She clutched the steering wheel like a lifeline. Where could she go? The smart thing to do would be to keep driving. Lose herself in another city where hopefully the maniac wouldn’t find her. But she also knew she was in no shape to do that tonight.
She had to be smart and not make mistakes that could cost her her life. Which left the question open of where to go right now.
He was out there. Waiting. He’d gotten to Serena with surprising ease. Angelina was alone. An easy target.
Her head throbbed, and her nose felt swollen to twice its normal size thanks to the tears she was fighting. Staying alone anywhere would be suicidal and just plain stupid. Maybe she could go camp out in the police station until morning.
She shook her head. Nathan was staying at Julie’s, and she had no idea where Julie lived. Ditto for Faith and Serena. Which left Connor. She’d feel a lot better about asking him for help over one of the girls. She’d already put them in enough danger. As much as she hated the idea of going back to a place she knew the stalker had been, she didn’t have a choice.
The drive was a blank in her mind. She navigated in a daze. By the time she pulled into the apartment complex, she was wound so tight she thought she might burst. She parked beside Connor’s truck and glanced nervously around. Not seeing anyone, she took a deep breath and bolted from the car.
She ran up the walkway to Connor’s door and banged her fist on the wood. Her other hand went to the doorbell, and she punched the button repeatedly.
Jittering impatiently as she waited, she stared from side to side, looking for anyone lurking in the shadows.
The door flew open and Connor stood there in gym shorts, no shirt and no shoes, a dark scowl on his face.
“What the—” He broke off when he saw her.
He reached for her wrist and yanked her inside the apartment. He released her long enough to shut and lock the door and then he turned back to her, gripping her shoulders.
“Are you all right? What happened? Where the hell is Micah?”
Despite the firm grip her teeth had on her bottom lips, tears welled in her eyes.
Connor herded her into the living room and pushed her down onto one of the leather sofas.
“Talk to me, sweetie,” he said in a gentle voice.
Some of his calm invaded her, and she took several steadying breaths. Despite his calm, she noticed that he gripped his cell phone as if he were ready to place a call the instant she told him what was wrong.
“Nothing’s happened,” she said. “Micah is fine. He’s pissed but he’s fine.”
Connor relaxed just a bit, but his brows drew together in confusion. “Where is he? Why the hell are you out by yourself?”
She closed her eyes. “He told me to get out so I left. If I wasn’t so tired, I would have just kept on driving. It’s what I should have done.”
Connor’s mouth worked up and down, and his right eye twitched. He raised a hand to his head and ran it raggedly over his hair. Finally he found his voice, only to spit out a string of expletives.
“What the ever-loving fuck? He told you to get out when some crazed asshole is stalking you?”
Her lips turned down into a sad frown. “He had good reason.”
For a minute she thought Connor was going to explode. He was absolutely furious.
“There is no reason he should have thrown you out. I don’t care what you did to piss him off.”
“He was right,” she said in a small voice. “I’ve manipulated him at every turn, but I didn’t mean ...” She closed her eyes and bowed her head. “I never meant to hurt him.”
“Christ,” Connor muttered.
He moved beside her on the couch and pulled her into his arms.
“Do I even want to know what the hell you supposedly did that warranted him tossing you out to face some crazed lunatic on your own? Because I can’t think of any goddamn reason to justify it.”
“I can’t tell you,” she said against his chest. “He’s pissed enough that I know.”
Connor pulled her away and stared fiercely back at her. “You don’t owe him a goddamn thing. Not now.”
Connor’s cell phone rang, and he yanked his gaze to the coffee table, where he’d placed it.