Amber woke with a start. She was still sitting on the balcony. She must have fallen asleep. She looked at her cell to see what time it was. 2:30. Amber tried to rub the stiffness from her neck as she stood to go back into her room. It was calm and peaceful tonight but she did not want to sleep outside. Besides, she needed to change out of the clothes she had been wearing all day.
Stepping into the bathroom, Amber turned on the hot water and took a quick shower to wash away the day’s grime from traveling. She slipped into a nightshirt and curled up in the hotel bed. Having second thoughts about her plans to travel clear across the country, Amber sighed. She argued with herself. She had been to four different states since leaving home and none of them was far enough away to keep this maniac at bay. Her plan was solid. She had made a good decision. She would stick to it.
Coming to that conclusion, Amber turned over to go back to sleep. Only this time, sleep would not come. Amber crawled out of bed, grabbed one of the paper cups off the bathroom sink, removed the plastic, and filled it with tap water. She then plodded to her makeup bag and took out the sleeping pills.
Amber hated taking medicines of any kind, especially sleep aids. However, since Olivia’s accident she had to take them periodically to be able to sleep without seeing all of the people her stalker had hurt or killed because she had gotten too close to them.
Amber walked back to the bed and laid down one more time. She finally drifted off to sleep thinking about Olivia and the new life growing inside of her. Would she ever get to meet Olivia’s child?
Several hours later, Amber stretched her way to wakefulness. She had no plans for today. She decided to just be lazy. Amber dressed in a pair of slacks and a button up blouse, slipped on a pair of sandals, and went downstairs to find some breakfast. The hotel provided a full hot breakfast for its guests daily and Amber decided to take advantage.
Walking into the room, Amber locked eyes with a tall dark headed stranger. She felt her breath leave her body as if a fist had slammed into her rib cage. Quickly looking away, Amber walked to the bar and started filling her plate.
It had been so long since she had been attracted to a man. Jesse had been nice but she wasn’t physically attracted to him. She had just been ready to go out in male company and enjoy the attentions of a man. It had been so long since she had been able to have that opportunity. She had mistakenly believed that after two years it would be safe. Wrong again.
Looking up, Amber found herself looking into blue eyes that she wanted to just get lost in. The stranger had also stepped up to the bar and was filing another plate with eggs and bacon.
Amber’s hands started to sweat and she thought she might drop the plate she was holding. She laid her plate back down, switched to a plastic go box and decided to eat in her room.
Avoiding those glorious blue eyes, Amber filled her plate and grabbed some coffee and all but ran to the elevator. She didn’t have a clue what she would be eating since she hadn’t paid any attention to what she was putting on her plate. She hoped it was edible. Oh well, if not she could find a restaurant somewhere.
Derek could have kicked himself. What in the world made him provoke her like that? He had been eating his breakfast when he looked up and saw her standing in the doorway. She looked over at him and stopped. He could have sworn he saw a flash of appreciation in those brilliant green eyes of hers but she looked away so quickly he couldn’t be sure.
Derek wanted to get closer. He had already been spotted; there was no sense in hiding now. He walked over to the bar, picked up a plate, and pretended to fill his again. He studied her. She had not yet applied her makeup, but she had flawless skin that didn’t need covering. Blond hair flowed over her shoulders and down her back. She carried herself like a queen.
Suddenly, she looked up at him. This time he saw raw desire in those eyes and he felt himself harden in response. Before he could turn away, she put her plate back and began filling a plastic one instead. He almost laughed out loud. He wondered if she knew she had put gravy on her apples.
Before he could comment, Amber sprinted out of the room. She was in the elevator faster than he could blink. “Well, so much for small talk,” he mumbled to himself and walked back to his table. Derek finished his meal and walked back to his room.
Gravy on her apples?! You have got to be joking. She didn’t even remember getting apples or putting gravy on them. She rolled her eyes at the way she had acted. Had he seen her pour the gravy over apples? Well, at least the eggs were edible so she would not starve. However, she would definitely have to avoid Mr. Good Looking Stranger for the rest of her stay.
After eating, Amber walked out of the hotel and down the strip to see what shops were available. She picked up a few touristy items and found a book that she would like to read. Amber walked back to the hotel, dropped off her purchases and took her book down to the beach.
She plopped down on a beach chair and began to read. Amber loved to read. She could get lost in the stories and forget for a little while just what was going on in her own life. She could pretend for a while that all was right in her world.
Amber read for a couple of hours then went back to her room to take a nap. She wanted to be fully rested before she hit the road again. She could not help but think of the man she saw earlier that morning and wish she had the nerve to smile and say something witty.
Falling asleep a few minutes later, Amber dreamed about the stranger. She could see him perfectly. He stood about six foot three inches, sculpted as if he had been carved out of stone. She assumed he must work out on a daily basis to stay that fit. He had black hair and dreamy, blue eyes, the color of the deep part of the ocean outside her balcony door. She wanted to touch him. Just to run her hands down his arms and chest. Was it as hard as it looked?
Yes, she thought to herself as she did just that. In her dream she continued to explore with her hands, running them over his shoulders and down his chest. Feeling the muscles ripple as she explored. She had never wanted to do this before. No one in her life had made her want to just touch and feel.
Amber moaned in her sleep. The dream was so real. She could smell him. He was wearing just a hint of cologne. The smell had her wanting to bury her face in his neck and curl into him. So she did. She sniffed and smiled.
It was a dream. Amber could be as bad as she wanted. She nipped his earlobe and kissed his neck. She continued to run her hands over his body as she explored the dark stranger.
Suddenly, he grabbed her and kissed her until she couldn’t breathe. Amber moaned again. What were these sensations she felt in her stomach? She felt sick and hot, but she knew it was not a real sick feeling. She needed something, but she was not sure what. Emotions were swirling within her and she needed him to touch her, but he wouldn’t. Why not?
The stranger seemed to be fading. Amber called to him but she didn’t know his name. “Where are you going,” she called. But there was no answer.
Amber jolted awake. She was drenched in sweat and there was a strange feeling in her belly that she could not explain. The dream had been so real. She would have to make sure not to run into that man again. She could not afford for her stalker to discover her smiling at him or talking with him.
Amber lay back on the bed with a smile on her face. At least her stalker could not see her dreams.
Derek lay on his own bed. He had just got off the phone with the coroner and had discovered that Jesse Chunn had indeed been murdered. He could not have driven himself off the road because his neck had been broken prior to going over the cliff.
Derek breathed a sigh of relief. He did not think the girl he was chasing had the strength or the skill to snap a man’s neck, especially one the size of Jesse. That meant there was some other explanation for why she was on the run and why people around her were dying. He would find the underlying cause of her fear and her reason for running.
First, he had to shake her
from his head. Those eyes of hers could make a man want things he couldn’t have. And the desire he saw in them made him wish he could take her back to his place and protect her for the rest of his life.
Derek shook his head. He could not be thinking like that. He had to find out why she was on the run. He would have to try to strike up a conversation and see if she would respond.
Derek heard the shower in the room next to him and knew she had awakened from her nap. He groaned at the thought of her climbing into the shower. He needed to be more professional.
Amber usually only took hot showers but this time the faucet was turned all the way to the C. She stood under the water trying to clear her head. She could not afford for some stranger to overtake her thoughts like this. She decided she would hit the road tomorrow, although it was a day earlier than she had originally planned. She would let the front desk know when she went out for supper.
Amber turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. She grabbed a towel, dried off, and then studied herself in the mirror. She had changed in the four years since she had left Alma. Her hair was much longer, her face a little older and more haunted looking. She was not sure the last time she looked in the mirror and just smiled. Her eyes were not the same either. In Alma, she was happy. A glowing youth on the verge of living out her dreams of being a nurse, helping people, and raising a family, just as her parents had done. Now, none of that would happen. She would not be able to start a family for fear her stalker would find her again.
She was having a hard enough time coping with the people she barely knew dying because of her. She could not take having a family torn from her. No, she would not take that chance. New Orleans proved that.
Two years. She had started to feel safe. She had started to move on with her life. Then he had killed Jesse. Amber didn’t know if she could handle anymore.
She pulled a pair of jeans from her bag and dug out a t-shirt. Amber dressed, blow dried her hair, and applied make-up. After she was ready, she went to the front desk to let them know she would be checking out in the morning instead of staying one more night.
Amber climbed into her car and drove around the city until she found a restaurant that appealed to her. This one was advertising all you can eat crab legs so she thought she would try it.
Once inside the restaurant, Amber looked around at her surroundings. Tastefully decorated in the beach theme that seemed to be popular on the ocean, Amber admired the colors the decorator used. She asked for a glass of wine, ordered the crab legs with a salad and a baked potato, and sat back to wait. Just as the waitress was placing her salad on the table, the tall, good-looking stranger walked into the room.
Amber sank down in her seat a little and tried to avoid eye contact. She took a bite of her salad and pretended to be enthralled with her salad fork.
Derek looked around and spotted Amber immediately. He knew by her expression that she had seen him and was trying to avoid him. He had already decided to confront her.
Waving off the hostess, Derek walked to Amber’s booth and sat down across from her. Choking on her salad, Amber looked up into those glorious blue eyes.
“Can I help you,” she asked as politely as she could after taking a sip of her wine to wash down the salad. Seriously hoping her face was not red from remembering her thoughts from earlier in the day, Amber gave him her best I’m not interested in anything you have to say look.
“I saw you getting breakfast in the hotel this morning,” he replied ignoring the look that told him clearly to go away. “I wanted to say hi.”
“Hi,” she replied.
“My name is Derek. What’s yours?”
“I’m sorry. I’m not in the habit of conversing with total strangers, Derek,” Amber said. She hoped the look she was giving him was enough to send him to his own table.
Derek knew what she was doing but he was not budging. He signaled the waiter and ordered a beer and the crab legs.
Amber quickly looked around the restaurant to see if anyone was paying any attention to them. She did not think her stalker had found her yet, but she could not be sure. She did not want to take the chance that this guy would end up in the local morning paper.
Derek did not miss Amber’s quick glance around and he too scanned the restaurant assuring himself no one was paying any attention to the pair. He could see the fear she was trying to hide. He pretended not to notice.
“So, where are you from,” Derek asked her although he already knew the answer to that question.
Realizing no one was watching her, and assuming this guy was not going away, Amber answered his question, “I’m from Alma, Georgia.”
“Oh, a small town girl, eh,” he asked as he started on his salad. “I’m from Houston, myself.
“Oh,” Amber said.
“What had you coming to Myrtle Beach this time of year,” he asked.
“A change of scenery,” Amber replied.
Derek smiled.
Amber's heart skipped a beat.
Amber and Derek continued to talk throughout the meal and Amber began to relax. She eventually told Derek her name. He even made her laugh before the check came.
Derek grabbed the bill and insisted on paying for her meal. Amber argued but in the end, Derek won. As he was paying, Amber slipped out of the booth and out to her car. She did not need to see him again.
Derek, assuming she would try to run, threw a fifty on the table and went after her. He caught up with her before she could close the door to her car.
“Hey, running away so fast? I thought we could take a stroll on the beach together,” he asked.
“I don’t think so, Derek,” Amber replied.
“Oh, come on. We’re both on vacation, why not do something crazy,” he cajoled.
Amber’s heart flipped just looking into those eyes and knowing what he was insinuating. “Look, I can’t. People get hurt when they get to close to me. You need to go away now.”
“What do you mean get to close,” Derek asked. Finally, maybe a small piece of the puzzle.
“I mean, someone is stalking me and he doesn’t like me talking to men or anybody really. Please go away before you get yourself killed or something,” Amber pleaded.
Derek could tell Amber was serious and she was truly concerned for his safety.
“Look, I’m a big boy and I can take care of myself. Let’s talk about this and let me see if I can help you,” Derek replied.
Amber looked into his eyes and wanted to say yes. She needed a friend. She needed someone to hear her story. Making a hasty decision and giving into her need for adult company, Amber nodded.
“Okay. I’ll meet you back at the hotel,” she said.
Derek jogged to his car and followed Amber back to the hotel. Soon he would get a full picture of what had been happening in Amber Curtis’ life since she left her hometown four years earlier.
Amber couldn’t resist Derek when she was looking into his eyes but as she drove she began having second thoughts. What if her stalker was here? What if Derek got hurt because of her? She shook her head. She would take this one night, see where it led, and in the morning, she would leave again.
Resolve firmly in place, Amber waited for Derek to park then allowed him to follow her up to her room. Once there, she grabbed a couple of beers out of the mini fridge and handed one to him. She pulled a folder out of her bag and motioned for Derek to follow her out to the balcony.
Amber and Derek chatted for a few minutes before Amber began her story. She told about growing up in her hometown and about the accident that stole her parents from her at the beginning of her freshman year of college. She talked about her best friend, Olivia, and told how they had met and remained friends all this time.
Amber told Derek about the notes she started getting from her stalker. They talked about all of the accidents her friends were having and the one that nearly cost Olivia her life. Amber gave the note
s she had been keeping all these years to Derek.
Finally, all out of words and physically spent from reliving the horror of the last four years, Amber began sobbing. Derek pulled her into his lap and held her as she cried out her anger and frustration. Emotionally drained as well, Derek stroked Amber’s hair.
He waited for her sobbing to end, and then he stood up and carried her to her bed. He continued to stroke her hair until she fell asleep. He needed to hit something, hard. He took her room key, went down to the hotel’s gym, and got on the weights. Usually a good work out would calm him, but an hour in and Derek was still mad as hell.
Finishing with the weights, Derek went out onto the beach and began to run. As he ran he thought about what Amber had told him. She had no one to turn to. The police had told her they couldn’t help her, and then the maniac had nearly killed her best friend. The descriptions he had gotten of her personality from previous coworkers all made sense now.
Derek continued to run until the rage was gone and then he slowly walked back down the beach. He went to his own room, took a shower, and then let himself back into Amber’s room. He would protect her. He would find this coward and make him pay for what he had put her through for the last four years.
Derek took pictures of the notes Amber’s stalker had left her and sent them to his lab to be analyzed. He would call Tom in the morning and give him an update on what he had just learned.
He looked at the sleeping beauty and realized his life had just become really complicated. He knew when this was over he would have a hard time walking away from her. No women had ever turned his head, or his heart, like Amber had in the last two days. He was definitely in danger of falling for this one.
Derek took off his shirt and lay down beside Amber. Now that he knew what was really going on, he would not be leaving her on her own. There was no telling when her stalker would suddenly turn on her. He could not take that chance.
Derek fell asleep thinking about the information Amber had revealed to him. He went back over every detail trying to glean any helpful information to tell him who this guy was. He would have to make some calls in the morning.
Amber woke the next morning wrapped in Derek’s arms. At first, she panicked and froze until she remembered that she had told him what she had been going through the last few years. Next, she checked to see if she was dressed. Still wearing her clothes from the night before, Amber sighed with relief. She had never gone to bed with a stranger before.
Amber started to climb out of bed slowly when a deep, male voice greeted her. “Good morning, sunshine,” Derek said.
Amber groaned. She turned over and looked at the good-looking stranger next to her. “Care to explain why you are sleeping in my bed,” she asked.
“Sure,” he replied. “How about during breakfast?”
Amber thought about that and nodded.
“I’ll go shower and change and meet you in the lobby,” Derek said.
“Sounds good,” replied Amber.
Derek got up from her bed and walked to the door. As he opened the door, he turned and said, “Amber, I want to help you. We will find this guy, I promise you.”
On that promise, Derek closed the door and walked to his room. Amber breathed a sigh of relief. She knew his intentions were good, but she could not risk bringing someone else into her crazy nightmare. She jumped up and began throwing her things into her bags. She would have to be gone by the time he made it down to the breakfast room.
By the time she heard the shower come on in the next room, Amber had gathered up all her belongings and was walking out the door. She checked out quickly, threw her bags in the car, and was pulling out of the parking garage by the time Derek had stepped out of the shower.
Just as before, Amber drove a couple of towns over, bought a new cell phone, and traded cars. She was so thankful for the money her parents left her that allowed her to be able to do this. Once again, Amber was on the run. She had already decided her route, so she pulled her atlas out, slid on her sunglasses, and drove off the car lot in her new aqua blue Toyota Camry.
With any luck she would be long gone before Derek realized she had left.
Derek showered, shaved and dressed, taking his time getting ready. He knew how females were and he assumed it would take a while for Amber to dress and apply makeup. With the radio cranked up to the local country station, Derek didn’t notice the quietness of the room next to him. He was rocking to Blake Shelton’s latest hit and making sure he was giving her plenty of time to get ready.
When Derek had finished, he turned down the radio and called Tom.
“Did you get the pictures I sent over,” Derek asked.
“I did,” Tom replied. “The lab is analyzing these now. So what’s the story?”
Derek quickly filled his boss in on what he had learned and Tom agreed Derek should stay with Amber until her stalker could be located. Derek was to use whatever resources he needed to keep her safe. Meanwhile, the FBI would look into her background and see if they could come up with the person who was stalking her.
Hanging up the phone, Derek went to the lobby to meet Amber. He checked his watch. It had been exactly and hour since he left her room. Derek waited twenty minutes before going back upstairs. He knocked on her door but got no answer. He went back downstairs and checked the lobby and the breakfast room but saw no sign of Amber.
Derek was starting to get worried as he walked up to the front desk to inquire after her. He got angry when he found out she had checked out. Hurrying back upstairs, Derek quickly packed his bags, checked out of his own room and followed her. The tracking device would lead him right to her.
♥ Chapter 6 ♥