Love's Paradox

Chapter 21: Asylum Escapee

As I prepare for the day, I tell myself that I must act professionally with Parker. Though I'm not sure how that'll work out in the long run. I snag my purse and head to my car, a bagel sticking out of my mouth. I freeze and almost drop my breakfast when I see the squad car still parked outside my apartment.

I approach the car, and a window rolls down.

"They didn't arrest him yesterday?" I ask.

The officer is a woman, and she appears just as tired as I feel, all disheveled and bleary eyed. "He wasn't at his residence. But I'm sure they'll find him soon."

"I hope so. Anyway, I'm headed to work. Are you going to be following me all day?"

"Until we find him, you're stuck with us," she says with a polite smile.

Again, it seems bizarre that they'd do this. Oh, well. Best not to complain.

You know that feeling you get when you're driving down the road, not paying attention to how fast you're driving, and then you pass a cop? You have a little mini-heart attack as you check your speed and hope you don't get pulled over because you have absolutely no excuse. Now imagine that cop pulls in behind you but doesn't turn on his lights. Is he checking your tags? Is he deciding whether he wants to deal with you or not? You have no idea, but you make sure you obey every single road law imaginable just in case. You even drive below the speed limit.

Yeah. That's how I feel on the drive to work with the police car following behind. Because I don't know if they'll pull me over for doing something stupid even though they're tailing me to keep me safe. Add in my already stressed out mental state, it's no surprise that I favor a mental patient who's escaped an asylum when I arrive at Livingston Oil.

"Rae? Everything all right?" Parker asks when I enter the office.

"It was a daunting night," I say.

His long strides eat up the space between us, and then I'm in his arms. All that mental talk about me being a professional at work evaporates as he holds me against his broad chest. The steady rhythm of his heartbeat soothes me. "Tell me what happened," he says softly.

"I had to call the police last night," I say.

Parker's body stiffens around me. He holds me at arm's length and checks me over for any new damage. "You were supposed to call me."

I cringe. "I know. I'm sorry. But it was late, and Hunter helped me handle everything."

"And what happened, exactly?"

"Ian left a wedding dress and letter on my bed."

I swear his eyes darken with pure fury. "He did what?"

"He asked to have me back." I purposefully leave out the subtle threat. "The wedding dress was one I originally wanted, but he'd told me no. It was his way of apologizing, I guess."

"I'm glad you called the police," he says after a moment of swallowing down his rage. "Did they arrest him?"

I shake my head. "They couldn't find him, but a squad car stayed outside my house all night, and then they followed me to work."

"Well, that's something."

"You don't think that's weird?"

"Not at all. They're doing their job."

"Now they are," I grumble. "I wonder what changed."

"I may have made a few phone calls after the way they treated you at the hospital," he admits, not the least bit contrite. "My family might not have many political ties here, but the Livingston name is a powerful one."