In Your Shadow (15 page)

“Could Mitch be alive is this his words? Who is doing this to me?” 

“What’s wrong? What is it?” John grabs the paper off the floor and read it.

“Katie, you need to call the police. This is a stalker.”

She never answered him she stood there in silences as tears started to form in her eyes.  Turning away from him trying to calm herself down so he wouldn’t notice her fear.

“Katie” he said as he gently turns her around to face him as his arm went around her shoulders.

He could feel her body tremble as he pulled her close to him. Burying her head in his chest she felt so vulnerable. She didn’t like this feeling, she was strong and ruthless. Now she is falling apart.

“Get a grip Katie.” The voice in her head was shouting.

Looking up into his eyes searching for something, peace, love, comfort, something to make it all go away. Anything to get her mind off the past and what was going on now. His lips went down on her, tasting the salt from her tears. He kisses her hard and passionate leaving her feeling safe once again. Pulling away from him she walks to the kitchen grabbing a glass out of the cabinet she pours her a shot of whiskey. Downing the glass quickly she pours another. She didn’t notice that John was right behind her.

“Katie why don’t you come stay with me?”

She turns around and he his standing a few feet from her, with a worried look on his face.

“I’m not going to let someone run me out of my house.” She said as she downed the shot glass.

“Katie you are not fine, let me help you.” He walked her hand tremble as she sat the glass down. Her eyes cried of fear.

“Look I appreciate the help but I have work to do. I’m not letting someone frighten me away.” Trying to compose herself.

“Don’t look at it like that, for your safety. You don’t know who this is are what they are capable of.”

“John I am not afraid of them. Plus, I will be moving soon so I don’t have to worry.”

“Katie….” Before he could get the sentence out of her mouth the doorbell rings.

She walks past him to the door. Her hand still shaking and her heart beating fast as she eases the door open. It was a delivery man holding a long formal dress.
“Ms. Katie Jackson.”

“Yes.”

“This is for you?”

He hands her a dress wrapped in plastic covering. She signs the delivery paper and he turns and walks away. With a smile on her face she looks down and there was another lily sitting on her door mate. She drops the dress and rushes out to her steps.

“Sir” she yells.

The gentleman turns around.

“Yes.”

“Did you put that flower on my door step?”

“No, it was already there when I got there.”

“Did you see anyone?”

“Just a dark hair man walking to his car.”

“What did he look like?”

“He was medium built. 5’7 maybe. I don’t know no. I didn’t pay that much attention.”

“Did you see him come from my door?

“No I just seen him walking to a car. I don’t know who left the flower.”

“What kind of car did he get it?”

“Gray older model.” He paused and looked at her with this puzzled look.

“Why all these question?”

“I was just wondering if you saw who dropped the flower.”

“No I didn’t” he said as he walked to his delivery truck and drove off.

She stood outside looking down the street, but never saw anyone that fit that description. When she turned around John was holding her dress across his arm and looking down at the flower. She walked past him through the door. He shut the door behind him and locked it. Leaving the flower on the door mate. He followed her in as he laid the dress on the back of a chair.  “Now will you please come with me.” He said as was a few feet from her.

There was silence in the room she never answered. It was like she went back into her shell. Just like when he first meets her. He stood in the door way of the kitchen as she poured her another drink. Her hands were trembling as she tried to hold the glass in her hand. He walked up behind her and grabbed the glass and sat it down on the corner.
“Talk to me.”

She turns around looking him in the eye, with a tear rolling down her cheek. He gently takes his finger and wipes the tear from her cheek.

“Katie I don’t like seeing you like this.”

“I don’t understand who is doing this.”

“I don’t know but I will find out.”

She walks past him and goes to the bedroom and sits on the bed burying her face in her. John sits down beside her and his arms went around her. Gently he pulls her to him holding her close to him. Listening to her cry he was lost on what to do are say. Anger set in as his mind wondered why someone would do such a thing.

“Could this be the man that killed her husband?”

All these thoughts going through his head, the only thing he could do is keep her safe. They sat there for it seemed like an hour until she finally stopped crying. She looked up at him with her eyes swollen from tears, and sadness filled her eyes.

“John I think it is someone in my past that is doing this.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Well the words in the letter, my husband us to say.”

“What? You think he is alive.”

“No, Yes, No, he can’t be, I buried him.” She was so confused.

“I don’t understand then.”

“He used to say I’m your shadow, the note said I’m in your shadow. The letter sound like Mitch. It’s close to his words. It’s almost identical.”

Her stomach clenched, as she closed her eyes and took deep breath. Trembling with the thought he could be alive.

John looked shocked.

“Could this really be her husband. “Why would he fake his death? Why would he put her though that? She has to be wrong about that.

“Maybe it’s not connected, could it be someone that is trying to frighten you in to believing it?”

“I don’t know but it just brings back the nightmare all over again. I want it to end.”

“What can I do to help you Katie? Tell me what to do?”

“There is nothing you can do, nothing John.” Tears filled her eyes again.

“Please come with me to my house, I don’t think you need to be here.”

“I don’t really want to but I have to say it does sound tempting. I have so much work to do, and I have to get ready to move. I have to stay busy.”

“Katie I will hire some movers and you want have to mess with all of that. Plus, you can work at my house. I would feel better knowing you are safe.”

Katie gets up off the bed when her head started to spin around. She quickly sat back down.

“What’s wrong?”

“I think I drunk a little too much whiskey but, I’m fine.”

John knew she had three shots but that wasn’t enough to make her light headed something else was wrong.

“I will be right back. I’m getting you some water.”

He walks to the kitchen and picks the whiskey bottle up with a towel. Looking at the bottom of it there was some white residue, it looked like a powder subsist.

“It looked like someone as drugged her bottle. I knew someone had been in here. I have to get her out of here now.” Anger ran though him knowing that someone had been here.

Katie could no longer hold her eyes open. Before she could even take another breath she was passed out. All she could see was darkness around her. Forcing one eye open she could see a blurry face that looked like John. After that it was just pure black, no sound, no nothing.

He hurries to the bedroom and she was asleep on the bed. He grabs some of her clothes and her dress and put them in some luggage that he had found in her closet. After gathering her things, he called his driver and told him to hurry. He put her cloths and computer by the door as he picked her up and carried her to the sofa in the living room. He could still feel her breathing as her breath was shallow and low. He looked out the window and seen his driver, he opened the door and gave him her things. Reaching down and picking her up he walks out the door and hurries to the car. Laying her gently on the seat. Running back to her door he locked it with a key and turns the knob to make sure it was locked. Looking down at the sidewalks to see if any one looked suspicious, he didn’t notice anything. The streets only had a few people walking and things were normal.

He slides in the car next to her, glazing out the window he noticed he left at light on. He wasn’t going back to turn it off because it made it look like she was home.

“Let’s go Sam.”

Taking in a deep breath he watched everyone they past.

They were coming up to his penthouse as Sam told him to go in the service elevator. He pulls up in the parking garage right next to the elevator. John opens his door and grabs Katie and carries her to the elevator. He puts in a code that takes him all the way up to his door.

“Sam bring her things.” John hurries in the elevator with her in his arms.

It went quickly up to the top floor. The door comes open right in the foyer of his penthouse. He takes her to the bedroom and lays her down. Looking down at her flawless skin and her rosy cheeks, her full lips that looked so inviting. Hair wavy and long that spread out around her head and shoulder, she looked like an angel sent from heaven. His heart was melting for this angel; she was all he needed.

He couldn’t take his eyes off of her. Pulling a blanket over her body. At this point John was livid and frustrated. He grabs his phone out of his pocket and walks to another room.

He calls his friend Kenneth, the company’s attorney and close friend. He knew how to find things out about people.

Kenneth answered on the first ring. John sat down at his bar and filled him in on what was going on. He kept his voice down low so she couldn’t hear him.

“What a mess? I will see what I can find out for you, be careful.”

After he hung up John poured him a glass of rum with a twist of lime. He downed the drink quickly and hurried back to the bedroom. Katie was still sleeping soundly, he walked to bathroom and ran some water in the tub. He was going to give her a bath, he had no idea what drug was in her system. After the tub got full he changed into his sweat pants and walked over to Katie. She was moving some in her sleep, mumbling something but he couldn’t make it out.
“Katie wake up” his hands went over her shoulders shaking her.

Her eyes come open but she couldn’t get focus on anything. She felt as if she was too drunk to move, her body was heavy and her head was spinning. She managed to keep her eyes opened long enough to see John’s face looking down at her. They closed again as she drifted back off to sleep.

John pulled the blanket off of her and started undressing her. He was going to wake her up even if he had to pour water on her face. Finally, when he pulled the last bit of her clothing off. Taking her into his arms he carried her to the bathroom. Stepping into the tub with her wrapped around his body as she rested against his chest. Sitting down slowly in the warm water. Feeling the rhythm of her heart beating against his chest. He knew now that a level of his life had changed forever. Everything was extremely clear she was meant to be in his life and he now believed in love at first sight. He glazed down at her lovely face as her eyes started to come open.

“What am I doing in the bath tub?” her voice slurry and her memory fuzzy.

“Glad to see you awake.” He gently uses a warm cloth and went over her shoulders and over her forehead.

“What time is it, and why am I in the tub?”

“Katie it is seven o’clock and I put you here to wake you up.”

“I only drunk a little too much that’s all.”

“We will talk about it when you come out of your state.”

“What state?”

He giggled to himself knowing she was getting back to her old self now. Her mouth with twenty question.

“Tell me something, why are you in pants.”

“That we will talk about to.”

“I can’t wait to here.” She giggles under her breath.

Her head was still spinning but her body wasn’t as heavy as before. She could move her limps and sit up without falling over.

“Can you sit up.”

“Of course.”

“Good because I have to get out of the wet pants they are rubbing my skin.”

“John I don’t remember coming here, how did I get here.”

“I brought you here.”

“Why don’t I remember that?”

“Because you were comatose.”

“Oh, what made you decide to bring me here.”

“So full of questions I see you are feeling much better.”

John watches her pull away from him and go into a sitting position.

He pulls his legs from beside her and stands up putting on leg out of the tub at a time. Watching her closely making use she wasn’t going to fall backward. When he dropped the wet pants on the floor he climbed back into to the warm water placing her body next to his chest again.

Katie could feel the hardness in his body as she was pressed against him. Laying her head against his hot warm chest, she could feel his erection against her lower back. She was still little weak as her legs felt like Jell-O. She didn’t like the fact that she couldn’t remember the trip over here and why she was here in the first place.

“I want drink wine again if it makes you do this.”

“Darling that wasn’t the wine that made you this way.”

“What do you mean?”

“Come let’s get something in your stomach and I will tell you.”

He helped her out of the water and wrapped a robe around her. Her beautiful eyes staring at him they were the color of an ocean. Deep and passionate so full of life. Grabbing a towel, he wraps it around his body. Helping her to a chair that was in the corner of the room, he grabbed a pair of jogging pants out of his drawer and put them on.  Her eyes never left his side as he dropped his towel and revealed his nude body, he eyes went to the floor for a moment as she started to blush. Katie stood up and followed him to the kitchen, with her bare feet walking slowly across the cold ceramic floor. Her legs were still heavy and wobbly. Sitting down at the closest stool opposite of him she had a perfect view of his bare-chest.  She watched him get things out of the refrigerator looking at the muscular form.

“A man with such strength” she thought.

“Well it looks like we are having subs, hope that is alright with you.”

“Sounds good, now you want to tell me what going on.”

“Well Katie, I think your wine had something in it.”

“What? I had the same wine last night and this didn’t happen.”

“Well dear I think someone came in your apartment, because the front door wasn’t lock when we got there. When I looked at the wine it had a white residue at the bottom of the bottle.”

He watched her face as it turned white again, and her eyes got narrow.

“I don’t understand who would do this?”

John eyes watched her lips they were full and curve upwards slightly at the corner as she talks to him. He wanted to reach over and devourer them. Taking in everything about her. The way she talked the movement of her lips, the batting of her eyes. Looking at her skin was so smooth and fine. She had a small dark freckle just to the side of her cheek. She was a living masterpiece, a goddess, his love, his woman.

“I don’t know.” He said in a low voice.

She had a look of worry on her face.

John thought “If she could only let me take care of her worries, she has been though too much for so long.” He would calm her fears and keep her safe.

Watching her fall back into her shell was something he didn’t want to do. 

Katie was horrified to know that someone had been at her house. This isn’t something she wanted go through again the last time she got shot. Chills ran down he neck as butterfly’s lit in her stomach.

John puts the sandwich in front of her with a small salad.

“You must eat.” He said handing her a fork. He took a glass out of the cabinet and poured her a glass of tea.

Katie looked down at her food, not even hungry, with everything going through her mind it was all like a nightmare and she would wake up. Her limbs feel weak and at the same time there was an unfamiliar surge of electricity that prickles though he body. Then she realized that it wasn’t the alcohol that done this it was some kind of drug. He was right someone had drugged her.

“But why,” all these questions going through her head.

“Could it be the person that killed her husband or as crazy as it sounds could it be Mitch?”

She looked up at John with a concerned look on his face.

“What’s wrong?”

“I need to go back.”

“No, I have to insist you are staying here.”

“No not back to my townhouse, to where I use to live.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to see if there is something there that might link this person.”

“Do you think that person that killed your husband is doing this?”

“I don’t know what to think at this point, but I am going to find out.”

“Well call the police and see if they have anything. Tell them what is going on.”

“Why? They never found the killer. What will they do? They have nothing to go on. I will find him myself.”

“Katie I don’t like this idea at all.”

“Well you don’t have to like it. I am tired of walking around looking over my shoulder. I’m going to be the victim again. It is going to stop.” Her strength is coming back though her anger and fear.

“When do you plan on going? I will go with you.”

“You don’t have to I can do this.”

“Oh no I am going with you. So don’t even think you are doing this alone.”

Katie nods her head as she bites a piece of her sandwich off. Then gets up from the stool and turns and stumbles back to the bedroom. John is not far behind her. When he got in the doorway he seen her putting on a pair of his sweat pants on. She was rolling them up around her hip she grabbed one of his t-shirts and pulled it over her head. Pulling her hair back in a ponytail she turns and faces him.

“What are you doing?” he smiled admiring the view of her with his clothes on. They were ten time to big and the shirt went past her hip. He wanted to laugh but he held it back.

“I told you I am going back to my old place.”

“NOW!” shocked at her answer, has she lost her mind.

“Yes now.”

“Katie I don’t want to argue with you but it is dark outside and you have just been though an ordeal.”

“So all the reason to go, no one will see me dressed like this. Plus, if they are watching me let them follower, I will call the police.”

“Katie this isn’t a good idea.”

“Then stay here I am leaving.”

“I only have your best interest at heart. I just want to help you.”

“I never ask you for help, and I have been doing just fine before all of this started happening.” Her voice sharp.

He watched her pick her phone up.

“Wait I told you I will take you no need to call your driver. If you must go I would prefer driving, at least I can keep you safe.”

“John I don’t need someone to rescue me, I can handle myself. I have been for the last five years.”

“Yes I can see that, but it never hurts to have someone with you.” His voice was louder as he was getting frustrated with her.

He tried to keep in mind that it was the drugs that was making her bold and daring, but again was it. Was this her normal self before he met her.

“Let’s go then.” He said watching her walk to the door in the foyer.

She could barely walk in a straight line she wasn’t completely over the drugs that was in her system. John got beside her and with his arm over her shoulder trying not to let her fall. All her wanted to do was hold her close and forget all that was going on. His body was crying out to feel her warmth. Stepping in the elevator she almost fell as she grabbed his arm. Falling almost into his chest. John arm went around her holding her in place. He looked down at her as she looked up at him. His lips went down own hers kissing her hard almost knocking her over. When he pulled his mouth from her she was gashing for air. He could see in her eyes that she wanted more much more. He door made a ding sound as it opened quickly to the garage. If the door wouldn’t have come open, he would have taken her there.

He led her to a dark black dodge double cab truck. Hitting the button on his keys, the door unlocked and he helped her in. He then walks around to the other side and crawls in.

“Never thought you were a truck man.”

“Really, what kind of car did you think I had.”

“Oh maybe a sob, are something like that.”

“Well dear I do have one of those but I love my truck.” He giggles.

He pulls out into traffic as she gave him the direction to her old neighborhood. It was fourth miles outside of Manhattan. The interstate was busy all you could see was headlights from other cars whizzing by.

The closer they got to her old neighbor the more nerves she seems to get.

“We don’t have to do this Katie if you are not ready.” His voice had a different tone, he was agitated with her, but he knew if he didn’t go with her she would of went by herself and anything could have happened.

“I have to. This is the only way I can move on with my life. I need to go see if anything can be tied into the person that is following me. Plus, I can’t keep hiding my past, I have to find a way to set it free, and I think by going back there that is one way to let it go. You have no idea how long I have holding all this in. Regrets, anger, revenge, all of these feelings have been trapped inside of me for years. Now it is time to let them all go.”