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“Bridgett?” Parker asked, devoid of emotion. “Let reception know we’re not accepting any unexpected deliveries until I tell them otherwise.”
She glanced longingly at the flowers, limp in the trash can.
“Don’t test me,” Parker said, totally serious.
Bridgett looked to the ceiling as though appealing to a higher power before she sauntered away.
William ushered Lucy into the conference room where the television had been set up to play the video from the cabin. Parker adjusted some cables while William poured her a glass of water. The mundane tasks contrasted sharply with the fact that a man somewhere out there was making plans to kidnap her, or likely worse. And he wasn’t searching somewhere in California. He was close. The door to the room cracked open.
Her heart stumbled over itself, only righting when one of the receptionists ushered the Chief of Police into the room.
“Hey, Jeff,” Lucy said.
Jeff cleared his throat. “I hear we have a development. Are you doing okay?”
“Not particularly.” She tried to smile, but failed.
Jeff asked questions while Parker re-wound, paused, and played the images. William settled behind her chair, his hands resting on her shoulders. Her senses were on high alert, amplified by his touch, each image on the screen, and every sound in the room. She couldn’t understand how she could be so numb and so wired at the same time.
“I’ll get an officer on those flowers. Find out where he bought them. Any idea how he followed you?” Jeff asked her.
“I don’t know.”
Jeff shuffled some of the papers in the file folder on the desk. “This guy, whatever his reasons, has made it clear he’s willing to do anything to get to you. I would prefer if you’d take extra precautions until he’s apprehended. I’ll arrange for additional patrols of our neighborhood and around the station. That’s what I can do as a cop. As your friend, I’d like you to check in with me a few times a day. Let me know you’re okay.”
“I’ll make sure she’s not left alone,” William said with authority.
Parker sat on the edge of the conference table. “William can bring her to and from work. She’ll be safe as long as she stays in the building. We’ll change the security code for KDVX, add extra security, and I’ll make sure the other staff understand what’s going on.”
“I’ll pay for a private security guard at each entrance. I want all staff escorted to and from their vehicles. Especially at night,” William chimed in.
“Don’t you guys think—” Lucy started to say.
“What about when she’s at home?” Parker asked.
Still here, guys. Lucy opened her mouth to speak, but they kept talking over her.
“With increased patrols and the Chief of Police living right nearby, she should be safe,” Jeff replied.
They weren’t listening, not at all. “I really think?—”
“She’s moving in with me.” William used his CEO tone, and the others nodded in agreement.
Okay, no. Whoa. “I am no?—”
“That’d be for the best,” Parker spoke over her.
“You think you can talk to Dixie? Have her lay off her co-habitation rules for a while?” William asked Jeff, without even a glance toward her.
“Will, seriously?—”
“Hang on, we’re sorting this out.” He squeezed her shoulder again.
She turned to give him her best attempt at an icy stare. “I am not moving in with you.”
“Okay, I’ll move in with you. That’s better anyway. Your walls aren’t pink. Jeff, you okay playing interference with your mom?”
No. It wasn’t better. Not at all.
