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“Birdie Wilder,” the man says, his voice higher than I expected for such a big presence.
Realizing I’m still on the floor, I quickly stand up, slowly backing myself down the walkway of the bus. If I turn and run, I can make my way out of the emergency exit in the back. Call it a moment of insanity, but I don’t run.
“Who are you?” My voice comes out shaky.
“That’s not important.”
I don’t know how to respond to that, so I don’t. After a few moments, he smiles through his mask and my stomach churns.What if thisisthe moment I die?Liam…
“I wanted to see how close I could get to you. It’s easier than I thought,” he mutters. This time he takes a step forward, which makes me take two steps back.
“Who are you?” I ask again, attempting to stall in hopes that Liam or Joe will walk on the bus any second. “What do you want from me?”
“You’ll find out soon enough,” he winks. “See you soon…Little Bird.” Then, he just walks off the bus, cool as a cucumber.
I continue to stare after him for I don’t know how long, my body completely frozen. I’m not even sure if what just happened is real. Eventually my body starts to shake and the world around me becomes hazy. I sink to the ground and put my hands in my hair. I feel like I want to cry, or scream, but nothing comes out. I should get help, call someone. 911?
Footsteps approach again and it feels as if time stops. But it’s not the man in a mask, it’s Liam. He’s gently smiling as he approaches, until he sees me cowering. Then his entire demeanor changes.
“Birdie! What the hell happened?” he demands. He crosses the bus to me in a few long strides, then gets down on the ground. His warm hands grasp me by the shoulders. When his concerned brown eyes lock onto mine, I try to say something, but nothing comes out. Instead, I throw my arms around his neck and fall apart.
What the hell just happened?
eighteen
Liam
Angryisnottheright word for what I’m feeling right now.
Furious? Livid? Nothing is right.
I held Birdie in my arms as she cried for over ten minutes trying to get her to tell me what the fuck happened. When I came on the bus and saw her, she looked like she’d just seen a ghost. I’d never, not when we were kids, and sure as hell not in the last few weeks, seen Birdie Wilder look so weak and afraid.
When her tears finally subsided and she told me what happened, I jumped into action. The police were called, Birdie gave them her statement and then I secured her in her hotel room. It was time to get to work.
Joe is pulling the security footage from the bus, and my leg is bouncing from my own impatience. I want to see how the hell this creep got near Birdie in the first place. I should never have left her. If something happened… I clear my throat. I have to reassure myself or I’ll spiral, which I can’t do right now.
“Looks like he was hiding in the trees here watching, then waited until I went under the bus to get some of the suitcases to make his entrance,” Joe says gruffly. I can tell he’s sorry for what happened, but it’s not his fault. He’s not here to protect Birdie, I am.
I rub my jaw, “He had a lot of balls to do what he did. It’s not your fault, Joe. I’m going to get more security hired for our transfers so this doesn’t happen again. I should never have left her on the bus.”
“The hotel security radioed that we were secure to bring her in. This is the way we’ve done it the last few stops. There’s no reason to blame yourself either, Liam.”
My stomach sinks. “Shit.”
“What is it?”
“What you just said. The stalker… we haven’t heard from him in three weeks because he’s been observing. He knew Birdie would be alone on the bus. Fuck!” I throw the walkie I’ve been holding on the ground.
Joe puts one of his big paws on my shoulder, giving it a rough slap. “Don’t be so hard on yourself, man. You’ve been doing your job. This sicko has upped his game. You’re simply learning it now. None of us will let this happen again. We’re a team here, and we all care about Birdie.”
I give him a sharp nod. Though Joe’s words are meant to soothe me, they don’t. I failed. “Can you give a copy of this to the police? I’m going to head up to Birdie’s suite.”
“Will do. Take care of her.”
My throat becomes thick with a foreign emotion. “I will.”
When I approach Birdie’s suite, hotel security is outside. I have them move to the end of the hall to keep watch, then knock on the door.
