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Allee swallowed her relief and nodded in agreement. “I think Piddle would be happiest at your place, so that's fair enough.”
“Allee,” Beth interjected, “tonight, the four of us are all going to stay with you. We can work out the rest tomorrow. Do you think you'll want to stay here or come to work? I can stay with you if you decide to stay at home.”
“If I stay here, I'm just going to dwell on what's happened, and I'll end up leaving. I know I will. I can't leave yet, not with the launch event next week. I won't leave you in the lurch like that. It's probably best if I go to work, at least that way, I'll feel safe and be able to keep myself occupied.
“You're not going anywhere! This arsehole has controlled your life for long enough. It's not fair on you, the fur-ball or any of us to let him chase you away like that! You were there for me when Parker showed his true colours, so let me return the favour. We've got your back, don't forget that!”
Allee felt tears pricking at the backs of her eyes at Charlie's outburst. She didn't know if she'd have the courage to stay, knowing that Stuart had found her, but perhaps, with all the support around her, she could find it.
Stuart was furious.
His plan had failed. He should have concentrated on searching Allee's bedroom to plant items that would create fear inside her, and not been distracted by the cat. Not only had the damned thing escaped, but she'd also scratched his arm badly, drawing blood. She'd also attracted the attention of the nosy old couple next door, and Stuart couldn't be sure if they'd seen his face. He knew that the old man had seen him, as he'd yelled as Stuart scrambled over Allee's back fence and into the bushland behind it.
He'd jogged back to his car, parked back across the road, and then made his way back to his motel. That's when he'd posted up his little message on the forums. He couldn't know for sure that Allee would see it, but he knew that someone at the studio would and would probably tell her.
He would need to back off for a day or so, as the old fart had yelled out that he was calling the police, and Stuart did not want to have a run-in with them. After all, a man of his standing in the community could not risk damaging his reputation by being questioned by police over a simple domestic matter.
Chapter Twenty-One
When Allee walked into the office the next morning, she was accompanied by Noah, Charlie, Beth, and Mark. Craig and Sammy were already there, and they hurried over to Allee as soon as they saw her.
“Allee, you're here today! Is there anything I can do for you?”
Allee shook her head at Craig, unable to fill him in on the details without losing her composure. Sammy simply came up to her and gave her a hug.
“Don't worry, we're on the hunt for this dude. We'll make sure he can't get to you.”
“Thanks,” Allee said then pulled away, a shaking hand brushing the hair out of her eyes. “I just need to work and keep myself occupied. These guys can fill you in. I just can't talk about it right now.” She headed into her office to get to work, needing to catch up on everything that she'd left the day before.
Craig and Sammy swung back to the others, their eyebrows raised in question. Noah shook his head. They all walked back through to the main area, and once they were out of earshot of Allee's office, Noah turned and spoke.
“When everyone is here, and I mean everyone, we're going to have an emergency office meeting. Sorry to spring this on you, Craig, but it's serious, and everyone needs to be aware of what's going on. Allee won't talk about it herself, but she's okay with us filling you in. Just keep her busy for today, so she can get her balance back.”
Craig raised his hands up in the air in a gesture of surrender. “Hey, I've got no problem with that. Allee's a massive asset to this place. Just keep me in the loop.”
The group dissolved, each of them going back to their workstations to prepare for the day.
An hour later, the entire Black Bugs Studio staff, excluding Allee, were in the main office. Noah stood up, and everyone looked towards him. He could see Allee’s closed-door from where he stood, and in the quiet, he could hear the strains of Powderfinger’s Sunsets floating on the air. Satisfied Allee would not be able to listen to the conversation, he began.
“As most of you are aware, there has been a bit of excitement going on around here. We've had instances of graffiti on the exterior of the building, and those who have been on the forums lately may have noticed a new troll and sock-puppets who have decided to make themselves known. You also would have seen Allee and I rush out of here yesterday, and Charlie and Beth leave not long after.” Noah paused momentarily, observing the nodding heads of his colleagues.
“What you wouldn't know is that the people responsible for all of this…is actually one person. Yesterday morning, Allee's house was broken into, her belongings trashed, and her cat tortured and abused. Luckily, her neighbours were able to chase the guy off, and they called the cops.” A flurry of furious outbursts erupted around the room, cutting Noah off.
“What the hell?”
“What kind of sicko hurts a cat?”
“Is the cat okay? Did they manage to save the cat?”
Noah held up a hand, waiting for the furore to settle before continuing.
“Allee’s neighbours managed to get the cat to an emergency vet where they were able to save her, but this guy had already posted about what he'd done. Now, although Allee is back at work, she doesn't want to think or talk about what's happened; it's still too fresh and raw for her. Needless to say, she knows this guy, and it isn't the first time he's tried to terrorise her. We need to keep a lookout for anything suspicious, either online or here at the office. If you see anything, let me know. Nobody messes with our team and gets away with it.” Noah sat back down, and Charlie then got up to address the room.
“We know this guy has been watching the offices, so please, be careful when you're arriving and leaving. If you see anything strange, be it a car, person, or object, let us know. We’ll let the rest of you get back to work, but can all of the Leads, as well as Beth and Michael, please make their way into the conference room.”
Everyone made their way back to their workstations, conversations murmuring back and forth about what they'd just learned. The six Leads, Beth, and Mark, made their way into the conference room, sitting down around the table. Noah shut his eyes, bowing his head, and buried his hands in his hair. The others watched him, not knowing what to say. After a moment, Noah heaved a sigh and straightened.
“What is said right now in this room goes no further, understand?” Everyone nodded, their curiosity evident. “What Charlie and I didn't mention is that this guy is Allee's ex. She left him over a year ago, after he kicked the absolute shit out of her, almost killing her. She's petrified of him, and he's been following her up and down the Eastern seaboard. He’s a nasty piece of work but initially comes across as legit. We don't know why he broke in yesterday, but as he almost killed Allee's cat and wrote a message to her in its blood, it tells you just how unhinged this guy is.” Noah waited for his words to sink in. His gaze moved around the table, noting everyone's reactions. Charlie, Beth, and Mark already knew all of this, although they still appeared discomforted at hearing it again.
