My favorite part of the day, though, was getting to watch him chop wood while I sat on the porch pretending to read one of my spicy romance novels on my phone. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to read it. I’d had every intention of immersing myself in it. Butthe way his muscles flexed as he brought the ax down hard on the wood had been too distracting to focus on my book.
But all good things must end eventually, and he was back at work while I got to do my favorite Sunday chore—grocery shopping. I actually loved going to the grocery store early on a Sunday. No one there but me and some of the town’s elderly population.
I picked up some pasta and made my way down the aisle, freezing at the end when a sudden feeling of someone watching me hit. I glanced back down the way I’d just come. No one was there.
Was I losing my mind?
Was this a lingering effect of a sex hangover? Was that a thing? Because the amount of times Seth had made me come in the last thirty-six hours was definitely a first for me. In fact, in the past, I’d had issues. But now I had to wonder if it was more about the person I was with than a problem with me.
I continued my shopping, stopping at the meat section to get some chicken and ground beef. As I reached for a package of chicken breasts, the hair on my arm felt like it was standing up. I shivered—not in the way Seth made me shiver—the feeling of being watched enveloping me again.
I spun quickly, looking one way and then the other. Literally, there was not a single person in sight.
I stood there for a minute, just to make sure, before I finally shook it off, focusing back on the meats.
My last stop was the produce section toward the front of the store. After grabbing peppers, onions, and brussels sprouts, I moved on to the fruits. I weighed the options of cherries or grapes, one package in each hand, raising and lowering them as I decided which one to get. Maybe I’d just get both.
I glanced up and choked back a gasp as I caught sight of someone wearing a dark green hoodie exiting the store. Thefigure was so similar to the one on the video footage I had scoured from two of the fires. I dropped the bags of berries and sprinted after the mystery man…or woman. Once outside, I froze out on the sidewalk, looking around.
He was gone.
I blew out a frustrated breath and glanced up at the camera pointed at me. I had to call Dylan and get him down here. I wanted a look at the grocery store’s video footage.
Maybe it was nothing. Or maybe it was the arsonist. A chill worked down my spine. He had no problem sending Logan a message back in June when he lit his garage on fire, and it was no secret I was helping with the case.
Did I need to be worried that he was purposely following me, ready to send me a message, too?
One thing at a time. First call Dylan, and then worry about the fact that the arsonist might’ve been watching me.
I didn’t believe it was all a coincidence. In my line of work, those were few and far between.
Chapter Thirty-Five
VIOLET
Why didit feel like no matter what we did, we couldn’t catch a damn break. Good news was we could deduce the guy following me in the grocery store was likely the arsonist. Bad news? He was careful. Wore a baseball cap and kept his face down and away from where the cameras were the entire time. Just like in the video footage I’d already watched.
And I was convinced more than ever there was no way it was a coincidence. No one goes to the grocery store and walks around with their head down the whole time.
Dylan of course became super paranoid, and I couldn’t get him to agree on my suggestion to use me as bait. Instead, hedecided to have a patrol car drive by my house regularly. Which brought me back to the conversation I was having with Seth as we laid in bed together, his arm wrapped around my shoulders and my head on his chest.
“It’s ridiculous. I don’t need a babysitter.”
“I’m with Dylan on this one. Better safe than sorry.” Seth pressed his lips to the top of my head. “I hate that I have to leave you in the morning to head to Charlotte, but knowing Dylan has someone keeping an eye on you makes me feel better about it.”
Probably good that I didn’t tell him about that great idea I brought to Dylan. Seth would probably go all alpha protective male if Dylan had said yes to using me as bait. I smiled. Somehow, I hated that idea less when Seth was the one being overprotective.
“Are you nervous about tomorrow?” I was trying really hard not to be jealous that he was going to the baby appointment with Lucy. I wanted him to know I was supportive. “Or excited? Both?”
“A little of both.”
“And you’re going to stay with your brother tomorrow night?”
“Yeah, since I have off until Thursday. Figured I’d spend the night there tomorrow and come back sometime Wednesday.” His arm tightened slightly around my shoulders, pulling me closer into him. “Unless anything else weird happens and you need me back here.”
I rolled my eyes. “I doubt anything will happen with patrol making their presence known.”
And that was my argument against them driving by or following me. We needed to catch this guy. And he wasn’t going to do anything catch-worthy with eyes everywhere.
