Page 45 of Hidden
JJ sighed. “I think the fact that governments of several countries are testing infrasound as a potential nonlethal weapon is evidence enough that it has the ability to dosomething. But it’s not the magic bullet you’re hoping it is, Ellie.”
“So you don’t think it’s a factor?” Ellie pressed.
“No, I do, in fact, think it’s a factor,” JJ said. “And not a small one. But some of your symptoms have happened outside your home. Including the one on your way to Mystery Lake last week. We still need to understand those.”
Ellie’s shoulders dropped as that truth sank in. If the device contributed at all, it only played a part. Not an easy pill to swallow and not the answer she’d hoped for.
“Of course,” Ellie said. “I guess that means we keep on track with our meetings?”
JJ looked to Sabina, who cleared her throat, drawing Ellie’s attention.
“There’s a bigger question we need to address before you make that decision,” JJ said.
Ellie frowned. “What’s that?”
“As we discussed yesterday, that device didn’t get put in that plant on its own, Ellie. Someone did that.To you,” Sabina emphasized. “Someone is out to harm you, and we need to figure out who.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Sabina’s point, as gently as she’d made it, lanced through Ellie, and her heart sank. In the reliefthat followed Dr. Garcia’s explanation of how the device might be responsible for her issues, she’d all but forgotten the larger picture. She’d been so focused on the trees that she missed the forest.
Someone wanted to harm her.
Again.
“Okay,” she said on an exhale, looking at Sabina. “We talked a little about that yesterday, and you ruled out another stalker. Or at least the kind of stalker I had last time.” She didn’t bother to hide the shiver that passed through her at the memory. On the other side of Chad, Asher shifted. She glanced up and caught his eye. Despite their misunderstanding this morning, his expression was filled with concern and…frustration. He wanted to be beside her, comforting her.
She’d been irritated earlier. Annoyed that he’d slipped away without talking to her. If they were going to have any kind of relationship, he couldn’t walk away when it got uncomfortable. He needed to trust her—trust them—enough to talk through any issues. But right now, she wanted him by her side, too. Unfortunately, with Chad between them, that wasn’t possible. Not without some very awkward rearranging of seats.
“We do think it’s someone closer to you this time,” Chad confirmed. “But before we start drawing up a suspect list, I want to walk through every incident you can remember since this started. I know it’s a lot, but it will help us narrow down who might be involved based on proximity and opportunity.”
Alarm shot through her at Chad’s suggestion. Not because she thought it was the wrong one. But because it felt as though it would take forever. And spending the day recounting each and every incident in the past six months sounded about as close to hell as she could get while still alive.
“We’ll start with you,” Chad said, turning to Asher.
“Asher?” Ellie blurted out, confused as to why they’d start with him.
Chad nodded. “He has to get to work. We’ll walk through his experiences first, then we’ll get to yours.”
Her gaze flickered to Asher, and he saw the apology there. He didn’t want to leave her, but he didn’t have much of a choice. Well, she supposed he did, but she didn’t want him to have to make it.
“I think that’s a good idea,” she said. “His recounting will be much faster than mine.”
Asher’s gaze searched hers, and she offered him a small smile. They still needed to talk, but they’d figure it out.
After a beat, he switched his attention to Chad. “Okay, where should I start?”
“Start with the accident,” Chad said.
And Asher did. He recounted following her tire tracks until he found her. He detailed each minute from when he first opened her door to when he returned to grab her purse and phone.
Ava, Leo, and Sabina all took notes as he spoke. Leo asked a few follow-up questions then they moved on to the incident at his house. To the evening he’d come home from work and found her hiding in the closet. With the same level of detail, he walked through each moment, from when he first set foot in the house to when he eased her out of the closet and to the bathroom where he tended her cut.
She hated hearing the words he spoke. The woman he described scared her. Shelivedthose episodes. And yet hearing them detailed by Asher—a man she cared for and who was so sure and steady—both embarrassed her and made her feel helpless. Logically, she knew she shouldn’t be feeling either of those things. But the funny thing about emotions was that they didn’t always follow reason.
When he finished recounting the events in LA, Chad asked a few pointed questions about how Asher felt while in her room. That gave her pause. Surely the hour he spent in her room wouldn’t have done anything. She hoped. Because the idea of him experiencing even a fraction of what she felt had her stomach churning.
Asher met her gaze as he answered. “I can’t explain it, but something in the room made me uncomfortable. I had that itch on the back of my neck, like when you’re being watched. I knew at the time that it didn’t make a lot of sense. I know how tight her security is. But I couldn’t let it go. Eventually, I decided we’d be more comfortable in the guest room.”
