“There’s no reason for anyone to try to scare you?” Alex leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
“Not that I can think of.”
“Nothing to do with your job?”
“I’m a petroleum engineer. I can’t imagine why anyone at work would want to scare me.”
“Not just any petroleum engineer,” Tara told her. “The best in the country.”
Reagan smiled slightly. “Yes, I am.” It wasn’t arrogance, she knew she was the best.
“Could someone be jealous of your success?” Alex asked.
“I don’t know. Perhaps.” Was that enough reason to terrorize her like this? “There is something else.” She’d debated whether to tell them. But Tara claimed that friends discussed these sorts of things. “I think someone might have followed me a few times.”
“What? When?” Tara asked.
“I don’t know for sure. It’s just a feeling.” She frowned. “It could be my imagination and I haven’t felt it for a while.”
“When did you sense them?” Alex asked.
“It was a few weeks ago. I haven’t sensed them for a while. Of course, I mostly drive everywhere and Tara gets my lunch for me.”
“Could you tell if they were male or female?” Alex asked.
She shook her head. “Not for sure. Maybe a man. It was just a glimpse out of my eye. I can’t even tell you what they were wearing. Shirt, jeans, but I’m not totally sure.”
Alex sighed. “All right, this is what we’re going to do. Reagan will pack a bag and come to stay with us. I’ll talk to Roarke. A friend of his owns a security company… Reagan, why are you shaking your head at me?”
“I can’t leave.”
“It’s just for a few nights,” Tara told her with a smile. “It’ll be like a sleepover. We can get some popcorn, watch girlie movies.”
“I’ve never had a sleepover.” The idea was intriguing. But no, it wouldn’t do. “I can’t sleep anywhere but here.”
Alex took a deep breath in then let it out slowly. “A hotel then?”
“Oh no, that would be even worse. Do you know how many germs are in a hotel room?” She shook her head. “I will be fine here.”
“You’re not staying here,” Alex bit out.
Reagan crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not leaving.”
“All right, time out. Reagan, you can’t stay here alone. I wouldn’t be able to sleep for worrying about you. Come home with us tonight. One night. We’ll get the locks changed. Change the code for the alarm. Alex has poker tonight so he can talk to Roarke then. All right? One night, that’s not too much to ask, right?”
“I suppose it is not unreasonable. Fine. One night.” She should be able to get through one night. It wasn’t like she would sleep much anyway. She hadn’t slept much since this had all begun.
“That was painful,” Alex muttered to Tara as Reagan moved through the living room to the kitchen.
“You are in pain?” Reagan asked concerned. “Is there something wrong?”
Tara sent her a small smile. “He’s okay. Just a bit of a headache.”
“Oh, I understand. I get headaches when I have a problem I can’t solve. I feel like I’m bumping my head against a brick wall. Does it feel like that?”
“Yes,” Alex said. “Exactly like that.”
Chapter Two