I wanted to punch a wall. Scream at the injustice. Women, anyone, shouldn’t have to put up with this sort of behavior. But Andy had covered his tracks. The police could do nothing.
But I could.
I glanced at Raven. She had gone from ashen to ghostly, her gaze never staying in one spot, her knee bouncing. She gripped the arms of the chair she sat in so tightly, I was surprised she had any blood circulation left in her fingers.
The officer and I exchanged cards. After examining the scene outside, agreeing with my hypothesis, he had come upstairs, talked to Raven and me. After he left, promising to keep in touch, the super brought a piece of wood upstairs, and I helped him cover the window.
“I’ll get it fixed as soon as possible.”
“She’s staying with me for a while,” I informed him.
He glanced at Raven and nodded. “Good idea.”
He left, and I turned to Raven. “Did you pack?”
“Um, yes.”
I looked over at the kitchen. She had cleaned it up as well.
“I’ll get your bag.”
Her voice stopped me before I went down the hall. “Why is he doing this? He agreed to friendship. He’s the one who crossed the line and changed the rules.”
I kneeled in front of her. “He never wanted friendship, Raven. He uses sites to find lonely women and take advantage of them. He locked on to you and became obsessed.”
“But I’m no one. Nothing special. And I never encouraged it. I asked him to leave me alone.”
“You did nothing wrong. It’s him. Not you. He’s at fault.” I tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “I’m going to be blunt here, Raven. You’re in danger. He’s fixated on you. He saw us kissing tonight, and now he’s angry. So until we find him, you need to stay with me.”
“Or you need to walk away and forget you met me,” she shot back. “When he doesn’t see you anymore, he’ll calm down. You can move on with your—”
I laid a finger on her mouth, silencing her.
“Not happening. You know that. You know I feel something for you. And you for me. I am not walking away. I’m going to protect you.” I smiled, moving my finger to her cheek and stroking the skin. “And you’re not no one. You’re special.”
“And who will protect you?”
Her words were my undoing. She was more worried about me than herself. I stood, taking her with me and wrapping my arms around her. “I can protect myself, and I have friends. I promise I’ll be fine. And as long as you’re with me, you will be too. Don’t fight me on this. Come home with me.”
I felt the fight go out of her. “Okay.”
I pressed a kiss to her head. “Okay, get your things.”
* * *
She was tense in the car, clutching her bag, her shoulders stiff. Her eyes were in constant motion, looking at the streets. I reached over and covered her hand. “Everything is fine.”
“How do you know he’s not following us?”
I chuckled lowly. “Because Egan is following a few cars back. If Andy is around, we’ll spot him.”
I pulled into the secure, underground parking lot. The door rolled shut behind us, and by the time I parked, Egan’s car came in, the sound of the heavy door descending again echoing in the garage.
I got out and opened Raven’s door, taking her bag and holding out my hand. She let me pull her from the car, and we waited until Egan joined us.
“Nothing,” he said.
“No, the asshole made his statement and took off like the coward he is.”