let me know if you’d gotten hurt.”
“I have a sprained wrist. Very minor. I would’ve called you, but everything happened so fast...” She trailed off, the scene in the booth replaying in vivid detail. One minute she’d been having a meal with Cade, the next she’d been dodging bullets.
“Tori?”
“I was the target,” she blurted.
Stunned silence stretched over the line. “What did you say?”
“The shooter was aiming for me. I’m positive I spotted him in the park across the street before it happened.”
“But the news article didn’t mention a motive or list the names of people in the diner.”
“The sheriff’s office is keeping certain information out of the news for now.” Tori hoped her name stayed out of it. Reporters hounding her night and day would be a major headache. Not to mention they might dig into her past and discover her ties to Patrick. The Canine Companion didn’t need that kind of press.
“I’m sorry you’re dealing with this.” She sighed. “Are you at the shop? I’ll come over and keep you company.”
She pressed her hand to her nape, surprised to find it damp. “That’s not a good idea, Ang. Too dangerous. I have police protection for now. And Cade slept in the shop overnight. He’ll be back soon.”
The beat of silence was telling. “You’re with Mr. America?”
Tori hadn’t heard that old nickname in a long while. Angela had dubbed him Mr. America because he’d epitomized what every young man would want for themselves—the popular student who was beloved by students and teachers alike. Very few people knew he had to work harder than most others to achieve decent grades or that his family life didn’t resemble a fairy tale.
“How are you holding up?”
Tori gripped the phone more tightly. “I’m managing to hold it together.” Barely.
“Oh, Tori.” She whistled low, and Tori could picture the worry in her ebony eyes. Angela had been a shoulder to cry on throughout Tori and Cade’s friendship-to-romance saga. And while the optimistic nurse liked Cade, she understood how difficult it would be for Tori to be around him again.
“Do you have any idea who’s behind this?”
Her stomach spasmed. Woozy, she pressed her forehead to the cool glass.
“Tori?”
“There’s no one.”
“No creepy men stalking you at the shop?”
“We have our share of unique patrons, but they’re harmless.”
“What about in your neighborhood?”
“The neighbors are nice, regular people.”
“Some of the most infamous psychopaths appeared to be nice, regular people.”
Confusion welling up, frustration on its heels, she tried to recall if there’d been anyone acting strangely. This area was an eclectic mix of restored homes, thriving businesses and pockets of sketchy behavior.
“My mom hasn’t ever indicated she felt unsafe. I wouldn’t have taken the apartment if either of us had reservations.”
“I’m simply trying to consider all the angles.”
“You sound like Cade.”
“I’m worried for you.”
“Pray for me,” she murmured. “Pray this guy is caught before the day is out.”
“You got it.”
She ended the conversation with a promise to keep her friend updated.
She was debating whether or not to get a snack now or wait until lunch when the cruiser door swung open and the deputy got out. He was speaking into his radio and surveying the area between her house and Kenneth’s. With a glance at her front door, he left his vehicle and rushed out of sight.
Tori’s skin flushed hot. Had someone been lurking where they shouldn’t be and a neighbor reported it? Her unknown enemy about to strike?
At the creak of a floorboard directly behind her, she whirled around and came face-to-face with the alarm company employee.
“Brandon,” she gasped, reaching for the nearest chair to steady herself. The room swung crazily. Her heart strained in her chest. What was wrong with her? “I—I didn’t hear you. Do you need something?”
“As a matter of fact, I do need something.” He stalked closer, his eyes hard and flat. The veins in his neck bulged. “You.”
Horror pulsed through her. This couldn’t be her enemy. He looked like a regular guy, not a killer. She didn’t know him. Why would he want to hurt her?
Her fingers dug into the cushions as nausea attacked. “Y-you work for the alarm company. How—”
He kept coming. The fact that he was letting her see his face registered, making her limbs quake. He didn’t plan on leaving her alive.
“Technology is a valuable tool if you know how to use it,” he said calmly. “You let me in your home, Tori. Your worst and last mistake.”
She sucked in a breath. Brandon lunged for her. Covered her mouth with his hand. Trying to get free took immense effort. Her limbs felt weighted in cement.
Remembering what she’d learned during a self-defense class in college, she kneed him in the groin. Or tried to.
His satisfied laugh sent a riot of goose bumps over her flesh. “You’re not feeling quite yourself, are you, Tori?”
The nausea intensified. Had he drugged her?
Then she remembered. The coffee. Unattended while she got Felicia’s check.
His arm came around her waist, locking her against him in a terrible embrace. She clawed at his hand, but to no avail. Black dots danced before her eyes.
“No use fighting it,” he murmured, his cheek pressed to her temple. “Just let the darkness swallow you.”
Tori moaned deep in her throat, angry at her helplessness. Her thoughts were like helium balloons, slipping away one by one.
Cade. She hadn’t gotten a chance to apologize to Cade.
That, more than anything, made her want to weep.
Against her will, her internal urge to fight was snuffed out, and she slipped into unconsciousness.
Cade parked his Jeep in Tori’s driveway, confused as to why there was only one deputy on guard and why that deputy’s vehicle was empty.
Scoping out the area around the garage and Kenneth’s side yard, he entered
