Little pig, little pig, let me in. Running away didn’t make you win. I’m coming, little piggy. Are you ready to play with the big bad wolf? Are you ready to bleed? Oink. Oink.
* * *
Tension and fear settled around us.
Had my stalker found me? Or was he just playing a game and trying to scare the crap out me? How did he get this number? This was anuntraceablephone.
Who the hell was this crazy stalker guy, and why did he hate me so much? Why wouldn’t he just leave me alone?
I shivered.
Adrik rose from the bed. “I have to report this to Efrem. They can fire me, but they can’t stop me from protecting you while I’m still here.” At my nod, he dressed quickly and stepped out into the hallway to talk to my brother. He’d kept my phone, and I didn’t know if he would give it back.
If my stalker had found me, would I have to leave again? Run and hide somewhere else? Flee to one of the safe houses? This property was highly secure. Would we stay and fight? Lure the guy out somehow so they could catch him? Would more of the local soldiers be brought in to help? Would my family come to Tahoe to assist?
Would they let Adrik continue to help until they sent him away tomorrow?
I carefully maneuvered out of bed and got dressed, unsure what to do. Wait for Adrik to come back? Go play with Harley? Timofey had put the dog in one of the spare rooms earlier, but I wasn’t sure which one. I would have to find Harley and let him out soon, but only after I talked to Adrik and made sure he was okay with it.
Timofey’s large bulk filled the doorway to my room. He knocked softly on the open door. “Miss Annika.” He smiled, pushing my chair into the room. “Thought you might need this.”
“Thank you.”
He waited while I settled into the chair. “Adrik told me what’s going on. We don’t know if your stalker found us or if he’s just trying to scare you. But rest assured, the only way he can get past the gate is if someone lets him in. We’re going to check the surveillance footage to see if he’s been lurking around outside. If so, he somehow eluded the sensors. You don’t need to worry. You just do your thing and we’ll let you know if there’s a change in plans.”
“Thanks, Timofey. Sorry you had to be woken up.”
He shrugged. “Just part of the job. If you need anything, I’ll be in the surveillance room. Adrik is still on the phone with the boss man. They reinstated him temporarily until more help arrives.” He winked. “Adrik will fill you in when he’s done.”
Timofey left. Not more than thirty seconds later, Adrik reappeared. I almost ran into him, since I was heading for the door while he was heading in.
We both halted, laughing softly, our gazes locking and emotion swirling between us.
Adrik cleared his throat. “I told Efrem I wasn’t standing aside even though they took me off the job, that I was going to protect you until they made me leave. He said they were okay with that, but they’re sending new soldiers in to help. We’ve been ordered to stay put for the time being. Once we review the video surveillance, we’ll be able to make a decision about what to do, if anything. It’s safer in here than out there.”
I smiled, pleased that Adrik was refusing to abandon me. “Okay. Can I have my phone back, please? I want to talk to my brother.”
Adrik handed me my phone, then left me alone.
“Ef, what’s going on?” I demanded once he’d answered.
He sighed. “We’re not sure how the guy got your new number. We’re still investigating. But since he now has your number, he can track you, if he hasn’t already found you. I don’t want to scare you, sis, but I want you to be prepared. You’re safer where you are for the moment. He can’t get to you as long as you stay inside the property.” Ef paused. “Pavel is sending more soldiers to the house as we speak, so you’ll have extra security soon. The men are well-trained, so you don’t need to worry about anything. As soon as we know more, I’ll give you an update.”
More soldiers were good. That meant more eyes. More protection. Moreguns.
“Thanks, Ef. I love you.”
“Love you, too, sis. Talk soon.”
We disconnected, and I sat in silence for several minutes, contemplating. Then I reopened the prior text from my stalker. Reread it.
Little pig, little pig, let me in. Running away didn’t make you win. I’m coming, little piggy. Are you ready to play with the big bad wolf? Are you ready to bleed? Oink. Oink.
I stared at the text, trying to figure out if there was some kind of hidden message somewhere. Had he found me? Did he know I was at the lake house? The house was hidden in the trees behind the fence, so he couldn’t possibly see me inside. Though he might be able to see someone out in the yard if he was looking through binoculars.
If he knew we were here, then he’d tracked us here somehow.
Or he’d followed us all the way from L.A.