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She nods and her mouth opens and closes. She opens it again and says, “How… how did you know I was in danger?"
I shake my head not knowing how to explain it. I want to say it's because of Ben's tip, but the truth is that I already had a feeling that something was wrong. I’ve had it the entire night as much as I tried to shake off the feeling and that alone tells me how in tune with her I am.
Because I love her.
I can’t deny anymore what is staring me so obviously in the face.
Even as I breathe now, there's a clenching feeling still in my chest from how close I got to losing her. I want to wrap her up, take her home, and never let her out of my sight again.
She’s mine.
“He was following me," she says, and her voice cracks. “This whole time. He could have…at any point, he could have...”
"Ssshhh," I don't let her finish the sentence, bringing her close. "It’s ok. You’re ok."
Wrapping Delilah up in my arms, breathing her in is the only thing that calms the murderous rage within me.
The police arrive as she weeps against my chest.
I hold Delilah in my arms, as I give them the gist of the story, with some interjections from Delilah. Rena, who had run out, returning to the apartment with the police, gives a chilling statement, referencing that this may not be the first time this happened.
And once we've all given our statements to the police, it's time to go home with Delilah.
The woman I just discovered that I love.
Chapter Twenty One
Delilah
“Areyouok?”Oliverasks again for what is possibly the fiftieth time since we started the long drive back to the cottage.
“Yes,” I answer again, and at this point, I think some of the shock is wearing off. Somewhere between crying on his chest, giving the police my statement, and seeing Theo arrested, I seem to have somehow come to terms with everything that happened.
Or at least that’s what I’m telling myself logically.
In reality, though, I know it will take a while before I can truly be over it. The fact that a man stalked me for weeks now, and then I unknowingly walked right into a trap will probably haunt me forever.
He would have killed me. Or worse. If Oliver hadn’t shown up when he did, Theo would have drugged both of us and taken us to God knows where. There I would have been, under his control, and no one would have been able to stop him from doing whatever he wanted with me.
I feel sick just at the thought, and every time I think about it, my heart starts thundering all over again.
A hand creeps over mine, and I glance over at Oliver.
“You’re shaking,” he explains with his eyes still on the road. For a brief moment, his hands move to adjust the heater in the car, turning it up.
I note the bead of sweat on his eyebrows and frown. “You’re sweating.”
“It’s fine,” he says shortly, but I’m not willing to accept that. I attempt to change the dial back down, but he gently brushes my hand away.
“But…”
He gives me a wry smile. “Even if it was ten below zero I would still be sweating, honey. I don’t think I’m going to ever get over the fact that I could have lost you today.”
Lost you. The way he says it sets off my imagination. It sounds like he more than cares about me, like the mere thought of losing me is torture. But then, I reason, I imagine it must be hard to lose anyone you've created something of a friendship with. Which, I remind myself, is what Oliver and I have. A friendship.
“How did you even find me in the first place?” I ask.
It still amazes me. One minute, I’m there despairing with Rena, trying to convince her to help me fight for escape before Theo comes back.
