Clara leaned over and gave her a quick hug. “I think when we know the answer to that question, we’ll know who he is. You be safe. And do your best to get some sleep. Are you still at the hotel?”

“Yes.” Emma didn’t go into changing hotels and the incident with her car. Clara was already worried enough.

Clara nodded. “I’m praying for you. Hard. And I believe you’re going to be fine. You’ve just got to stay strong.”

“I will. And thank you. If you’re praying, then I know God’s listening.”

“Really? How is that?”

Emma gave her a small smile. “He’d be afraid not to.”

Clara smiled. “You get out of here and get some rest.”

Emma headed down the hall for the security office to get Jeremy. He must have been watching the hallway monitor because he was waiting for her at the door. “You ready to go home, Ms. Frederick?”

It wasn’t home. At this point, Emma wasn’t certain anything ever would be again.

“Yep,” she said. “You ready to escort me to my car?”

“I am always ready for the company of a lovely lady. Just don’t tell my wife.”

Emma smiled. “You’re wonderful for a girl’s ego. Let’s do this.”

They headed out the emergency room doors and across the parking lot. Emma had parked as close as possible, but the handicapped spots and those designated for emergency personnel took up a good portion of the front of the lot. Her car was midway down under a light post. The lot was well lit, but the surrounding area wasn’t. Danger might be lurking in the shadows of the hedges lining the right side, in the spot on the sidewalk where illumination from the streetlights didn’t quite meet, across the street in the half-empty building.

She crossed her arms over her chest and shivered. It was at least ninety degrees out and humid, but she couldn’t ward off the chill that ran through her. And she knew without a doubt that his eyes were on her. Somewhere in the dark. Close enough to see her.

Her pulse ticked up a notch and she increased her pace. Jeremy fell in step with her, not saying a word. Emma saw him scanning the parking lot, the sidewalk, the street. Looking for the threat that she knew was there but that remained hidden.

She practically ran the last ten feet to her car, but drew up short when she realized something was on the ground in the shadows right in front of the driver’s side door. Jeremy grabbed her arm to keep her from moving forward and pulled out his flashlight.

When the light hit the three mice with no eyes, Emma screamed.

###

He lowered the night-vision binoculars and smiled. Emma thought she was being smart, parking in the open lot instead of the employee garage, but nothing was going to stop him from his mission. And the old man with her just made him laugh. The way he practically shoved her in the car and sent her away from the hospital, then took a picture of the mice with his phone, like that was going to matter to anyone except the woman he’d just scared half to death.

The old man was no match for him. Both of them combined were no match for him.

All of Emma’s efforts—changing hotels, hiring a detective, parking in different places—were a waste of time. Emma couldn’t make a move that he hadn’t already anticipated. She wasn’t clever enough. Wasn’t cunning enough. Not like him.

The things he’d gotten away with were a testament to his prowess. He was the superior being. Mama may not have thought so when they were kids, but she had no choice but to think so now. He’d show her. He would never be a loser like his daddy.

At first, he’d thought Emma was different. That maybe Mama had been wrong about some women, but Emma had turned out to be just like all the others. Only caring about herself. Never satisfied until she’d ruined a man’s life. She’d ruined David’s, and she’d gotten off scot-free. But the legal system wasn’t the only way to get justice.

Hell, it wasn’t even the best way.

###

Emma pulled into the valet drive at the hotel and practically threw her keys at the young man before running inside. She could hear him calling after her as she ran down the hallway to the elevators. She knew she was supposed to give him her room number, but she was afraid that if she attempted to talk, she’d have a nervous breakdown right on the spot. She needed to get to her room, behind a lock and a dead bolt.

The elevator seemed to take forever, but at least it was empty. If anyone even looked at her for longer than a second, she wouldn’t be able to handle it. She knew he was there. Had known it the instant she stepped foot outside of the hospital. Why hadn’t she gone back inside? She could have slept in the break room. It had a little cubby with cots in case staff had to stay over and needed to catch some shut-eye. Why did she let Jeremy put her into her car?

Her entire body felt as if it were covered in something vile. Like his eyes were still on every inch of her. She knew it wasn’t possible—not here in the hotel—but she couldn’t shake the feeling from the parking lot.

The elevator chimed and opened and she bolted out of it, running down the hall for her room. She fumbled with the card and dropped it twice, cursed, then finally managed to get the door open. She shoved her shoulder against it so hard that she yelped and stumbled inside, pushing the door shut behind her and drawing the dead bolt.

She dumped her purse on the bed and pulled out her aunt’s pistol, checking the magazine. It was loaded and one round was chambered. The guy at the gun range had told her it was dangerous to carry with a chambered round, but Emma figured it was even more dangerous to need the time to chamber a round if a stalker was after you. The gun was holstered and her purse was locked inside her locker at work. The risk of an accidental discharge was minor. The risk of coming face-to-face with her stalker grew every minute.

Still gripping the pistol, she headed into the bathroom. She placed the pistol on the counter and pulled off her clothes, letting them drop onto the cold tile floor. She turned on the hot water in the sink, dropped a towel onto the floor in front of her, then stepped on it. She grabbed her loofah from her travel bag and soaked it with the scalding water, then began to scrub her skin. A shower or bath was too risky. Not enough time to respond if he managed to gain entry into the room, but she couldn’t take that layer of filth that his gaze had put on her skin.

She rubbed and soaked and rubbed and soaked at a frantic rate until every square inch of her body had been scrubbed clean. The light burn was preferable to the itching she’d felt before. Finally, she dropped the loofah into the sink. As she looked up, she saw her reflection in the mirror. Her skin was mottled red from head to toe. Some patches were darker than others, but not a single square inch of unmarked white remained. She let out a single cry and grabbed the pistol, then sank onto the floor and sobbed.

Chapter Fourteen

She heard footsteps on the stone steps and knew it was the man. Without thinking, she backed into the corner, as if hiding in the shadows would somehow protect her. The door swung open and the light blazed in, blinding her. She threw her hand over her face, peering through her fingers, trying to see what the man was doing. 

And she saw the red dress.

No! The silent scream tore through her and she tried to shrink into the wall.

“It’s Samhain,” the man said as he moved closer. 

She cowered down, praying the man would leave. That was the bad dress. Horrible things happened when she was forced to wear it. Things she didn’t understand. Things that made her scream in pain.