I pulled her closer to me, looking down at those arctic blue eyes. “But years, too.”
Hayes looked as if he were watching a game of tennis, his gaze jumping back and forth between the two of us. “I can’t say this is something I expected, but if you guys are happy, then I’m happy for you.”
It was a weight off my shoulders that he wasn’t pissed, but it still felt as if I were carrying the heaviest of loads. “That’s not actually why we’re here.”
Something in my tone put Hayes on alert. “Sit down and tell me what’s going on.”
Hadley and I settled in the chairs opposite Hayes’ desk, and suddenly everything felt official. Hadley’s fingernails dug into the back of my hand. I knew she needed to be the one to make the jump. As much as I’d pushed to tell Hayes, Hadley had to be the one to share her story in her own words.
It took a couple of minutes, but Hayes had honed some patience over the years working this job. He knew he had to give people the time to find their words, their strength.
Finally, Hadley looked up and met her brother’s gaze. “Someone’s been messing with me. A stalker, I guess?” She glanced over at me. “Maybe that’s too strong a word.”
“It’s not. Whoever this is, they’re the definition of a stalker.”
Hayes’ jaw flexed. “Start at the beginning.”
To Hadley’s credit, she did. From her alter ego to the troll comments to the emails and texts, and finally today’s events. She didn’t leave a single detail out.
Hayes listened quietly, making notes on a pad of paper. When Hadley finished, he got quiet for a moment. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me when this first started? I’m your brother. And I’m a fucking sheriff.”
She flinched as he spat the words.
“Hayes,” I warned. “Watch your tone.”
His focus flicked to me. “You should’ve told me, too. You know she likes to keep things from us. You should’ve brought me into the loop.”
“That’s what we’re doing right now,” I pointed out.
“Too fucking late!” Hayes pushed to his feet and began pacing. “This kind of thing can be deadly. We have to assume that since this person has Hadley’s phone number, they know her identity. They could hurt her or worse.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” Hadley argued. “If they knew where I was, don’t you think they would’ve done something in person by now?”
“No. There are sick people out there who get a thrill out of scaring women. Right now, they’re fulfilled by these kinds of pranks, but what happens when they’re not? What happens when they escalate?”
“Hayes,” I gritted out.
Hadley squeezed my hand. “No, I want to know what he thinks. It’s why we’re here.”
Hayes let out a shaky breath and seemed to get himself a bit more under control. “First thing’s first, I don’t want you staying alone. You can stay with Everly and me.”
“She can stay with me,” I cut in. Hadley staying over wasn’t anything new for the girls. The only difference would be that she’d sleep in my bed.
Hayes’ mouth pressed into a thin line. “You’re not a trained officer.”
“I know how to keep the people I care about safe.”
Hadley released my hand and squeezed the bridge of her nose. “Can we dial down the testosterone? I have an alarm system at my house. It’s safe.”
I turned towards her. “You’re also ten minutes outside of town. Ten minutes from help. That’s not a good idea.”
She slumped against the chair. “Fine, I’ll stay with you.”
“You could sound a little happier about it,” I grumbled.
The corner of Hadley’s mouth kicked up, and she leaned over to give me a quick kiss. “I can hardly contain my excitement.”
“That’s a little better.”