Jonathan
My heart hammers in my chest as I watch Izzy's impossibly wide eyes roll back as she passes out. Ignoring the strangers waiting for us in our driveway I rush over to her door, giving no mind to the shouts behind me. She's deathly pale, no doubt terrified.
"Izzy?!" I throw her passenger door wide open and cup her cheek, trying to get a response from her. "Angel, come back to me." My chest tightens as I forget to breathe, waiting for any hint of a reaction.
"Do we need to call an ambulance?" One of the men asks. I wheel around to glare at the trespassers, ready to evict them but the shine of brass on the speakers hip is all that keeps me from decking him on the spot.
"Back off! What the fuck is wrong with you, showing up unannounced like this!?" I run my hand through my hair to keep from punching the surprised look off of his face. "If you're looking for Izzy, you know what happened to her! Christ!"
"Apologies Mr. Fletcher?" The further man in the black suit says. He shifts his jacket, showing the badge at his waist also. "Upsetting Ms. Turner wasn't our intention at all." His partner in the blue suit shows his palms as he backs up.
"Jonathan?" Izzy whimpers behind me.
Instantly the detectives are forgotten as I turn my attention back to Izzy completely. Her sapphire eyes are still wide and water slightly as she looks at me uncertainly. "Hey there," I coo. Once again I cup her cheek and Izzy relaxes slightly at my contact but her gaze eventually flickers behind me.
"What do they want?" she whispers.
"I think to talk to you. They're police officers." I reach over her lap and unclick her seatbelt. "Are you okay?"
Izzy nods, her cheeks are flushed and she's fidgeting with the hem of her sweater. In the span of five minutes, these guys have ruined the playful high she was riding, leaving her upset and embarrassed. It takes every ounce of self-control I have to not rip into them right here and now but I don't think she would appreciate that.
"If you need a minute, or are not up to talking to them, I will send them away, just say the word-"
Izzy shakes her head. "It must be important, right?" Her voice is small and uncertain as she lifts her gaze to mine for reassurance.
"Probably. I'll be right here with you the entire time. If you need to stop, just say the word, okay?" I hold out my hand to help her out and she forces a small but grateful smile as she takes it.
"Thank you." She tucks up against me as she turns her attention to the men waiting silently.
"Ms. Turner, you have our sincere apologies. We never meant to upset you or Mr. Fletcher." He holds out his hand. "Detective Matthews and my partner Detective St. Louis."
"Might we come in to talk for a few minutes?" Detective St. Louis asks. He straightens his black suit jacket and I look at Izzy to make sure she's okay.
"We can spare a few moments, but we've just gotten back from a busy day. Give us a couple of minutes to freshen up, yeah?" I look St. Louis straight in the eyes, making it clear that I'm not asking and he nods.
I don't wait for anything more and guide Izzy to the front door. We leave the men standing in the front foyer while I escort her upstairs and to our room. She slips away as I close the bedroom door and heads to the bathroom to freshen up.
"Are you sure you're okay?" I ask. Izzy finishes smoothing her hair back then wraps her arms around my waist as she lays her head on my chest. She breathes in deeply and lets the air out slowly.
"I'm just embarrassed," she whispers. "I can't believe I fainted, like who does that!?"
I hug her tightly, trying to comfort her. "Angel that's completely understandable, you looked so pale you had me worried is all."
"I'm okay, just a bit tired," she admits.
"Then let's find out what they want and we'll have a nice quiet evening, sound good?" I murmur. Izzy smiles up at me and nods. She follows me out and we head back downstairs to the waiting officers in the front foyer.
"I really am sorry for any-"
"Why don't we take a seat in the kitchen?" I offer. The sooner we get this out of the way the better. "What is it you want to talk about?" As time passes, the knot in the pit of my stomach only grows.
"There's no easy way to say this," Detective Matthews starts. "We have reason to believe that your attacker is back."
One simple phrase rocks my world. That Alec is still on the loose is nothing new, but hearing he's back and not running sets my teeth on edge.
Izzy sways slightly and I guide her to take a seat before she can possibly fall. I crouch down and take her hands in mine, anchoring her. All of my attention is on her, making sure she is okay.
"Izzy, you are safe. I won't let anything happen to you," I assure her. "We knew this was a possibility, right?"
Her eyes water but she nods, keeping her gaze locked on mine. We've kept in regular contact with the local police department since her attack. There hasn't been any sightings of him since they lost him at the bus station the night of the attack, but deep down I always knew it was just a matter of time.
Marilyn has been working with Izzy on sorting through the trauma of that night and taught her many coping mechanisms. Even Taz has gone over active observation techniques, the kind of things that will help her be more aware of her surroundings.
We've tried to give her tools to make her feel more in control of her life, and to help her feel safer. One of the biggest things has been to discuss the possibility that he could come back and what we could do to ensure her safety.
"What makes you think he's back?" I ask, dreading the answer. Izzy's grip on my hands tightens like she already knows.
"There was an attack, wasn't there?" She whispers.
"Yes."
I feel like I've been sucker-punched. Even though we knew this was a possibility, the thought of something happening to her leaves me shaken.
"What can I do to help?" Izzy whispers.
"What?!" I snap more harshly than I meant to.
Izzy flinches, her eyes going impossibly wide as she looks up at me. "Jonathan," she gasps. "If there's something I can do to help catch this guy before he hurts someone else, shouldn't I at least try?"
Once again she leaves me speechless. Anyone else when faced with their nightmare would run the other way but here she is willing to risk it all to stop him from hurting anyone else.
"Izzy no," I breathe out. A renegade tear slips down her cheek and I want nothing more than to erase all of this for her.
"Isn't this exactly what you've taught me though? Taking charge of my life. I don't want to be scared anymore," she chokes out. "I want to do something to help." Her voice is barely a whisper as she struggles to keep a hold on her emotions.
Reluctantly I nod. One of Marilyn's primary focuses has been on helping Izzy take control of her life and not let her fears rule anymore. As hard as it is, the last thing I want to do is invalidate her.
"You are too good for this world, angel."
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves yet," Detective St. Louis cautions. "The last thing we want to do is put Ms. Turner in any sort of danger."
For the first time since they got here, I feel an overwhelming sense of relief. I don't think I could handle standing by while Izzy is dangled like bait.
"We're working alongside your local detectives to catch this guy. I wish there was an easier way to say this but... we have reason to believe he may target you if given a chance."
"Why?! Why would you say that?" I shoot upright, my anger fully returned. The logical side of me knows that this is just them doing their job yet because it's Izzy, I just can't stand it.
"I know this isn't easy to hear, but the last thing we want is for you guys to be unaware." Mathews runs his hand through his hair and sighs. "There is a definite type he's targeting."
Izzy scrunches up her face and shakes her head. "The girl on the news is blonde though?"
"Was," Detective St. Louis corrects.
"Was?" She parrots, barely a whisper.
"Her appearance was altered."
"Is she okay?" Izzy's eyes water, threatening to spill over as she watches him.
Matthews nods but his lips are pulled into a frown. "Physically it could have been worse. She has a good outlook and great support system."
"We did come here to discuss a couple of important points though, there may be a way you can help after all." The way Detective St. Louis looks at Izzy warns just how much I won't like this.