“He stole photos of you. Kept them for twenty-two years,” Jonathon reminded her. His gentle tone which was intended to be soothing and calming was having the completely opposite effect on her. “Maybe he did something to you one night while his sister was babysitting, or one day when all the neighborhood kids were outdoors playing. If he did something to you, Naomi, it’s not your fault, you were just a little . . .”
“I said no,” she bit out each word. “Harry never touched me. Ever. I hardly had anything to do with him. But if it’s him, then we finally know how to stop this before he hurts anyone else. Do you know where he is?”
“No. But we have an APB on him and a BOLO on his car,” Jonathon told her. “We’ll find him.”
“Before he kills someone else? I don’t think so. But I can try to find him, give myself up to him. I'm the one he wants anyway.”
“No.” Sam said it like he had the final say in the matter.
“He killed two of my friends. He killed your nephew. What if he goes after one of my sisters next, or you,” she added quietly. “I can't let that happen. Now we know who the stalker is I can end this.” Naomi yanked her hand from Sam’s grip and jumped to her feet, intending to walk off her pent-up emotions.
Sam stood just as quickly, roughly grabbing hold of her shoulders in a grip so tight it hurt. “Jonathon and Allina will find him, Naomi. You're not sacrificing yourself. I won't let you. You're mine, Naomi, not his, and I won't let Harry Caucchi or anyone else have you.”
His face was fierce, his dark eyes full of fear and something else. Love. He loved her. She might even love him too.
Damn him.
Why did he have to come and stir up these feelings now?
If it stopped Harry from killing again, she most certainly would give herself up to him because she wouldn’t allow anyone she loved to be hurt. Harry couldn’t have her sisters, and he couldn’t have Sam, but he could have her.
* * * * *
11:51 A.M.
“Are you sure this is absolutely necessary?” Clara asked her fiancé as she threw the last few items of clothes into her suitcase.
“Yes,” Jonathon answered shortly.
She frowned, she wasn't trying to be obtuse, but they’d argued about it all last night and she still didn’t think that she was any safer in a hotel than she was in her own home. Apparently, Jonathon vigorously disagreed. This morning one of Sam’s bodyguards had gone with her to work, then brought her back here to pack. Her fiancé had turned up a few minutes ago to pack a few of his own things, and they had been arguing ever since.
“Why can't Nate just stay with me here? Then I’m safe during the day and you’re here with me at night.”
“Because this guy is dangerous, Clara. I want you someplace where he can't find you if he comes looking,” Jonathon replied calmly.
She hated it when they argued, and he managed to remain calm. Not that they argued often, they were good at compromising and coming to a solution they were both happy with. But she didn’t feel like compromising right now, she felt edgy and grumpy and just wanted to know her sister was safe. “I’ll be perfectly safe here,” she muttered, throwing in another couple of pairs of panties.
“Clara.” Jonathon grabbed her and turned her to face him. “The man we are talking about bashed a woman’s head in with a rock, shot a man in his own home, and slit another man’s throat in front of his baby daughter.”
That took some of the wind out of her sails. Maybe she shouldn’t be so argumentative. So, she had to stay in a hotel for a few days, that was no big deal. She really wasn't sure why she was making such a big deal out of it, she just felt out of sorts for some reason.
“I don’t want to take any chances. I need to know you're safe. This man, he … he may have abused Naomi when she was a child.”
“What? No!” That couldn’t be right. Naomi would have told her that. Wouldn’t she? “Are you sure?”
“No. She denied it. She said he never touched her, but he stole photos of her, and he tracked her down when he got out of prison, and she’s still hiding something, so I don’t know. Nor do we have definitive proof that we have the right guy, but regardless of who he is, he’s dangerous and he wants to hurt as many people that Naomi cares about before he takes her. Clara,” he paused until she raised glazed eyes to look at him, “youare the person closest to Naomi. I'm terrified he’s going to try to kill you. You can't be angry with me for wanting to protect you.”
Could it be true? Could her sister have been hurt when she was a little girl? Naomi refused to get involved with anyone even though she had lots of offers. And she had refused to acknowledge that Sam liked her even though it was as obvious as the sun in the sky.
“Clara?”
“Yeah, I understand, Jonathon,” she assured him. “I need to see Naomi. Now. I need to talk to her, I need to get her to tell me the truth. I need to know if what you think happened really did.”
“Sam is with her.”
The way he said it had her smiling in spite of what she’d just learned. “They finally got their act together?”
Smiling back, he nodded. “I think so, they were holding hands, and Naomi let Sam hold her. She’s in good hands, Clara. Sam will do whatever it takes to keep her safe. And I'm doing the same thing for the woman I love. Now, do you have everything you need?”