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We pull up at the lights, still in the city, and I jump, startled when a male face suddenly appears at the window, slamming the side of the car with his hands.Steve.His face is squished against the glass, his eyes finding mine immediately. I physically feel all the air in my lungs leave my body, and I freeze. He is following me. His eyes thin, and I can’t move.
“Jesus.Tony,” Eddie barks out as he grabs me around the waist and pulls me across the seat to him. Away from Steve and away from the door.
“He can’t get through. The doors are locked, the glass bullet proof,” Eddie says to me. But Steve isn’t even trying to open the door. He is looking directly at me with a sick smile on his face. He is just reminding me that he is still around. These are the types of games he plays. He continues to stalk, remind me that he is there, keep me scared, my anxiety high and my fears warranted.
“Shit, Katie.” Eddie pulls me onto his lap, taking my attention away from the window. “It’s okay, baby. Look at me.” I bring my gaze to his, but I can’t hide the fear on my face.
“He is just a homeless guy. You are safe. I’m here,” Eddie murmurs, and he is saying the right things, but he doesn’t know it is Steve. He doesn’t know that the homeless guy is my stalker foster brother. The one who likes to taunt me, blackmail me, and keep me fearful. I swallow roughly as Tony starts to drive away, and I nod in understanding.
“Are you okay?” he asks, cupping my face in his hands, clearly concerned, which melts my heart. I sink into his body and let him hold me.
“I am. Just got a fright, that is all,” I say, again a lie falling from my mouth as I try to stop my hands from shaking, not wanting to spoil this amazing date Eddie has arranged.
“We can go back to the apartment. I can get Tony to go around?” he asks me, his brows furrowed as his eyes search my face.
“No. Let’s keep going. I’m fine.” I give him a small smile. While I am scared, there is no way that Steve will follow us. He has done his job. Scared me half to death and reminded me that he is still around. I am so sick of him always turning up and ruining my life. I am so sick of being constantly scared. Walking on eggshells, not being able to progress my life the way I want, all because I know he won’t leave me alone. He is always one step ahead of me, and I just can’t escape.
But for right now, for today, I know I won’t see him again. He has had his fun. He has made his point.I hope.I sit on Eddie’s knee for the remainder of the journey, taking deep breaths, him strumming my back as I get my heart rate back under control.
“We’re here,” he says softly as we pull up to large iron gates fencing off one of the biggest and most luxurious mansions I have ever seen.
“Where are we?” I ask, sitting up in awe, looking around out the windows as Tony drives us through, the gates closing behind us. We pull up the long driveway and slowly past the large white stone mansion.
“Just outside of the city. Come on, let’s explore,” he says as the car stops in front of the large garden, where I can see a full picnic setup, with champagne and food and a large rug.
“Eddie…” I whisper, unsure. “Are we meant to be here? We are not trespassing, are we?” I ask, squinting at him, and he gives me his sexy-ass smirk in return that immediately defrosts any and all fear I have.
“No, baby. I know the real estate owner. The place is empty, and he said I can have it for a few hours to wine and dine my girl in the sunshine.” I smile. I like being his girl.
“Wow… it is so beautiful…” I look around at the large oak trees that line the perimeter, the manicured boxed hedges, the roses in bloom decorating the lawn that looks and feels like carpet that travels for miles, with our little picnic oasis sitting right in the middle.
Tony drives the car down the side, parking away and giving us some privacy for a few hours as Eddie takes my hand and leads us over to our lunch.
“Eddie… this is amazing,” I say, smiling, my shoulders lowering instantly as I hear nothing but the birds chirping and the light breeze flowing through the trees. It is like a garden oasis. Private, secure, large enough so I don’t feel claustrophobic. I will admit, when Eddie said he was taking me for a date, I just assumed it was going to be a café or restaurant for lunch, but this… this is so much better than I was expecting.
“No. You’re amazing. Come on.” I giggle as we walk together, taking it all in.
“I can’t believe your real estate friend sells these kinds of houses. It is a mansion.” We take a seat, and Eddie opens the bottle of champagne that sits in the ice bucket.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it? One of the best houses in Baltimore,” he says, popping the champagne and handing me a glass.
“A toast?” I ask, looking at him.
“To beautiful things…” Eddie murmurs, his eyes on mine, and I swoon.
“To beautiful things.” We clink our glasses and sip our champagne.
The fear that rattled my body earlier is now either all gone or buried deep. My thoughts are only on this man in front of me and how just his smile and his touch can settle me, alleviate my fears, and help me rise above them. But how can I tell him about the danger that follows me? How can I lead him into this life?
The answer is easy. I can’t. As I sip the champagne, I swallow my heartache, knowing that this fairy tale is going to end soon. Because while Prince Charming sits in front of me, I can’t take him into hell with me. That is a fight I need to continue on my own.
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR - EDDIE
We finish our lunch and champagne, and I pull her close to me, wanting to touch her all the time.
“Hmmmm, you had enough to eat?” I ask, because she barely ate a thing. She usually doesn’t eat a lot, but after the scare in the car, I think she lost her appetite.
Fury builds in my body, even now as I think about it. I have driven around Baltimore all my life and never once had an incident such as that. Now, the one time I take her out, a homeless man slams his face against the window and scared the living shit out of her. It was unusual and had me on high alert. Given that she just moved here, and that is the second fright she has had since she arrived, it is not doing anything to show her that Baltimore and I are safe choices for her.
