Tainted Freedom {Formerly Stalker} (Book 2) (Completed)

Chapter 2

Kait POV

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I still had the ominous feeling of someone watching me when I went to work the next day. It got to the point where I checked the bed of my truck and the back seat for anyone possibly there. I couldn't explain it. I told Melanie about it, and she said that when she left, she felt like there was someone in the bushes by the front door when she left. She even heard a heartbeat. I had no idea what to do at this point. I made sure to have a stake and a gun with me at all times just to give myself some sort of security. Cory thought I was being nuts, but he agreed that it did feel like someone was watching us. It seemed to make the whole family jumpy.

When I went to the store that night, I ran into the last person I wanted to see, my ex-husband.

"Hi, babe, er, Kait, sorry." He said.

"That's better. You don't even deserve a hello from me." I said, kinda pissed off.

"Come on. Was I actually that bad as to deserve this?" He said, using the ok puppy dog look.

"Yes, you were. Cheating on me with the stupid clerk. You're a dumb ass. I can't believe you thought I'd never find out."

"I see you've moved on from me."

"Yes, I have. He's a really nice guy, strong, providing, faithful." I said, putting emphasis on faithful.

"What's his name?"

"You don't deserve to know his name."

"Come on, just tell me the guy's name."

"No. I thought I made that perfectly clear."

"I can see we won't see the same way about this."

"No, we won't. I have to go now." I said, leaving faster than I'd come.

"Rosa, don't let him get you down." Melanie said.

"I'm trying. Do you think I was too hard headed with him?"

"No. He needs to see that you don't care about him anymore."

"I thought I made that clear when I called him a lying, cheating bastard after our divorce was finalized."

"I guess you didn't. He's still trying to win you back."

"He needs to figure out that he won't. He had his chance to stay with me. He blew it and left me for some dumb ass store clerk."

I must have appeared shaken up when I got home, because Cory was getting a little concerned.

"What happened?" He said.

"I saw him there."

"Don't tell the kids that."

"I know. They can't help that they love their dad. It's in their blood, I can't take that away. He said he wanted nothing to do with them. I think they're still broken from his abandonment." I said.

"Just like you are. He did more to you than he did to them."

"Somehow you can always tell these things." I said, giving him a hug.

"You just need someone to be there. I don't expect you to fall in love with me, at least not any time soon, but I want you to know that I have. I love you." He said.

I stayed silent. I didn't know what to say because I hadn't fallen in love with him yet. Instead of a response, I just kissed him. It wasn't earth shattering like anything with my ex-husband, but I didn't want it to be. That should have been my tip off that he was bad news. No one who stays faithful kisses or makes love like he did. We made out for a few minutes, then I looked over at the window and thought I saw a pair of golden eyes staring at us. I froze.

"Cory. Look." I'd managed to say.

"What?"

"Look out the window. Do you see that? Someone looking at us."

"There is someone there. Short, brown hair, golden eyes that look a lot like Rachel and Melanie's. Wait here." He said, running up stairs.

When he came down, he handed me a gun and a silver stake. We went to patrol the bushes and the entire perimeter of the house and property. When we got to the bushes, I caught a whiff of an all too familiar scent. One that I'd memorized over the years and grew to love and hate. A scent that lived in my children. I looked down to find a note. We found nothing else anywhere around the property. When Cory and I read the note, we both immediately knew who it was from from.