Four
Nancy could only stare at the handwritten note in disbelief. She had to be imagining what she was reading. There was no way that Wesley could have written the note and left it in her bedroom.
He was in jail.
Frank had promised her that he would never come after her again. And Frank always kept his promises to her. Never in the years had she known him had he betrayed her. Sure, he told a little white lie every now and then—even she was guilty of that herself.
But for Frank to betray her…it was something she had a hard time wrapping her head around. No matter if it was done to protect her, it was something that Nancy couldn't easily forgive. Frank had to know what it would do to her, knowing that Wesley really was still out there, watching her from the shadows.
Because if he was out there, there wasn't any doubt in Nancy's mind that he would come after her again. And the note he'd left her pretty much guaranteed that. Wesley wasn't finished with her—not by a long shot.
Folding the note, Nancy gathered the box and the spider and placed the items back inside before sliding it into her bedside dresser. She wasn't about to let Frank know what she'd received. He would only freak out and she wanted to have proof before she accused him of lying to her.
A wave of anger washed over her as she thought about how Wesley got into her home, her sanctuary. If his intention had been to scare her with the spider, he had succeeded on that front. She would be stupid not to be afraid—she knew firsthand what Wesley was capable of.
But he had also succeeded in making her angry. She refused to hide in a corner and cower in fear. She wouldn't let him do that to her again.
Ignoring her comfortable clothes and thoughts of taking a long, relaxing bath, Nancy grabbed her keys and walked out of the apartment. She made sure to lock the door behind her before taking the elevator down to the lobby. Someone had to have seen who'd gotten into her apartment. One of the reasons she and Frank had chosen to live there was because of the round-the-clock security the complex offered.
Bypassing the front desk, Nancy walked towards the security office, knocking on the door. A tall man with curly brown hair and a ruddy complexion glanced up from his paperwork with a welcoming smile. The nameplate on his desk said his name was Ken Johnson. "Can I help you?"
"I was wondering if there was any way that I could see if anyone has been inside my apartment," Nancy said, stepping into the office.
Ken immediately put down his pen and sat up a little straighter, a frown on his face. "Do you have any evidence?"
You mean, besides the dead spider that was waiting on my bed for me? Nancy thought, but didn't want to say aloud. That would have gotten the police involved and Nancy wanted to keep them out of it as long as she could. "Not exactly," Nancy admitted. "It's just a feeling that I have."
Visibly relaxing, Ken flashed her an apologetic smile. "I can assure you that we make security for our residents our top priority. There is no way anyone could have gotten into your apartment without any of us knowing. We monitor the premises twenty-four seven."
"I understand that. I just want to make sure."
"Without any evidence, I'm afraid that I can't help you," Ken said as he stood up and walked over to the door. "If there was anything amiss, you would have been notified."
Nancy tried to hide her annoyance, but it was proving difficult. "There were some things that were moved in my apartment," she said, the lie coming out of her mouth without any hesitation.
"Are you sure it wasn't your roommate?"
"I didn't leave until after my fiancé left the apartment. I wasn't gone any longer than two hours."
"Maybe he came back after you left," Ken argued.
Nancy gritted her teeth as she stared up at the infuriating man towering over her. "Maybe I should just go to the police with my concerns."
Ken's condescending smile instantly fell from his face as he blocked Nancy's exit. "Now, there's no need to get the police involved. This is all just a misunderstanding. Why don't we see if we can handle this situation ourselves?"
"Good idea," Nancy said as she followed Ken out of the outer office and into another room that was teeming with video monitors. A desk sat in the middle of the room, housing two large Mac computers. Another security guard was sitting behind it and he glanced up when they walked into the room.
"Hey, Billy—why don't you take a fifteen minute break?" Ken asked with a nod towards the door.
Billy looked slightly alarmed. "But I just clocked in thirty minutes ago."
"Take your break on the clock," Ken said with a roll of his eyes.
"Are you sure?"
"Go, Billy."
"Yes sir." Billy scrambled out of his chair and hurried out of the office, closing the door behind him.
Ken immediately took his vacated seat and typed a few things into the computer, pulling up a security feed that focused on Nancy's floor. She walked around until she was standing directly behind him so she could get a better look. Ken shot her an annoyed look, but said nothing as he focused his attention once more on the monitor.
"So, what exactly is it that I'm supposed to be looking for?"
"I'm not sure," Nancy admitted.
"Let's start with something easy," Ken said, glancing up at her. "What time did you leave your apartment this morning?"
"Nine thirty."
The security guard only grunted as he typed in a few more commands, skipping over the video feed until he got to the time stamp he was searching for. He pointed at the monitor and Nancy saw herself walking out of her unit, locking the door behind her.
Nancy remained silent as the video feed sped along, keeping her eyes alert for any unexpected visitors. A few minutes passed before she spotted someone walking down the hallway, stopping at her door. It was clearly a man dressed in a maintenance uniform, but she couldn't make out his face because of the ball cap that was situated low over his face.
"Did you put in a call to maintenance?" Ken asked as the man unlocked her door and let himself into her apartment.
"I didn't," Nancy admitted. "But I guess that Frank could have…"
"Frank is your fiancé?"
"Yes."
They watched the monitor for a while longer, only to see the man walk out five minutes later, locking the door behind him with his master key. He never turned towards the camera as he walked down the hall and out of the frame. Nancy couldn't shake the feeling that his build looked vaguely familiar to her.
In fact, it was very similar to Wesley's.
"It looks like all this was just a lack of—" Ken stopped speaking as the door to the room flew open, Billy standing there with a worried expression on his face. "What is it, Billy?"
"Leo just stumbled out of the utility closet bleeding from a gash on his head," Billy said, his gaze darting back and forth between Ken and Nancy.
"Who's Leo?" Nancy asked, confused.
Ken frowned at Nancy. "He's one of our maintenance men." He turned his attention back to the other security guard. "Is he okay?"
"I don't know. He can't even remember what happened to him," Billy explained. "He's on his way to the hospital now to get checked out. But that's not the weirdest part."
"What is?"
Billy swallowed hard. "When Leo stumbled out, he was dressed in nothing more than his boxers and undershirt. His uniform was gone."
Nancy felt a stab of fear at Billy's revelation. She knew without a doubt that whoever was in her apartment was not one of the maintenance men who worked at the complex. And while she didn't get a glimpse of his face on the security footage, she couldn't shake the feeling that it was Wesley who had somehow left her the present in the bedroom.
Which could only mean that Frank had been lying to her this entire time.
Wesley smiled to himself as he kept a safe distance behind his next target, keeping at least two car lengths behind the red Jeep. It had taken very little effort to sneak into Taylor Vaughn's garage and drill a hole in the gas line, ensuring that she would break down on the side of the road.
It was a good thing that he was following behind her so closely to lend a helping hand. Luck was also on his side considering her job as a registered nurse at the county hospital was a little ways out of town and she always insisted on taking the back roads to avoid traffic.
Good for him. Not so good for the sweet brunette in the red Jeep.
He knew everything there was to know about Taylor. She'd left her hometown of Boston four years ago to attend school at the University of Indianapolis just to follow the supposed boy of her dreams. It didn't go well for her when he broke her heart during the first semester of their freshman year. Instead of going back home to Boston with her tail tucked between her legs, Taylor had decided to stick it out.
It had gone well for her until her junior year when she was attacked by a man on campus who had raped and killed several coeds. Taylor would have died if not for the fact that her attacker had been interrupted by a passing faculty member who happened to hear her cries for help. As it was, she had suffered severe head trauma, not to mention losing a large amount of blood.
Her attacker had been arrested a week later on a traffic violation, only to subsequently be charged with five murders after DNA evidence left behind inked him to the crimes. He was currently serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
Even after everything she had gone through, Taylor still managed to graduate on time and at the top of her class. Now, not only was she a nurse working the emergency room at the county hospital, but she was engaged to be married in a few short weeks.
A tiny part of Wesley almost felt bad that he was about to shatter the safe haven she had made for herself.
Almost.
Tightening his grip on the steering wheel, he chuckled to himself as he noticed Taylor's car begin to slow down and sputter. He watched as she turned on her hazard lights and pulled over to the side of the road. There were no other cars traveling on the road as he pulled up behind her car.
Giving himself one cursory glance in the rearview mirror, he got out and approached her vehicle, making sure he was wearing a worried expression on his face.
"Is everything okay?" Wesley asked as he knocked on the window. He had to work hard not to smile as she jumped in her seat, her hand held over her heart. It was the thing he loved the most—fear.
Taylor gave him a frightened look before she smiled timidly. "Everything's okay." She held up her cell phone as she rolled down her window a little bit. "I'm calling roadside assistance."
Wesley frowned. "I don't mind helping you. Do you know what's wrong with it?"
"My gas gauge says I'm out of gas, which is ridiculous since I filled up my tank yesterday."
"It sounds like it could be a leak in your gas line," Wesley said, feigning concern. "I can help you get into town, if you would like."
Taylor shook her head. "I'd rather just get someone out here."
Wesley smiled a charming smile, knowing how it could practically melt any woman's resolve. At least, that's what he'd always been told and it had never failed him yet. "I wasn't offering to give you a ride. I have a gas can in my car that has some gas in it. It should be enough to get you into town and to a mechanic."
Taylor hesitated. "I don't know. I'd hate to take your gas away from you. What if you need it?"
"Don't worry about me. I'll just fill it up again." Wesley's smile deepened. "I'd feel horrible if I left you here to wait forever for a tow truck to come along. You look like you were about to head into work."
"I'm running late as it is," Taylor said, glancing down at her scrubs. She tapped her phone against her chin as she contemplated his offer. "Are you sure it's not any trouble?"
"None at all. I'll even follow you into town to make sure you arrive safely."
"Okay," Taylor said, flashing him a grateful smile. "Thank you so much."
"You're very welcome," Wesley said, stepping away from her vehicle. "Let me grab it from the trunk and I'll be right back."
Jogging back to his car, Wesley couldn't help but feel elated that he'd gotten her to trust him so quickly. It just went to show how gullible people were, especially when they were desperate. As he grabbed the red gas can from his trunk, he noticed that Taylor had gotten out of her car and was waiting for him at the gas tank.
This was way too easy…
Walking over to her, he held out his hand while he unscrewed the lid to the gas tank. "By the way, my name is Wesley."
"Taylor," she answered, shaking his hand with a bright smile. "Again, I really appreciate you doing this for me."
"It's not a problem," Wesley assured her as he poured the gas into the tank. "Anything for a fellow motorist in need. I know I would want someone to do the same thing for me. Like paying it forward, you know?"
Taylor nodded as she hugged herself against the cold winter air. Wesley imagined she had to be cold, considering she was wearing nothing but her scrubs. She hadn't even bothered to grab her jacket before she got out of the Jeep.
Finishing up with the gas, Wesley replaced the lid and took a step back. "There you go. All set."
"Let me at least give you some money to repay you for the gas," Taylor said, moving to the driver's side door.
"That really isn't necessary," Wesley protested.
"I insist."
As soon as she leaned her body into her car, Wesley was on top of her holding a chloroform filled rag over her mouth and nose. He couldn't help but feel a thrill as she let out a muffled scream, struggling against him as she tried to escape his grasp.
"Shh, it's okay, Taylor," Wesley whispered into her ear as her struggles became weaker. "You're just going to take a little nap. It's nothing to worry about."
After a few more moments, the young woman finally went limp in his grip. Checking to make sure there were no cars coming, Wesley picked her up and brought her over to the trunk of his car, where he made quick work securing her tightly. As soon as he was finished, he retrieved the gas can from the ground and grabbed her purse and cell phone from her Jeep.
Tossing the items inside of his backseat, he pulled out onto the road and headed back to his place, excitement coursing through his veins.
Today was turning out to be a pretty great day, if he did say so himself.
The Hardy's will be back on the next chapter…I promise!
A big thanks to the following people who reviewed: max2013 (I really am so sorry for being evil!), Michelle Gallichio (Nancy is definitely going to be upset at our favorite dark-haired Hardy), Caranath (Thank you so much for the kind words—and sorry about the psychos. They don't believe in allowing you to have your coffee…), Xdaisy chainX (I would also die if I came home to a box full of spiders…believe me, it scares the crap out of me to research them!), SarahE7191 (There is a lot more creepiness to come, especially now that you have asked for it!), catlover1033 (Welcome! And thank you so much for your compliment—I really try to make my story as realistic as possible, so when I get a review like yours, it makes me feel as if I am doing it right!), Jabba1 (Thank you so much! I hope you continue to enjoy it!), SC15 (I enjoy pulling rugs out from underneath our beloved characters!), and Cupcake (I've never had anyone want to write one of my characters. I have to admit, it makes me curious about what others would do with someone like Wesley…). You guys rock, but you already know that!
I want to also thank everyone else who is reading but may be too shy to review!
You know the drill…I apologize for any mistakes and let me know what you think!
