Guarding Sophie (6 page)

K
YLE WOKE OUT
of a sound sleep to a frantic Sophie and banging on his front door. She pushed the panic button on the security system pad that was mounted on the wall next to the door.

“Do you have a landline?” she asked. “I need to call the police. He's out there. I saw him from your deck, and now he's here—”

“Who's here?”

He still heard banging on the front door. The person standing on his front porch had added continuous doorbell ringing to the repertoire as well.

“Peter. He was out there. He saw me. He's here. Oh, God.” She ran into his kitchen. The entire front of his house was windows; there was nowhere for either of them to hide. He had no idea if a 911 call would reach the Noel Police Department from his place in the woods, but he had to try. He grabbed his phone out of his pocket and dialed.

“Noel Police Department.”

He pulled breath into his lungs. “This is Kyle Carlson. Please send the police to my house. My guest has a stalker who's just shown up at my front door.”

“What's your address, Mr. Carlson?”

“I just moved in here. I think it's on Whispering Pines Drive. It's the A-frame cabin at the top of the hill if that helps at all.”

“One moment, please,” the 911 operator said. “Stay on the line.”

“The guy has a restraining order. He came here from Florida.”

The man on his front porch was still banging on the door and ringing the doorbell, and now he added shouting. “Answer the door, bitch. I know you're in here. We need to have a talk.”

Sophie appeared in the kitchen doorway. Kyle could see her shaking from across the room.

“He's not going to leave,” she choked out.

“Mr. Carlson, police are on their way. Please stay on the line. Do you have a weapon?”

“No, I don't,” Kyle said.

“The officers will be there as soon as possible.”

“Open up! I know you're in there, Sophie!” the man yelled.

Kyle could hear sirens from Noel seconds later. The pounding on the door stopped abruptly as one of the panes of heavy glass set into it cracked.

“Get away from the windows,” Kyle shouted to Sophie.

The 911 operator was telling him the police would be there in less than a minute. He pulled Sophie into his teeny office. Seconds later, he heard shattering glass and a car racing away from his house.

The police arrived, but not fast enough to save one of the huge windows in Kyle's living room. Peter had thrown a large rock through it. Kyle pulled the shade down in his office and set Sophie in his desk chair while two officers took pictures of the damage and two more officers searched his property.

“We've got guys coming from the surrounding communities too. They'll be here soon,” one of the officers told him. “Did you see which direction the guy went?”

“I was trying to keep her away from the windows.” He sent a hand through his hair. “It sounded like he took off farther up the hill, but I didn't think there were roads above the house.”

“They're old logging roads. He's not going to get far. We'd also like to talk with the young woman for a few minutes.”

Kyle walked into his office and put a hand on Sophie's shoulder. “How are you doing?”

She shook her head.

“They'll find him,” he said.

“Before or after he hurts someone else?”

“I'll make sure you're safe. I promise.”

“You can't do that,” she said. “
You'll
end up getting hurt.” She glanced up at him. Her eyes were swollen from crying. She brushed the tears off both cheeks with impatient fingertips. “I'm going to have to leave again. I can't imagine how he found me. I left everything and told nobody where I was going . . . ”

“Miss, do you have a few moments for us? Officers from other jurisdictions are helping us search. We're wondering if you could give us some more information.”

She closed her eyes for a few seconds and said, “Please let me know what I can do to help.”

Kyle made some calls while the police spoke with Sophie. Voices rose and fell behind the closed door to his office. He could see multiple police cars parked on the winding drive leading to his house. A satellite truck drove up and parked.

Shit.

Two more officers walked into his house and shut the door behind them.

“We've got guys driving the logging roads behind your place. They've found nothing so far. We also have a police heli on the way from Seattle; they'll be here in half an hour or so. Please tell Ms. Hayes that we are doing everything we can to locate the suspect, but it's not safe for her to go back to her place until he's caught,” one of the officers told Kyle.

Kyle nodded. “She can stay here.”

“It might not be safe for you to stay here, either. We'll have at least one car up here until we find him.”

“My insurance company has a glass guy on the way too.”

Everyone was talking, but they weren't telling him the important stuff. How did Sophie's stalker manage to find her in the first place? Would he be arrested and extradited to Florida to face a trial when they caught him, or would he sit in jail here while she lived in terror of when he got out?

“Good job on pushing the panic button on your security system too. Their dispatcher led us right to your house.”

“I think Sophie must have hit that. I didn't realize what was happening until he was banging on the door.”

The door to his office swung open, and Sophie walked into the living room. She was still shaking and brushing tears off her face with both hands. Kyle held out his arms to her. He was going to protect her, no matter what it took.

“We'll find him,” he said. “He won't be able to hurt you. I promise.”

S
OPHIE DRAGGED THE
suitcase full of her clothing and toiletries a police officer brought to Kyle's house upstairs to his guest room a few hours later. She needed a shower and a change of clothes. Even more, she needed someplace safe to stay. The police were still looking for Peter. They'd brought in a helicopter and police were searching the surrounding communities. He seemed to have vanished into thin air.

“We'll be watching your place, Sophie,” the female police officer said. “It's not safe to stay there right now.”

“My landlord lives in the bigger house. Will she be okay? I'm worried about her.” Sophie's worst nightmare had come true, but she couldn't think about that right now. What if Peter tried to hurt her landlady, appeared at Kyle's house again, or did something awful to her coworkers? They didn't ask for this.

“She's one of our firearms instructors. She'll be fine.” The officer reached out to pat Sophie's upper arm. “We're going to find him.”

“I know. I thought I'd finally gotten away from him.”

The officer glanced at Sophie's purse. “You said you bought a burner phone when you got here. Did you keep your old phone, by chance?”

“It's at the bottom of my purse. It's a Samsung. It cost a lot, and I couldn't stand to throw it out.”

“May I see it for a moment? Let's see if it still has any charge on it,” the officer said.

Sophie dug the phone out of her purse and handed it to the officer, who powered the phone up. She touched the screen a few times, powered it off, and handed it back to Sophie.

“Fixed it. Let's see your burner phone, if you don't mind.”

“Of course,” Sophie said. “May I watch what you're doing with it?”

The officer turned the screen so Sophie could watch her as she touched the screen on her disposable cell phone.

“I'm accessing the settings function. Click on Location, and then Google Location Settings.” The officer glanced at the phone. “I'm disabling both Location Reporting and Location History.”

“Why is that necessary?” Sophie asked the officer.

“Cell phones have a tracing function that's accessible from search engines. I guess you didn't know that.”

“What?”
Sophie said. “You're joking.”

“Nope. It's great for us, but not so great for people who are being stalked or otherwise bothered by someone else,” the officer said. “That function is disabled now. If you get a new phone and don't know how to do it, stop by the station and I'll help you.” She patted Sophie on the back.

Sophie sank onto Kyle's couch because her legs wouldn't hold her up. She had led Peter right to her as a result of her own ignorance and unwillingness to throw out a $400 phone. All the preparations and sacrifices she'd made were for nothing. God, she was dumb.

“We've got this. We'll find him. Don't worry,” the officer said. She turned to walk outside.

K
YLE
'
S BUSINESS PHONE
rang, and he reached out to grab it.

“Hey, Carlson. Heard you had a little excitement today,” Derrick Collins said. “ESPN's all over it. Plus, your voice mail's full on your other line.”

“I'll take care of it. Thanks.”

“A bunch of the guys are already here. Want to meet us for a bite? We'll be at Rudolph's in an hour. We're getting checked into the B&B right now.”

Kyle wasn't surprised that Derrick knew he was in Noel. Anyone who'd listened to the sports news today now knew where his cabin was too. Damn it.

“I'll see if Sophie wants to come along. She's freaking out. I don't blame her. The cops told us we can't stay here tonight, either.”

“Holly got a second room here in case my mom and grandma wanted to come along. They're at home. Want the room?”

Kyle let out the breath he'd been holding for over an hour now. The Sharks had managed to commandeer every available hotel room and B&B in the little town for the several days of team activities they had planned; he'd wondered if he'd have to take Sophie to Redmond or Wenatchee to find somewhere for them to stay. She had to work tomorrow too. He knew she was worried about the dent to her wallet if she couldn't go to work, but she was even more worried about endangering her coworkers and the customers of Noel Foods.

He didn't want her out of his sight. He was also worried about the safety of the other people in the store. Maybe the senior citizens who hung out at the table in the corner of Noel Foods might let him sit with them for a few hours. He'd already been warned about the homemade Kahlua. Sophie could stay somewhere safe while he and the Noel PD kept an eye out for Peter if he was stupid enough to show up at her work.

“Yes. I want the room. Thanks for offering.”

“We'll tell the B&B people and we'll see you both in an hour or so.”

Kyle grabbed his other phone out of his pocket and glanced at the missed calls. Fifteen calls from his parents. Ten calls from assorted guys who were probably concerned that they'd have to start paying their own cell phone bills each month. The cops had finally told the multiple news satellite trucks that pulled up outside his house all afternoon to leave.

Sophie was upstairs taking a shower. He had a few minutes. He hit Dial on his parents' phone number. His mother answered on the second ring.

“I've called you multiple times today. Why didn't you call me before now?”

She didn't sound scared. She sounded accusatory, which was no different from any other time they'd talked to each other since he was young. He had no idea what he'd done to her. He wished he did. Maybe he needed to ask.

“Hi, Mom,” he said. “Nice to talk to you too.”

“People from the news have been calling our house asking for a comment. We didn't know what was going on. Someone broke into your house?”

“No. Someone threw a rock through my living room window.”

“It might have been nice to get a phone call before now.”

He rested his forehead in one hand, took a deep breath, and plunged in. “Mom, I've been a little busy with the police and a houseguest. I'm sorry I didn't call sooner.” Of course, the typical angry sputtering started, and he interrupted her. “What is it that I ever did to you, Mom? Wouldn't most parents be wondering if I was safe or if I needed anything after someone threw a boulder through my living room window?”

He heard silence at the other end of the phone.

“Again. What is it that I did to you?”

“You have a lot of nerve even asking me that question. You have all that money while your dad and I have worked every day for what little we have. We deserved more in life. And you should be more generous.” She was on a roll. He let her talk for a few minutes, listening to her detail every way she thought he'd failed her.

“Let me get this straight. You don't think I've done enough for you?” He forced himself to remain calm. “I bought you a house. I've bought you a new car every other year. I sent you all on vacation, paid the bills, gave you money—I'm not sure what else you think I should do for you.”

“We should have a bigger house. Your dad wants a Cadillac.” She was still talking, and it occurred to him that she'd never asked him if he was okay. If he wasn't, he wouldn't be talking to her, but he realized that things between them were never going to change. She didn't care what he thought or how he felt. She felt cheated. He couldn't imagine why. What would his parents have done if he was a guy with a blue-collar job—would he still be expected to pick up the tab for everything?

In a blinding flash of insight after years of wondering, he knew there was something very wrong with both of his parents, and it had nothing to do with him. He couldn't give them enough money to make them love him. He'd done as much as he could. Maybe it was time to let go.

His real family consisted of the people he spent the most time with and who were always there for him—his friends and teammates. And he knew he wanted to do whatever he could to spend more time with Sophie. She loved his new kitchen, but he knew with certainty that if the trappings of his wealth disappeared tomorrow morning, she'd be just as happy making dinner for them in a one-bedroom apartment somewhere.

His mother was still insisting that his family deserved “more” when he took another deep breath and calmly said, “Nice to talk to you, Mom. I think it's best we don't talk to each other for a while. I'm hanging up now.”

“You can't do this,” his mother shouted. “I'm still talking.”

He hit End on his phone and shut it off.

Sophie walked into Kyle's office a few minutes later. “Kyle?”

“I'm right here,” he said. Twilight gathered outside his office window. He hadn't turned a light on.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” He sat up in his chair and turned to face her. “Some of the guys are going to Rudolph's for dinner. Want to come along?”

“Of course,” she said. Her lower lip trembled, but she smiled at him.

R
UDOLPH
'
S LOOKED LIKE
an old-fashioned ski lodge. Large windows and soaring ceilings with exposed beams let light in and showed off the mountains that ringed Noel. The ground floor featured a gigantic, wall-length bar that offered twenty taps of microbrewery beers and carefully constructed cocktails. The food ranged from small plates and burgers to pasta dishes. Piped-in holiday R&B and jazz were a nod to Noel's “all Christmas, all the time” theme. Wooden tables for four or six covered the available floor space. A wide staircase led to a more private seating area upstairs.

Sophie had been to Rudolph's once with a few of her coworkers. Things at the restaurant were typically quiet on a weekday. Not tonight. Kyle circled the area several times until someone pulled out of a parking space right across the street.

“I recognize these cars. My teammates have taken every available parking space in the town,” She had to smile when she saw him roll his eyes in mock irritation.

“You said the B&B we're staying at is close by too.”

“We gotta lug our stuff over there later. Hopefully we won't end up parking in Wenatchee,” he said, but he laughed. “Come on. Let's go see if there's any beer left.”

He reached out for her hand as they crossed the street to the restaurant. She still wasn't sure whether being out in public was a good idea, but she was somewhat comforted by the last conversation she'd had with the police officers before she and Kyle had left his house. The police had several solid leads. She didn't think Peter would be dumb enough to confront them in a public place. Then again, he wasn't the sharpest pencil in the pack.

Kyle squeezed her hand as he reached out to pull the restaurant's door open for her.

“Don't worry about him. Let's go have some fun.”

Sophie glanced around as she stepped inside the restaurant. There weren't many customers downstairs. She could hear the noise from upstairs.

Kyle's teammates were here, and she was about to meet them.

K
YLE REACHED OUT
for Sophie's hand again as they walked to his car later that evening.

“That was great,” she said. She still didn't remember everyone's name. That might take some work. She remembered Seth and Jillian, Zach and his wife, Cameron, and, of course, Derrick and his pregnant wife, Holly. The players, their wives, and girlfriends clustered around Sophie, joking and gently teasing, and they welcomed her like they'd known her their entire lives.

“They only
seem
nice,” he joked. “Wait until you get to know them better.” He helped her into the car, threw himself into the driver's seat, and hit the button to start the car. “Is there anything else you need before we go to the B&B?”

“Are you sure you're okay with this? Maybe I could go find a room in Wenatchee or something. I—”

“You need a good night's sleep. Plus, they'll feed us a great breakfast tomorrow morning.”

If Peter hadn't decided to show up, she was pretty sure she would still be at Kyle's house. Maybe he would have liked to spend some time at her place too. It was humble, but it was what she could afford. She wanted to spend as much time with Kyle as possible. Truthfully, the crush she'd had on him when she was in school had developed into a lot more in the past couple of days. If he wasn't here, she would have been on her way out of town. She loved Noel already, but she wasn't sure she could stay.

Kyle turned onto a paved lane lined with trees decorated with tiny clear lights. The house that loomed out of the darkness looked like something out of a fairy tale. It featured another sloped roof, but this looked like an old-fashioned country inn. The walls were a clean, restful white. Each window featured a flower box in full, riotous bloom. The house was surrounded by lush gardens. “Abendblume” was painted over a large window facing onto a small cobbled courtyard.

“If it's this gorgeous outside, I wonder what it looks like inside,” Sophie said.

“I stayed here several times before I bought my place,” Kyle said. “You're going to love it.” He pulled into a parking space, shut the car off, and turned to her. “We need to get you inside, but there's something I need to tell you first.”

“Is something wrong?”

“No, not at all,” he said. “We're staying in the room Derrick's mom and grandma were going to use. There're two double beds.” He reached out to squeeze her hand. “I don't want you to feel like we have to share a room, but I wanted to be close by just in case,” he said. “I can scare off the bad guy if you need me to.”

“You'd do that for me?”

“Of course.” She saw the flash of his smile. “I get paid to be scary. If you don't need my help, though, I can always go bunk with Tom's kids.”