15. Talia

15

Talia

T alia sang to herself as she got ready for the next day. She briefly considered the stack of ungraded papers in her briefcase but decided they could wait another day. One of the downfalls of being a teacher was all the free hours they were forced to work, creating lesson plans, grading papers, and staying after for extra-curricular events.

As she slid into bed, she thought about the fun she had with Sebastian. They talked a lot of nonsense. It was fun, though. They laughed and enjoyed each other's company. Life wasn't always about being mature and serious all the time. Talia was sure that if an outsider had heard Sebastian joking around tonight, they would be surprised because it seemed to conflict with his big, tough, biker, security guy identity.

A few hours later, she sat straight up in bed, woken suddenly from a deep sleep. Her heart thundered in her chest, and her breath was caught in her throat. She quickly scanned the room to make sure she was alone.

Her head jerked toward the window. It sounded as though someone was scraping against her bedroom window, trying to get in. Her hands shook as she peeked through the blinds, but she didn't see anyone. It was a dark night out, the stars and moon hidden by clouds, and it would have been easy for someone to hide in the shadows.

She grabbed her phone as she briefly thought about calling Sebastian, but she didn't want to wake him up. If someone had been out there, they were gone now. About a minute later, her phone rang, nearly giving her a heart attack.

"Hello. This is Katy from the alarm company. The cameras picked up a person walking around outside your house. Are you okay?"

"I thought I heard someone, but I looked out. I didn't see anyone."

"We'll send the police to check. If there is no one around, they won't knock. If there is, they'll knock and alert Garner Security."

"Okay, thank you."

"Remember your alarm code if there is an emergency," Katy said.

"I do."

Talia grabbed her computer to check her cameras but didn't see anyone. She wondered if it was just someone cutting through her yard and she was being paranoid. The cameras picked up the patrol car parking in her driveway and two officers getting out and walking around the house. They apparently didn't see anyone because they got back into their vehicle and left.

She walked around the house and double-checked all her doors and windows to make sure they were locked.

"I need a dog or something to keep me company and to let me know if there's anyone around. A pooch would be better than any alarm system."

She made a cup of chamomile tea and then laid back down. Talia closed her eyes and willed herself back to sleep.

The alarm was almost beat into slivers when it went off the next morning. Talia's eyes were gritty and raw from the lack of sleep. They burned. She cringed when she looked in the mirror and saw that there was as much red as green.

Splashing her face with cold water and a couple cups of coffee made her feel almost human. She managed to get dressed, grateful that most of her slacks and skirts were black so she would always match no matter what she pulled on.

"Pants, bra, shirt, socks, shoes. Got it. Briefcase, phone, computer, car keys, school keys, badge. Got them. Alarm is set." Talia always did a mental check before she left the house to make sure she didn't forget anything, but this time she wanted to be doubly sure since she was so tired.

She opened her car doors and put her briefcase inside and then groaned, leaning her forehead against her car door. Sighing heavily, she walked around the car and discovered that someone had slashed all four of her tires.

"Just great," she growled.

Sebastian pulled into his driveway as she was about to go into the house and call into the school, letting them know she would be very late.

"Hey, could you give me a ride to school?" she asked, forgetting the niceties of "Good morning" and all that.

"Sure, what's up?" he asked.

"I had a visitor last night. Someone decided I needed a day off from work and slashed all four of my tires."

"You're kidding?"

"No. The alarm company called about two this morning because the cameras picked up on someone lurking about and sent the police to check it out, but they didn't see anything."

"Do we have time to check your cameras?" he asked.

"Sure."

She pulled her laptop out of her briefcase and entered the password. Sebastian took the device from her and put it on the trunk of her car. He found the camera app and rewound the cameras to just before two.

"I can see the shadow of whoever it was, but they obviously knew you had cameras and where they were installed. There's no way to see who it might be. Damn it," he said. "Why didn't you call me?"

She shrugged. "I looked out and didn't see anyone. The police didn't see anyone. I didn't want to wake you up."

He nodded and held her chin in his hand. "Honey, I don't care what time it is or whether you think you are hearing things, you call me the second something's not right, okay?"

The worried look in his eyes made her feel guilty. "I promise."

He walked around the house, pointed out the same boot prints as before, and took pictures with his phone. "This is definitely not a random burglar. Someone is after you."

Anger exploded inside of her. It was one thing to be a controlling jerk. It was quite another to stalk her and try to scare her. She was pretty sure that Sebastian was angrier than she was.

"If it's Darius, I'm not afraid. I can take him down pretty easily."

"It's still not okay that he's here harassing you."

"True. I'll press charges if we can prove it."

She glanced at her car as they walked toward his truck.

"The good thing is I have good insurance."

They hopped in his truck and she called the insurance company and told them what happened. Jack, from Road Safe Assurance, promised that they would have someone out in an hour and that she didn't need to be there. He would send the paperwork through email.

She'd just got off the phone when it blinged. Talia checked it, expecting to see a notification that the email had been sent. Instead, it was a message from Darius. She growled.

I love you and I miss you.

Talia shook her head and her fingers flew over the letters on her phone. I told you we were done. Do not contact me again and do not come to my home.

"What was that about?"

"Darius. I told him not to contact me again and to stay away from my home."

"Will he listen?"

Talia sighed. "I honestly don't know."

She leaned her head against the seat and closed her eyes. It had already been a long day and it was barely eight.

"Maybe you should think about calling in," he suggested.

Shaking her head, Talia replied, "It's too late for a sub. The other teachers would have to give up their planning period to cover my class, and I don't want that to happen. Besides, I'm not going to let some jerk interfere with my life."

Talia clocked in and went to the library.

"Good morning," Sadie said brightly.

"I hope you're having one. Mine's been awful." She told Sadie about the early morning intruder and the surprise he left for her.

"You're right. You should get a dog. Micah and Angie support a no-kill shelter. Lana and Paul, the couple who runs the place, would be glad to match you with the perfect, furry friend."

Micah and Angie were billionaires. Micah was a member of the Nightshade Wolf Shifter Pack and had recently married Lucy, who he had hired to be a surrogate for him. Angie was still a part of the pack, even though she was human, but she had married the alpha of a pack in the shifter world and belonged to that, too. She liked to say that she had dual citizenship. Angie often came back to the human world to take care of the charities she and Micah sponsored together.

"That's a great idea. I'll think about that," she said. The bell rang and she groaned, waved goodbye to Sadie, and headed upstairs.

The kids knew that something was off with her. They were extremely quiet and very well-behaved all day. Talia hated that she wasn't her normal, exuberant, energetic self. She firmly believed that learning should be fun because people learned more when they were in a good mood and uplifted. Her philosophy was that if she was passionate about teaching, the students would be passionate about learning.

Today just wasn't one of those days. The day seemed to drag by, even when she spent her twenty-minute lunch break taking a quick cat nap.

Finally, the day was over. She stood in the hallway, monitoring the kids as they opened their lockers and raced for the exit. Talia was glad that there was no drama or fighting. She didn't have the energy to deal with it.

Talia heard him before she saw him. He was very heavy-footed and had distinctive footsteps. She thought about running into her classroom, shutting the door, and locking it, but she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he unnerved her.

"How are things going for you, Miss Delaney?" he asked.

She was pretty sure that he said her name a little sarcastically. "Fine, thanks. I hope things are well for you."

"They are fine." He narrowed his eyes at her and said in a menacing voice, "You need to be careful out there. It's a dangerous world for a single woman who lives all alone. I work in a prison that is full of men who took advantage of single women. You really need a man, like me, to watch over you."

Revulsion flooded through her, making her stomach knot up. She smiled and said calmly, "I'm quite capable of taking care of myself."

The look he gave her before he walked away made her insides shudder.