Page 20 of My Irish Roommate

“How can you say that when your father is upset with you now? You’ve gotten so angry because of me and now, you’re having to plot to protect me from a man you would never have known existed.”

“You listen to me, little one. I would walk through fire to keep you safe and have you as my girl. All of these things that you’re talking about are temporary issues. I need to take care of them so that we can move forward together and that’s all that I want. I just want to be with you.”

“I want to be with you, too. So…tell me the plan,” his words put me at ease a bit but even if he doesn’t see it, I have brought chaos into his world. My greatest fear is that someday, he’ll decide I’m too much trouble and tell me to go away. I don’t think my heart can take that.

11

A CAT AND MOUSE GAME

ROWAN

Ricki looks like she’s on her way to a fashion show in her pale green sundress, tan sandals, and straw hat. Her theory is that her stalker would expect her to cover her face and hair when she went out alone so a pair of dark sunglasses completes her look.

I walk her to the door of the gym and stop on the curb so we can have a very public goodbye. She starts down the sidewalk, and I walk back inside the gym. The nervous tension makes my muscles stiffen. I don’t like her spending a single second out of my sight.

I rush to the only window that faces the street and peek out. Within seconds of Ricki’s departure, a man dressed in a black hooded sweatshirt takes off full speed down the sidewalk in the same direction. He fits the physical description of her stalker so I assume that he’s taken the bait. I slip back out onto the sidewalk and move at a good pace to keep him in my sight.

As planned, Ricki stops to browse at a boutique. The man slows down to a stroll and passes the shop but ducks into the nearest alley. It takes every bit of control that I have to keep myself from following him into the shadows and beating the life out of him. I tell myself that even though I’m sure it’s him, I need to wait for him to make a move to know for sure.

I stop at a flower cart and wait for Ricki to come out of the boutique. She was told not to spend more than a few minutes there, and soon, the door opens and she starts walking again. A few seconds later, the man in the hoodie comes out of the alley and begins following her again.

Ricki comes to the intersection and stops at the red light. The man stops walking and turns to look through a shop window. When the light turns green and Ricki crosses the street, he begins walking again. I used to consider myself an observant man, but this guy has been doing this every time we’ve left the gym and I never suspected. Ricki was being violated by this man’s gaze and intentions, and I was unaware. This truth bomb makes me even more determined to end this.

Ricki’s next planned stop is the ice cream shop in Derry, which is only about two blocks ahead, but the man veers off into another alley before she gets there.

What is he up to? Why is he letting her out of his sight? I fear that he’s somehow figured out our plan. I stop in my tracks and search for a way to make myself invisible just in case he looks my way. The best that I can do is to hug the wall of an office building and pull out my phone. I dial Ricki’s cell phone and wait for her to answer.

“Hello?”

“Hey. I don’t know what he’s doing, but he went off into an alley before you entered the shop. He doesn’t know where you are. When you come out, head back this way.”

“Won’t I have to pass the alley?” she asks.

“Yes, that’s what I want you to do. I’m right here waiting.”

“Okay, Rowan, but I’m scared,” she answers. “What if he has a gun or something?”

“I know you are, baby, but I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.”

I see her exit the ice cream shop and hesitate. She looks down at her watch and begins walking in my direction. She’s close to the alley now, and I can only hope that he’s in there waiting to pounce on her. I move slowly in her direction so I’ll be there when and if it happens. I don’t know what I expected to happen when she got to the alley, but she walks by without being pulled into the darkness. I let out the breath that I’ve been holding and step out onto the center of the sidewalk. She sees me and a huge smile appears on her face.

I take another step toward her, ready to shut down this failed operation, when, in an instant, the man rushes out of the alley. From behind, places his hand over Ricki’s mouth. He moves so fast he pulls her into the alley before I can react. I bolt the last few feet and turn into the alley behind them.

Ricki is standing in the alley still held in her stalker's grasp. He grins when he sees me and holds up a knife to her.

“You must think I’m an idiot,” he yells out to me. “I know how possessive boyfriends like you tick. You would never let her go anywhere without you unless you were setting a trap for me.”

“Looks like it worked so you must be an idiot,” I answer taking two steps toward them.

“I have the girl and I have the weapon. What do you have?” he cackles.

“Let her go and leave. That’s all you have to do. Get on a plane and go home. As long as you leave Ricki alone, you’ll be fine.”

“I’m fine right now. You’re the one who has to watch me cut your precious girlfriend. If you knew who she really was, you wouldn’t even care, but she put her spell on you.”

“You’re not right in the head, buddy. You need help. Let her go and run. It’s time for you to give up on her. She doesn’t want to be with you and you need to accept that.”

“I did accept that. That’s why I need to do this now. I need to kill her before she puts her spell on anyone else. You’ll see. Once she’s gone, you’ll realize that she had her claws in you and made you do things you would never do. I’m doing this for both of us. You’ll thank me.”

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