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“Stop saying that!”
“I understand. It’s a dreadful dilemma.”
His eyes flashed lethal golden sparks. “It’s not a dilemma at all. Stay the hell away from me.”
She forged on. “Yes, well, as I believe I mentioned, it’s not that easy—not until my medication takes effect. The doctor has assured me it won’t be much longer. But until then, I’m quite helpless. Perhaps a compromise?”
“No compromise.”
“A week at the most. In the meantime, if you spot me, you’ll simply pretend I’m not around.” She brushed her hands together. “There. That’s done.”
No surprise. He wasn’t buying it. “I meant what I said about the cops.”
She twisted her hands, hoping the gesture didn’t look as theatrical as it felt. “I’ve heard terrible things about Chicago jails . . .”
“You should have thought about that before you started your stalking gig.”
It could be the stress of so many sleepless nights, or even a spike in her blood sugar from all the junk food. More likely it was the threat of losing everything she’d worked for. She dipped her head, slipped off her glasses, and dabbed at her dry cheeks with her knuckles, as if she’d started to cry, something she’d never do in a thousand years no matter how horrible things got. “I don’t want to go to jail,” she said on a sniff. “I’ve never even had a traffic ticket.” Now that was a lie, but she was an excellent driver, and the speed limits on the city’s expressways were moronically slow. “What do you think will happen to me there?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t care.”
Despite his words, she detected a hesitation, and she dove for it. “Yes, well, you might as well call them now because no matter how hard I try, I know I won’t be able to help myself.”
“Don’t say that.”
Did he sound the slightest bit rattled? She managed another sniff and dabbed at her eyes with her index finger. “I wouldn’t wish the pain of this kind of love on anyone.”
“It’s not love,” he said with disgust. “It’s craziness.”
“I know. It’s absurd.” She swiped her perfectly dry nostrils with the back of her hand. “How can you possibly love someone whom you only met today?”
“You can’t.”
Until he threw her out, she wasn’t giving up. “Couldn’t you reconsider? Only for one week until the new pills restore my sanity?”
“No.”
“Of course you couldn’t. And I do want the best for you. I can’t tolerate the idea of you cowering in fear, afraid to leave your condo because you’re terrified you’ll see me.”
“I’m not going to be terrified—”
“I’m sure I’ll be able to survive jail. How long do you think they’ll keep me? Is there the slightest chance you would— Never mind. It’s too much to ask you to visit me while I’m behind bars.”
“You’re completely nuts.”
“Oh, yes. But harmless. And remember, it’s only temporary.” She’d gotten this far. She might as well go for broke. “If you were physically attracted to me . . . You’re not, are you?”
“No!”
His outrage was reassuring. “Then I won’t offer to . . . sexually satisfy you.” Gleckkk! She was going to wash her mouth out with soap when this was over.
“Get some help,” he snarled.
He went to the door and called in his goon. A few minutes later, she was on the street.
Now what?
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