Dixie Under Siege (A Warrior's Passion #2) - Natasza Waters Page 0,8
a first name basis.
The creepy notes had originally appeared twelve years ago, when she’d moved to New York after graduating college. Initially, she’d gone to the police, but law enforcement couldn’t help.
Twelve years and twelve states, but he had always tracked her down.
When she’d arrived in San Diego, Dix rented a small rambler not far from Old Town. The first note showed up in her mailbox a couple days ago. Like always, it was a sheet of paper with a few words.
Thought you could hide from me?
She sighed. No, she didn’t think she could hide, but for him to find her again and again meant he had some way of tailing her. A multitude of possibilities existed. Too tired to dwell on what she’d already rehashed in her mind literally a thousand times, Dixie walked across the shop toward the exit. She dug in her purse until she found the weighty ring of keys.
Time to call it a day. She set the alarm by the main entrance, then slipped outside. Standing in the alcove entry, she locked the door.
The warm May air brushed against her bare arms. A glance at her watch revealed it was ten p.m. The other shops on Orange Avenue that bustled with tourists and locals had already closed, except for Breakers. Loud music pumped from the bar a half block away. A place populated with military types from NAB Coronado, the hangout didn’t pose any competition to her. Breakers served pub food and boasted live music on weekends.
Dixie crossed Orange Avenue after a Porsche convertible rolled past, its shiny hubcaps refracting light from the streetlamps.
As she walked down the deserted sidewalk, her skin prickled with unease. Ever since the notes had started arriving again, she’d been on edge.
Her stalker had violated her business today, depositing his twisted idea of a love letter on a bookshelf. Kent, one of her employees, found the sheet and showed her immediately. It had been the first time her stalker threatened to kill her. A cheap threat. One she didn’t believe for a second.
Taking a left into the back lane behind a group of mom-and-pop shops, she headed for her car. She’d made an arrangement with the owner of Nado Baked Goods, located across the street from the Erotic Bean. Avis was a gal dipping her toes into entrepreneurship and hoping her idea paid off. She didn’t rely on cupcakes and cookies, Avis baked international favorites. Her Tiramisu deserved a wall of blue ribbons.
In return for one of four parking spots behind the bakery, Dixie stocked the Erotic Bean with some of Avis’s products.
Most shops didn’t provide parking on Coronado. Square footage cost a premium on the island. Visitors could find an empty spot along a sidewalk for an hour or so to have lunch or wander through the boutique shops, but Dixie’s hours were a lot longer than that.
Without any streetlights, the moonless night pressed in on all sides and her nerves tightened. She wore comfortable flats not only to last the fourteen-hour work day, but if necessary, to outrun her unwanted admirer if he ever showed himself.
Sick of being emotionally terrorized by a guy who kept to the shadows, she wished he’d confront her.
The bass from Breakers’ Saturday night band thumped in the background. In the distance, the haunting tone of a siren wailed. Coronado was a relatively safe place, but she didn’t feel safe anymore.
Dix heard footsteps. Her pulse ticked faster. Stopping, she turned to gaze down the deserted lane. Dark blue garbage bins lined the rear of the shops. Palm fronds dotted the gravel-covered ground.
Adrenaline leeched into her blood, tingling with warning. Car keys in hand, she walked backwards, looking for any shadow that moved.
She was so sick of this. Of him.
With her gaze strained to even the minutest movement, she wasn’t prepared for a hand to grip her shoulder from behind.
She screeched and whirled around, thrusting herself backward at the same time.
“Easy, Dix. It’s me.”
Josh Hunter stood towering over her, his rugged features set in stone.
“You scared the shit out of me!”
He shrugged. “I told you to wait for me, but this worked just as well.”
With her heart pounding, she skewered him with a glare of disapproval. “Why is that?”
Josh gazed over her head, surveying the area. “Wanted to see if anyone followed you.”
“I thought I heard footsteps down that way.” She nodded toward the street.
He crossed his arms, his thick biceps stretching the navy blue t-shirt. “It was a young couple. Probably heading to Breakers.”