Something had kept her from leaving, but she had no idea what. Cera couldn’t see it, but it was there, all the same. A magnetic pull much stronger than the fear constantly rolling through her.
Her hand fell onto her lap, her eyes rising to where she’d last seen the man from Sin. Through the windshield, Cera could see him standing in her room’s open doorway. He was on the phone with someone, scanning the area from his elevated vantage point as he spoke.
As if he could feel her watching him, the man’s chin lowered, his gaze falling down to where she sat. Their eyes met. He ended the call, pulling the phone from his ear and shoving it back into his front pocket.
From her place behind the wheel, Cera couldn’t seem to look away as he pulled the door to her room shut and headed back to the rusted metal stairs. She waited until he was only a few yards from her car before opening the door and climbing back outside.
“The cops are on their way,” he announced.
Damn. It was bad enough the man looked like sex personified. Did he really have to sound like it, too?
Big picture, Cera. Rein it in, and focus on the big picture.
“The cops can’t help,” she informed him bluntly. “Believe me, I’ve tried.”
He held her gaze a beat before officially introducing himself. “I’m Ivan Petrov.” He offered her his hand. “As you probably already guessed, Jax Monroe is my boss. I work very closely with him on all his P.I. jobs which, I’m assuming is why you came to Sin looking for him?”
Cera stared at the outstretched hand as if it were a snake waiting to strike. Despite months of praying she’d find someone to help, her insecurities and baggage left her frozen where she stood.
If she did this, if she agreed to let Ivan help, he’ll find out the truth. He’ll know everything she did, and once that happened…
Not everyone is out to hurt you, baby girl. You’re gonna have to trust someone at some point. You need help, and maybe…just maybe this man is your chance to finally get it.
As it had before, her mother’s loving voice filled her head. Cera wasn’t stupid, nor was she naïve. She understood perfectly well that her own subconscious—the crafty bitch—was clearly trying to manipulate her into submission. And the worst part?
It’s working.
Praying she wouldn’t come to regret the decision, she took a giant leap of faith and slid her right palm against his. A powerful, unexpected jolt of electricity radiated from Ivan’s touch on contact. So powerful, in fact, it nearly caused her to physically react.
“Cera.” Her voice cracked, forcing her to clear her suddenly rough throat and try again. “My name is Cera Davidson. And the reason I said the cops can’t help is because they’re the ones who suggested I hire your boss.”
The revelation didn’t seem to surprise him in the least.
“Like I told you back at the club, my boss is out of town for the next two weeks. But like I also said, I work every case with the man, and he left me in charge while he’s gone. So why don’t you fill me on what kind of trouble you’re in, and we’ll go from there.”
Pulling herself free from his warm, slightly callused grasp, Cera ignored the unsettling void their broken connection left in its wake before announcing, “Someone’s been stalking me.”
Just as they had minutes earlier, Ivan’s blue eyes darkened with what she could only describe as a protector’s stare. “Who is it?” he demanded to know. “An ex? Give me a name.”
His guess wasn’t surprising. She bet he and his boss dealt with a lot of crazy exes in their line of work. Unfortunately for her, this wasn’t that.
“I wish I had one to give,” she sighed. “But I have no idea who it is. I’ve never actually seen them, but I—”
Cera stopped herself short for fear of sounding like a deranged lunatic. Of course, it wouldn’t be the most absurd assumption he could make. And once Ivan dug up the truth about her history—he did work for a private investigator, after all—it was simply a matter of time before he drew the only plausible conclusion.
I am crazy. Or at least damaged beyond repair.
The people she grew up with all knew it. The hospital staff back home did, too. Her former so-called friends from the police academy she’d been forced to leave thanks to the same asshole who’d trashed her room… Hell, even the cops in Durango and Colorado Springs all thought she was a total wackadoo.
In fact, the only person in her life whodidn’tlook at her like she was a couple sandwiches short of a picnic was her longtime therapist, Dr. Randall. But even he knew the truth.
And soon, Ivan will know it, too.
“You what?” Ivan’s deep voice brought her back to the present. His prompting words mimicked her last. “You haven’t actually seen them, but you…what?”
Filling her lungs with a deep, steeling breath, Cera released it slowly before divulging the part that always seemed to deter others from helping. “I’ve never seen him, but sometimes it’s like…like I can almostfeelhim.” When his expression didn’t change and he still appeared invested in what she had to say, she continued with, “I’ll be fine one minute, and the next it’s like all the tiny little hairs on the back of my neck will stand up. And when that happens, I just know that—”
“Someone’s there.”