, but I can’t deal with all of that right now.”

I smoothed my hands down her shoulders. “I’m glad you’re speaking up for yourself.”

“I’m trying to. I thought I’d made so much progress toward being independent. I can’t believe how easy it was for Paul to manipulate me.”

“Not your fault.” It was a good thing Paul wasn’t smart enough to go too far with his mind games. In the end, he’d been so obvious and arrogant that he gave the whole thing away.

Ayla played with the hem of my T-shirt. “But if he tries to do anything to you,” she said, “I’m going to grind him into the ground.”

“Unless I get to him first.” I smirked. “I’m not worried about him, though. Defacing my photo and sending it, when he knew I was here with you, was his petty attempt at revenge for us both embarrassing him. When he’s not hiding behind anonymity, he’s a coward. Not a real threat.”

She nodded. I trailed my fingers down her side and squeezed her hip .

“You look great in my hoodie, by the way,” I said. “But if you want to get changed before Cheryl arrives, I don’t blame you.”

“Yeah, that does sound good. I could use a few minutes to collect myself.”

“Then you go ahead. I’ll tidy up in the main room and answer the door when she gets here. She can be patient until you’re ready.”

Also, that would give me the chance to have a little chat with Ayla’s manager.

Bryan called the landline to announce Cheryl’s presence about half an hour later. I answered the door to let her in. She was dressed in a fancy suit like yesterday and draped in jewelry. Meanwhile, I hadn’t changed out of my tee and sweats.