Page 73 of You Found Me
“It’s me.” Ward showed her his phone. A red hazard sign showed on the Lock Screen, along with a message.Lucy sent an emergency alert.
Below that, a small dot flashed on a map of the downtown area where they were sitting.
Ward hit the Silence button to stop the alarm.
“You could have warned me,” she said a little too loud in the sudden stillness. Her heart pounded loud enough to use as a drum solo. “That scared the crap out of me.”
“Sorry.” He actually sounded like he meant it.
The necklace lay heavy and serious against her chest. “That sound will send any nearby dogs into fits.”
“The necklace is silent,” Ward assured her. “Nobody will know you triggered it but me and my team, so don’t worry about where you are or who will hear it.”
Ward showed her the app screen. “It’s a GPS locator accurate to within two feet, monitored twenty-four seven. The second yousend the alert, we all leap into action. Don’t look for us, don’t try to find us, and whatever you do, do not engage the enemy. Just run and hide. We’ll find you.”
“The enemy.” She touched the pendant with soft fingers and thought about what that meant. At this point, the enemy could be any man she saw. Her stalker was faceless and nameless, and he was out there. Somewhere. “Do you think he knows where we are?”
“No. Not yet anyway.” Ward put a soothing hand on her shoulder. “This is just for backup. But I want you to wear it at all times. Don’t even take it off in the shower. That way if you need it, you’ll have it.”
“Help, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up,” Della chimed in an effort to lighten the mood. Adrenaline coursed through her body, spurred on by the way his hand warmed her shoulder.
“Something like that.” Ward reached for the keys, then opened the door like he hadn’t just turned her insides into a jumbled mess of confused electrical impulses looking for a place to zap. “Let’s get this over with. Remember, keep it low-key and stay with me. Don’t go wandering off on your own.”
“I won’t.” She hopped out of the truck.
Ward picked up Mason’s birthday present looking like a man going to a tribunal, not a party.
Combined with the alarm she could still hear blaring in her ears, it made her nervous.
She couldn’t remember ever being nervous in a crowd. She adored crowds. She loved being around people. The energy was contagious.
But Ward’s constant surveillance and serious attitude put her on edge. It reminded her that there was something to be nervous about.
She grabbed his free hand and laced her fingers through his. “Please lighten up.”
He squeezed her hand reflexively. “Thisislight.”
“Really? Because this face?” She drew a circle in the air around his face. “It’s going on a death march. If you don’t smile at me every now and then, people will think we’re fighting. Next thing you know, it’ll be all over social media. People love posting drama. They rarely post about happy people. Trust me.”
“Well, I guess you’d know all about that.” Ward flashed her something that didn’t come close to a happy expression.
She felt the sting of his remark, but refused to rise to the bait. She kept a bounce in her step as they made their way across the parking lot. “That’s not a smile. That’s a grimace. Try again.”
He bared his teeth at her. “Better?”
“No.” A snort of laughter escaped.
“And I was trying so hard, too.” He dropped the fake smile into something that was a little less angry, a little more neutral.
“Better,” she told him with an approving nod. At least he no longer looked like he was about to shoot someone.
She forced her shoulders to relax. Today, there was no stalker.
Today, she was Lucy, Donovan Ward’s girlfriend.
Lucy didn’t have a stalker. She was just a normal girl, on her way to a party where she was going to meet her potential in-laws.
How was she supposed to feel about that? Nervous? Intimidated? Delighted?