Fatal Desire, Teen Edition (4 page)

“Amber,” Olivia barked. Amber stopped
talking. .“Honey, listen to me. You are the bravest, strongest
person I know. You will make it through this. And one day you will
find someone who will be willing to help you out of this
situation.” Olivia continued to talk to Amber in soothing tones
reassuring her and trying to get her mind off of her stalker.

The girls talked about the adventure Amber
was having and getting to live in different places and meet new
people. When Olivia heard Amber laugh she knew Amber was going to
be alright.

“So where is Mr. Handsome who keeps taking
you out for romantic dinners and keeping stars in your eyes,” Amber
asked.

“He is out of town right now,” Olivia
answered. “His aunt is sick and she is elderly and lives by
herself. He took some time off work to take care of her. He said he
wasn’t sure how long he would be gone. Isn’t he wonderful to want
to help take care of his aunt that way?”

“You definitely met a good man, Livvy. I am
so happy for you,” Amber stated.

“I know. I never thought I could be this
happy. He really is wonderful to me. I hate that you and he have
not been able to meet. The two most important people in my life
should know each other,” Olivia said.

“I agree. Maybe we can all get together some
day,” Amber replied.

“Oh, Amber. I almost forgot to tell you with
all of the craziness going on. I am getting married! Maybe you can
meet him then. I want you to be there. You have to be my maid of
honor.”

“Olivia, that’s wonderful!! I am so happy for
you,” Amber cried.

“Please say you will come. I need you,”
Olivia begged.

“I will be there, Livvy, but I can’t be your
maid of honor. I want to, really, but I dare not risk it. No one
needs to know I am there other than you,” Amber said.

“I understand,” Olivia replied. “I will let
you know the date as soon as we set it so you can make plans.”

The girls talked for another hour about
wedding dresses, colors, and flowers. When Olivia was sure Amber
was no longer thinking about her stalker, she talked about the
plans Amber had made and where she was going next. Eventually the
girls were talked out. Amber promised to keep in touch after she
got settled in and the girls hung up the phone.

Amber sighed and took herself off to bed.
Tomorrow she would pick up her check and head to another place. She
wasn’t yet sure where she would go but she would settle
somewhere.

He was seething inside. He had warned her.
Yet he saw her hug him and smile at him. She would regret that. The
nurse would not because he would be dead. But she would know. She
would know the nurse was dead because of her. He would make sure of
that. He left her apartment and followed the small red car the
nurse had been driving. Trying to calm himself, he continued to
follow his victim. He had to think. It must look like an accident.
If he lost control, he would make a mistake. He couldn’t afford to
make any mistakes. Still seething, he saw his opportunity when he
passed a sign indicating a sharp curve ahead. Speeding up, he
started to pass the small red car and then jerked the wheel back
into the lane. The small red car missed the curve and turned over
in a ditch. He smiled and kept on going.

The next morning, Amber went to the hospital
to pick up her check. She had loaded the last of her things into
her car, made sure her overnight bag was in the front seat beside
her, and filled her tank up with gas. Smiling to herself at the
thought of Josh giving her a hand last night, Amber stepped through
the doors of the hospital. She had decided to stop and hug the
girls bye and say thank you to Josh before she left.

Amber headed up to the third floor to talk to
her friends one last time. She saw Whitney and smiled at her. “I
just stopped to tell you all bye,” Amber said. “I really enjoyed
working with all of you.”

Whitney smiled. “I enjoyed working with you
too. Be careful on your trip.”

“I will,” Amber said. “Have you seen Josh
today? I wanted to tell him thank you. He came over last night and
helped me load boxes into my car.”

Whitney’s face fell. “I guess you haven’t
heard. Josh was in a terrible accident last night. He is in
critical condition. They said he may not make it.”

“What happened,” Amber asked.

“I’m not sure,” Whitney said. “They said he
missed a sharp curve and his car flipped. He had been laying there
for some time before anyone discovered him.”

Amber clutched her stomach and slowly backed
away from Whitney. “I…I…I’ll go check on him before I leave,” Amber
stammered. Whitney watched her walk away.

Amber didn’t stop at Josh’s room. She knew
what had happened. She didn’t want to see the proof. She picked up
her check and ran to her car as fast as she could. She had to leave
now. This time the note was taped to her car door. It was short and
simple and written in red.

I warned you.

♥
Chapter
3
♥

Amber came back to herself when the waitress
asked her if she needed more coffee. Amber shook her head and
picked up her check. Leaving a tip on the table, she gathered up
her atlas and purse and went to pay her bill.

From several tables away Derek Stevenson
watched as Amber paid for her breakfast and left the restaurant. He
quickly paid his own bill and followed her to the parking lot. She
had been lost in thought and had not noticed him watching her.

Derek worked for the FBI and had been
following Amber since she left New Orleans. She didn’t look like a
serial killer, but the bodies were definitely piling up wherever
she went. He had studied her while she was eating. Her long, blond
hair framed her face and brushed back over her shoulders and down
her back like a waterfall. She had beautiful green eyes that seemed
to be watching everything and everyone when she wasn’t lost in
thought. He didn’t miss the play of emotions across her face as she
sat daydreaming during her breakfast. At one point he felt the urge
to somehow wipe the sadness from her eyes. He shook himself. She
was a criminal, on the run. He had to bring her in.

Derek climbed into his car and prepared for
several more hours of following Amber. He would watch and observe
until he saw some sign of the killer they were after. He watched
her back out of the parking space and pull onto the road that would
lead back to the interstate. Keeping a slow pace and staying far
enough back, Derek made sure she would not see him.

Following her wasn’t easy. She had obviously
done this before. He had almost lost her twice already. She took
the interstate part of the way then pulled off on random back
roads. She would go one direction then another. It was as if she
was trying to be sure no one was following her which was odd since
he was sure no one else was.

He had finally had to put a tracking device
on her car when she stopped for the night at the hotel. Not sure if
she would actually stay all night, Derek didn’t get any sleep
himself. He was used to going for days at a time with no sleep when
tracking a suspect and this time would be no different. Accept this
time the suspect didn’t act like a criminal. She acted like she was
being chased by an unseen enemy. He would have to think on that
later.

Unaware she was being followed, Amber
continued to stick to her plan. She left Nashville and headed east
to the coast of South Carolina. She decided to spend a couple of
days on the ocean. She would take her time getting to Washington.
She followed the interstate for an hour then found a back road
through some little country towns. Again her thoughts turned to
running from Middleburg, Florida.

Amber decided to go to Mississippi when she
left Florida. She prayed Josh would recover fully and vowed she
would not get close to anyone else. She would find a job where she
didn’t have to communicate with people. She didn’t know how, but
she would cut herself off from becoming friends with anyone else
who could get hurt.

She drove until she needed gas again and
found she was in the small town of Cleveland, Mississippi. After
filing up, she drove around and decided she would stay for awhile.
Amber found a hotel and checked in. She found a local paper and
began the job search. Maybe a third shift job in the emergency room
would keep her too busy to communicate with anyone.

As luck would have it, there was an opening
in the emergency room of the local hospital. She would apply and
see if she could get the third shift. She would not make friends
and she would keep to herself.

Amber settled into her new routine at the
local hospital, found her an apartment, and stayed to herself.
After a couple of weeks she called Olivia to update her.

Olivia was knee deep in wedding plans and
sounded blissfully happy. The date was just a few months away and
she really wanted Amber to be there. Amber assured Olivia she
wouldn’t miss it for the world.

Amber did not like living in Cleveland or the
hospital she worked in. It was dirty and outdated. She felt stuck
in a backwoods town and it was easy not to make friends as everyone
treated her like an outsider who had no business settling in their
town. She considered moving again but if her stalker didn’t know
where she was, why move? She would stay where she was for now.

Amber continued to keep in touch with Olivia
and get updates on the wedding. They talked almost every day now.
Amber would go in for her shift at the hospital, come home and
sleep, then call Olivia when she knew she would be home. She wished
she could be there, helping her pick out her dress, looking at
flowers. She even wished she was wearing one of the ridiculous
bridesmaids dresses Olivia had picked out.

The girls laughed and cried together as the
date of the wedding crept closer. Amber had already taken time off
work and had her things packed and ready to go. She had
reservations at a hotel in Atlanta. She wouldn’t stay to close to
Alma. She didn’t want to be discovered by anyone who knew her. She
was wearing a wig and makeup she wouldn’t normally wear and the
wedding would be outside so she would be able to wear sunglasses to
hide part of her face.

The only person Amber talked to in Cleveland
was the local convenience store clerk where she often gassed up her
car. It was the only time, other than when she talked with Olivia,
that she would laugh or smile. The man would often tell her some
funny joke as she was paying for her purchases. She didn’t even
know his name.

One evening, just a couple of weeks before
the wedding, she called Olivia. When Olivia answered the phone, she
instantly thought something was wrong. She could hear it in her
voice.

“Hey girl. How’s the blushing bride to be,”
asked Amber, putting an extra smile in her voice.

“I’m good, but my groom to be has run off
again,” Olivia responded.

“What do you mean, ran off,” asked Amber.

“His aunt has taken a turn for the worse and
he went to be with her again. He assures me he will be home in time
for the wedding but I’m worried,” said Olivia.

Amber thought a minute before replying.
“Olivia, do you love this man with all your heart?”

“Yes,” whispered Olivia.

“Then you have got to trust him. This is a
good thing he is doing for an elderly lady with no family but him.
I know it is bad timing but she needs him and if he loves you the
way you love him he will move heaven and earth to be there on your
wedding day.”

“You’re right, Amber. And I do trust him.
It's just that there is still so much to do and I'm just a jittery,
nervous mess. I'll get over it before the wedding gets here,” said
Olivia.

“No you won’t,” laughed Amber. But I will be
there for you as soon as I can.

The girls talked for another hour before
hanging up and Amber got ready for her shift at the hospital. After
leaving her apartment, she pulled into the convenience store,
gassed up her car, and grabbed a drink and snack for the late hours
at the hospital. She laughed and shook her head as the attendant
told his daily make the customers smile joke. They were always so
corny she couldn't help but laugh.

Later that evening an ambulance came
screaming into the emergency room with a burn victim. As the
paramedics unloaded the patient onto the hospital bed, Amber began
an IV in his hand. She listened as the paramedic filled them in on
what happened.

“He was found at the local gas station. One
of the pumps blew up and caught the building on fire. The guy was
trapped in one of the store rooms before the firefighters were able
to pull him out,” said the paramedic.

Amber lost her train of thought. She dropped
the needle she was holding as she took a closer look. It was the
same man who told her jokes when she checked out. Was the fire an
accident or purposefully set? Her hand started to shake. Amber ran
to the bathroom and began throwing up her dinner.

Was he back? Had her stalker found her again?
If so, why would he go after that poor man? He was no one. Just a
clerk in a convenience store.

Telling no one Amber left the hospital and
jumped into her car. She went straight to her apartment and sure
enough there was a note taped to her door. She yanked the paper
down and hands shaking began to read.

You can run my pretty, but you can not hide from
me.

I will find you where ever you go and I will kill
any man

who dares to flirt with you.

Amber crumpled up the paper and ran into her
apartment. She began packing immediately and within an hour she was
on the road again. This time she decided to go on to Atlanta and
stay until after the wedding. Then she would decide what to do from
there.