She had been stunned to see his face. Average looks. Average dirty blonde hair. A very non-descript frame and physique. He didn’t look like a monster who would hold her at knife point and tie her up. He didn’t look like someone who might end her life.
For thirty-six hours he had held her hostage. Thirty-six hours during which Lorelei had been threatened and complimented and touched and kissed and made to feel as if she wouldn’t make it out of this nightmare alive. Over and over again he had told her how he was going to send her to be with God and that he would be joining her in heaven.
In the end, she had been rescued by Olga and Bethany, both of whom had alerted police when they hadn’t heard from her in twenty-four hours. James Ellis had been caught and placed in prison until his trial which had resulted in a guilty conviction and a sentence of ten years in prison. And until recently, Lorelei had believed he would stay in prison for ten long years. It was sickening to her how the justice system didn’t uphold their sentencing promises. Demons like James Ellis got leniency for ‘good behavior’ which meant he was up for parole consideration six years too early.
When she finished telling Daniel her story, he took her in his arms and held her. “I’m so sorry that you had to endure all of that. You’re a strong woman, Lorelei. You haven’t just endured it. You’ve thrived in your career and you’ve managed to put it all in the past and work toward your future. I admire that more than you’ll ever know.”
Daniel’s words went straight to her heart. He was embedded there like a permanent tattoo. Lorelei had never felt so completely loved and taken care of by anybody in her entire life. And if she hadn’t already been head over heels in love with Daniel, his kindness towards her would have sent her straight over the edge. The knowledge of how she felt about Daniel hit her like a sledgehammer. It frightened her. With love came responsibility. How in the world could she allow Daniel to get tangled up in the whole James Ellis debacle? If he was put on parole in a few days there was no doubt in Lorelei’s mind that he would once again find her. She was certain his obsession hadn’t abated. It would kill her if Daniel got caught up in Ellis’s evil. It wouldn’t be fair.
Loving Daniel meant protecting him. There was a good chance the parole board would grant James Ellis’s parole. She had known it when Olga had reached out to her about the individuals who were speaking on Ellis’s behalf. She had been trying to warn Lorelei.
She looked up at Daniel. He was a good man, through and through. Although it broke her heart to admit it, Lorelei knew what she had to do. Doing what was right felt agonizing, but she had no other choice. She had to let Daniel go.
“There are a lot of things worth fighting for in this world. Love is number one.”
Heath Donahue
Chapter Nine
All week Daniel had been scratching his head trying to figure out what he had done to alienate Lorelei. Perhaps it was just his imagination, but he was convinced she had been giving him the brush off. His calls went unreturned. Texting her wasn’t any better! She simply didn’t respond. The night she’d cooked for him had been filled with emotion. She had told him all about her stalker after suffering a panic attack at the marina. Although he had been horrified by the trauma she’d endured, Daniel had understood her pain and disillusionment. Did she think he hadn’t responded well to her story about being stalked?
Was she embarrassed about the panic attack? Surely Lorelei knew he didn’t hold it against her. Her vulnerability in that moment endeared her to him. But he was beginning to wonder if Lorelei wasn’t entirely comfortable at how she’d bared herself to him. She hadn’t spoken to him since that night.
Maybe he was being paranoid. He knew she had a busy work week, finishing up things on the Rhiannon video game as well as posing for the cover of Miami magazine. He prayed it was simply work issues rather than anything about their relationship. Up until this point Daniel hadn’t been any good at relationships. Maybe he still wasn’t. Was it possible he’d read things wrong? Perhaps Lorelei just wasn’t that into him. It was a heartbreaking notion, but one he had to face head-on.
That evening Daniel decided to grab the bull by the horns. Since Lorelei was still maintaining her wall of silence, he decided to stop by her place. He knew she might not buzz him in, but if that was the case, he would truly know something was very wrong.
On the way over to her place, Daniel took a moment to pray. Lord, grant me favor with Lorelei. I have no idea what I’m doing at the moment. It feels like I’m blindfolded and trying to find my way through a dark cave. I feel so selfish asking for all of these prayers for myself, but You are the one who gives me strength. I turn to You when I need clarity.
When he rode up to her gate, Daniel was holding his breath waiting to see if he would be buzzed in. Lorelei answered after a few rings and quickly buzzed him through. His hands were moist on the steering wheel. He could hear his own heart beating a wild rhythm inside his chest.
Calm down, he told himself. No need to freak out over a few unreturned phone calls. Although he didn’t want to get himself overly worked up, Daniel sensed something was amiss with Lorelei. Loving her allowed him the ability to truly know her, inside and out. He prayed he was wrong, but his every nerve ending was on fire standing at her doorstep.
When she opened the door, Daniel felt as if he was looking at a completely different Lorelei. It was in her body language and in her eyes. She wasn’t carrying herself regally the way she normally did. And her eyes looked dead, as if there was no life at all in them. Lorelei’s expression was shuttered so he had no way of reading her emotions.
“Hi, Daniel. Come on in.” Even her voice sounded lackluster.
“Hey there. I was beginning to get worried about you,” he said as she ushered him in. Although he would normally greet her with a hug and a kiss, Lorelei’s body language wasn’t inviting. “Where have you been hiding out?” Daniel tried to keep his voice casual. He didn’t want Lorelei to see how concerned he was about her silence.
“I’ve been working,” she said, her tone curt. “I’m pretty bushed.”
“I didn’t mean to intrude, but you had me worried. I’ve called and texted you a bunch of times. Is everything okay?”
She let out a sigh. “Daniel, I’m so sorry for not returning your calls, but I honestly didn’t know what to say to you. T
hinks have been going at a lightning fast speed between us. I think we should take a break.”
His heart seized up at her words. A break? Everyone knew what that word meant and it wasn’t good. She didn’t want to be with him? She wanted some distance? It all sounded so shocking to him. When had the tide turned?
“A break?” he asked, too stunned to say anything meaningful. He hadn’t been expecting this. Even though he had been concerned, Daniel hadn’t thought she would be ending things with him. It seemed so out of the blue.
“It just isn’t working for me.” She looked down at her fingers and twiddled them. “It’s not you, Daniel. Really it isn’t. It’s just that I wasn’t looking for a relationship and I’m beginning to feel pinned down.
“Lorelei, I-I know we’ve only been dating a few weeks now, but my feelings for you are pretty powerful. I’m in love with you.” He said the precious words that had been on the tip of his tongue for days now. Daniel had never said those words to another woman. In truth, he’d only wanted to say those sweet words to the woman who he was going to spend the rest of his days with. Deep in his heart, he believed that woman was Lorelei.
Tears pooled in her eyes and she vigorously shook her head. “Daniel, please don’t say that. I really don’t want to hurt you. Believe me, my main goal is to spare you from pain. I’m so sorry. Truly I am.”
He moved closer towards her, staring deeply into her grass green eyes. Whereas before he could see nothing but possibilities shining in her eyes, he now only saw a void. They were blank. She wasn’t giving him anything with her eyes or expression other than resignation.