Chapter Three

After the beautiful asshole left, Marnie pulled out her cell to call Rebecca. It rang and rang before she was redirected to voicemail.

"Where are you? I'm at your house and this man came up to warn me against talking to some guy named Dan. Is he another john? Seriously, Bec, I thought you put this aside. I thought you were done with the escort business. Call me back."

She hung up with a sigh. Although they looked alike, their personalities couldn't be more different. Rebecca had always craved attention. She'd been the life of the party back in their school years. To pay for college, she'd decided to make money by dating through an escort service, and eventually dropping out altogether because she started making a seven-digit salary. This had snowballed into her own clients, leading to the humongous house Marnie stood in, the Porsche Spyder in the garage, and luxury vacations across the world.

Marnie had thought her sister was retired from that life, but apparently not. She finished cleaning Rebecca's house before locking up and leaving. As she slipped into her car, the feeling of being watched hit her, and she surreptitiously glanced around, wondering if the crazy man lingered. She didn't see anyone, though, and decided to head home to her studio apartment to get dressed for her shift. On the weekends she waited tables at a bar. Monday through Friday, during the day, she had the very boring job of inputting data for a textile company. In the evenings, she did medical billing for a small urgent care practice. The jobs were necessary to keep afloat from the massive medical bills trying to pull her under.

Growing up, it had been her, Rebecca, and their mom since their father had disappeared after the twins' birth. To feed her kids, their mother had worked as much as she could to make ends meet … and sometimes not by legal means. She'd bring home johns when extra cash flow was needed, and sometimes she'd stay out all night hooking up with clients in alleys and in the back of cars. Leaving both girls to fend for themselves.

Then their mother had gotten sick, undiagnosed diabetes, which led to a plethora of health issues, including heart and blood vessel damage. It wasn't until her stroke, however, that they had learned this. Marnie thought Rebecca would help pay the bills since their mom had to go into a medical care facility, only to find out her sister held a boatload of resentment. It broke her heart when she discovered that one of their mother's johns had raped Rebecca.

It explained so much.

Marnie wanted to say that Rebecca was too self-centered with a large dose of narcissism. But it wasn't that black-and-white. Bec was her twin, so what hurt her hurt Marnie, and she balanced on a tightrope trying to find a peace that would bring them back together.

Marnie arrived at The Seaplane a few minutes before her shift was to start. The bar had a nautical/aeronautical theme and her uniform looked like a sluttier version of a pilot. She greeted the bartender and the other servers as she grabbed a plastic tote and went around to clean up used glasses, beer bottles, dirty plates, and whatever crap lay on tables. Some of the regulars greeted her by name, and she smiled back. The night started off slow, delivering drinks, placing orders for the finger foods they served. Cashing people out, bussing tables, and cleaning up was all part of the job.

Toward the end of her shift, her coworker, Hannah, came over and checked on her. "Hey, can I ask a favor?"

"Sure," Marnie said.

"Can I take your shifts this weekend? I got laid off at my other job and could use a little extra money. With Monday being a holiday tips should be good."

Marnie didn't say she needed the extra money, but she couldn't be a jerk like that. One weekend wasn't going to hurt her too much.

"Yeah, sure."

"Thank you! I owe you."

The rest of the evening passed quickly. Right before her shift was over, a prickling sensation once more washed over her skin and she studied the patrons in the dim interior. Her gaze met the dark glower of the man from earlier, and there wasn't a doubt in her mind that he had followed her. Fear filled her. Clearly the man was psychotic. He sat in her section, but there was no way she was going over there to engage with him.

"Hey," she said to Hannah, trying hard to be nonchalant. "See that guy at table twenty-one?"

One eyebrow shot up. "Tall, dark, and handsome?"

"More like tall, dark, and psycho."

Hannah shrugged. "Eh. Same thing."

"I'm calling in the favor you owe me."

"That was fast. Want me to wait on him?"

"Please."

"Sure, no problem."

Hannah pasted on a smile as she sashayed toward him. Marnie kept to the shadows, not wanting to meet his gaze. He scared her, mainly because he seemed so certain she had seduced this man named Dan. Which, by the way, he was more to blame than Rebecca since the man knew he was cheating on his wife.

"Hey," the bartender said. "You okay?"

"I think that guy at table twenty-one is following me."

"The one Hannah is waiting on?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. I'll get Alex to kick him out. Make sure you have him escort you to your car when we close. All right?"

Relief coursed through her. "Yes. Thank you."

He left long enough to get the bouncer, and Marnie covered the bar for him while he was away. A few minutes later, she saw Alex walk over and talk with the man. He shot her a glower before rising, threw down some cash, and stormed out. A sense of relief filled her.

The rest of the night was anticlimactic. At closing time, Marnie and Hannah wiped down tables, took out the trash, swept, and restocked the condiments. Alex came in and escorted her to her car. Once safely inside, he waved at her and she started her engine. As she flipped her headlights on, a truck behind her also turned on their lights. Her heart rate skyrocketed as fear filled her. Was it that man? Or just her overworked imagination? Trying to convince herself it was just a coincidence, she headed home. Along the way, she took a series of turns hoping to ditch the truck, but every move she made he countered. It quickly became evident she was being followed.

There was no way she could lead him to her apartment.

Spur of the moment, she headed back to Bec's house. During the day, the gate to the subdivision stayed open. At night, however, they closed. She sped there and used her clicker to open the gate. Once through, she blocked the entrance until it closed again behind her. The truck paused and idled, almost mocking her, before it roared away.

Her hands shook as she continued to Rebecca's home. She parked in the driveway and hurried inside, setting the alarm. Taking a deep breath to try and calm her racing heart, she wiped the stress tears rolling down her cheeks and went up to the guest room. After a hot shower, Marnie crawled into bed and closed her eyes. Trying to block the crazy man from her mind, she forced herself to relax. Still, it was a long time before sleep claimed her.

****

The next morning, the ring of her cell dragged her away. Looking at the caller ID, Rebecca's name flashed and she hurried to connect the call.

"Bec? Where are you?"

"I'm away for the holiday," Rebecca said airily. "I'm calling to ask if you could house-sit for me."

"I'm already here."

"Why are you already there?"

"Long story."

"Well, whatever. There's a hamster and cat in the basement."

Marnie blinked, unsure if she heard correctly. "Excuse me? Since when do you have pets?"

"I don't have pets, but Simon does and I told him I'd watch them. Then I forgot I said I'd watch them and left with Peter."

Clearly Simon didn't know Bec very well. Poor animals were probably dead. "Who are Simon and Peter?"

"Don't ask questions when you don't want to know the answer."

Marnie sighed. "I can't believe this, Bec. You told me you were done with hooking."

"I told you what you wanted to hear."

"Oh my God. You lied to me?"

"Of course."

"I'm your sister!"

"That only makes you more gullible."

Anger coursed through Marnie. She really wanted to hang up, but she needed answers.

"Who is Dan?"

"Dan?" Rebecca asked. "You have a last name?"

"Dan Stephens."

Her sister was quiet for a moment. Then, "Oh, right! Dan. He's a fireman."

"Oh my God."

"You said that already."

"It bears repeating!" Marnie snapped. "Are you blackmailing him?"

There was a slight pause. "He called me for a date, and I told him the price. He said it wasn't a problem as soon as he got paid, and because I had a fireman fantasy, I agreed. Only, he reneged the terms of the arrangement. I don't do what I do for free. If I didn't try to collect, and my other clients found out, they'd think they could do the same. So, I told him I would tell his wife unless I was paid the money he agreed to. This is simply business."

"Well, a friend of your little fireman came around to your home and accused me of being you. He said you were trying to ruin a marriage."

"Why is it always the woman who's the home-wrecker? Shouldn't the man shoulder most of the blame? Sure, I fuck married men, but they come looking for me. I'm sure you won't like hearing this, but the majority of my clients are married."

What could she say to that? Yes, men should shoulder more of the blame, but cheating was cheating.

"Bec—"

"Just stop, Marnie," her sister said coldly. "I am who I am, and I like me just fine. If you can't accept that, then that's your problem, not mine. Now, are you going to pet-sit for me?"

Marnie knew when to stop pushing. "How long are you going to be?"

"Not sure. I'm in Vail right now, having a great time, with a man who has paid top dollar for my services. So, shelve your judgmental attitude and help me out."

Marnie blew out a breath. "Fine."

"Good. Have a great weekend!"

The call disconnected. Marnie rubbed her temple as a headache threatened to bloom. She may love her sister, but she didn't like her very much. Still, she knew that she was going to stay and house-sit because that's what she does. What she always does. Take care and cover for Rebecca. Even if that meant she'd have to deal with the man with the chocolate-brown eyes.

The first order of business was to find the animals her sister had forgotten about, hoping they weren't dead. Once she opened the basement door, she heard the cat crying loudly. She hurried downstairs. A white-and-black cat looked up at her before meowing once more. It wound its way through her legs, crying its displeasure at being forgotten. Careful not to step on the feline, Marnie entered the room, turning on the light to see a hamster cage … and a dead hamster inside.

"Great," she muttered. "Now I must have a hamster funeral. Whoever Simon is, he's not going to like this."

She grabbed the cage and walked back upstairs, with the cat leading the way. Every other step he looked back at her and meowed, as if making sure she was still following. When she placed the cage down on the kitchen table, she bent to pet the cat before searching the kitchen and pantry for cat food, only to discover there wasn't any.

"Crap. Bec, you are a terrible pet-sitter." Spotting a can of tuna, she grabbed it and searched through the drawers until she found a can opener. The pungent smell hit her and she scrunched up her nose. "This is going to have to hold you until I get to the store."

The cat didn't seem to care. It settled on its hunches to gobble up the canned fish. While the animal ate, she went about disposing of the hamster. There was no way she was digging a grave in the backyard, so she got paper towels and a plastic bag. She wrapped up the dead creature in paper towels before slipping it into the bag and then put it in the trash.

"Sorry, little guy or girl," she murmured, and then washed her hands.

After the poor critter was disposed of, Marnie went back downstairs to see about a cat box. The thing was completely full. It stank to high heaven. There was absolutely no saving it so she dumped that into the trash as well before placing it all in the garbage bin. After washing her hands for a second time, she made a list of things to get from the grocery store.

Surely Mr. Psycho wouldn't hurt her in a public place.