“I’d be better if you told me you’ve caught whoever left the threatening message for me at the beach cottage,” Gabrielle said, encouraging Brad to sit back down. She sat in the chair next to his. Sebastian remained standing, stationed behind her. His hand rested against her neck. His thumb caressed circles in her tense muscles.
Brad pulled out a folder and opened it in front of Gabrielle. “Do you recognize this man?”
She pulled the picture closer and stared at him. He had pale brown skin and a gaunt, thin face littered with acne. Dull brown eyes that were too close together stared into the camera. It was a mugshot, but the name had been cut off.
“No, I don’t know who this is. I’ve never seen him before.” Gabrielle pushed the photo back toward Brad.
Brad slid the picture to the side and placed three more photos in front of her. “Do you recognize these things?”
Gabrielle nodded, running a finger on the outline of one of the photos. “This is the flask that my brother Ike sent for my birthday a few years ago. It’s engraved with my name on the back. You can’t see that in this picture, though. It was a joke because we would drink coffee out of it, not liquor.” She stared at the next photo. “These are the sketches for my new line of Emerge Anew journals. A top artist out of Portugal created them for me.” She turned to the last picture. “And those are the pearl hair clips my mom gave me when I turned thirteen.” Frowning, she looked up at Brad. “Why do you have pictures of these?”
“They are evidence in your case. Officers found them along the trail that leads from the beach cottage to the private boat dock. They were scattered in the brush and the shrubs,” Brad explained. “We believe you have a new stalker. This man,” Brad pointed to the picture, “is our prime suspect and believed to have been the one who left the bloody message. We positively identified his fingerprints on the items. Based on footprints, broken shrubs, and branches on the trail, we believe he stole these items to have mementos of you and was hiding out waiting for you to return home. When Mr. Luttrell was with you as you returned, he likely got spooked and took off.”
“Sebastian being with me stopped him from attacking me?” Gabrielle asked.
“We believe so, although we can’t be sure what he would’ve done if you’d been in the cottage alone,” Brad confirmed. “The man’s name is Tony Brooks.”
Gabrielle stifled a gasp and listened in silence as Brad gave a rundown on all the things Sebastian had already learned from Bobby. The cops had come to the same conclusions. Tony Brooks had been a first-time stalker when he was sent to Tiverton. But two years under the tutelage of Damian had brought Tony out of prison with a thirst for more dangerous attacks on the objects of his obsession.
And his current obsession was her.
“This cannot be happening.” Gabrielle gripped the edge of her seat. This time her fear wasn’t only for her safety. She was worried about Sebastian’s promise to end Tony Brooks and what consequences he would suffer if he followed through on his word.
“I don’t want you to worry,” Brad said, grabbing her hand. “We have several leads on Tony Brooks’s location. We will find that bastard before he makes another move. We will stop him.” Brad’s phone beeped. He glanced down at the device for several seconds, then stood up. “I have to go. I will keep you posted as we get more information.”
Brad turned a critical eye to Sebastian. “I’m counting on you to keep Gabrielle safe until we find Brooks. Don’t let her down.”
Chapter28
The smell of fresh grilled seafood filled the air as yellow-orange flames curled above the grill and tendrils of smoke climbed to the sky. The sun went down minutes ago. Torches around the perimeter bathed the deck in a soft glow against the oncoming dark of night.
Sebastian stood near the grill with his back to Gabrielle. He wore a pair of khaki shorts that sat low on his hips. Nothing more. His back muscles flexed as he shifted octopus strips and conch over the grates.
Gabrielle couldn’t ignore the heat and insatiable ache forming between her thighs. No man had ever made her feel the way Sebastian could. The sex was off the charts, for sure. But the infinite pull toward him wasn’t driven by lust. A connection existed between them that couldn’t be denied. He was the one she could lean on when she was tired of being strong. Tired of fighting battles. He carried the burden with her. For her.
Now that she had him in her life, she couldn’t imagine what it would be like without him. She’d give anything never to know those days again. Walking to the bistro table, Gabrielle arranged the place settings.
“Damn,” Sebastian called from behind her.
She turned around and faced him. “What’s wrong?”
“Wrong?” He raised an eyebrow as his eyes raked over her. “Everything is right. You look gorgeous.”
“In this old thing?” Gabrielle teased, then twirled from one side to the other. Sebastian followed her every move like a man in a trance. It was more than she’d hoped for.
A huge smile spread across his face as he tore his eyes away from her. “You keep that up, and we won’t make it to dinner.”
“Trust me, we’ll need food to have enough energy for what I have planned later tonight,” Gabrielle teased.
“Is that right?” Sebastian licked his lips slowly.
Gabrielle nodded as warmth blazed across her skin.
“Well, the food is ready.” Sebastian placed the platter on the center of the table next to the salad bowl. She sat as he arranged salad onto their plates, then topped the mound of vegetables with octopus and conch. He poured the soft drinks into their glasses and sat down next to her.
“Did you want wine instead of soda?” Sebastian asked. “I could have some brought up from the main house.”
“I don’t drink alcohol,” Gabrielle laughed. “But that has more to do with the King’s coffee empire battling with the Bishop’s liquor empire in the Palmchat Islands than anything related to my father being a minister. But don’t let me stop you. I don’t mind if you drink.”
