“Where did you run off to?” she asked.
“I…I…I’m not feeling well. I’m going back to the dorms to lie down. Call me when you’re ready, okay? I’ll come pick you up.”
“Dakota.” I jumped in my seat. Santiago’s dark eyes studied me through a messy mop of dark hair. “Nice to see you again,” he said in a menacingly low voice.
“Where did you come from?” I hadn’t even heard the passenger door open.
He pushed back the seat to make room for his long legs and large frame. “You should listen to your roommate, it’s not safe to walk alone at night.”
I didn’t know what to say. Was he real? Or had my mind decided that dreaming about him every single night was no longer enough. I dreamed of him standing guard outside my house, leaning on his gleaming chrome motorcycle, staring at my window while I watched him watching me. I dreamed of him kissing me, and of the heat of his body. I dreamed of him in my bed, blanketing me with his naked, hard muscles, and…
“Please tell me you’re not real,” I whispered.
He smiled in that arrogant kind of way. “Miss me that much, did you?”
Where had he gone? “Why are you back?”
He reached out and cupped my cheek, forcing me to look him straight in the eyes and triggering a flood of twisted, unwelcome emotions—fury, exhilaration, confusion. “Because you wanted me to come.”
“No. No, I didn’t.” I could feel it, the hysterics building like a geyser about to explode. “I wanted to forget about you.”
He tilted his gorgeous face to the side and studied me. His unshaved jaw worked a bit, before he parted those full lips and said, “I can see you’re going to cause me problems again.”
“Me? Cause you problems? Do you have any idea…”
Hell. I couldn’t do this. I wasn’t a scared little girl anymore. Whoever he was, whatever he was, he couldn’t waltz into my life and ruin it. It was my life. “Get out. Get the fuck out of my car before I call the police.”
Completely devoid of emotion, he bowed his head. “As you wish.” He opened the passenger door and then paused. “You should know, however, that I’m not leaving you alone. So you can either make this easy or make this hard.”
No, no, no. Not again. “What do you want?”
“To keep you safe. To make sure you live a long and happy life.”
Safe? Long and happy life. Such bullshit! “Who are you?” I screamed.
The corner of his mouth turned up. “Have you forgotten the rule already? No questions.” He slammed the door shut.
“You think you can come floating back into my life,” I screamed at him as he stood there staring back through the window. Maybe he couldn’t hear me, but it sure felt good. “But you can’t. I have no idea who or what you are. But leave. Me. The. Fuck. Alone!”
He simply stared, a condescending look on his face.
Okay. This was ridiculous. This guy had to be some crazy stalker. I picked up my cell and dialed 911. I was going to report him. Let the police figure out who he is!
But when the phone rang, the dial tone changed from a ring to a beep and then disconnected.
I redialed and got the same result.
I stared at the phone, my mind completely boggled. I looked up, but Santiago wasn’t there.
Okay. He’d done something to my phone with his psycho-stalker powers. Fine. But he couldn’t stop me from going to the station.
I pulled out and headed toward the main avenue. Where the hell was the police station? I came to a red light and quickly searched on my phone. Ha! Three blocks away!
Within minutes, I was turning into the lot. I grabbed my purse and…
Holy shit.
There, standing in front of the station, leaning against a signpost that said Police Parking Only, stood Santiago. Son of a bitch! He’s a demon from hell!
Well, he couldn’t stop me from going in. I wouldn’t let him control me. No, not again.
I marched straight for him, glaring with every step. Three steps from the door, a uniformed officer stepped out. The officer handed Santiago a large white envelope and shook his hand.
“Next time, don’t wait so long to stop by,” said the officer. “You know the door’s always open.”
My mouth hung open, and I stared with disgust. He had the SDPD in his pocket, too?
“Hey, John. I’d like you to meet Dakota Dane. The young lady I told you about.”
The officer looked me over. “Is she all right? She looks a little pale?”
Santiago snickered under his breath. “She’s a bit overwhelmed with the new campus, and it’s her first time away from home.”
“Well,” said the officer to me, “just stick with Santiago here, he’ll make sure you stay out of trouble.” He slapped Santiago on the arm. “See you later.”