Under His Protection (10 page)

He wasn’t a fan of PI work because it was often boring and took forever to yield results. Julieta might not have time for long investigative work if whoever was stalking her got desperate so Ivan wanted to stay in front of the situation.

And he hated that there were so few leads. This guy had just started harassing her seemingly out of the blue, but there had to be a tipping point. The very first text had felt personal.
I’m going to make you pay for what you did.

Unfortunately there had been no reference to what she’d supposedly done. It could be something as benign as cutting the guy off while driving. Unlikely, but people on the edge didn’t need a sane reason to get angry.

Keeping an eye on the house, he settled against his seat and turned on his mini laptop. He could read on his phone but preferred something bigger. After pulling up his email, he scrolled through Lizzy’s latest message with details on Aguilar.

It was all basic, but telling about the guy’s personality. He’d moved back in with his mom recently, but it looked as if he’d been living with a woman before that for a couple months. A stripper. All the bills had been in her name, but he’d had his cell phone bill address listed there. Before that it seemed as if he’d lived with a dozen different women over the past two years.

No arrests, no violent history, not even sealed juvie files. Aguilar just seemed lazy. He found random work, would hold down a job for a couple months, then when he lost that job it appeared as if the women he was living with kicked him out. Some seemed to keep him around for a month or so, but eventually, he moved out. Without talking to the women or him, Ivan didn’t know if it was because he found another woman to mooch off or if they just got tired of him. He guessed it was the women who got tired of him. Which could explain his anger toward Julieta.

After reading the email he called Lizzy, who answered on the first ring. “Hey, was just about to call you.”

“Good news?”
Please say yes.

“Not really, but it’s information. I managed to track down the license plate on that motorcycle. Grant contacted Duarte about it. Turns out the bike was reported stolen a week ago. Some college kid who seems highly unlikely as Jules’s stalker, but I’m sending you the info on the kid anyway.”

He pushed back the disappointment that surged through him. “And you weren’t able to track the bike using CCTVs?” Because he knew she’d done it before.

“Unfortunately no.” She let out a frustrated sigh. “And I still haven’t gotten a hit on who purchased those phone numbers. We already know they’re burner phones, but this likely means he bought them in cash.” Which left them still at square one. She didn’t say it, but he guessed she was thinking the same thing he was.

He cleared his throat. “Listen, there’s a car in his driveway now that isn’t listed in the file you sent me. Would you mind running another license plate?” He wasn’t sure how much she could do on company time.

She snorted. “Of course not.”

After he’d given it to her and she promised to get back to him when she got a hit, he said, “Thanks for everything you’re doing.” Having someone like Lizzy in his corner was a huge benefit.

“No problem, I love Jules. Call me if you need anything. I’m at the office today.”

After they disconnected he pulled up the file on the guy who’d reported his motorcycle stolen and realized why Lizzy said she didn’t think he was involved. The kid had posted live updates on one of his social media sites around the time Julieta had received the most recent text from her stalker. It had listed his location too: Orlando.

Damn it.

Sighing, Ivan turned off his laptop, set it on the passenger seat and waited. Three hours later he finally got some action at Aguilar’s house.

A woman with long, black hair wearing jeans that might as well have been painted on and an equally snug, bright red T-shirt strode out hand-in-hand with a shirtless Aguilar. The man smiled at her as he walked her to her car. Aguilar pressed her against the driver’s side door, groping and kissing her for a few minutes before she left with a huge smile on her face.

Maybe he had a new girlfriend.

Ten minutes later Ivan straightened in his seat and started the engine when the garage door opened. Aguilar pulled out seconds later behind the wheel of the five-year-old truck registered in his name. According to the records Lizzy had sent, the guy’s mother had bought it for him and was currently paying his insurance. Pathetic.

Tailing him was easy since he didn’t go far. His final destination was a small, locally owned bar and grill in a shopping center next to a Publix less than five minutes away. It was nearing four, which unfortunately meant the place wouldn’t be too crowded. Restaurants tended to be busy during lunch and dinner but tapered off in between. Could be good and bad for Ivan. He wanted Julieta’s stalker to know he couldn’t harass her anymore, but he didn’t want to tip his hand too soon. The last text the asshole had sent had specifically mentioned her blond friend so the guy knew what Ivan looked like.

Ivan waited in the parking lot as Aguilar got out and made his way inside. The man was dressed casually in jeans, a T-shirt and boots. Inside the dim restaurant it took a moment for Ivan’s eyes to adjust.

A hostess wearing a black skirt and a long-sleeved, white button-down shirt smiled broadly when she saw him and stepped out from behind the wooden stand. “Hi, welcome to—”

Her eyes widened as she glanced behind him. Ivan turned to find the woman who’d left Aguilar’s house not long ago striding inside, her expression tense. Ivan faintly heard the hostess mutter a curse, but then she seemed to regain her composure.

“Are you meeting someone or dining alone? Or would you like to wait in the bar?”

“Bar,” Ivan murmured, trailing behind the dark-haired woman as she headed to the bar. It was situated on the left with a huge rectangle-shaped bar in the middle of it with chairs lining it. There were also booths lining three of the walls, with nothing on the back wall but a door that led to what he assumed was the kitchen.

Seconds later he realized why the woman was there. She stormed over to a booth where a college-aged woman with pale blonde hair sat in a booth with Aguilar. And they were clearly not just friends if his tongue down her throat was any indication.

“You son of a bitch!” red shirt shouted.

Aguilar’s head whipped up and his eyes widened as he saw her. He held up his hands in apology. “Listen baby…”

Ivan headed for the bar, taking a seat as his phone buzzed in his pocket. When he saw the text from Julieta, anger jumped inside him.
Just got another text from him.

She didn’t need to specify who the ‘him’ referred to.
When? What did it say?
He glanced back over at the unfolding scene of drama as a man who was clearly a manager tried to calm everyone down while the few other patrons in the bar area looked on in fascination. Ivan quickly realized both women worked here from the way the conversation was heating up.

Literally just now. Had my phone on the counter. Said something vile, you can read when you get here.

Unless Aguilar could text and make out with some woman at the same time, Ivan doubted he was the guy. Seemed as if he was juggling a lot as it was. Ivan fought the disappointment that slid through him. It would have made things a hell of a lot easier to know the identity of Julieta’s stalker. Because Ivan didn’t mind breaking any rules to bring the guy down, whoever he was.

On my way. Stay close to your brother.

It’s okay, you don’t have to come. Just wanted you to know.

He snorted and shoved his phone back in his pocket. There was no way he was staying away now. Unfortunately if Aguilar wasn’t the guy, they didn’t have much to go on at this point. Julieta’s stalker could be anybody.

* * *

He drove by Julieta’s store, angry to see that the window was already fixed. That should have taken longer, should have been more of a strain on her.

Next time he’d smash in the windows of her car. And slash all the seats. That would certainly get her attention. Unfortunately she usually parked along the curb in plain sight near her store and at home she parked in her garage. When he destroyed her car he’d need to take his time, not be rushed. He wanted her to know exactly how much time and effort he put into destroying something of hers.

The last few texts he’d sent she hadn’t responded to before he’d disposed of the phones. Not that he’d actually expected her to respond, but her silence only infuriated him.

Like he wasn’t important enough for her. His hands gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white as he neared her store. Looking over, his breath caught in his throat when he saw her in the window dressing one of the mannequins.

She bent over slightly, trying to adjust something, and her dress rode up a couple inches in the back. Not enough for him to see what he wanted, but it made his cock flare to life.

He snapped his head forward, not wanting to crash. The adrenaline rushing through him was potent, almost overwhelming. Waiting until he was a few blocks away, he pulled into a busy shopping center and parked near the back of one of the rows so that he was four spots away from anyone.

With shaking hands, he pulled out one of his burner phones from the glove box and turned it on. Barely able to contain his excitement, he texted her.
Soon I’m going to shove my cock in your mouth and then your ass. I’m going to fuck you anywhere I want until you’re screaming my name.

As he hit send, a thrill went through him. He just wished he could see the fear in her gaze when she read it. He laid the phone on the passenger seat and rubbed his palm over himself. He wanted to unzip his pants and take care of his erection but didn’t want to get caught. It wasn’t worth the risk of ending up in the system listed as a pervert.

Looking around, he saw that there was no one around and no video cameras that he could see. His windows were tinted anyway. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt just to touch himself once.

He couldn’t drive home like this and it wasn’t going away. Not now with the image of Julieta’s frightened face in his mind. As he started to unzip his pants, his phone dinged with an incoming text.

His breath caught in his throat. She’d responded.

As he turned on the screen he immediately saw it wasn’t from her. It was one of those standard texts from the company he’d bought the phone from telling him how many minutes he had left.

The sharpest sense of rage surged through him. He wiped his prints from the phone, then rolled down the window. With a shaking hand, he tossed the phone out. Of course she hadn’t responded. She thought she was too good for someone like him. Soon she’d learn that she was disposable, a pathetic whore. He was going to make her beg him for death. Then maybe he’d give it to her. Or maybe he’d keep her around even longer than he had the others.

Chapter 9

Julieta’s place was quiet. Too quiet for her to be inside. It was perfect for his needs.

He’d checked the window of her garage and her car wasn’t in it. There were a couple lights on inside but he was almost positive she wasn’t home. He’d been tempted to ring her doorbell to check, but just in case she was—and she had company—he didn’t want to take the chance.

When he took her, it would be when she was by herself. He wasn’t leaving anything to chance.

Now he needed to scope out the interior of her house and figure out where the best point of entry would be later. And the best place to hide if he decided to lie in wait for her. For now he planned to strike in the middle of the night, close to two or three when she’d be in a dead sleep. He’d have to find a window to leave unlocked too, as his backup on the off chance she changed her locks. The possibility that she’d do it in the next couple days was slim, but he wanted to cover all his bases.

A dog barked in her next door neighbors’ backyard, the sound obnoxious, as he crept along the interior of her privacy fence. He’d parked along the curb a couple doors down from her place thirty minutes ago and done a quick recon. After he’d discovered her car wasn’t in the garage or driveway, he’d parked a few blocks over in a park then jogged by her place.

Since it still appeared empty, he’d doubled around to the street behind hers. He was pretty certain the home behind hers was empty too. Floodlights hadn’t come on, but he’d been quick, racing through their yard before scaling the fence into Julieta’s. The sun had recently set so he had darkness on his side. Most people would have gotten home from work an hour ago so they should be inside, making this a good time for him to infiltrate her home.

At least she didn’t seem to have a dog.

Not that he had a problem eliminating one, but it would take too much time and could be too messy, especially if the animal was a bigger breed.

His heart pounded erratically as he made his way across the decent sized backyard. No pool or any clutter, just a couple of older orange trees. When he reached the back of the house, he tested the sliding glass door. Locked. He tried the keys he’d had made, but none fit. Since he hadn’t been sure which key went to what, he’d made copies of all three on her key ring.

Gritting his teeth, he crept to the edge of the house and peered around the corner. Her privacy fence blocked the side door he’d seen from his earlier recon. He hadn’t wanted to risk making himself any more visible, but he didn’t have a choice.