A pair of eyes stared back at her.

Jessica pulled back from the door with a gasp. She tightened her grip on the weapon and quickly weighed her options. She could call 911 and report a snooper and wait forever for a patrol car to respond to the call. She could exit the motel room through the bathroom window and make her way to the safety of the office. Or she could take a more direct approach and challenge the guy face on.

She opted for the direct approach.

Jessica unfastened the security chain and unlocked the door silently. She planted her feet shoulder width apart, one foot slightly forward of the other, and raised the baby Glock with her right hand. With her left, she threw open the door and screamed, “Don’t fucking move!”

Standing in front of her was Mack McCool.

His watery eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open, and he raised his hands slowly in a gesture of surrender. Jessica brought her left hand to the gun to steady her grip on the weapon.

“What the hell are you doing sneaking around outside my motel room in the middle of the night?”

The sharp, foul stench of urine reached her nostrils, and her eyes flicked downward for a split second, long enough to see a dark stain spreading across the inside thigh of McCool’s tan chinos.

“Christ,” she muttered.

“Please, lower the gun,” McCool said. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Damn straight you’re not.” Jessica kept the weapon trained on his forehead, her hands steady, wrapped tightly around the stocky grip. “What do you want?”

“I just . . .” McCool shook his head, didn’t finish the sentence.

“You just what?”

“You’re not safe here.”

“Look, buddy: I’m the one holding the gun. I don’t think you’re in any position to be making any more threats.”

McCool sighed. Looked at Jessica. She couldn’t read those pale, watery eyes. “I’m not threatening you.”

“But you’ve been following me?”

He nodded. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay is all. I was looking out for you. I know I handled things badly earlier. But you need to believe me. I’m telling you the truth.”

“You call following someone with a big fucking SUV looking out for someone?”

McCool appeared confused. “What SUV? I haven’t had a car for years. I followed you on foot from Ace’s the first night you showed up in Eagle Rock. Then I came back again tonight. That’s it.”

“So who’s the guy in the car?”

“I don’t know anything about a guy in a car. But if someone else is following you, you need to take my advice and leave town tonight. If he knows who you really are, you’re in danger.”

Jessica felt light headed. “Who I really am?”