“Not even your friends?” If this woman didn’t have a few deeply close friends, he would shoot himself. He would bet a lot on the fact that she developed intimate relationships. Perhaps not with many people, but there would be a few who would know all of her secrets.
Her eyes went wide. “Yes. I have two friends who know what I do. Bridget and Chris. But they’re writers, too. We all write romance. They would never give up my name. Bridget has been through the same thing. She’s had some guys write her letters from prison saying they were coming after her when they got out.”
“Is that normal?” It sounded horrible. She wrote romances. The worst she should have to deal with was some fan asking her when the next one would come out.
She shrugged. “It happens more than you would think.”
“And what have the police said?” He could guess. They wouldn’t do a whole hell of a lot. Even with stalking laws in place, unless they knew who the guy was, they couldn’t do much.
“He uses public access to computers. Everything has come from a library, and apparently he has several fake names.”
Adam was pretty sure he could do better than that. Damn it. He was going to have to take her case. She actually needed the firm, and not just the firm, but him especially. He was a computer expert. He’d been his unit’s communications expert in the Green Berets. He’d taken that to another level in the civilian world. He considered himself an excellent hacker. If this asshole was out there, Adam was sure he could find him.
“What has he threatened to do to you?” Adam was pretty sure he didn’t want to know, but he had to ask.
Her hands twisted in her lap. He wanted to hold one in his while Jake enveloped the other, the two of them providing a bulwark against the myriad of dangers she faced.
“He hates me. He says I tempt him, and I’m ruining his life. He says I’m dirty, and I should go to hell. He says he’s the one to send me there. It’s odd, really. It’s changed over time. At first it was about the characters. He thought one of my characters should be with someone else. It was fairly typical fan stuff. He said he was coming after me if I didn’t get Melissa and Dan together. He claims they were supposed to be together, but I never intended for those two to get together. Dan is very immature.”
She got animated as she talked about her work. He thought it was adorable, but they were getting off topic. Adam had to bring her back in line. “You said he changed?”
Her eyes widened as though she had to pull herself out of her own thoughts. “Oh, yes. Uhm, the online stalking stayed the same, but then the calls started and the e-mails. Those were about how evil I am. It’s weird. I don’t understand how this person can be invested in my books when he obviously thinks they’re pornographic.”
Adam sighed. “He’s obviously not right in the head. Our resident profiler could explain it better. He’s crazy. That’s all I’ve got.” Adam got out of his chair, unwilling to sit any longer. He walked around his desk and sank to one knee, sliding his hand over hers. He could practically feel her relax. “It’s going to be okay. Let me look into this.”
There was the low sound of someone clearing his throat. Adam looked up, and Jake stood in the doorway, a frown on his face. Fuck. He wouldn’t like what Adam had just said.
“Ms. Brooks, what Adam is trying to say is that we’ll bring this case in front of the group. We don’t have the authority to take the case. It has to go up for review.” Jake stared down at them, a forbidding presence.
Adam wondered what the hell had put that look on his face.
Serena pulled her hand back, retreating as effectively as if she’d walked across the room. Her face went blank and polite. “Of course. I appreciate you listening to me. I suppose you have the police reports?”
Jake nodded, but there was a coldness to his stance that Adam didn’t like. “I do. I think we have everything we need. We’ll get back to you.”
She stood, careful to avoid touching Adam. “I’m sure you will.”
There was a defeated slant to her shoulders as though she was sure everything Jake was saying was mere lip service.
“We’ll be in touch very soon, Serena.” Adam barely restrained himself from reaching for her. “I promise. I will call you tonight.”
“Sure.” She turned her head, not making eye contact. “Thank you both for your time.”
She walked out of the room without looking back. The door closed with a quiet click.
“What the fuck was that about?” Adam turned on his partner.
Jake’s face shut down. “It’s about putting the horse way before the cart here. I just talked to Brighton. Everyone at the DPD thinks this is a marital squabble. Her ex-husband recently decided to sue her for a portion of her income. This could really help her case.”
“She told us it couldn’t be him.” Adam could already see Jake’s brain turning. Jake had been hurt before—on a fundamental level. The scars on Jake’s soul ran deep, and no one had been able to make a dent in them yet.
“And yet she gave the cops clues that led them straight to her ex’s door. This is an angry woman, Adam. I get that she’s beautiful, but we need to take a look at this before we get involved. I can already see that you’re in way too deep. Even if we decide to take her case, I think it would be best if we passed it off to Liam or Alex or someone who isn’t going to get emotional.”
Maybe he’d read Jake wrong. For the last ten years, he’d shared everything with Jacob Dean, including women. Jake was the brother he wished he’d had and the friend he couldn’t imagine living without. He couldn’t believe that Jake wasn’t attracted to the woman who had just walked out the door.
“I want to see those reports. And even then I don’t think I can turn her away. She was scared. If you can’t see that then you weren’t looking at her and you’re not who I thought you were.”
Jake shook his head. “Look at that. She’s already causing problems. I knew that woman was trouble the minute Grace walked her into the room. I knew you would react this way. And this is precisely why we’re not taking this case. I left the file with Grace. You can review it. We present to the group in the morning.”
Adam felt his fists clench. “And if this asshole kills her before then?”