Page 45 of Archer

“I’ll have a patrol on your road within the hour.”

“Thanks.”

Archer disconnected and called Knox next. That conversation was shorter, just the facts, no embellishment. The truck was quiet when he ended the call.

Island roads passed outside my window. Familiar landmarks. The turn for Island Adventures. The ice cream shop where Gram used to buy chocolate malts in the summer. The church where we’d held her celebration of life, where the community had come out to honor her.

“How are you doing?” Archer asked.

“I’m okay.”

“Talk to me.”

I turned from the window. “I can’t stop remembering the look on that man’s face and wondering what it meant. He appeared so angry. And he wasn’t surprised when our eyes met. It was as if he wanted me to see him and know how mad he was.”

I kneaded nervous hands on my lap. “If that was him, it’s supremely unsettling to see him in my life. No longer an idea of a person watching from a distance. Someone who’d followed me and put himself in my view so he could make sure I knew he was there, and he was mad.”

Archer’s jaw tightened into a hard line. “Yeah.”

“What do you think this means?” I knew the answer, but I needed to hear it from someone outside my head. Someone with training and experience in these matters. Someone who wasn’t the one in danger.

“It means he’s escalating.”

Chapter 13

Archer

Knox and Colton arrived a few minutes after I walked Harper inside and checked the cottage for signs of her stalker.

I helped them carry boxes of cameras and sensors onto the porch, thankful for something to do with my hands.

“You okay?” Colton asked, voice low.

“Fine.”

“You sure? Because you’ve got that look.”

I shot him a glare. “What look?”

“The one where you’re about two seconds from detonating.” He set down a box and studied me.

My scowl deepened. I hated everything about Harper’s situation, especially the fact that some creep was bothering her right in front of me, and I couldn’t do anything about it. Yet.

I released a loud huff of air. “Let’s just get to work.”

Knox and Colton exchanged a glance but didn’t push. Smart men.

We spent the next hour installing cameras at every approach to the cottage. Front door, back door, street view. Motion sensors on the window frames. New hardware to make certain the sensors worked properly.

I moved mechanically through the steps, muscle memory from a dozen similar installations carrying me through.

“This one’s got a wider field of view,” Knox said, mounting a camera on the corner of the porch. “Covers the entire driveway and part of the road.”

“Good.”

“Sensors will alert your phone the second anyone gets within five feet of a window or door.”

“Perfect.” We installed these systems all the time. I didn’t need an explanation, so there was clearly more these guys wanted to say.