Too Close (A Morgan Stark FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 2)

PROLOGUE The cute bartender with the earring yelled out that it was last call. Angelica smiled down at her phone. This app was the absolute bomb and this guy on the screen seemed like a real possibility. His online flirting game was on point and his photo looked better than average. At least he wasn’t holding a fish. What was with that anyway? Did men think women wanted proof of their ability to provide food in the form of fish? Of course, all that good stuff about this dude could be a lie. You never know who you are really talking with on an app until you meet in real life. And that was going to happen soon. This weekend. A pleasant little shiver of anticipation ran through her. It had been a while since she’d been willing to meet someone and this felt right. She’d actually offered to meet him for a drink right then and there, even told him what bar she was at. He couldn’t make it, though. She sent a last message and gathered her purse and keys. Time to go home. She stepped out of the bar, a tiny bit unsteady on the heels she wore. Not entirely practical, but she knew they made her calves pop. She wanted to look good when she went out. She still hadn’t ruled out meeting somebody the old-fashioned way, like at a party or a bar, but she dreaded the idea of having The Talk with a new romantic interest. Not having to have The Talk was definitely a selling point for the app. What a relief to have that out of the way before she even had coffee with someone. Out on the street, the night was still muggy. She lifted her hair off her neck to cool off, but there wasn’t any breeze. She was alone on the street and it was dark. No one would see her, would see what she was doing her best to keep hidden from the world. She decided to chance it and unwound the scarf she was wearing around her neck. Lord. Every summer, the humidity and heat in DC surprised her. Swaying a bit, she made her way down the sidewalk to the lot where she’d parked her car. When she’d arrived, the place had been jumping. It had seemed worth it to pay a little extra for the unmanned lot rather than driving around in circles hoping a space would open up on the street. Now she wasn’t so sure. The lot wasn’t nearly as well-lit as the street and her little coupe sat tucked into a back corner. She paused for a second. Peering into the gloom, she felt a little prickle of unease at the back of her neck, as if someone was watching her. She shook herself. She was being ridiculous. Or, at least, paranoid. Keeping her phone in her hand to light her way, she tottered across the gravel to her car. “Dammit!” Broken glass sparkled in the light of her flashlight app. Somebody had broken the back window of her car. Smashed it, in fact. Why? She hadn’t left anything worth stealing in there. She knew better than that. She’d better call the cops to make a report so her insurance would cover at least part of the damage. Stupid thieves. It’s not like the cops would do anything. Maybe she could go home and call it in from there. The lot was giving her major creeps. “Excuse me,” said a man’s voice behind her. Angelica, hand pressed to her chest, turned to see a man sitting on the bumper of a truck parked across the row from her. Where did he come from? He wasn’t there when she walked up. No one was. She was sure. She hadn’t been so distracted from her busted rear window that she would have missed an entire person. Had he been hiding? She swallowed hard, pushing down the panicked feeling that was rising up inside of her. Something wasn’t right about this guy. Something wasn’t right about this situation. “You startled me.” “Give me your phone.” He stood and walked toward her. Was that a baseball bat by his side? Could he have been the one to bash in her back window? She looked from him to her car and back at him. Angelica didn’t know what this guy’s game was, but she wasn’t going to stand around to find out. Heart pounding, she whirled and ran toward the sidewalk, but her stupid heel caught in one of the ruts in the lot and her ankle rolled. She caught her balance, but it was too late. The man grabbed her arm and whirled her around, snatching the phone out of her hand. A whimper escaped her as she struggled against his grip. He was too strong. She couldn’t get away. She screamed, but the street was deserted. There was no one nearby to hear her. Holding the phone and the bat in his right hand, he used his thumb to scroll through the phone. A sharp intake of breath. “Is that how you did it?” he whispered. “That’s how you cheated?” “What are you talking about? Cheated on who?” Who was this guy? She pulled hard against him, bracing her feet against the ground. “You’re hurting me. Let me go.” The man abruptly let go of her arm, sending her windmilling backwards. Then he dropped her phone to the ground and smashed it with the bat, hitting it over and over. Angelica caught her balance. Her keys were still in her hand. Maybe she could get to her car while he was busy turning her phone into electronic dust. She ducked around him and made a run for it. “Where the hell do you think you’re going, you little s**t?” She glanced over her shoulder. He’d finished pounding her phone. He pointed the bat at her and advanced. She stumbled again, but made it to the car, nearly in tears from the fear. She swore to herself that she was never going to wear heels again. Please, just let her get home. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You’ve got me confused with someone else.” She hit the button to unlock the car doors and grabbed the door. “I’ve never even met you. How could I have cheated on you?” He hit the ground with the baseball bat, and gravel flew in all directions. There was a sharp sting on her calf as one of the pieces hit her. “Shut up,” he growled. She got the door open and slid in. All she had to do was get the door shut and hit the start button. Her hands shook as she stabbed at the button. “Come on. Come on,” she pleaded, not even sure to whom. She pulled at the door, but he already stood in the way. “You’re not getting away that easy,” he said. Then he grabbed her by the hair and pulled her out of the car.