Vicious Valentine by Patti Benning (best fiction novels to read txt) 📗

thought of staying up late for the inevitable conversation they would have made her want to cry. She needed some good sleep, that was all. Then she might actually start to feel like a person again.

She remembered to take a photo of the schedule before leaving so she could peruse it that evening and tell Ben what day would be a good one for dinner together. Then she did one last walk-through of the building, locked up, and got into her car.

She hadn’t received any other messages or calls from Vanessa during her shift, so she figured that the other woman had probably survived the impending raccoon apocalypse, or whatever was going on with those lights. That was why, when she neared her house and spotted a silver car tear out of her driveway, she nearly swerved off the road in surprise.

The car looked vaguely familiar, but she certainly didn’t recognize it as belonging to anyone she was close to. Had Vanessa invited someone over? Hannah thought the other woman would have told her if she did, but she wasn’t sure. Vanessa could be unpredictable.

She pulled up the driveway and into the garage, waiting for the garage door to close before she let herself into the house. “Vanessa?” she called out.

“In here,” the other woman said. Hannah followed the voice and found her in the living room. Vanessa’s eyes were red and puffy, and there was a handful of used tissues on the table. Other than that, she looked to be holding up well.

“Who was here?” Hannah asked as she dropped her purse on the coffee table.

“What do you mean?” Vanessa asked, sitting up from her reclined position against the arm of the couch.

“The car I just saw drive away. Who was that? I don’t mind if you had someone over, I’m just curious.”

“What car?”

Hannah felt something cold slip into her gut. “I just saw a silver car pull out of the driveway.”

Vanessa stood up. “Are you serious? Someone was here?”

“I’m dead serious.”

Vanessa hurried over to the window and yanked the curtains shut, then began checking the locks on the front door. “That motion sensing light you have outside kept coming on and going off all evening. I really thought there was just something wrong with it or it was some sort of wild animal poking around. But someone was here. They could have been watching me.” She shuddered.

“Do you know anyone with a silver car?” Hannah asked. “Does Corbin have one?”

“No,” Vanessa said. “His car is a dark green color. I suppose he could’ve gotten a new one or borrowed one, though. He knows I know what his car looks like.”

“Do you think this was him?”

“I’m almost sure of it,” Vanessa said. She cautiously approached the window, pulled back the curtain, and looked out. “I’m certain he’s the one who was stalking me a couple weeks ago, and he must have started up again. I hadn’t seen him since I broke up with him. Running into him and Helena at the restaurant must have set him off again.”

“How did he even know you were here, though?” Hannah asked.

“Helena,” Vanessa said with a snarl, yanking the curtain shut and turning to pace to the center of the room. “She called me to ask why I wasn’t coming into work and I told her what happened, including that I was staying with you. I reminded her that she owed me for getting her out of her Valentine’s Day shift, and she agreed. She must’ve told him.”

“Easy,” Hannah said, trying to soothe her irate friend. “Even if she did, she probably didn’t know that he would do something like this. Let’s call the police in the morning.”

“Fine.” Vanessa ran a hand through her hair, anger still flashing in her eyes. “I hate them both. I never should have dated him.”

“It’s not your fault,” Hannah said. “Here, I brought some food from the restaurant. Let’s eat, then we can check the house and go to bed. We’ll figure things out in the morning.”

Even with the knowledge that Vanessa’s stalker had been around the house earlier that evening, Hannah fell asleep nearly as soon as her head hit the pillow. That was why she was surprised when she woke up to find it still dark outside, and her alarm hours from going off.

She sat up in bed and looked toward the window. She could see the faint glow of moonlight coming in through the sheers, but no hint of dawn. She wondered what had woken her up.

Normally, she might have simply laid down and gone back to sleep, but with everything that had been happening lately, she decided to err on the side of caution. She got up, putting her feet into her slippers and padding towards the door, which she opened quietly and slowly before going out into the hall. The house was dark and silent, and she ghosted past Vanessa’s bedroom, only pausing when she noticed the door was cracked open. She pushed the door open a little bit more and saw that her friend’s bed was empty. Frowning, she went downstairs, her feet leading her towards the kitchen automatically. The light was off and for a moment she thought the room was empty, but then she saw Vanessa’s form hunched in her seat on the island. Her shoulders were shaking.

“Vanessa?”

Vanessa stiffened, then turned to face her. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“It’s okay. I’m not even sure if you did – I don’t remember hearing any noises. I thought I might as well check on everything, since I was up anyway. Are you okay?”

“No,” her friend admitted in a choked voice. “No, I’m not.”

“Did something else happen?”

“It’s Corbin,” Vanessa said. “He’s been attacked.”

Chapter Seven

“What happened?” Hannah whispered, sitting down next to Vanessa.

“His sister called me half an hour ago. He went to the convenience store to pick something up in the middle of the night, and he was found behind it beaten within an inch of his life. The