The Stalker by Lorhainne Eckhart

Author:Lorhainne Eckhart [Eckhart, Lorhainne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781989698303
Publisher: Lorhainne Eckhart, INC.

Chapter Twelve

What was supposed to have been just Marcus and her going back to her apartment had suddenly turned into a three-ring circus. Her mom and dad had refused to let her walk out of the house without them, and now her grandmother was parked in the back seat of the Jeep beside her, with her mom driving and her dad in the passenger seat, giving directions as if she’d never been to the Carlyle before. To make it worse, he was still in his ranger’s uniform, packing his gun. Marcus was following behind in the sheriff’s vehicle, too, with Raymond.

Would she ever get her head around the fact that the man was her grandfather?

She’d glimpsed her face in the bathroom mirror for only a second, but she knew it was streaked with red blotches from dried tears and black smudges from her mascara. She’d have given anything for a minute just to clean up, but no one seemed inclined to let her amid the gravity of the situation.

She refused to look anyone in the eye, but she felt her grandma reach over and grip her hand as they pulled up in front of her apartment. To her horror, there was a second cop car, occupied by Harold and Suzanne, Owen, and Tessa. She bolted forward, gripping the seat back in front of her, and she thought she hissed.

“Why is everyone here?” she snapped, staring out the front windshield.

At that exact moment, it seemed everyone saw her. She’d pulled her hand free from her grandma, who now ran it over her shoulder instead, and her dad looked back to her. Her mom was looking at her in the rear-view mirror, and she felt as though she were under a microscope.

“Everyone’s worried about you, is all, nothing more,” Jenny said.

“It’s just family, Alison,” her dad started in. “This is what we do…”

“But this is private and personal,” Alison snapped. “What, did you tell everyone what I did? Oh, man, I’m such a fool. You’re probably all waiting to tell me how I screwed up. Fine, I get it. Do you want me to say it? I suck. I’m an asshole. Is that what this is?”

She yanked on the door, but her grandma slapped her hand over her arm, holding her there. The strength in her grip was amazing. She gestured to the front. “Jenny, Ryan, give us a minute,” she said in a tone Alison hadn’t heard before.

She couldn’t believe her mom and dad slipped out of the vehicle and closed the doors just like that. She stared at Marcus and Harold and her dad, mom, Suzanne, Tessa, and Owen, all gathering close. She didn’t see Raymond and wasn’t sure where he was.

“Alison, seriously, no one here is thinking any less of you,” Iris said. “Your grandfather already told me that you think you’re somehow responsible for this. You’re not. This isn’t your mess. Look at who’s out there. That’s your family, our family, and they’re here for you. We’re all sick with worry because none of us knows what to say to make this better.

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