Page 102 of Under His Protection
Six o’clock rolls around, and my nerves are frayed.
No one shows.
I’m starting to think this is a cosmic joke perpetrated by the stalker. Is he somewhere else laughing his head off at me? Did he just set me up? Is he across the street, or across town? Is he on campus? In his dorm room?
“It’s okay, sweetheart,” Philip says over the comms. “Just try to relax. It’s going to be fine.”
“What if he doesn’t come?” I murmur quietly.
“If that happens, we’ll deal with it. But don’t give up. It’s only five after. He could still show up.”
Charlie walks up to my table and tops off my water glass. “You’re doing great,” she says quietly. “Would you like something else to drink? A soft drink or some iced tea?”
“I guess a Coke wouldn’t hurt.”
She nods. “I’ll get you one. Eat some bread. It’s good.”
There’s a basket of sliced crusty bread on the table, accompanied by a shallow dish of olive oil infused with Italian herbs.
A moment later, Charlie returns to my table and sets a glass of Coke in front of me. She squeezes my shoulder. “You’re doing great. Now we wait.”
I’m starting to think he’s not going to show, and all this was for nothing. I feel bad for putting all of these people up to such an elaborate scheme for it to fall flat.
The restaurant door opens, and in walks—oh, my God.
Chapter 30 – Haley
My eyes are glued to the person approaching my table. He bypassed the hostess because he’d already spotted me. He dressed up for our so-called date. He’s wearing a pair of dark slacks, a white shirt, and a dark blue jacket.
“I’ll bet you weren’t expecting to see me,” he says, grinning as he takes the seat opposite mine. “I’ll bet you thought it was Mark.” He rolls his eyes. “Mark is such an asshole.”
“Christian?” I’m stunned. I never once considered him a possibility. I mean, yes, he was always there, but he always seemed so harmless.
Christian grabs a piece of bread from the basket and dunks it in the olive oil. “Surprise!” he says before he takes a big bite.
My heart is racing. “I don’t understand. You hardly ever talk to me.”
“That’s okay. You and Andrea seem to have hit it off. I was just along for the ride, getting to see you up close and getting to know you. You never once suspected me, did you?”
“No, I didn’t.” My stomach churns at the notion Andrea is somehow involved in this insanity, or that she knows what he’s been doing. I have to know the truth. “Does Andrea know what you’ve been doing to me?”
He takes another bite of bread and chews it slowly. “This is good. I’ve never been here before. Great choice. We’ll have to come here often.”
We? Is he nuts?“Christian! Does Andrea know?” If she’s been deceiving me, too—
“She has no idea, and she’d be pissed as hell at me if she did. She really likes you. So do I, but I guess you’ve figured that out by now.”
“Haley.” Philip’s low, steady voice comes through my earpiece. “Get him to talk about what he did and why.”
Christian starts looking around the dining room. “It’s not very crowded tonight, is it? I’ve not been here before, but I thought it would be busier than this.” He takes another bite of bread.
I shrug. “Christian—” He’s systematically searching the diners in here. “What are you doing?”
“I’m looking for the big lug. I half expected him to be here. Lately, he’s been glued to you. It’s so fucking annoying. He must think he’s God’s gift to women.”
“You said to come alone.”
“I wasn’t sure you’d listen.”
