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“We don’t know anything yet. It could be that and have nothing to do with the stalker.” He murmured, trying to offer me comfort.
As the miles were erased and we neared the club, my body wound itself tighter and tighter, until I felt like a bowstring twisted too tightly and I was seconds from snapping.
Ben pulled the SUV into the parking lot. From the vehicle, I saw the graffiti on the front door. But it wasn’t until we pulled right up in front of the entrance that I could read what had been spray painted on the door. It was just one word, in blazing, garish red.
WHORE.
Ben swore up a storm. “We need to call Dan Freemont.”
I pressed a hand over my mouth to contain the ragged sob. Blinking back tears I refused to let fall, I fumbled for my cell phone. My hands shook.
“Here, let me.” Ben put a hand over my trembling one and squeezed as he brought his phone to his ear.
“Hey Dan, it’s Ben. Yeah, look, we’re going to need you at the club. Our stalker has struck again…uh huh, yep, will do. Thanks.”
Ben hung up.
“What did he say?” I asked over the tearing grief welling inside me. Whoever was doing this meant to make it hurt. And if it were just me that this asshole was targeting, I’d deal with it. But looking at the club, I knew I would have to close it for the night. Possibly more than one night until the door could be replaced. There were people’s livelihoods at stake. It wasn’t just me they were harming. They were hurting every single one of my employees. And I wouldn’t stand for that. This bastard could mess with me all he wanted, but now he was fucking with people I cared about.
“He’s on his way with some uniforms. You know you’re going to—”
I held up my hand. “I know. The club needs to be closed tonight. I need to go talk to Phil and get my employees ready to talk to the police.”
“Okay. Let’s go in.”
Ben escorted me to the front door. Phil, Carver, and Bruno, my trifecta of bouncers, stood at the entrance with scowls on their faces.
“Gentlemen.”
“This was here when we pulled up today,” Phil stated.
“The police are on the way. As you can imagine, the club will be closed tonight and possibly tomorrow. Bruno, if you could get me the list of who’s on for tonight. We need to call them and tell them the club is closed. But tell them they will still get their normal hourly wage. I know I can’t cover the tips they will lose, but I can at least make sure they don’t lose that portion of their paychecks.”
Bruno nodded. “Sure thing. Do you want me to call them for you?”
He was a national treasure. I needed to give him a raise once the dust settled. “If you would. And tell everyone who’s here they’re going to need to stick around to give their statement to the police.”
“Will do, boss,” Bruno replied and headed inside.
Two patrol cars and an unmarked sedan pulled into the lot. Stiffening my spine, I headed toward the cars. Ben was on my heels. The man was as good as any guard dog and twice as lethal.
Dan Freemont wore a dark gray suit with a pale blue shirt today. I noticed the outline of his firearm holster beneath his sport coat as he approached.
“This is becoming a pattern,” he said.
“One I wish we could avoid, but you’re right.”
Dan whistled when he looked past my shoulder. “They’re not messing around now, are they?”
“No, they’re not.” I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly chilled. This case was impacting my entire life.
It pissed me off and left fear slithering through my veins. They were photographing me with Ben. They knew where I lived, where I worked. They knew my number no matter how much I changed it.
“Any idea when this happened?” Dan asked, taking out a small notepad and pen.
“It was here when my staff arrived this afternoon. Obviously, we’re going to be keeping the club closed tonight.”
Dan scribbled something down on the pad. “I’d like a chance to talk to the staff that are here. We need to rule them out.”
