Sanctuary

be steady, Nathan set the glass aside. “Jo Ellen, what happened before, what other people did, no matter who they were to us, can’t destroy what we are. What we have. We can’t let that happen.”
    She closed her eyes, relieved and soothed by his words. “That’s what I’m telling myself. Every day. I started having dreams. I’ve always had very vivid dreams, but these unnerved me. I wasn’t sleeping well, or eating well. I can’t even remember if that started before or after the first pictures came.”
    “What pictures?”
    “Someone started sending me photographs, of me. Just my eyes at first. Just my eyes.” She rubbed a hand over her arm to chase away the chill. “It was creepy. I tried to ignore it, but it didn’t stop. Then there was a whole package, dozens of photographs of me. At home, on assignment, at the market. Everywhere I went. He’d been there, watching me.” Her hand rubbed slowly, steadily over her speeding heart. “And I thought I saw ... more. I hallucinated, I panicked. And I broke.”
    Rage whipped through him, one hard, vicious lash. “Some bastard was dogging you, stalking you, tormenting you, and you’re blaming yourself for crumbling?” His hands were steady now as he reached out for her, pulled her against him.
    “I didn’t face it.”
    “Stop it. How much is anyone supposed to face? The son of a bitch, putting you through that.” He stared over her shoulder, wishing viciously he had something to fight, something to pummel. “What’s the Charlotte PD doing about it?”
    “I didn’t report it in Charlotte.” Her eyes went wide when he jerked her back. Widened still more when she saw the wild fury in his.
    “What the hell do you mean, you didn’t report it? You’re just going to let him get away with it? Just do nothing?”
    “I had to get away. I just wanted to get away from it. I couldn’t cope. I could barely function.”
    When he became aware that his fingers were digging into her shoulders, he let her go. Snatching up his glass, he paced away from her. And he remembered how she’d looked when he first saw her on the island. Pale, exhausted, her eyes bruised and unhappy.
    “You needed sanctuary.”
    Her breath came out in three jerks. “Yes, I suppose I did. Today I learned I hadn’t found it. He’s been here.” Resolutely she swallowed the fresh panic in her throat. “He mailed photos of me from Savannah. Photos he’d taken here on the island.”
    Fresh fury clawed at him with hot-tipped fingers. Drawing on all of his control, Nathan turned slowly. “Then we’ll find him. And we’ll stop him.”
    “I don’t even know if he’s still on the island. If he’ll come back, if . . . I don’t know why, and that’s the worst of it. But I’m facing it now, and I’m going to deal with it.”
    “You don’t have to deal with it alone. You matter to me, Jo Ellen. I won’t let you deal with it alone. You’re going to have to face that too.”
    “Maybe that’s why I came here. Maybe that’s why I had to come here.”
    He set his wine down again so he could take her face in both hands. “I won’t let anyone hurt you. Believe that.”
    She did, a little too easily, a little too strongly, and tried to backpedal. “It’s good knowing you’re on my side, but I have to be able to handle this.”
    “No.” He lowered his mouth gently to hers. “You don’t.”
    Her heart began to flutter in a different kind of panic. “The police said—”
    “You went to the police?”
    “Today. I ...” She lost her train of thought for a moment as his mouth brushed hers again. “They said they’d look into it, but they don’t have a lot to look into. I haven’t been threatened.”
    “You feel threatened.” He ran his hands down to her shoulders, over them. “That’s more than enough. We’re going to make that stop.” He skimmed his lips over her cheek, along her temple, into her hair. “I’m going to take care of you,” he murmured.
    The words revolved in her spinning mind, refused to settle. “What?”
    He doubted either one of them was ready to face what he’d suddenly realized. He needed to take care of her, to soothe away those troubles, to ease her heart. And he needed to be sure that whatever he did wouldn’t snap the thin threads of the relationship they were just beginning to weave.
    “Put it aside for a little while. Take an evening to relax.” He ran his fingers up and down her spine once before drawing back to study her.