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Consider this a warning. My patience wears thin and my generosity has its limits. Do not mistake my love for weakness. Get rid of your assistant or I’ll put him in a grave.
Your Devoted Admirer
Her knees trembled. She didn’t want the note to affect her, but it did. It sent icy rivers of fear threading through her until she was drowning in worry. Olivia sank down onto the couch cushion and covered her face with her hands. “He’s not going to stop.”
Cole’s warm hand ran down her back in a reassuring gesture as he joined her on the couch. His presence was strong and grounding. A moment later, the front door clicked close. Olivia dropped her hands to find Jackson was gone. He’d slipped out to give them some privacy.
“It’s going to be okay, Olivia. This note was sent to scare you.”
“Well it’s working.” She blinked back tears, angry with herself for letting fear get the better of her, but this went beyond her. “By the grace of God, no one was hurt today when the chandelier fell, but what about next time? I can’t put innocent people at risk. I’ll have to withdraw from the wedding tomorrow. Avery Gonzales will be furious—for good reason—but I can’t see any way around it.”
“Actually, I’ve already thought of a game plan. Jackson and Felicity will stay with you while Eli and I go to state prison to interview Justin. Then all four of us will be at the wedding. I doubt the perpetrator will make a move at such a public event, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. We’ll make sure no one gets hurt.”
Olivia wanted to believe him, but doubt held her back. “I’m scared, Cole. What if Justin doesn’t tell you who he hired? Or worse, what if he has nothing to do with this?” She gestured to the letter, still on display on Cole’s cell phone. “What if the stalker is real, and he intended to make good on his word by killing you?”
“I’m not that easy to kill, if you haven’t noticed.”
She scowled through her tears. “Now is no time to make jokes.”
Cole chuckled and then gently swiped at the water on her cheeks. The smile melted from his face as tenderness took its place. “Nana used to tell me that when things are at their darkest, that’s when you need God the most.” He cupped her face. “I know you’re scared, but we’re doing everything we can. Once that’s done, then there’s only one thing left.”
“Prayer.” She sighed, touched by his suggestion and the compassionate way he’d handled her fears. Cole had proven he was someone she could lean on over and over again. “Your Nana is very wise.”
His lips lifted in a smile that made his eyes sparkle. “You got that right.” Cole released her but didn’t back away. Instead, her took his hands. “Pray with me, Olivia.”
“I’d love to.”
TWENTY
The state penitentiary was ice cold. Cole followed Eli into a sterile interview room with cement walls and floor. It stank of urine and sweat. A metal table was bolted to the floor, along with four chairs. The entire space was harsh and unforgiving, devoid of sunlight, illuminated only by the unyielding fluorescent strip of lights embedded in the ceiling. If there was a more depressing place, Cole couldn’t imagine it. When the guard shut the door behind them, an irrational sense of claustrophobia swept over him.
“I hate this place,” Eli muttered, his mouth set in a grim line. Today he’d worn a dark sports coat with slacks and a button-up shirt. His badge was pinned to the front pocket. The bags under his eyes were deep enough to pack a week’s worth of clothes. If Eli kept going at this rate, he was going to look like a mummy at his own wedding next weekend.
Cole wouldn’t look much better. Sleep had been elusive last night. When he wasn’t patrolling the Leighton’s property, he was lying awake in bed thinking about Olivia. The threats against her were increasing, and Cole felt the incidents were only a hint of what was to come. To make matters worse, his feelings for Olivia were growing beyond what he was capable of hiding. Praying together last night had been intimate. Their hands clasped, heads bowed… he hadn’t felt that close to someone in a very long time. And somehow, his deepening friendship with Olivia had also brought him closer to God. He turned to prayer more often, just as his grandmother had urged him to do.
Olivia was quickly becoming a refuge. Someone he could be himself around, share his secrets with, and take care of. He wanted to tell her more about his parents, including his part in the car wreck that’d taken their lives. Cole didn’t understand why, but he needed Olivia to understand his resistance to pursuing a relationship had nothing to do with her. It was him.
“You gonna be okay?” Eli’s question jolted Cole from his train of thoughts. His friend studied him with consideration. “I don’t want you in here if you can’t control your temper with Justin.”
Cole felt his hackles rise. Eli’s comment struck at the core of his fears, that his temper would one day take control of him again. “Since when have I ever lost it?”
“Never, but this case is different. Trust me, I’ve been there. Sometimes the need to protect the woman you care about overrides common sense.”
He opened his mouth to argue but snapped it closed. There was no sense in denying his feelings for Olivia. Eli knew him too well, and more importantly, there was no judgment or recrimination in his tone. Eli had nearly lost his job and his reputation defending Sienna from a murder charge. Cole blew out a breath. “I’ve got it under control. You don’t have to worry.”
The door on the other side of the room opened. Justin, escorted by a prison guard, entered. He’d changed dramatically since the arrest photo. Acne marred his face and muscles in his arms strained the fabric of the standard orange prison garb. His bald head was oily in the harsh fluorescent lighting. Steroids? Cole knew illegal substances—like drugs and cell phones—were smuggled into the prison frequently. A search of Justin’s cell hadn’t yielded any contraband, but that didn’t mean much. He could’ve hidden it somewhere on the cell block.
Chains jingled as the guard attached Justin’s handcuffs to the table. The man didn’t seem to mind. He leaned back in the metal chair and smirked. His gaze was flat and cold.
Cole didn’t look away. He kept his own face expressionless. With a man like Justin, there was no room for emotion. He’d smell it like a shark smells blood, and then use it to manipulate.
After the guard left, Eli slid into the seat opposite Justin. He introduced himself and Cole. Then he read Justin his rights as required by law.
Justin waved away the warnings. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever.” He pulled out an e-cigarette from his shirt pocket and took a drag. “What’s this about?”
“Olivia Leighton.”
His bored expression didn’t change, but there was a flicker of hatred that shifted his flat gaze into one of a cold-blooded individual. Justin took another drag on his e-cigarette. “What about her?”
