Stalked

Chapter Nine

Rayne POV:

I knew he'd be back.

That sentence ran through my head over and over as I sat on my bed, hugging my knees. 

I kept my eyes glued to my bedroom window, trying to stay alert in case he tried to break in.

My phone rang loudly, making me swing my head around to look at the ID.

Unknown

"Oh God." I whimpered.

"Oz!" I yelled to my brother.

He ran into the room in a panic.

His head snapped to the constant ringing on my cell phone.

"Don't answer it." He told me, before calling detective Long.

Just as the phone stopped ringing it started up all over again. 

Detective Long rushed into the room and sat next to me.

"Answer it and put it on speaker." He told me.

When the phone began to ring again, I hesitantly took the phone in my shaking hands and answered.

"Hello?" 

"Hi, baby." Roark's voice was heard on the other end. "What do you want?" I asked, weakly. "You know what I want, Rayne. I want you." He replied. "Why?" I asked, trying to calm my nerves. "Because I love you." Roark said. "You're obsessed with me. It's not love." I replied.

I heard his breathing begin to increase. He was getting upset.

"No! I love you and I know you love me, too!" He yelled at me. 

My eyes started to fill with tears as I was starting to break down again.

Roark must have heard the small whimper I had accidently let out because his tone had softened.

"I didn't mean to scare you, Rayne. I just wish you would understand how I feel about you." He told me. "I understand that you are infatuated, not in love. It's different, Stephen. You just need to learn the difference." I said, trying to keep him calm.

"I love it when you say my name." He said, darkly.

Detective Long mouthed "Hang up."

I did as I was told and looked at Oz.

"What now?" I asked. 

Oz sighed and sat next to me.

"We'll figure it out." He told me.

"I'm going to call my partner and see if we can't track his location next time he calls." Detective Long said. "Wait, so I have to talk to him again?" I asked. "Sixty seconds is all we need, Rayne. I'll be right next to you the whole time." He reassured me.

I let out a shaky breath and nodded.

We looked at each other for a few moments before his phone rang.

Detective Long quietly excused himself before walking out of the room.

"I thought this was over." Oz mumbled. "I didn't." I replied and looked at him. 

Oz sighed and wrapped an arm around me, hugging me tightly. 

Three years earlier:

Finally, after a year of the phone calls, I went to the police station, Lacey alongside me.

When we walked up to the front desk, a police officer turned to me.

"Can I help you?" He asked.

My hands started to shake as I started to talk.

"I think I'm being stalked." I said, quietly. "You think?" The officer asked, confused.

"I've been getting a lot of calls for the past year or so. It started innocent for the first few months, but it started to get worse." I told him. "Worse how?" He asked. "He started describing what I was wearing and where I was." I replied, my voice wavering. "Any threats?" The officer asked. "Well, no but-"

"I'm sorry, ma'am but since he hasn't threatened or touched you, there's nothing we can do." The officer told me.

"Are you kidding me? This man is following my sister-in-law, calling at all hours of the night. She's terrified and you say there's nothing you can do?" Lacey asked, angrily.

Present day:

Thinking back to that day, anger and depression sat in.

"Nashville's finest. What a joke." I murmured to myself.

They were the reason Lacey was dead. It's all their fault. 

It was the morning after Roark had called again, when there was a knock at the door.

I looked through the peep hole to see two officers.

I opened the door and realized I knew them from when this mess first started.

"What the hell do you want?" I asked, angrily.

"Ms. Berry, may we come in?" One asked.

This officer was the one that had told me that I pretty much had no case when I first reported Roark.

"I'd rather you didn't." I replied.

"I'm sorry about this, Ms. Berry. I really am. We just need to ask you a few questions." The other replied. "Then go to Detective Long. He knows everything you need to know." I told them. 

"Rayne, stop." Oz said as he walked to the front door.

"Come on in." He told them, stepping aside to let them in.

We all sat in the living room, and they began to pull out equipment.

"What is all this?" I asked. "For when Roark calls again, so we can trace it." The first officer told me.

While they explained everything to Oz and I, I sat and glared at the two of them. They were well aware that they weren't wanted there.

Then, my phone began to ring.