“Damn,” Derek snapped. He slapped his hand against the steering wheel. He had lost her. She had at least an hour head start and he thought he had been following her only to discover she had traded cars on him.
Very clever, Amber, he thought. Hopefully that would keep her stalker at bay long enough for Derek to track her down. He had already put out an APB on the new car she had purchased with strict instructions not to pull her over. He just wanted to know where she would be staying for the night. For now, he was stuck. He had no idea which direction she had gone.
His rumbling stomach reminded him he had missed breakfast. Derek drove off the car lot and turned into town. He stopped at a Huddle House and gobbled down the eggs and bacon the waitress brought him. Swallowing the coffee quickly, Derek headed back out the door. He had no idea which way to go but he couldn’t sit around and wait.
Derek suddenly remembered the atlas he saw laying on the nightstand the night before. He had thumbed through it noting the highlighted routes. It looked newly purchased so she must have gotten it shortly after she left New Orleans. Derek decided to try his luck driving south. He found the nearest interstate and started heading towards Florida.
Amber drove for five hours before stopping. She was starving since she had missed breakfast but she did not dare stop sooner. She pulled into a Burger King and ran in to go to the bathroom. She ordered her lunch to go and stopped at the nearest gas station to fill up. As she was gassing up, she noticed a patrol car drive by, back up and turn into the gas station. He seemed to be looking at her car.
Amber’s heart sank. What had she done that the police would be looking for her? She watched the police car drive away and breathed a sigh of relief. Amber paid for the gas, jumped back into her car, and headed down a back country road. She had alternated between back roads and interstates all morning. She had not even made it out of South Carolina because of the circuitous route she was taking, but she was positive no one was following her.
Continuing on to the south, Amber cranked up her radio and sang along to the local county station. The back roads and highways took longer to drive but she saw some beautiful countryside along the way. Later that evening, before it got dark, Amber got back on the interstate to find a hotel in a more populated area. She had finally crossed over into Georgia but she did not plan on staying in that state long. She would drive down to Florida through Alabama even though it would take her longer. She did not want to be in the place where her nightmare began.
She wasn’t sure her stalker actually lived in Georgia, but she wasn’t taking any chances. Besides, if she got to close, she might give into the urge to drop in and see Olivia. Amber knew she just could not take that chance.
She was running again. He was surprised she had taken off so quickly this time. He didn’t even see her leave. No worries. He would wait. She would revel herself in time. He had become an expert at waiting since meeting her. He would wait again.
Derek got the call about two that Amber was in a small town only about thirty minutes from where he was. He smiled to himself. Yes she was trying to run but his resources would allow him to keep tabs on her.
After that, it became even easier. Amber was strolling through small towns all over South Carolina and that aqua blue car she bought was easy to spot. There could not be that many Toyota Camry's in that color on the road. She had made it easy for him and she was not even aware.
By the time she stopped for the night at a hotel in Georgia, Derek knew exactly where she was. He had still not decided whether to confront her or simply continue to follow her until she reached her destination.
His head said follow her, but in his heart he wanted to confront her. Let her know he was there for her. Tell her what he did and that he believed her and wanted to help her.
Derek decided to continue to follow her. He didn’t want to scare her. He wanted to talk to her, comfort her, but he did not want her to run again. He would maintain a distance and she would never know he was there until he was ready to tell her.
Amber woke up the next morning much the same as the morning before. She found herself enveloped in a man’s strong arms. Her heart dropped. He had found her. She jumped and began to struggle before she heard the low voice that told her Derek was the one holding her. She stopped struggling and just lay still as he explained why he was laying in her bed.
“Look, honey,” Derek said. “I couldn’t take the chance you would run off again. I’m an FBI agent and I have been tracking you for a year. I’m on your side and I want to help you find your stalker so you can get back to living a normal life.”
Amber calmed down and listened. She wanted to get back to living a normal life. She didn’t want to run anymore. Maybe he was right. Maybe Derek could help her find the man responsible for her nightmare.
When he thought she was calm, he let her go. Amber turned to face him, chest still heaving from her previous struggle. Derek, looking down at her, couldn’t resist kissing her.
Unprepared for the torrent of emotions running through her body, Amber gave herself to that kiss. It started soft and slow. Derek kissed her gently, then ran his tongue over her bottom lip sampling, tasting. He teased and tormented as Amber silently pleaded for more.
It had been so long, her head was screaming. So long since she allowed a man this close to her. Derek trailed small kisses down her jaw line and neck to her collar bone. He had only meant to give her the one kiss but now could not stop there. He hoped she would not stop him. He couldn’t explain why, but he needed this. He needed her.
Derek continued to tease and kiss as he slipped his hand under her night shirt to feel her bare skin. Amber arched her back silently pleading for more. She ran her hands over his shoulders and down his chest just like her dream. That’s it, she decided. She was dreaming. But this definitely did not feel like a dream.
Both of them moaned as he grabbed one of her breasts and began to rub the palm of his hand across her hardening nipples. Amber let her hands drift further down until she felt the proof of his desire through the shorts he had worn to bed.
Soon both of them were wild with need and raw desire. Derek slipped off her shirt and began to suckle at her breast as Amber slowly took off his shorts and released his hardened erection. Running her hands over his swollen member, Amber felt the perfection of his satin sword.
Derek was almost numb with desire and Amber continued to stroke him. Wanting to please her before his own release, Derek grabbed her hands to still the torture. He then moved his hand down to feel the passion pouring from her and almost lost it when he felt how wet she was. She was so ready for him.
Amber almost came off the bed when Derek touched her. All the throbbing in her body seemed to be accumulating in that one area and when he touched her, her body pulsed with need and desire. She needed that touch. She needed… Amber lost her train of thought when Derek’s finger slipped inside her. Her body began bucking. Derek slipped his erection into her and they began to move together in the way lovers do; in the rhythmic dance that's as old as time.
Derek continued to move and Amber could feel herself souring higher and higher. She knew she was waiting for something but she was unsure what it was. “Please,” she begged, but she wasn’t sure why.
“I know, baby,” Derek panted. “Just hold on.”
Amber threw her head back and looked at the man riding her. Just then, Derek shuddered and something inside her exploded. Amber cried out as Derek held her tightly.
She felt as if she had been flying then suddenly her body seem to splinter apart as she began to buck and jerk. Ecstasy. She could feel it slide through her body from her head all the way to her toes.
Derek was in the throes of his own orgasm. He held her tightly as they both experienced the joy of lovemaking. And as he came back to earth he realized that was just what it was. Lovemaking. He would not be able to leave this one behind for the job. His life just g
ot a whole lot more complicated.
Amber drifted back to sleep with a smile on her face as Derek held her and stroked her long blond hair. He let her lay there resting on his chest as he thought about what had just happened. He would not apologize and he would be damned if she ran from him again.
Amber woke a few hours later, well rested with a smile plastered on her face. She hoped Derek was not still in the room because she would be very embarrassed if he was. She slowly sat up, stretched and looked around.
Breathing a sigh of relief upon not seeing Derek, Amber started to rise from the bed to take a shower. When she heard the hotel key in the door she jumped back under the covers. Derek laughed seeing a flash of skin just as he opened the door.
Amber, red-faced and embarrassed, tried to hide behind her pillow. Derek grabbed her pillow and kissed her on the nose.
“I went downstairs to get breakfast, but they had already cleaned up, so no gravy and apples for you,” Derek teased.
Amber laughed and grabbed the Styrofoam plate out of his hand. Inside she saw a cheeseburger and some fries.
“I found the hotel grill and ordered a couple of burgers,” Derek said.
“Thanks,” replied Amber.
They ate their burgers in silence, but not the awkward silence Amber expected after what they had done a couple of hours earlier. When they finished, Derek left the room to let Amber shower and dress. He warned her she had better not run again, but just in case he attached another tracking device to her car and then sat down in the hallway and waited for her to finish dressing.
They would need to discuss their plans from here. Derek was not about to let the blond beauty walk away again. He was sure Amber would not like what he was about to suggest. It was time to lure the maniac out of hiding.
Amber just stood in the hot shower letting the water soak into her skin. It was the first time in a long time she felt this relaxed. Her body still tingled when she thought about Derek and she smiled.
She wanted to stay here just for a few days before she went on to Washington. She wondered how much time Derek had left on his vacation and if he would stay with her.
Amber couldn’t believe what she was thinking. She barely knew the man. She had just met him. Her parents would be so ashamed of her. However, Amber could not bring herself to regret the way she was feeling.
After a long soak under the shower head, Amber scrubbed her body, washed her hair and climbed out of the shower. She quickly dried off and dressed so she could find Derek. They would need to talk. She hoped he would stay a couple of days and then she would head on to Washington to hide again. Surely he wouldn’t deny her a little pleasure before going back to his life.
Walking out of the bathroom, Amber looked around the hotel room only to find she was completely alone. Her heart sank until she heard the hotel key in the door that indicated Derek was coming into the room.
“I wanted to give you some privacy,” Derek said.
“Thank you,” Amber replied.
She walked back into the bathroom, grabbed her hairbrush and began twisting her hair into a wet bun. Pinning her hair back out of her face gave Amber the time she needed to broach the subject she wanted to discuss.
“How long are you on vacation for,” Amber asked.
“I’m not on vacation,” Derek answered. “I’m on the job.”
Confused, Amber looked at him. “I just assumed you were on vacation when I met you in Myrtle Beach,” Amber said.
“You must not have heard me earlier, Amber. I've been tracking you for a year now. I followed you to Myrtle Beach from New Orleans,” explained Derek.
Amber began to panic. “If you followed me, then he could have also,” she whispered.
“No, I made sure no one was watching you or following you other than me,” said Derek.
“But, how do you know. You found me. So could he. I didn’t see you following me. I assumed I was alone,” Amber’s panic began to climb.
Derek reached for her hand and pulled her into his chest. “Listen to me, honey,” he said soothingly. “You didn’t see me because I wasn’t tailing you. I had a tracking device on your car so I could hang back. This guy wouldn’t have anything that sophisticated.”
Amber began to relax as Derek talked. The sound of his voice soothed her raw nerves. Derek led her to a chair and began to explain.
“About a year ago I was given the file of a gas station attendant who had been locked in a store room while a fire was set to one of the pumps outside the building,” Derek said.
Amber jumped out of her chair and began to pace. “He was locked in,” she asked.
“Yes, there was no way he would have been able to escape that fire. It was a wonder the firefighter even pulled him out alive. Of course the smoke and the flames were just too much and he died a few days later,” Derek explained.
“While investigating we came across your face on video surveillance and you were the only customer who had not come forward to talk with us.”
“Because I had already left town,” she mumbled.
“Yes,” Derek answered. “It took some time to find out who you were, but once I did and learned that you never came back to the hospital after that night, you became high on the suspect list. I tracked down the places you had been and found similar stories all the way back to your hometown.”
Amber sat on the bed and hugged her knees close to her chest. “Did you think I had killed those people,” she asked in a small voice. Amber would not look at him for fear of seeing the truth in his eyes. She wondered how many others thought the same thing. How many of her previous coworkers saw her as a vicious killer.
Derek sat next to Amber and put his arm on her shoulders. “I'm not going to lie to you, Amber. We did think you were some sort of black widow, luring men in then picking them off and moving to the next town before you could be discovered. All of the deaths were cleverly disguised accidents. If the attendant had not been locked in that room, we would not be here now.”
“Do you still think that,” Amber asked as she shrugged off his arm and stood again. “Do you believe I am capable of something that disturbing?” Amber crossed her arms over her chest as she waited for Derek’s answer.
“No, Amber. Absolutely not. I've sent pictures of the letters your stalker left for you to my boss and our lab is analyzing them now. We will catch this creep and put him behind bars where he belongs,” Derek assured her.
“Tell me how he did it. I have never understood how he killed those people and made it look like an accident,” she asked.
Derek went into full detail on what the lab had found from each of the crime scenes. He explained about Ben Harrison’s previous drinking problems and how he had been lured into driving drunk. He also told her the lab believed someone was in the car with Ben and turned the car into the telephone pole that took Ben’s life.
He talked about the paint transfer on Josh Stinson’s car and showed her the simulation video of the accident that cost Josh his life. When he talked about Mike Lester, the gas station clerk, Amber began pacing again.
“I didn’t even know his name,” she whispered.
Derek continued, and told her how long it had taken to compile his information. He told her about the six months of surveillance on her in New Orleans and how he followed her when she ran again, the night they pulled Jesse’s car up the cliff.
“I thought I was safe. It had been two years and not a word. I thought he was gone for good,” Amber explained.
Again, Derek took Amber into his arms. “We were in Myrtle Beach when I got the coroner’s report. It was then that I began to question your involvement,” Derek said.
Amber looked up into Derek’s eyes. He couldn’t resist kissing her. He kissed her deeply then pulled away. He needed to finish this. She needed to know just what she was facing.
“Amber,” Derek said. “Jesse Chunn’s neck was broken before the car went
over the cliff.”
Amber shuddered. The maniac was getting bolder. And he was after her.
Derek and Amber talked a few more hours. Amber told her side again going all the way back to the time her coworkers in Alma began getting injured and the first notes that showed up at her door. They went through everything several times. Derek, trying to find anything that would lead them to the person responsible, and Amber, trying to cope with all the information she had just been given.
For her, knowing the whole story just made everything even uglier. She was more afraid now then she had ever been of the person pursuing her.
“Were there any new employees at the hospital leading up to these threats,” Derek asked.
“No, Olivia and I were the last ones hired. It’s a small hospital and people tended to stay until they retired. And in a small town, everyone knows everyone else,” Amber replied.
“So there was nothing new at the hospital. Did any new people move to town during that time,” Derek asked.
“Not that I'm aware of,” replied Amber. “And I would know because people would be talking. There was nothing out of the ordinary. These notes just started showing up unexpectedly. At first I ignored them, thinking it was a prank of some sort. Then my coworkers started having crazy accidents. Amanda broke her leg falling down the stairs at her apartment. Jennifer scalded her hand when her hot water heater went on the fritz. You would have thought these were freak accidents, but the notes would come right after. Then Olivia’s accident put it all into perspective.
“I couldn’t stay and let anyone else get hurt because of me. He nearly killed my best friend because I showed the letters he sent to the police. And even though they told me they couldn’t help me, he still went after Olivia.”
By this time, Amber was sobbing. Derek just held her. They were still no closer to solving this mystery than when they began the conversation, but at least she would be more aware of what this guy was capable of.
Emotionally drained, Amber got up and went into the bathroom to blow her nose. Derek convinced her to get back into bed. He went to the front desk of the hotel and booked the room for two more nights. They would stay where they were until he could set his plan in motion.
Derek walked back to the room, assured himself Amber was sleeping soundly and walked out onto the balcony. From there, Derek called his brother in Atlanta.
“Matt Stevenson,” his older brother answered.
“Hey, Matt. It’s Derek,” he said.
“Hey, Derek! What’s up, brother? Haven’t heard from you in a while,” his brother said.
“I know, we both stay busy. Hey, I’ve got a situation I need your help with.”
Derek proceeded to explain what he had been working on the past year and what his plan was. His brother listened and gave his opinion and they finalized their plans. Derek knew his brother would do whatever it took to help Amber.
“Thanks, man. I knew I could count on you,” Derek said.
“Hey, what are brothers for, especially brothers with the full support of the FBI behind them,” Matt replied.
Derek laughed and the men said their goodbyes.
“I’ll see you in a couple of days,” Derek said.
“Keep in touch,” Matt replied as he hung up the phone. He shook his head. Something was up. This wasn’t the first time Matt and Derek had worked a case together when Derek ended up in his jurisdiction, but there was something different in Derek’s voice when he talked about Amber. A softness Matt had not heard before. He smiled. Little brother was falling for the damsel in distress. Matt laughed out loud and slapped his knee. He couldn’t wait for the two to arrive on his doorstep.
♥ Chapter 7 ♥