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  I reached for my glass and glanced down at the desk as something caught my eye. It was a cashier’s cheque for twenty thousand dollars, made out to someone called Martin Stroll. I wonder why Jacob would be paying someone so much money, but if I was honest, I knew very little about Jacob’s business life other than he was a successful Attorney, and he hoped to run for the Senate in the near future.

  I glanced down at the name on the cheque once more, and I decided he must be someone who would be helping him with his campaign.

  I knocked back my milk, deciding I should probably head back to bed now, hoping the milk would kick in soon. I returned my cup to the kitchen, putting it and the saucepan into the dishwasher before I made my way back up to bed.

  As I climbed back into bed, Jacob rolled onto his side, then reached out and pulled me closer to him.

  “I love you, Ally,” he whispered with a yawn as he snuggled up next to me.

  “Love you too,” I replied, as I released a tired sigh. Closing my eyes, I allowed Jacob to pull me closer to him as sleep finally came and claimed me.

  Chapter 3

  Ally

  I sat on the sofa lost in my book when the sound of Jacob’s car came thundering up the gravel driveway before it screeched to a stop outside our house.

  It had been almost a week since my day out with Teddy, and Jacob had arrived home at different times every day as if he was trying to catch me out once more. At least that how it felt to me.

  I told myself that I was paranoid, that his coming home at different times had nothing to do with Teddy or me, but still, I couldn’t shake this uneasy feeling.

  I’d become so unsettled; I’d even convinced myself on more the one occasion over the last week that I was being watched, I just didn’t know who by.

  I had seen the same car behind me on a couple of occasions, and more than once, and I was certain it was following me. It was a feeling I couldn’t explain. In my heart, I knew I was being ridiculous; that I was just letting things with Jacob get to me more than I really should have.

  I just needed to find something for me to do. Something that would keep me focused and control my overactive imagination.

  I set down my book just as Jacob came rushing in through the front door.

  “ALLY!” He called out from the hallway, sounding more than a little panicked. “Ally, where are you?”

  “I’m in here,” I replied, rising from the chair just as he appeared in the doorway to the living room. “What’s wrong?”

  He didn’t reply. Instead, he just rushed towards me and wrapped his arms around me, hugging me so tightly, I could barely breathe.

  “Jacob,” I gasped as I pulled back a little from his embrace. “You’re scaring me. What’s happened?”

  “Where is Lynn?” He asked, ignoring my question.

  “She’s in the kitchen, I think,” I replied, having no clue what was actually going on. “Jacob, what’s happened?”

  “Okay,” he said, giving me a worried look. “I need to tell you something, and I don’t want you to freak out…”

  He walked towards the door of the living room and called out Lynn’s name before he turned and looked at me once more.

  “Maybe you should sit down,” he said as he walked back toward me, taking hold of my hands then leading me back to the sofa. We both sat down, and I held my breath as I waited for what it was, he was going to say.

  “Before I tell you this,” he began taking a deep, calming breath. “I need you to promise you’re not going to freak out. I’m on top of this, I promise you. And I will find out who is behind this and put a stop to it.”

  “Okay,” I said, but now my heart was racing, and I could hear it drumming in my ears. I took a deep breath and held it as Jacob began to speak.

  “The day before you went missing with Teddy,” Jacob began, Teddy’s name almost catching in his throat. Instantly, I cringed, remembering just how much he’d blown everything out of proportion that day. “I saw a man standing out on the street, peering through the gates when I was leaving for work. I didn’t really think much of it at the time. I thought maybe it was someone lost or simply being nosy. By the time the car reached the gates, there was no sign of the guy anywhere, and I thought that was that.”

  “Okay,” I nodded as I rubbed my clammy hands in my skirt. I didn’t know where he was going with this but judging from the look in his eyes; I knew it was nowhere good.

  “But then when I was leaving the next morning,” Jacob continued, looking me straight in the eye. “He was there again, and this time I knew it wasn’t simply someone lost. The moment he saw me, he backed away from the gate. I ran down to the gate, but by the time I reached it, the man was in his car, tearing away down the street. I knew something wasn’t right. That’s why I’d come home early that day. I was at the office, and I called you, but there was no answer, and I panicked.”

  My face flush at his words. I’d been so angry with him and the whole time he’d just been looking out for me. I had just assumed that it was him being his usual controlling self. Now I felt so stupid.

  “I got Russell to put up some extra security cameras outside,” Jacob said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He began to scroll through his phone until finally, he stopped and handed it to me.

  Taking it from his hands, I looked down at the screen as Jacob reaching over and hit play on the video he had on his phone. It was a grainy black and white security video of some guy standing outside the front gate of the house. He was wearing a dark hoodie, which was pulled down, covering his face. The man watched through the gates for a few minutes before he appeared to try to open it. He pulled on it several times before he began to climb up on the gate. Suddenly he jumped back from the gate as if someone had disturbed him.

  He hid in the bushes, and moments later, the electric gates opened, and my car drove out through them. Then, as I drove away, the guy slipped in through the gates before they closed.

  “He was in our home!” I exclaimed, suddenly feeling like I wanted to be sick. “Was he inside the house?”

  “No!” Jacob replied, quickly reassuring me. “No. Lynn was here and scared him away.”

  As if on cue, Lynn walked into the room, giving Jacob an expectant look.

  “Lynn,” he said the moment he saw her. “Mrs. Wallace has had a bit of a fright; can you please make her some sweet tea to help with the shock.”

  “Certainly, Mr. Wallace,” Lynn replied before she turned and hurried back out through the door.

  “Do you know what he wants?” I asked as I recalled the times over the last week; I felt like I was being watched. “Is… is he here because of me?”

  “Why would you think that?” Jacob asked, giving me a look that I couldn’t read.

  “I don’t know,” I shrugged. “I just… I just thought a few times that there was someone… I don’t know; maybe I was being stupid.”

  “Someone where?” Jacob asked, looking worried once more.

  “When I was out,” I shrugged. “I thought that there was this car following me. A couple of times I felt like I was being watched, but I thought… I just thought I was being paranoid.”

  “I don’t think you were,” Jacob said as he stood up and walked to where he’d left his briefcase. He hesitated for a moment before he opened it and removed a large brown envelope from inside. “These were delivered to my office a short time ago.”

  He turned slowly before he walked back across the room and handed the envelope to me.

  I stared up at Jacob for a moment before I looked down and turned the envelope over in my hand. The moment I did, my breath caught in my throat. There on the front of the envelope, written in big, bold letters read.

  You don’t deserve her. She belongs with me.

  I glanced up at Jacob before I opened the flap on the envelope and reached inside, pulling out its contents. It was filled with photographs, all taken of me over the last few days.

  “Jesus!” I cried and
dropped them to the floor as my stomach heaved. I quickly jumped to my feet, and ran out to the guest bathroom, barely making it to the toilet before I violently emptied the contents of my stomach into it.

  “Ally,” Jacob said from the doorway before he cautiously stepped into the bathroom too. He placed his hand on the small of my back, making me jump with fright. “It’s okay, Sweetheart. I’ve got you.”

  I lifted my head from the porcelain bowl, whipping my mouth with the back of my hand before I turned to face him.

  “Why is this happening to us?” I asked, feeling like my world had completely fallen apart. “Why would somebody do this to us?”

  “Because the world is a scary, fucked up place, Al,” Jacob sighed as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer to him, holding me tightly in his arms. “But I promise you, Ally, I will find out who this asshole is, and I will make him pay. In the meantime, I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe. I just need you to let me.”

  “Okay,” I sniffed as suddenly a sob escaped from deep inside me. “D…did you call the police?”

  “Not yet,” Jacob replied as he continued to rub my back. “But I will. I just wanted to get home to you the moment I saw the photographs.”

  “I can’t believe this is really happening,” I sobbed once more.

  “Please don’t cry, Ally,” Jacob whispered as he pulled me even closer to him “I promise nothing is going to happen to you. You have nothing to worry about.”

  “Okay,” I sobbed softly, glad that I had him in my life. I knew he would do whatever it took to protect me; to protect both of us.

  Finally, Jacob led me back to the living room where Lynn was setting down a tray with tea and some cookies. As I walked in, she gave me a sympathetic smile before she left us alone once more. As Jacob led me to the sofa, his phone began to ring in his pocket, but much to my surprise, he did not attempt to answer it. Instead, all his attention was focused on me. Something that had never happened before.

  As I sat down on the sofa, Jacob reached for the cup of tea on the tray, then handed it to me.

  “This will make you feel better,” he said, giving me a broad smile as his phone began to ring once more.

  “Don’t you need to get that?” I asked, looking up at him expectantly, knowing Jacob never just let his phone ring out.

  “I’ll call whoever it is back,” he replied as he sat down next to me. “Right now, I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

  “I’m okay,” I assured him, not wanting him to worry about me more than he had to. “But I might just go up and lay down. I have a horrible headache.”

  “Okay,” he replied, standing up once more, giving me a worried look. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “Yeah,” I sighed, forcing a smile on my face. “I think I just need to go rest.”

  “Go then, Sweetheart,” he repeated as he leaned forward and kissed me on the forehead before he stepped back out of my way. “I’m going to ring the police. When you wake up, they might want to talk to you, but you don’t have to be scared, I will be right with you.”

  “Okay,” I nodded, giving him a weak smile before I headed out of the living room, then made my way up the stairs, heading straight to my bedroom.

  Once I was there, I climbed onto the bed, suddenly feeling completely and utterly exhausted. I reached up and pulled my pillow close to my body, holding it tight as I softly cried until sleep finally claimed me.

  It was a little after six when I finally woke up. The bedroom was already cloaked in darkness, and I was surprised I had slept as long as I had.

  Pushing up from the bed, I made my way to the bathroom, where I splashed some water on my face, then fixed my hair before I returned to the bedroom, then made my way downstairs.

  As I walked down the staircase, I could hear voices coming from the living room. I recognised Jacob’s voice, but I didn’t recognise the other two men who were talking.

  I wasn’t sure if I should continue down and disturb them or if I should just turn around and head back to my room. I decided to keep going; I needed to know what was going on now.

  “Here she is,” Jacob exclaimed, spotting me the moment I reached the doorway of the living room. He instantly stood up and crossed the living room to where I was, greeting me with a kiss on the forehead. “Sweetheart, these gentlemen are detectives, and they would like to talk to you if that’s okay?”

  “Sure,” I nodded, smiling at him as he reached for my hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze before he led me back to the sofa.

  “Mrs. Wallace,” the older of the two detectives said as I sat down across from them. “I’m Detective Monroe; this is my partner, Detective Reynolds. We want to ask you a few questions if that’s okay?”

  “Yeah, that’s fine,” I nodded, smiling at them.

  “So,” he continued, leaning forward in his seat a little. “Your husband said that you thought you might have been followed over the past week.”

  “I don’t know,” I shrugged, not wanting to tell them something that wasn’t true. “I thought I had seen the same car following me a couple of times. And while I was at the store, I just got the feeling I was being watched. I can’t explain it.”

  “Do you know what kind of car it was?” The other detective asked, giving me a reassuring smile. “What colour or model it was.”

  “I don’t really know cars,” I said, knowing I wasn’t going to be much help. “It was a dark car, a saloon model, but I don’t know the make.”

  “Was there anything else that stood out about this car?” Detective Monroe asked. “Did you get a number plate?”

  “No, I’m sorry,” I sighed, I said as I tried hard to think of anything that could help them. “He was too far back, and when he finally passed me, he drove by so fast.”

  “So, it was a man driving?” Detective Reynolds asked.

  “Yeah, I think so,” I nodded. “I mean it was hard to see him, he was wearing a black hoodie, and his hood was up, but it looked like a man. A white man. I remember his hands were white.”

  “Is there anything else you can tell us about the car?” Detective Monroe asked, giving me a look that said I really wasn’t being much help.

  “I don’t remember,” I said as I desperately searched my mind for something. Then I remembered. “His taillight was broken,”

  “Are you sure?” Detective Reynolds asked.

  “Yeah,” I nodded as the image of the car speeding past me flashed into my mind. “His right rear light. And there was a decal sticker on the bumper. I think it said something about God on it, but I didn’t get to read it all.”

  “That’s a big help,” Detective Monroe said, giving me a warm smile.

  “I’m sorry I can’t tell you more,” I replied, wishing there was more I could do to help.

  “You’ve given us enough,” Detective Monroe assured me, smiling once more.

  “So, what happens now?” Jacob asked the same question that was going through my head.

  “Well,” Detective Monroe replied. “We’ll put a BOLO out on the car in the area, and we’ll increase patrols on your street too. We’ll also take the photos back to the station for forensics to have a look. Who knows, we might get a hit.”

  “Is there something more I should be doing?” Jacob asked as he glanced over at me.

  “I would tighten up your security a bit,” Detective Reynolds suggested. “At least until we find out who this asshole is. Maybe Mrs. Wallace should avoid going anywhere alone for the time being.”

  “Oh, I will make sure she is never left alone,” Jacob replied, and for a moment, his words unsettled me, but I pushed that thought from my mind. I told myself that he just wanted me safe, nothing more.

  “We have the names of a couple of guys who do private security,” Detective Monroe said as they all stood up and started towards the door. “I could give you their numbers. I know one guy; he is the best at this kind of stuff. You could give him a call.”

  “That would
be great,” Jacob replied, giving the detective a grateful smile. “Thank you.”

  Jacob walked the detectives to the door while I remained on the sofa, lost in thought.

  I didn’t know how or why this was happening to me, but for the first time since I left home, I wished I was back in our small town in New Jersey, and that I’d never come to live in DC.

  “Are you okay? Jacob asked a few moments later when he returned to the living room.

  “I guess,” I sighed as I looked up at him and gave him a sad smile. At that moment, the thought struck me. Whoever this asshole was, he had just driven the last nail into the coffin of my freedom. Jacob finally had me exactly where he wanted me.

  I never felt more trapped in my entire life.

  “Lynn has made some dinner for us both,” Jacob said as he walked across the room to where I was sitting. He reached out his hand to me before I took it and let him pull me to my feet. “You should eat something.”

  “I’m not really hungry,” I replied, suddenly feeling drained once more. “I think I might just call it an early night.”

  “But you need to eat,” he insisted, giving me a look that said he knew what was better for me. “You need to keep your strength up.”

  “If I eat anything,” I sighed, refusing to back down. “I’ll just be sick again. Besides, my head still hurts.”

  “Are you sure?” He asked, his eyes never leaving mine. I knew he wanted to insist I try to eat something, but thankfully he didn’t push it.

  “Yeah,” I sighed before I leaned up and kissed him softly on the lips. “I’m tired.”

  I walked towards the door, knowing that Jacob was still watching me. I turned back and gave him one last smile before I headed back up the stairs, back to the safety of my bedroom.

  Chapter 4

  Jaxson

  “You know the paint is supposed to go on the wall, not on you?” I asked Travis, giving him an amused look. I was grateful for his help in decorating my new place, but I was starting to wonder if his help was actually a good idea.