Pierce

Chapter Nineteen

Natalie~

Natalie settled into their new normal fairly easily, with a lot of guidance and support from Pierce. He understood that she was not a soldier and he didn't expect her to be. She didn't have the same outlook and perception of her surroundings that he did and wasn't used to the level of hypervigilance that was now required to keep her safe, but Pierce was patient and taught her the basics.

During the day, while Pierce was at work, Natalie would spend her time at Lexi's or Claire's or go up to Luxe to help with the prep work for some major events they had coming up. She had no problem keeping herself busy and frequently checked in with Pierce throughout the day letting him know where she was and how long she'd be there. It was a lot to handle and get used to all at once, but Pierce made it so easy. He was patient and supportive as she transitioned to their new routines, reminding her of things without being condescending and checking in on her frequently out of an abundance of caution and care for her well being. It had been a little over a week and she felt like she was getting used to things.

Her shoulder was still achy and she didn't have full mobility in it quite yet, but wearing the sling during the day helped with the soreness, which was getting better with every passing day.

She stood in the aisle of the party supply store, looking at fun necklaces and crowns for Claire's birthday celebration that was coming up. A smile spread across her face as she looked at the brightly colored accessories that matched Claire's fun, bubbly personality perfectly.

She was smiling like an idiot at the neon decorations, when she suddenly felt eyes on her.

The hairs on her neck stood on end and her stomach sank at the jarring change in emotion.

Something's not right.

The first thing that Pierce had taught her was to trust her gut, that people's intuition was right more often than not, so she listened to her own at that moment.

She casually lifted her head and searched for the source of her uneasiness, sweeping her eyes over every face until one in particular stood out.

Her blood ran cold as she locked eyes with a man who was staring directly at her with a look that sent chills through her body. His gaze was unyielding and their eyes meeting hadn't deterred his him in the least. He was staring right at her, glaring as if she'd offended him in some way. It was a malicious glare that made Natalie's skin crawl and her stomach tighten into knots.

She took a few steps in the opposite direction, moving to the next aisle to test her theory, but the cold dark eyes followed her every step of the way, spiking her adrenaline and giving her the confirmation she needed.

He's following me.

Fear seized her lungs, but Pierce's words started replaying in her mind as if he were standing there giving her instructions.

Stay calm even when you're scared. Battle breathe. Take in a breath for four seconds, hold it for four seconds, then push it out for four seconds.

She took in a deep breath and held it before blowing it out, just as he had instructed and readied herself for whatever was about to happen.

Move to the most densely populated area. Do not run to your car. It's isolating and you could be easily pushed into another vehicle.

Her feet started moving toward the front of the store where the checkout lines were, getting her phone out and dialing Pierce's number as she walked.

"I was just thinking about you," he answered happily.

"Someone is following me. I'm at the party supply store on Pacific." Her words were short and to the point, no hysterics, just information.