A Guarded Love Read online

  “I’m getting more and more creeped out.” Kristin bit her lip as she looked at the picture.

  “If you want, I can have one of my men stay in the apartment with you or I can post someone to stand in front of your apartment.”

  Kristin sat there pondering her options. Having someone with her would make her feel more secure, but what would Sam think if he drove by and saw a man entering or exiting her place? What would her neighbors think if they saw someone standing by her door all night? No. That would be too obvious. Kristin was ready for things to calm down. However, she’d never been so afraid. “I might take you up on that. Especially at night.”

  “Will you be okay for the rest of the day?” Rob stood and pushed in his chair.

  “I think so. I’ll try to keep myself busy.”

  He went to the front door. “I’ll call you around 7:00 p.m. to check on you, but if you need me before then, please call.”

  Kristin tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Thanks for helping me.” She followed him to the door.

  “Glad to do it.” Rob held up the picture and note. “I need to keep these.”

  “Good. I don’t want them.” Kristin wanted everything that had to do with Sam out of her apartment.

  Walking out the door, he turned to Kristin. “I’ll talk with you later.”

  “Okay. Bye.” Kristin put her arms around her waist, closed her eyes and leaned against the door. Immediately, she remembered that she should lock the door. Was she going crazy? Because she felt like she was.

  Keeping busy had to be the answer. She pulled out the vacuum and started in the living room. Kristin meant to vacuum all the rooms, but the sound of the vacuum made her anxious because she wouldn’t be able to hear somebody if they tried to get into the apartment.

  Maybe she could start dinner. But why? She was a bundle of nerves and didn’t feel hungry. It was actually one of the last things on her mind. Kristin could feel herself becoming isolated from the world. The thought of any one of her friends getting hurt because of their association with her made her feel like she was going to have a panic attack. If she stayed in her apartment she would be safe and so would her friends.

  Kristin noticed the book she had started before this mess happened. Maybe she could escape into a story and forget about Sam. Wishing Lexi were home, she grabbed a blanket and headed to her favorite chair in her bedroom. After reading the first paragraph three times, she put the book down. Thoughts about Sam were taking over, so Kristin wasn’t able to think or do much of anything else. Time was dragging and she couldn’t stop checking the clock. She started pacing the room when a thought came to her mind. Maybe she could go home and stay with her mom. No! That would put her family in danger, but this apartment did feel like home anymore. It didn’t feel safe and secure. The ringing phone interrupted her thoughts.

  “Hi, Rob.” Still startled, Kristin knew she sounded out of breath.

  “How was your afternoon?”

  “It was harder to distract myself than I thought. By the way, I made a decision. I want to have someone stay in the house with me. I need to feel safe so I can sleep. I have to be alert at school.”

  “I think that’s a wise decision. I’ll get someone there shortly.”

  Kristin sighed with relief. “I appreciate that.” After the phone call ended, Kristin went back to pacing the floor when Lexi and Steve arrived.

  Lexi walked over to Kristin. “How are you holding up? Steve filled me in on the note in your car.”

  Kristin could feel the furrow on her brow. “How did he know?”

  “Rob filled me in because I’m the security person staying here tonight.” He made his way into the kitchen. “We brought some hamburgers.”

  “Thank you.”

  Steve patted his stomach.

  “I’m glad you’re the security for tonight,” Kristin said. “It will give me peace of mind.”

  “No problem.” Steve looked amused.

  Kristin watched him walk around the apartment to make sure it was safe and secure. He called someone on his phone. It sounded like the other person was watching the outside of the apartment. “I can make up the couch for you.”

  Shaking his head, Steve said, “I won’t be sleeping tonight. I’m on assignment.”

  “I’ll make it up and if you need a little rest, it’s ready.”

  “When I’m on an assignment, I don’t sleep much. I’m used to it. When my assignment is over, I sleep for days. It’s all good.”

  Even with Steve in the next room, Kristin tossed and turned for well over and hour before finally drifting off into a sleep filled with uneasy dreams.

  ***

  Kristin put her sheet music in her backpack. “I’m excited about school.” Getting back into her routine made her feel hopeful that she was getting her old life back.

  Steve entered the kitchen. “Do you want someone to walk you to class?”

  “No. I only have two classes. I think I’ll be all right. I feel safer in the daytime.”

  Lexi joined them in the kitchen. Kristin was surprised to see her completely ready for the day. She watched Lexi’s eyes sparkle as she looked at Steve. Kristin wondered if Steve was interested in Lexi. They looked like they would make a cute couple. They both had a great sense of humor.

  Lexi joined Steve. “Would you like me to fix you some breakfast?”

  “You don’t have to do that. I brought an apple.” Steve leaned against the door jam.

  “An apple alone isn’t a good start to the day. Don’t you remember that breakfast is the most important meal? How does scrambled eggs sound?” Lexi took the eggs from the refrigerator.

  “That sounds great.” Steve chuckled as he turned to Kristin. “You have your phone, right?”

  “Yes, and I have Rob’s number.”

  “Good. I hope you have a normal day at school.” Steve smiled.

  That made Kristin laugh. “I’m counting on that.” Kristin walked into her first class. She kept her head down and went directly to her desk.

  “I heard you’re going out with Landon Ross. That’s so exciting! What’s he like?” said the girl who sat in the desk next to her. All Kristin could see was the frizzy brown hair and glasses. She looked like Professor Trelawney from Harry Potter. They had never spoken before but had sat next to each other since school started.

  “Actually, Landon is a friend. The paparazzi used the picture to drum up stories.”

  “Oh.” The frizzy haired girl abruptly ended the conversation.

  No one else brought up Landon during class. She hoped her next class would go that smoothly. As Kristin exited the classroom, she peered down the hall. She spotted the exit door at the very end. It should be easy to get there and avoid seeing anyone because the hall didn’t have many students milling around. There was one group of girls who were busy chatting. If she kept her head down and made a beeline to the exit, maybe they wouldn’t notice her.

  “I can’t believe Landon is with you,” a stranger rudely said to Kristin.

  Where did that girl come from? Kristin’s heart was hammering in her chest as she looked to the group of girls who now focused their attention on her. She didn’t bother to respond to the mean comment, but she felt very hurt. Her plan didn’t work. All she wanted to do was go home and never leave her house again. The hall started to fill with more people with every passing second. Trying to regroup, she started to head to her next class and almost bumped into a girl with spiky hair. The girl grabbed her arm to try and stop her.

  “You’re the girl dating Landon Ross. I read that Landon is very in love with you and that he can’t stand to be away from you. How long have you been dating?”

  Kristin yanked her arm away from the girl and tried to continue walking. The girl shouted after her. “Okay, you don’t have to tell me. The article gave me most of the details anyway.” The stranger smirked and sauntered away.

  Kristin hadn’t been manhandled at school before and she was shaken by it. What
right did these people have to question her about Landon? It was none of their business. It wasn’t their concern who he dated. Why did others think they should get a say in what a celebrity did?

  For her next class, Kristin tried to avoid people altogether, which didn’t work. She didn’t realize how many people were fans of Landon’s. The disruption was causing a problem for her teacher as well. Visitors were filtering into Kristin’s class, trying to hear the latest scoop on Landon. Her teacher spent the beginning of the class trying to regain order. Once he got the visitors out of his classroom, he had to calm down his students and get them to focus. Kristin was done with today and was beyond relived when she scurried into her apartment.

  “What a day!” Kristin announced as she fell on the couch.

  “I agree. I had a lot of people asking me questions about you. I was surprised they knew I was your friend.” Lexi flopped down next to Kristin.

  Pushing her hair off her face, she leaned toward Lexi. “I’m sorry that those pictures are affecting you too. I feel bad about this.”

  Lexi gave Kristin a friendly side hug.

  “Don’t worry about it. You didn’t do this, so it’s not your fault. But I wish people would think about how their actions affect others.”

  They were interrupted by a knock on the door.

  “Hi, babysitter.” Lexi smiled while she held the door open.

  “Well, you’re about the cutest person I’ve ever tended,” Steve teased back and then pinched her cheek like a child.

  Kristin watched how close Lexi and Steve had their heads as they talked. Steve’s eyes looked bright as he listened to Lexi. They were both smiling. It had been a while since Lexi was interested in someone, and Steve seemed great. Watching them, she hoped that someday she’d have a relationship with someone who didn’t scare her. As much as she loved to see Lexi happy, she didn’t want to be the third wheel in the romance unfolding before her eyes. Wishing them a good night, she escaped to her room.

  ***

  Sam grabbed Kristin by the shoulders and shook her. His warm hand clasped over mouth, he dragged her through the parking lot to a car she didn’t recognize. Panic shot through her body as she became fully aware that no one would know what happened to her. Kristin wondered who had helped Sam with this scheme? Who was the unknown man who grabbed her and put a black piece of material over her head? This same man had shoved her into the back seat of the car.

  Gathering her wits, she had tried to pay attention to the direction the car was driving, but she could tell the driver was going in circles. It worked. She had no idea where she was. This stranger half dragged Kristin into a building. The front door screeched like metal when it was opened. The echoes that she could hear made it sound empty and big. Maybe it was a warehouse.

  In the elevator, Kristin could tell they were going down. A cold breeze assaulted her body. It stopped with an abrupt landing. Again, this stranger shoved her into a room. When the cloth covering was removed, there stood Sam. His eyes looked evil.

  “No,” yelled Kristin as Sam’s face disappeared into the ceiling of her bedroom. She lay there, her own scream ripping through her dream. Kristin didn’t need to place her hand on her chest; she could feel how hard her heart was pounding. Wet hair clung to her neck. Shaking with adrenaline, she continued to lie there, waiting for her body to feel calm.

  “Kristin, it’s okay. It’s me.” Lexi tried to soothe her.

  Shaking, she tried to sit up and get her bearings. The dream had seemed so real and vivid.

  Lexi rubbed Kristin’s back. “You left your phone in the kitchen. I wanted to make sure you didn’t miss your alarm.”

  Steve stood in the doorway of Kristin’s room. “Are you all right? I heard a scream.”

  Sam was consuming too much of her thoughts and time. “Yeah. I’m fine.” Kristin could feel the heat on her cheeks. Her hands were still shaking. She was surprised by the nightmare about Sam. Yes, he was controlling, but he had never been that bad.

  “Well, nothing happened yesterday, so maybe this is dying down.” Steve put his hands in his pockets and leaned against the door. “Lexi, are you ready to leave? Do you both want to go to breakfast before I take Lexi to school?”

  “I don’t have class until 11:00. I’m going to take it slow this morning. But you both have a good time.” Kristin didn’t want them to know that her dream was about Sam and not the problems with the paparazzi.

  Kristin walked Lexi and Steve to the door, locking it behind them. She took her time getting ready. While she was brushing her teeth, the doorbell rang. She quickly rinsed her mouth. Kristin approached the door with her cell phone in hand. “Who is it?” With her heart pounding in her chest, she waited for the answer. Kristin stood there in silence as no answer came.

  Kristen looked through the peephole and saw nothing but an empty porch. She tentatively opened the door a fraction of an inch and peered outside. It seemed safe, so she opened the door a little wider. A small package sat innocently on her doormat. Kristin was curious. Who sent her a package? There was no return address.

  Package in hand, Kristin sat on the couch, tore the box open, and pulled out the tissue paper. Cautiously, she reached inside the box and gasped when she saw a stuffed bear with a partially decapitated head. Its eyes were ripped out and one was dangling on a thread. Under the bear were four pictures of Sam and Kristin, Kristin’s face burned out of each picture. There was also a note that said “Don’t ignore me.”

  “I can’t take this anymore.” Kristin hurriedly packed some clothes, her phone, personal items, and schoolbooks. On the way out, she grabbed the package.

  Wasting no time to buckle her seat belt, Kristin slammed on the gas petal and peeled out of the parking lot.

  Chapter 10

  Landon wished he was able to go to Texas with Austin. They tried to make the yearly trip to visit his family ever since they moved, but this year Landon needed to stay home and be with his grandparents. They were getting older. He knew he needed to spend as much time with them as he could. As he was driving to Austin’s home, he remembered when he had moved next door to Austin and his family. They were like a second family. Scouting and baseball filled their summers. It wasn’t until later that they started playing music together.

  Landon reached for his phone to let Austin know he was out front. He quickly realized he didn’t have his phone. He must have left it back at the house. Instead, he honked.

  Austin came out with a big grin on his face. “Texas, here I come.”

  Landon laughed.

  “Man, I wish you were coming with me.” Austin put on his seatbelt.

  “Me too.”

  “Tell your grandparents hi from me.” Austin pulled down the sun visor to block the glaring sun.

  “I will.”

  Austin answered his phone. “Hi, Rob. Yeah, he’s right here.” Austin put the phone on speaker.

  “What’s up, Rob?”

  “I wanted to update you on Kristin. Jake, one of our security men saw a mail carrier deliver a package. A few minutes later, she got in her car and left. Jake said she looked frantic.”

  “Did she try to contact anyone?”

  “I’m not sure. I don’t have much information yet, but once I hear something, I’ll let you know.”

  “Okay. Call Austin’s phone. I left mine back at the house.”

  “Will do.”

  Landon handed the phone back to Austin and ran his hand over his face. “Where is she going?”

  Austin shook his head.

  Landon felt conflicted. He wanted to help her but was it his responsibility when she ran off and didn’t use the help he provided? “She’s making this difficult.”

  “You’re doing everything you can.”

  Landon looked at Austin. “What do you think about her?”

  “She’s beautiful, but a little standoffish.”

  Landon agreed with Austin’s assessment. My fame is making her life difficult. How could a fan get Kristin’s add
ress though? What was in that package that would make her run? Why were so many people getting worked up over a picture and taking it out on her? “I kind of wish we didn’t go to karaoke the other night.”

  Landon didn’t hear a thing Austin was saying. He was on autopilot, driving to the airport and thinking about Kristin. Austin’s phone rang and Landon answered it.

  “We think Kristin’s heading to your place.”

  “Let her in.”

  Chapter 11

  Kristin drove furiously, trying to watch her surroundings. It was hard to see with tears in her eyes. She tried to think clearly—tried to think—tried to think. Sam was crazy. He hid the crazy at first. If he was this angry, he might hurt her. Sam could be following her now, for all she knew. Kristin glanced in the rearview mirror and saw a car following her very closely. Was someone following her, or was it her imagination playing tricks?

  Willing herself to calm down, she tried to pay attention to where she was going. If she could only remember how to get to Landon’s, she would be safe there. The car was still behind her as she started to drive into the mountains. Trying to maintain her speed was difficult on the winding narrow road. Where was the turn-off to Landon’s? Her palms were wet as she wiped them on her jeans. Kristin tried not to let her thoughts get too irrational. This trip seemed to take longer than she remembered. The car was gaining ground behind her. Should she pull over to see if it would pass? No, she didn’t want to stop. She had to focus on finding the road. Her goal was to not go past the turn-off.

  When Kristin had ended the relationship with Sam, she had never expected this. To be followed and terrorized was out of a horror movie. It wasn’t supposed to be part of her life. Tears blurred her vision and she found it hard to breath. Fear consumed her and she said a silent prayer for help.

  Had Sam always been like this and she didn’t see it or had something pushed him over the edge? Forcing her thoughts back on the road, she noticed that things started to look familiar. Kristin noticed a road coming up on her right. Not using her signal, she turned abruptly, and the tires screeched. Straightening out the wheels, she hit the gas. Her heart pounded when she saw that the car was still behind her. Was she on the correct road? Kristin was getting desperate. If she was on the wrong road, how would she turn around to get away from whomever was following her? Trying not to feel more alarmed, she started to think of an escape plan when she noticed something at the end of the road. It appeared to be a guard shack. A twinge of hope crept in as she pulled up to talk with the man posted there.