Page 2 of Stalking His Forever

Amalie Vasti needs help, and I’m the man for the job.

“You need to get that wrist looked at. It’s swollen. Could be badly sprained, possibly broken. We don’t have a hospital here in Shelby, but the medical clinic is only ten minutes from here, and they have X-ray facilities. I’ll take you, get you checked out, then get you settled at Safe Haven Motel.”

Amalie’s eyes widen. “Medical clinic? Motel? I don’t need?—”

“I can’t allow you to drive in that condition,” I cut across her. “God only knows how you haven’t caused an accident before now.”

She drops her eyes, and her next words are barely audible. “I’m not far enough away yet.”

“I don’t know who you’re running from, but you’re safe here. Besides, you won’t get much further on no sleep and an injured wrist. I’ve seen the repercussions of drivers under the influence or too tired to concentrate.”

Amalie’s eyes fly to mine, and I’m relieved to see a spark of fight in them. “I haven’t been drinking?—”

I hold up a hand to stall her protest. “You don’t have to drink to be a risk to yourself and others. Driving while exhausted also gets people killed.”

Amalie blanches at my bluntness. My hands clench at my sides so I don't reach out to comfort her. But there’s no denying the harsh reality of my words.

Amalie's shoulders slump as she nods in resignation, her expression a picture of defeat. "Okay," she concedes softly, her voice barely audible. A flicker of concern crosses her delicate features, "But what about my car?"

“My friend lives here,” I say, pointing to the house where I pulled her over. “I’ll have him take your car to the motel, and I’ll drop you there once we’re done at the clinic.”

"Why are you going to all this trouble?" A frown creases her smooth forehead, her blue eyes searching mine for answers. "Isn't this above and beyond, even for a cop?"

Trust obviously doesn’t come easy to her despite my uniform. I’m not about to tell her that she’s captivated me in a way no other woman ever has. That leaving her on the side of the road goes against every protective instinct. Instead, I say, “Shelby is a small town. We pride ourselves on looking out for each other and helping those in need.”

“Well… thank you. For not giving me a ticket and for going out of your way. I don’t want to be any trouble.”

Trouble? Fuck, yeah. Something tells me Amalie Vasti is going to be a whole lot of trouble.

Chapter Two

Lucas

Jace opens the door at my knock. His blond eyebrows rise and he smirks when he sees me on his doorstep. “Well, hello, Officer Dibble. What brings you to my door?”

As usual, I ignore his reference to the classic kids' show “Top Cat.” Jace thinks his little nickname is fucking hilarious and never wastes an opportunity to use it.

“Need your help,” I reply, getting straight to the point. “Pulled a driver outside your place. She was driving erratically.”

“Drunk?” Jace asks, his tolerance for drunk drivers as thin as mine.

“Not drunk. Exhausted. And injured. I’m taking her to the clinic to get her checked out and need you to drive her car to the motel.”

Jace’s eyes narrow. “Injured, how?”

I sigh, rubbing a hand over my face. “Not sure yet. But she’s running from someone. Her wrist is swollen, and she has a fading bruise on her jaw.”

“So some fucker put his hands on her. Boyfriend? Husband?”

“I did a quick check. She’s not married, but that doesn’t discount a boyfriend.”

“Want me to run a check?” After leaving the Army, Jace was recruited by an intelligence agency. With his security clearance, he can gather information that even the police can’t access.

I pause, knowing I’ll be overstepping if I allow him to do this. But fuck it. Amalie has entered my life for a reason. Trusting my instincts made me a good soldier and paved my way into the police force. I do my job and don’t get personally involved… until now. Because, damn, if the vulnerable beauty currently sitting in my cruiser doesn’t make me want things that have never been on my radar before.

I nod. “Yeah, I'd appreciate that.”

“Why her?” Jace crosses his arms over his chest and leans against the doorframe.

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