I gave her an awkward smile, once again not sure what she was talking about. When Kennedy and Grace re-emerged, they confirmed that nothing seemed to have been taken or left behind. Nate exited the other cottage and locked it behind himself. He instructed us to wait by the road while he checked the perimeter of the property. When he’d completed the circuit, he packed his taser away.

“Right. I should get this to the station,” he said, gesturing to the package, which he’d retrieved from the cottage doorstep during his check. “Are you going to be okay here?”

“Yeah.” Kennedy smiled, but I could tell it was forced. “Thanks for coming.”

“It’s my job.”

The forced smile vanished, and for some reason, I wanted to wrap her in my arms. I hated to see her looking so upset. She must be holding a lot of emotion inside. Whether or not anything illegal had happened, she’d been violated, and that wasn’t okay. But I also couldn’t comfort her the way I used to. That wasn’t who we were anymore. So instead, I reiterated Nate’s statement about calling if they ran into any more trouble, and I left.

Chapter Eighteen

KENNEDY

Hi Liam,

I don’t have anything to say today. Just that I wish I was with you.

Love,

K xx

Once the Braddock brothers had left, I took my phone from my pocket. “I need to call my security company.”

“Come inside,” Grace urged. “You can use the guest living room if you want privacy.”

“Thanks.” I followed her in, grateful not to be left alone. I wasn’t a clingy person, and I didn’t want to put her out, but knowing that my stalker had been right here scared me. It was one thing when I was in L.A. and had an expensive security system and other people around the house, but here I was a lot more vulnerable. If he could drop off a gift, he could get to me in other ways.

In the hall, I turned left into the guest living room while Grace and Desdemona continued deeper into the house. I found the contact for my security firm’s number and dialed.

“Hi, Kennedy.” Jeff, my security point person, sounded alert and focused. “Did you need more background on that Waldron guy?”

“No. I wouldn’t have called you on Christmas Eve for that. Something happened.” I gave him the rundown on the events of the day and waited for his response.

“If you’re not going to hire a local for personal security, you should be back here where we can keep you safe,” he said. I wasn’t surprised. He’d tried to persuade me of this before, and while I knew it would be easier for them to do their jobs if I was home, I wouldn’t let this stalker control my life.