Fatal Desire, Teen Edition (9 page)

Amber shuttered. The maniac was getting
bolder. And he was after her.

Derek and Amber talked a few more hours.
Amber told her side again going all the way back to the time her
coworkers in Alma began getting injured and the first notes that
showed up at her door. They went through everything several times.
Derek, trying to find anything that would lead them to the person
responsible, and Amber trying to cope with all the information she
had just been given.

For her, knowing the whole story just made
everything even uglier. She was more afraid now then she had ever
been of the person pursuing her.

“Were there any new employees at the hospital
leading up to these threats,” Derek asked.

“No, Olivia and I were the last ones hired.
It’s a small hospital and people tended to stay until they retired.
And in a small town, everyone knows everyone else,” Amber
replied.

“So there was nothing new at the hospital.
Did any new people move to town during that time,” Derek asked.

“Not that I am aware of,” replied Amber. “And
I would know because people would be talking. There was nothing out
of the ordinary. These notes just started showing up out of the
blue. At first I ignored them thinking it was a prank of some sort.
Then my coworkers started having crazy accidents. Amanda broke her
leg falling down the stairs at her apartment. Jennifer scalded her
hand when her hot water heater went on the fritz. You would have
thought these were freak accidents but the notes would come right
after. Then Olivia’s accident put it all into perspective.

“I couldn’t stay and let anyone else get hurt
because of me. He nearly killed my best friend because I showed the
letters he sent to the police. And even though they told me they
couldn’t help me, he still went after my best friend.”

By this time Amber was sobbing. Derek just
held her. They were still no closer to solving this mystery than
when they began the conversation but at least she would be more
aware of what this guy was capable of.

Emotionally drained, Amber got up and went
into the bathroom to blow her nose. Derek convinced her to get back
into bed. He went to the front desk of the hotel and booked the
room for two more nights. They would stay where they were until he
could set his plan in motion.

Derek walked back to the room, assured
himself Amber was sleeping soundly, and walked out onto the
balcony. From there, Derek called his brother in Atlanta.

“Matthew Stevenson,” his older brother
answered.

“Hey Matt. It’s Derek,” he said.

“Hey, Derek! What’s up, brother? Haven’t
heard from you in awhile,” his brother said.

“I know, we both stay busy. Hey, I’ve got a
situation I need your help with.”

Derek proceeded to explain what he had been
working on the past year and what his plan was. His brother
listened and gave his opinion and they finalized their plans. Derek
knew his brother would do whatever it took to help Amber.

“Thanks, man. I knew I could count on you,”
Derek said.

“Hey, what are brothers for, especially
brothers with the full support of the FBI behind them,” Matt
replied.

Derek laughed and the men said their
goodbyes.

“I’ll see you in a couple of days,” Derek
said.

“Keep in touch,” Matt replied as he hung up
the phone. He shook his head. Something was up. This wasn’t the
first time Matt and Derek had worked a case together when Derek
ended up in his jurisdiction but there was something different in
Derek’s voice when he talked about Amber. A softness Matt had not
heard before. He smiled. Little brother was falling for the damsel
in distress. Matt laughed out loud and slapped his knee. He
couldn’t wait for the two to arrive on his door step.

♥
Chapter
7
♥

It took the next two days and some fast
talking for Derek to convince Amber he had a solid plan. She didn’t
want to stay in Georgia. She was too close to where it all began.
Derek convinced her that was why she needed to stay in Georgia.

Finally, Derek was able to talk Amber into
driving into Atlanta to meet his brother and discuss their options.
She still wasn’t convinced but she was willing to talk with his
brother. She still wanted to go to Washington.

The morning of their departure from the
hotel, they ate a good breakfast and got into their separate cars.
Derek would follow Amber to Atlanta which was just a couple of
hours from where they were staying. Once in the city, she would
follow him to his brother’s house.

Still on edge about Derek’s plan, Amber
climbed into her car and hit the interstate. No reason to take back
roads if you were no longer trying to hide. Amber tried to get her
mind off the situation by cranking up the radio. She found a
country station and began singing to put her mind at ease. If she
was singing, she wasn’t thinking.

Two hours later, Derek and Amber pulled off
the interstate to gas up and stretch their legs. Derek said he
would take the lead and Amber nodded. Forty-five minutes later,
Derek pulled into the drive of a two-story house on the out skirts
of Atlanta.

Parking their vehicles, Derek and Amber
climbed out of their cars and grabbed their luggage. Derek led
Amber into the house and up the stairs to a guest bedroom
explaining that Matt would not be home for a few more hours. Amber
laid her luggage on the floor and began unpacking. Derek had told
her they would be staying for awhile.

Amber put her clothes away in the dresser and
set her personal items and toiletries in the connecting bathroom.
Walking back into the bedroom, Amber looked around. The house was
pretty spacious with four bedrooms, all with connecting bathrooms,
on the second floor of the house.

“The rooms are pretty big,” Amber commented
as she walked into the living room where Derek was waiting for
her.

“Yes, my brother often houses other agents
when they are in his area so he tries to keep a room available at
all times. Agents across the country know when they are working in
or around Atlanta, they have a place to crash that is a little more
personable than a hotel room,” Derek replied.

“He has good taste,” Amber said.

Derek laughed. “You mean a good interior
designer,” Derek explained.

Amber smiled. She continued to look around
the place she would be staying and asked if she could check out the
kitchen.

“Sure. Make yourself at home. Matt would want
you to,” Derek told her.

Amber wondered into the kitchen and took in
the island that housed the stove and spacious countertop to prepare
and cook on. “This is a cook’s dream kitchen,” she thought to
herself. She opened one door and found a large pantry fully
stocked. Opening a double sided, stainless steel refrigerator, she
also found it fully stocked. Obviously, Matt was ready to entertain
at the drop of a hat. Well, the least she could do was thank the
man.

Amber began gathering ingredients together
and was no longer surprised to find everything she needed to put a
nice meal on the table. Within an hour, mouthwatering smells were
coming out of the kitchen and drifting through the house. Amber was
so caught up with her project she did not hear Derek leave the
house to go to his brother’s office.

Derek arrived at his brother’s office and let
him know he and Amber had settled in. He filled him in on the rest
of Amber’s story and they discussed the type of person she was
likely dealing with.

Matt was a profiler for the Federal Bureau of
Investigation and was currently stationed in Atlanta. He was able
to give Derek some tips into the personality of Amber’s stalker.
Derek and Matt talked for awhile then both left to go back to
Matt’s house. Matt wanted to question Amber some more. Always the
older brother, Matt was sure there was something Derek had
forgotten.

Derek decided this case was too important to
get into a sibling rivalry competition with his brother. He brought
Matt in because he was good at his job and he wanted his input.
Matt wanted to meet the girl who had turned his brother’s head. He
could tell by the way Derek talked about her that he was
smitten.

Walking into the house a little while later,
both men stopped in their tracks. They could hear humming coming
from the kitchen and the air was permeated with a delicious aroma.
Both men’s stomachs began to rumble as they looked at each other.
Carefully they walked into the kitchen.

Amber was bent over the oven pulling a roast
from inside when Derek whistled low. Amber nearly dropped the pan
she was holding. She placed it carefully on the stove then whirled
around.

“You startled me,” she said. Then Amber
caught sight of the astonished look on Matt’s and Derek’s faces and
her hand flew to her hair to smooth it behind her ear. “I’m sorry.
I thought you both would like a nice supper and it has been so long
since I have been able to cook,” she apologized.

“You don’t have to apologize for cooking in
my kitchen,” Matt said. He grinned, held out his hand and said,
“I’m Matt, by the way. Welcome to my humble home.”

Amber shook Matt’s hand and said, “Thank you.
I’m Amber and your home is very lovely.”

Derek coughed and both turned to look at him.
“You can stop shaking Amber’s hand now Matt,” Derek growled.

Matt just grinned and tucked Amber’s hand
into his as he led her to the table. He poured a glass of wine
while they made small talk. Derek frowned and followed them to the
table pouring his own glass of wine.

The three chatted for a few minutes then
Amber rose to put the roast on the table. She added the vegetables
and bread she had also fixed and sat down with the men. Derek and
Matt were silent the first several minutes of the meal as they
savored the flavorful meat in front of them. Then suddenly, as if
they found their manners at the same time, both began complimenting
the food.

“Wow, Amber, where did you learn to cook like
this? The roast is wonderful,” said Matt.

“This is really good, Amber,” Derek said.
Amber laughed because the men were talking over themselves.

She turned to Matt first. “My mother taught
me how to cook. I have enjoyed it since I was a little girl,” Amber
said.

She then turned to Derek and thanked him for
the compliment.

As if she had opened the door, Matt began to
question Amber about her past. “So tell me about your family,” he
asked.

“My parents were killed in a car accident
when I was eighteen,” she replied. “I was an only child so I have
no family left.”

Matt felt like kicking himself. Derek had
already told him about her parents but he had forgotten in the
midst of all the rest of the information they had shared.

“I’m so sorry,” Matt said.

“Don’t be,” Amber replied. “It was a long
time ago. I still miss them, but I am used to the fact that they
are gone.”

“Well, you can have some of my family. I have
an ornery brother I would like to get off my hands,” Matt told
her.

Amber laughed and Matt steered the
conversation back around to happier subjects. They talked about
Matt and Derek’s family and some of the situations the boys had
gotten into as kids. Amber laughed until tears were streaming done
her cheeks.

When they finished dinner the brothers told
her to go rest and they would clean up. Amber protested but both
men insisted. She had cooked, they would clean. Unbeknownst to her,
they wanted to discuss the situation further when she left the
kitchen.

Amber walked upstairs and turned on the
shower. She decided to take a long, hot shower and go to bed early.
She was drained from the drive, the cooking, and the worry of being
back in Georgia.

Downstairs the men were talking in low tones.
Matt was just as worried as Derek about the situation Amber was in.
During dinner it had not taken Matt long to see the true
personality of the beauty who was slowly stealing his brother’s
heart. Loving, caring, and friendly, it was easy to see how Amber
had turned a lunatic’s head. In his sick mind, he probably mistook
a simple smile and a friendly attitude as flirtation. And in his
mind, Amber belonged to him. And the lunatic would stop at nothing
to control her. He had seen this before and he was worried it would
end badly.

The next morning, Derek drove Amber to one of
the local hospitals to put in an application. He didn’t want her to
work but Amber convinced him she couldn’t just sit around and wait.
Ignoring the feeling in the pit of his stomach, Derek waited while
Amber applied for the nursing position the hospital was advertising
in the local paper.

When Amber climbed back into his car they
drove to the local mall to shop. Amber had explained that each time
she went on the run she left most of her things behind. He didn’t
want her going anywhere alone anymore so he told her he would go
with her while she picked up the things she would need.

“Oh, try this on,” Derek said as he held up a
skimpy negligee and waggled his eyebrows at her.

Amber laughed and rolled her eyes. Each store
they came to Derek would find the ugliest or tackiest piece of
clothing and parade around in it until Amber was in stitches. She
had never had more fun on a shopping trip even with Olivia.

They stopped to eat at the food court for
lunch and later hit the cookie store for desert. They talked and
shared more about their individual lives and Derek fell a little
harder for the bombshell at his side while Amber wondered how she
would be able to walk away from the FBI agent when her life got
back to normal.

It was two weeks before the hospital called
Amber in for an interview. By then she felt ready to climb the
walls. She could not just sit around and wait for the maniac to
find her. She needed to work. She liked helping people. She wanted
a job.