Chasing Bristol (The Finding Trilogy Book 2) (21 page)

Shocked, I looked at Mason and mouthed,
“He’s here!”

Mason rushed out the front door to
search outside while I tried to keep my stalker on the phone. “How can I make
you stop? Tell me what to do to make you leave me alone.”

“Oh, Bristol,” he groaned, irritated.
“Why can’t you just accept that I love you and I’m not going anywhere? I want
to be like a drug. I want you to need me so bad you feel like you’ll die
without me. Why? Because that’s how I feel about you. I am
never
leaving
you alone. Never. I’ll never stop until all your freedom is gone and I’m the
only one you need to survive.”

“You’re so full of shit!” I snapped.
“I’m not afraid of you, Vincent, and you’ll never take my freedom from me.”

“Is that so?” he countered, “Then why
did you leave your apartment?” He laughed, boastful.

I fumed, invisible steam seeping from my
ears. “You won’t get away with this. You’ll mess up soon enough and the cops
will find you.”

“Sure, because they’re
so
close.”
He was smart, so good at this stalker business. “Oh, by the way, you should
thank me. I took care of your ex for you. He won’t be pressuring you to come back
to him anytime soon.”

My throat burned. I tightened my grip on
the phone until my knuckles turned white. “What did you do to Tyler?”

“I like the shade of red here. It
motivates me.”

Vincent hung up, leaving behind the
horror that he’d done something horrible to my ex.

“What did he say?” Mom asked, moving
close to me.

Mason came back inside then. “I didn’t
see anything.”

I drove my fingers through my hair,
exasperated. “He has Tyler. He—” I stopped to consider his words. “Shade of
red…” I repeated to myself. Looking at Mason, I yelled, “He’s at Tyler’s
apartment!”

The second I figured out
that Tyler was in trouble, I wanted to drive to his apartment. Mason insisted
that we wait at Mom’s while cops searched his place. He’d called the precinct
and reported what Vincent told me. 

I paced around the living room, rubbing
my hands together and waiting for news that it was a lie. Tyler was all right.

“Bristol,” Mason touched my shoulder and
tried to calm me down, but I couldn’t stay calm. This whole thing had gotten so
out of hand.

Mason’s phone rang. I winced, nervous
about what the cops had found.

“Daniels,” he answered staring at the
floor. He released a long sigh and then ended the call.

“Is Tyler okay?” Mom asked, rising from
the couch.

Mason moved closer to me and hauled me
into his arms. “I’m so sorry, Bristol. They found Tyler’s body in his
apartment. He’s—”

“No!” I cried, not letting him finish.
My legs buckled and I started to fall. Mason held me up, consoling me. I
couldn’t believe it. Tyler was…dead. He was dead because of me. This was
all
because of me.

I spent the next two days in my bedroom
engulfed in darkness, feeling numb and at a loss. Mom wanted us to stop by the
McKinleys, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t show my face to Tyler’s family when it
was my fault he was gone.

Julian stopped by on Monday. I was glad
to have her close but it would have been great if Amber was there too.

“Bristol,” Julian whispered when she
entered my room. “How are you holding up?”

I didn’t answer, too emotional to speak.
It was as if all strength had been drained from me since I’d heard about Tyler.

Like a true friend, Julian lay down
beside me. She wrapped her arms around my fragile body while I cried softly.
After a while she spoke again. “Any news about the investigation?”

I grimaced. “None at all. Why the hell
can’t they find Vincent? How is he so good at this? It’s like he’s done it time
and time again.”

She stroked my head. “I wish I could
take this all away from you.”

Turning to her, I asked, “Jules, where’s
Amber? I haven’t seen her since Friday and I’ve been calling her.”

“Oh, uh…” Julian pushed up and leaned
against the headboard, her shoulders hunched with regret.

Wiping my tear-stained cheeks with the palm
of my hand, I peered up at her and asked, “Where is she? Tell me.”

“Amber went away with Roman,” she
admitted, finding it hard to meet my gaze.

My jaw dropped. “Wh-what? She did? But I
thought—”

“I know, and she felt bad, but Bristol,”
She tucked my hair behind my ears; it must have been a complete mess. “Amber
really wanted to go away with him. She said Roman would be leaving town for a
while and she wanted to spend a little time with him before he left.”

I dropped back on my pillow. “I see. I
guess it’s for the best. I don’t know what Vincent will do next.”

Julian squeezed my arm. I closed my eyes
as tears started to fall again.

A rumble erupted suddenly, followed by
light pitter-patter that turned into a heavy downpour. Julian stayed with me
until I fell asleep.

It was still raining when I woke up
later that night. Julian had left. I finally crawled out of bed to take a shower
and went right back to lie down and snuggle under the sheets. It sounded like
someone was throwing stones at my window. There was no way I could fall asleep
again.

My heart ached for Tyler and his family.
Guilt stuck me all over like I’d been thrown into a field of needles.

I didn’t want to bother Julian and ask
her to come over again, and I certainly didn’t want to disturb Amber on her
trip with Roman—not that her phone was on anyway. Sliding out of bed, I walked
to the window and sat on the bench, watching raindrops stream down the glass.

My phone rang, stirring up my anxiety. I
rose from the chair and took slow, nervous steps toward the table next to my
bed.

Unknown caller.
Vincent
.

Enraged, I swiped my finger across the
tab and brought the phone to my ear. “You monster!”

“Well, hello to you too, my love. How
have you been?” His voice was calm and sweet, the usual until something set him
off.

“You
killed
him!” I shrieked.

A chilling growl filled the line. “I did
it for us. For our future.”

“Future?” I swallowed hard. Tired, I
pleaded with him, “Please stop this, Vincent. Please.”

“Then come
home
, my love. I’ll
meet you in our bedroom.”

His words made me want to puke.
“You…you’re sick!”

“I’m giving you until noon tomorrow to
make up your mind. If you’re not back in our home by then… Well, you’ve seen
what I can do when I’m upset.”

I crumbled down on the warm carpet and
pulled my knees up to my chest, whimpering in fear.

Vincent breathed out, then said, “I have
to hang up now. I’m actually in the middle of something. I’ll see you tomorrow
then.” He sounded sure of himself, like he knew what I was considering.
“Goodnight, my love.”

Disoriented, I held the phone at my ear
for a minute. Perhaps that was exactly what I needed to do. It was the only way
I could protect everyone involved. I had to face Vincent.

On my own.

I couldn’t sleep that night.
I stayed up thinking long and hard about what I was going to do and how to
explain it to my mom and dad, not to mention Mason.

By the time I crawled into bed, the sun was
rising. I hardly got any sleep before Mom came into my room and brushed my
cheek.

“How are you doing, honey?” she asked,
sitting at my side.

I shrugged.

“You think you can eat something?” Her
voice was saturated with worry, which made it harder to tell her that I was
returning to my apartment.

Easing up in bed, I said, “Mom, you mind
inviting Dad over for breakfast with us?”

She blinked a few times and parted her
lips to mutter something. She stopped, deliberated more, and then asked, “Um,
isn’t he at work by now?”

“No. I’m sure that job has wrapped now
since the restaurant is opening this week.”

Considering this, she said after a
moment, “Okay. If that’s what it takes to get you to eat.”

“Thank you.”

Mom stood and went downstairs. I slipped
out of bed and traipsed over to the dresser, observing my reflection. I looked
like a ghost. My skin was gloomy. There were dark circles under my eyes, and my
hair was wild, matted in some places.

I’d been so stressed for the past few
weeks that I’d given up on myself; that had to stop. I needed to put an end to
all of this. I had to be the strong woman I’d aspired to be.

I took a shower and got dressed, then
went downstairs when Dad arrived, figuring I’d tell them what I was going to do
while we were eating. But, whenever I glanced up from my food, I’d grow nervous
and have a hard time speaking.

Noticing my uneasiness, Dad asked,
“What’s wrong, sweetheart? You’ve been fighting to say something ever since I
walked through the door.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat and
peered up at them. “Um…Dad, Mom, don’t get upset, but I’ve decided to go back
to my apartment. Today.”

Their eyes enlarged. Dad wiped his mouth
and threw down his napkin. “Are you insane?”

“Bristol!” Mom yelped. “You can’t go
back there. After what happened to Tyler…” Her voice hitched. “You can’t.”

“He’ll kill you!” Dad yelled.

“No, he won’t.” I explained, “It’s the
only way to catch him, when he tries to stop by with me there.”

“That’s dangerous,” Mom warned me.

“I know,” I muttered, picking at my
jeans. “But I have to keep him from hurting you guys.”

Dad grumbled something inaudible. Fear
blanketed Mom’s face. “I can’t believe you want to do something so stupid,” she
fumed.

“Please listen,” I said in a low voice.
“Vincent doesn’t want to hurt me. He could have that night in your condo, Dad,
or even at the restaurant.” I caught my breath. “Killing me is pointless. It
would mean that all he’s done was for nothing.”

Mom flared her hands. “So you just want
to give him what he wants? Go back to the apartment and then what? You’ll
become his prisoner, Bristol.”

“He’ll take you some place where we
won’t be able to find you,” Dad said, fighting back tears. “I won’t let that
happen. I’d never forgive myself if you got hurt or…worse.”

I leaned my head to the side and
reassured them, “Nothing will happen to me. I promise. Please, you have to
trust me. This is the only way to stop him once and for all.”

We sat in silence. Dad huffed and
eyeballed me but didn’t say anything else. Mom couldn’t even meet my gaze.

Sliding back my chair, I left them at
the table and went up to my room.  I paced around for a while, then sat on
the foot of the bed and rubbed my hands together, trying to stop the shakes.

I could hear my parents downstairs
arguing. A few minutes later I heard the doorbell and Dad saying Mason’s name.
My stomach clenched. There was no way he’d let me go back to my apartment.

No. Way.

Footsteps climbed the stairs. Someone
rapped on my door. I glanced over my shoulder and saw an upset Mason entering.

“Are you out of your damn mind? You
can’t go back to your apartment,” he scolded me, his brows knitting into a
glare.

I stood and released a sharp breath.
“Just trust me on this, Mason. It’s the only way to stop him.”

His hands flared. “Look, I’m sorry about
Tyler, and you bet I’m pretty damn angry about my dog, but that’s not the way.
Going back is too risky, especially at this point.”

“I’m not planning on staying. I just
want to draw him out. Besides, if I don’t go back Vincent will do something
terrible again, and I don’t want anyone else to die because of me.”

Mason crossed the room and gripped my
arms. “He’s already killed. Don’t for a second think that he won’t kill you too
when he realizes you’ll never feel the way he does.”

I touched his hands. “Mason…you don’t
understand. I’m so scared. I’m always looking over my shoulder. I can’t even
sleep at night.”

Suddenly riddled by sadness, he pulled
his hands away. “I
do
understand. I lost my sister, Bristol. Remember? I
couldn’t save Ariel, but I will save you.”

My heart broke for him. I felt like
shit. No one understood this stalker thing more than Mason. He’d been through
it with Ariel. At the same time, a part of me felt hurt, as if he was only
trying to keep me safe out of guilt because he hadn’t been able to do the same
for his sister.

“I’m not Ariel, Mason. You’re not
obligated to take care of me.”

He placed his hands on my shoulders,
this time gentle and calm. “It’s not an obligation. I care about you, Bristol.
I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe.”

I relaxed at his words. I felt like I
was going to dissolve under his gaze. I whispered through a smile, “I can see
that.”

Mason backed up. “Then stay here. I’ll
figure out a way to catch this guy. There are officers at Tyler’s apartment as
we speak looking for evidence. So just give it some time and don’t do anything
crazy, like going back to your apartment because you think it’ll keep everyone
safe. It won’t. You’ll only fall right into his hands, and I worry that if you
do, I might not be able to save you.”

Sighing deeply, I plopped down on the
side of the bed and considered hard. Mason had a point. Going back to the
apartment was very dangerous. “Okay. It was a bad idea,” I murmured. “I won’t
go back.”

“Good.” Relief spread over his handsome
face. His lips stretched into a satisfied grin and it made my heart start to
hammer with excitement.

Mason was about to come closer to me but
changed his mind when Dad appeared in the doorway.

“Everything all right?” he asked. “Mason,
did you talk some sense into her?”

“He did.” I exhaled and glanced up at
Dad. “I’m sorry I scared you and Mom. It was a stupid idea.”

The tension in his shoulders relaxed.
“I’m glad you realized that. Your mom had to go to the store. She asked me to
watch you, lock you in your room if you didn’t get that crazy idea out of your
head.”

I managed a smile. “Sorry.”

Mason cleared his throat. “Well, I’m
going to head back to the station to keep searching for this Vincent. There
should be another officer coming over in a bit.”

“Okay.” I rose from the bed. “I’ll walk
you out. Sorry my parents called you out here because of me.”

“It’s all right.”

“We were concerned,” Dad countered. He
made to go back down the hall but stopped and said, “Mason seems to have an
effect on you, that’s why I called him.” He chuckled as he spun away and I
heard his footsteps descending the stairs.

My cheeks felt hot. I bit my bottom lip
in a shy way. An awkward air gathered between us for a beat before Mason spoke
again. “Um, you don’t have to come down. It’s okay. Get some rest.”

Warmth coursed through me when his eyes
danced over my features and a low moan escaped his lips. “Listen, Bristol…I
know I made you feel guilty about Marley, but I want you to know…” He swallowed
and continued, “I don’t have any regrets. I really want to be with you.”

“Me too,” I said quickly, almost out of
breath as our steamy session consumed my mind. “It’s just that, with all the
chaos, it’s hard to spend any time with you without worrying about what Vincent
will do. Mason, I don’t want you to get hurt.”

He nodded, understanding me. “That’s why
I want to find him so bad for you. For us.”

I didn’t say a word after that, only
smiled and watched him step out of my room and leave.

For us
.

No other words had ever thrilled me
more. I began to envision what a life with Mason would be like, but was soon
interrupted by my phone buzzing on the nightstand.

Someone was calling me, perhaps Amber wanting
to apologize for going away when she’d said she wouldn’t.

I hurried over and picked up my phone.
Fear paralyzed me in spot. My mouth fell open and a tear dripped down my cheek.

An unknown number. Vincent. I checked
the time. It was almost noon. He needed an answer.

The phone continued to ring in my hands.
I pressed ignore and ended the call. Almost immediately it started ringing
again. I turned it off. That would surely piss him off.

I should have left
.

What would he do now that he’d realized
I wasn’t returning to the apartment? I prayed no one else would get hurt
because of me.