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She clutched the phone to her chest. She wanted to read them all, see what happened in their ‘meeting,’ but at the same time she didn’t. Could she trust Mason?
This wasMason. She’d trusted and loved him for so long. How could he not be true to her? The girlfriend thing was most likely a misunderstanding. It had to be.
A car idled up beside her. She edged away from it. The guard station was just at the end of town, maybe half a mile away. She could run there if needed, but she didn’t want to. She’d proven tonight she could react and fight well. If someone tried to hurt her, she’d fight them. It would honestly be a relief to not focus on the angst in her mind over Mason.
“Princess Kiera?” The man’s voice was filled with happiness. “I found you!”
She peered at the man who’d leaped out of the car. “Jeremy?”
He hurried up to her. “Have you missed me? I’ve missed you desperately. Have you liked my texts? I know how you love to tease. I tracked you down here to be with you for Christmas. To prove my love and make certain no other man touched you.” His grin twisted and became a gleeful sneer. “No one but me will ever have you.”
Kiera was so confused. She had dated Jeremy last year, gone to a couple university basketball games with him, and he’d kissed her after their second date. It hadn’t gone well, and she definitely wasn’t interested. She’d told him no when he had asked her out again. He’d gotten weird and ugly about it, so she’d blocked his number.
“You’re the stalker?” she asked, feeling two steps behind. He didn’t fit here in Augustine, and though he had taken her rejection hard, she wouldn’t have figured him for one of her creepy stalkers.
“Stalker?” he demanded. “I’m the love of your life.”
She couldn’t help but laugh. “Sorry, Jeremy. You and I are never happening. Go home.”
Kiera turned and headed toward town and the guard station.
Jeremy leaped at her. She dodged, and he thumped onto the icy road on his hands and knees. He cursed and jumped up, blocking her path to town.
“Jeremy,” she said patiently. “Stop being an idiot. You don’t love me; you love some fantasy of a princess. If you try to jump at me or touch me again, I will hurt you.”
“You’ll hurt me?” He laughed, and it annoyed her deeply. “You don’t have your burly bodyguards around tonight. I was coming back from the bar in Traverse. It’s fate that I found you. I’ve been waiting for almost a week.”
“You’re an idiot and you’re drunk.” She shook her head, but a bit of fear traced through her. Her self-defense classes had taught her that inebriation would slow reflexes but also numb the person from feeling pain. He might not stop until she knocked him out.
She set her jaw. Fine. She’d knock him out, then.
Spreading her stance wider, she motioned to him. “Come get me, you idiotic, drunk fool. After I wallop you, you can crawl back to America in shame.” When her dad and Ray found out about this guy, they’d ship him out with a no-return label and a free pass to an American prison for his lame attack.
She winced. They also wouldn’t be happy with her sneaking out. The multiple calls showed someone had figured out she was missing.
“I’ll show you how much you’ll like being with me,” Jeremy sneered at her. “I’m not drunk. Just enough to take the edge off.”
“Then you’re emotionally imbalanced. You need help, not alcohol.” She gestured again. “Come on, then.”
Jeremy let out a roar and lunged at her. Kiera feinted to the right. He’d predicted that and changed trajectory. She leaped the other direction, and he smacked into a snowbank. She came around behind him, clasped her forearm around his neck, and yanked harder than she had in any of her practice sessions or with Mason.
Mason. He’d let her choke him out, and she would never regret the beautiful kisses that had followed. Was she only pursuing him, or did he love her like she hoped?
Jeremy was digging into her arms, gasping for breath, thrashing around. She held on and yanked harder.
His motions were slowing. He’d be knocked out soon. Then she’d jog to the guard station and they could take care of him.
The low purr of a motor sounded, and then lights almost blinded her. She must’ve relaxed her grip a bit, because Jeremy fought with renewed strength.
The side-by-side Polaris Razor stopped and four men leaped out.
“Kiera!” Mason cried out, rushing toward them.
“Mace?”
Jeremy pushed off the snow and slammed her onto her back as she clung to him. His weight knocked the air completely out of her, and her head reeled with pain.
She broke her grip, and Jeremy rolled on top of her, grabbing at her.
