Page 77 of Lost on Ice
“Hey, Abbie,” he answers and he sounds calm and steady, which instantly eases some of my worry. “How’s it going? How’s the date?”
“Dad, is Lilah okay?” I ask, my tone breathless.
“Uhhh…yeah. Vivianne is upstairs giving her a bath right now.” His tone grows sharper with urgency. “Why? Has something else happened?”
“Yeah.” No point in lying to him. “Jake’s car has been vandalized.”
“Oh, my God! Are you two okay?”
“We’re fine.” My voice is shaking, though, and I don’t sound fine. “I just wanted to make sure Lilah was okay. Jake and I need to figure this out now, though. I’ll tell you more later. Just keep my baby safe.”
“Of course. You stay safe too, and call me the moment you’re done with the police and on your way home.”
“I will.” I hang up the phone, tears filling my eyes. I’m overwhelmed with a mixture of relief that Lilah’s fine, and fear and frustration that this nightmare just won’t end.
Jake wraps his arms around me and moves his body so he’s blocking the car from my view.
“That fucker,” he growls. “It has to be that guy—the weird one who was trying to talk to you when we got here.”
I stare up at him, wide-eyed. Stuart was here. It makes sense. But…
He digs his phone out and dials a number as he grumbles, “Either way, it’s worth mentioning to Peterson.” He puts the call on speaker so I can hear the detective when he answers, “Hello? This is Peterson.”
“Peterson? Hey, it’s Jake Ashford. I’m with Abbie in Willow Creek atLa Bella Noche, that new Italian place. My car’s been vandalized and another message was left.”
“Shit. What does it say?”
“Fuck off or die,” Jake growls.
Peterson snorts. “Subtle. Okay, do me a favor and take a picture of the message and any damage to the car. I’m going to call Willow Creek PD and have them come over there to process the car and tow it. It’s their jurisdiction, so I’ll have to go through them to get access to the scene. Once they’ve taken yourstatements, can you and Abbie get a ride back to Ivy Glen and meet me at the police department?”
Jake glances at me and I give him a small nod.
Then, to Peterson, he says, “Yeah, we’ll do that. Thanks. See you soon.”
He hangs up and wraps his arm back around me. A shiver runs through me, despite the warmth of his embrace, and I swear it feels like someone’s watching me. It makes me nauseous. I feel violated. Again.
“It’ll be okay,” he assures me gently, pressing my face against his chest. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
At his words, a blanket of comfort settles over me and I relax into his hold as we wait for the police to arrive.
It’s only a few minutes before a police car drives in with its lights flashing, and soon after that, a tow truck. The cops gather our information and take pictures of the car—Jake does so as well with his phone. They also make a request for the security footage from the restaurant
“We’ll let Detective Peterson know what we find,” one of the officers tells us as Jake’s car is towed away. “You two can head back to Ivy Glen now.”
“Thanks,” Jake mutters. Looking at me, he says, “I’ll get us an Uber, okay?”
“Yeah, okay.” Guilt slams through me. This is all my fault. If it weren’t for me, Jake never would’ve gotten mixed up in this. “I’m so sorry this happened to your car, Jake. If I hadn’t dragged you into my mess maybe…maybe…”
He takes my face into his hands and drops a kiss on my forehead as I close my eyes and let tears run down my cheeks. “Hey, look at me.”
His command may be no louder than a whisper, but I feel the demand vibrate through every part of me. Our eyes meet, hisblue to my brown, and it’s as if he’s looking right into my soul. “I don’t fucking care about a stupid car, Abbie. This is not your fault, and I don’t want you to waste another second thinking that the actions of this piece of shit are your doing. I would do anything, sacrifice anything, to keep you and Lilah safe. Everything else, it doesn’t matter. Tell me you understand that.”
I feel stunned. The conviction in his voice is unlike anything I’ve ever heard from him before. “I understand.”
“Good girl.”
Quickly brushing his lips over mine, the tension breaks as he steps away to order a car and I wrap my arms around myself. God, I hate this. I hate that the people I care about are at risk because some psycho won’t leave me alone. Lilah already spends so much time away from me as a result… what if I have to give up Jake too?
