Chapter 2: The Stalker Becomes the Stalked

The man didn't say anything for another second that seemed to last a lifetime. Then his eyebrows drew together in a look of distaste, and Emily thought he was going to tell her to go away and stop bothering him. She couldn't blame him, really. This city was full of con artists who tried to "seek help" from strangers, usually to get money or to trick them into giving away personal information.

Suddenly she felt the touch of a soft leather glove on her fingers. He took her hand!

"Of course," said the stranger, his voice hoarse. "I hate creeps who follow women to intimidate them."

"You don't know the half of it," Emily said, feeling instant relief, not only due to his help but also his sympathy for her situation.

"Is it the guy in a long jacket with spiky hair?" he asked, looking over her shoulder.

Emily nodded. "Is he coming closer?" She couldn't dare to look. It would be better to pretend she didn't even know Josh was here. It would make her date with this guy seem more realistic, and hopefully Josh wouldn't realize it was staged for his benefit.

"He's hesitating," the stranger reported. "He's kind of waffling around."

Emily couldn't help but chuckle, albeit somewhat nervously. "Waffling around seems like a good sign," she said.

Please go away, please go away, she thought to herself.

"He's turning around," said the stranger, "Yep, he's leaving. Definitely leaving."

Emily was ready to collapse on the rain-soaked pavement, her whole body slack with relief.

"It was a lucky night after all," she muttered, drawing a deep breath.

The stranger coughed, and when he spoke again, his voice sounded less hoarse and more normal. Better than normal, it was deep and warm.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said.

She was still amazed that Josh moved all the way across the country just to follow her here, but she didn't want to think about that now. The important thing is, he wouldn't be bothering her this night. She was just not ready.

"So what's the story?" the stranger asked. "Did you break that man's heart and now he can never stop following you?"

"Don't judge me!" Emily exclaimed, "And don't be so concerned about him. We dated a long time ago in high school, and we weren't right for each other. But he's convinced we're meant to be together."

The man frowned again, though his face still looked attractive even with a sharp crease between his eybrows. "I don't understand."

Emily shrugged. "Neither do I."

They were still holding hands, and she felt a subtle blush spreading over her face because she didn't want to let go. The security of his strong grip felt so good after the night she'd had.

He was the first one to break the grip as he reached into an inner pocket of his coat and took out a phone.

Emily said, "Thank you, you're a lifesaver," as she walked away. She felt bad enough about taking his time as he was clearly dealing with his own problems.

"Wait," he said. "I want to make sure you get home safely. Excuse me for just one moment."

Emily stopped in uncertainty and looked back at him. He was now dialing a number with one hand while his other one beckoned her to come back.

Maybe he was right. She never could predict when Josh would show up again.

"Hi Fred," the man said into the phone, "sorry to keep you up so late, but would you mind keeping an eye on someone for me?"

Keeping an eye on someone? She thought maybe this man would walk her home, not get some kind of secret agent on the case.

"He should be heading up Granville Street. Long grey jacket, spiky blond hair. Kind of tall, maybe 6 foot 1."

There was a pause as he listened intently, the phone pressed to his ear.

"Yeah," he said after a short pause. "He's been following a woman, and I just want to make sure he doesn't bother anyone else tonight. Yeah. Thanks, Fred."

Emily stared at him in astonishment as he put away the phone. He was really considerate, and she now felt selfish for not thinking that Josh could be stalking other women too.

"Are you some kind of undercover detective?" she asked.

"No," he said, one corner of his mouth lifted in amusement.

"Then how..."

"Fred does a bit of security work for me," the man said lightly, "Don't worry about it."

"It's really nice of you," Emily said, deciding not to enquire further. He might be a drug dealer or crime lord with a bunch of tough guys working for him. His jacket and shoes looked expensive, and who knew what kind of business he was in that brought him to the middle of a bridge alone at night?

"I'm Byron Pomeroy," said the man, offering his hand, this time with the glove off.

This was weirdly business-like, but she took it, the warmth of his skin pleasant to the touch.

His confident look seemed to suggest his name was well known, but Emily was pretty sure she had never heard it before.

"My name is Emily. Emily Danzi."

His eyes studied her face for a moment. This man seemed to have a gift for making seconds appear to go by in slow motion. Finally, he spoke again. "Do you mind my asking if you're Italian?"

"Well, I am," she replied warily. "Why?"

"I just happen to know a really good Italian restaurant nearby," Byron said, "and you look like you could use a hearty meal. You're all pale."

"You're all pale," she countered.

"I've lived in Vancouver all my life," he replied, "so I hardly ever see the sun."

Emily found herself smiling, something she wouldn't have believed possible after everything she had been through.

"I think you might be a vampire," she suggested, trying to keep her face serious.

"And we all know how much vampires love garlic," he replied. "I really could use a plate of spaghetti with marinara sauce. What do you say?"

This was starting to seem like the date she had been hoping for earlier today just before that jerk Chad disappointed her with his boring, self-centered conversation and awkward attempts at humor followed by trying to grope her in his car.

Now she was having fun talking to this man, and she didn't want to end the conversation.

"Okay, let's go," Emily said.

Even if this guy Byron was planning to murder her later, at least he was witty and enjoyable to be around... And she was hungry.