Caine had said to call if Abel needed him. Would the strange guy be pissed that Abel had sent up the bat signal for something as trivial as this? It wasn’t trivial to Abel, not when he’d been stalked for the past two weeks.

  Whoever it was kept leaving flowers outside his apartment, left love notes on his windshield, and once he’d even left a photograph of Abel at work, behind the big plate of glass, slid under Abel’s apartment door.

  He bit his lip, gripping his car keys in his hand. Maybe Caine had other things to do and couldn’t come here. And how insane was Abel to call the guy in the first place? His mind still refused to believe that Caine had blown against his hand and some weird smoke had appeared, turning that robber mindless.

  No, things like that weren’t real.

  But his stalker was.

  For now, Abel felt safe. There was a crowd in the parking lot, gathered by some car while they talked and laughed. A bouncer was at the door, his beefy arms crossed as he gazed at the men and women who entered and exited the bar.

  Cars were still on the street, too. Even so, Abel should’ve never come here alone. He should’ve called his brother, Aaron. But Aaron wasn’t gay, and Abel knew his brother had to get up early for work. Aaron would’ve come with him, though. That was just how his brother was.

  Abel would’ve called him instead of Caine, but again, Aaron had to get up early for first shift at the police station, and Abel just couldn’t do that to him.

  Even if Aaron would have, Abel hadn’t told his brother about his stalker. He’d been hoping the guy lost interest and went away. Abel didn’t want to cause a fuss, but he was starting to reconsider his decision.

  It had been twenty minutes since Abel had left the message on Caine’s phone, and he wanted to get home. Glancing around one more time, Abel decided to walk to his car. As he headed toward it, the crowd dispersed, everyone getting into their vehicles and driving away.

  Now Abel was alone with only a street lamp as company. He couldn’t see the front of the building, so if something happened and Abel couldn’t scream for help, the bouncer would be of no use.

  He slowed his walking when he saw something stuck under his wiper. The edges of the paper billowed in the slight breeze. With a shaky hand, Abel removed it and unfolded the paper.

  It was another love note.

  Your hair glistens in the light of the pale moon.

  Do not fret, my love, we will meet soon.

  No signed name, no clue as to who’d left it. Abel’s heart kicked up a notch as he crumpled the paper in his hand. This was the third love note, or poem as it were, that had been left for him.

  He fumbled with his keys, but his hands wouldn’t cooperate. He dropped them. When he bent to pick them up and straightened, Abel shouted.

  Standing by the hood of his car was Caine. The guy looked deadly with the streetlight behind him, giving him an eerie glow. His dark eyes were frightening as he stared at Abel.

  “Caine, y-you came.” Relief flooded Abel, though he should have been just as terrified of the towering man as he was of his stalker.

  Caine looked toward the street before he pulled his attention back to Abel. “Just wanted to talk?”

  Clearly Caine didn’t perceive any threats close by. They were alone, with just a few cars driving past them.

  “I…” Abel bit his lip. He hadn’t even told his brother about the stranger who’d taken an unhealthy interest in him. Abel fisted the note tighter. “How much would it cost to be my bodyguard?”

  Caine tilted his head. “What makes you think I’m in that line of work?”

  A burp of laughter escaped Abel. “If you’re not, you’re missing your calling.”

  Caine had to be close to six and a half feet tall. He had dark looks, and he was lean with muscles. The guy looked as though he knocked heads on a regular basis.

  Caine leaned his butt on the hood of Abel’s Camry. “Sweetheart, you couldn’t afford my fees.”

  The bubble of hope that had blossomed in Abel burst. “Oh.”

  “Tell me what’s really going on.”

  Abel closed the distance and handed Caine the balled-up piece of paper. Caine read it.

  “I take it this isn’t from a romantic boyfriend?”

  Abel shook his head. “Someone has been doing this for about two weeks. He not only leaves those kinds of notes but also flowers at my apartment door. He even left a picture of me at work under my door. Any advice on how to handle this?”

  “Call the cops.” Caine handed the crumpled paper back.

  “And what if that enrages the guy?” Abel had seen too many police procedural shows to know that. Tears stung his eyes. “I just want him to leave me alone.”

  “And you have no idea who it is?”

  “No.” Abel wished he did. Then he would go to his brother and report the guy. He’d kept everything his stalker had given him as proof.

  Caine pushed from the hood. “Let’s go back to your place. Maybe I can figure it out.”

  “How much will that cost me?” Abel should’ve been asking himself if he was insane for even considering the suggestion. There was something off about the guy, but even stranger was the fact of how safe he felt with Caine there.

  Abel hit the fob on his car. “Get in.”

  Caine shook his head as he looked Abel’s car over. “I don’t do cars. Just give me your address and I’ll meet you there.”

  Abel could understand. His car was small compared to Caine’s hulking size. It would be like crawling inside a sardine can. He doubted the passenger seat would go back far enough to accommodate Caine’s long legs.

  Abel rattled it off.

  Caine nodded and waited for Abel to get into his ride and drive away before he left. Abel knew this because he watched Caine in his rearview until he turned a corner, praying he wasn’t making a huge mistake.

  Chapter Two

  Abel felt as though he had a giant breathing down his neck. Caine was climbing the steps right behind him, so close that Abel could feel the man’s presence down to his bones. And holy fuck Caine was hot. Breathtaking. A god. Abel was tempted to call him Hercules instead of Caine. His body was to die for.

  And no, it hadn’t gone unnoticed how biblical their names were together. Abel just hoped the guy didn’t try and kill him. Caine looked mean enough to try, but again, for some odd reason, Abel felt safe around him.

  They reached Abel’s floor, and his heart stuttered. More roses were lying outside his door. There was even baby’s breath this time. The flowers were quite gorgeous, but Abel hadn’t received them from someone he liked, so they wouldn’t be going into a vase.

  “Hang on.” Caine moved in front of Abel and bent at the waist, retrieving the lovely bouquet. He sniffed them. What an odd thing to do. Was the guy a fan of roses?

  Caine nodded. “Give me your key.”

  Abel handed it over. He didn’t want to be the first one in the door if his stalker was lurking just inside. Abel wanted the guy to see that he’d brought backup and wasn’t afraid to use Caine.

  But no one was inside his apartment. All the windows were still closed, and the chain was still on the back door that led to the fire escape.

  Caine walked the entire apartment just to make sure, checking the closets and under Abel’s bed. The guy was thorough, and he had a nice ass, which Abel admired while Caine was kneeling on the floor.

  Lord have mercy!

  Abel cleared his throat when Caine stood, trying not to give away that he’d been checking the guy out. Caine might be able to do freaky-deaky things, but that didn’t detract from his stunning good looks.

  “Make sure you lock up.”

  “You’re leaving?” Abel felt panicked as he hurried behind Caine’s long strides. He walked out of Abel’s bedroom and headed for the door.

  “Look.” Caine stopped and turned so suddenly that Abel ran right into his solid, muscled body. He set Abel aside then quickly pulled his hands back. “I helped you out. For free. That’s more than I’ve done for anyone. No one is here. You’re safe.”

  Abel couldn’t think of one dang thing to make him stay. He wanted Caine there so he could explore his attraction toward the man, but Abel was also terrified of the person stalking him. “The person knows where I live, where I work, and clearly he’s following me, because he knew I was at the bar. What if he breaks in after you leave?”

  “You should be safe once you lock up.”

  “People know how to pick locks,” Abel argued. He pointed a finger at the door. “If you hadn’t noticed when you opened my door, the lock is flimsy. It’s even worse on the kitchen door by the fire escape.”

  “I’ve got shit I gotta do. More pressing matters. I can’t stay here all night and babysit you.”

  “Okay, fine.” Abel crossed his arms. “When they find my dead body surrounded by flowers and stupid poems, you’re gonna be sorry.”

  Maybe it was time to get his brother involved. Abel really didn’t want to be in the apartment by himself. He would feel as though the stalker was on the other side of the door, breathing heavily and planning Abel’s demise.

  There was nothing he could do as far as Caine. The guy wasn’t budging. He was adamant about leaving, so Abel had to let him go. Caine opened the door then pointed to the lock. “Engage this.”

  When he closed the door, Abel flipped the guy off. “Engage this.”

  Caine had been of no help. Abel shouldn’t have bothered to call him. He saw now that he was on his own, unless he got Deputy Aaron Mills involved. But Abel’s brother would go overboard protecting him. He’d done it before.

  Even so, overboard was what Abel might need. Once he engaged the lock, he hurried to his room and closed himself in. It was a dang shame he didn’t feel safe in his own home.

  He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Aaron. The phone kept ringing. It was two in the morning. Aaron had to work first shift, and Abel felt like crap for calling him.

  This could wait until morning.

  Abel was about to hang up when Aaron groggily answered. “Hello?”

  “Call me when you’re up and moving around.” Abel hung up. He gripped the phone in his hand and stared at his bedroom door. He wasn’t sure how much more of this he could take.

  Why him? Why had the stalker taken an interest in him? It wasn’t as though Abel lived a high-risk lifestyle. He worked at a gas station and volunteered at the gay rec center two times a week. There was nothing extraordinary about him. He clipped coupons, mostly stayed at home watching his favorite shows, and surfed the internet.

  He was about as boring as boring could get.

  Yet someone thought there was something special about him.

  There wasn’t.

  Abel nearly jumped out of his skin when his cell phone rang. He sat on the side of his bed and saw it was Aaron calling him back. If Abel didn’t answer, his brother would beat down his door.

  “I’m sorry I called you at this hour.” Abel slid an arm around his midsection. “Just go back to sleep and we’ll talk later.”

  “Tell me what’s going on,” Aaron said. Abel heard sheets rustling. His brother was getting up. Crap.

  “I know you have to be to work in a few hours, Aaron. I didn’t mean to—”

  “Talk to me, Abel.” Now Aaron sounded fully awake, using his deputy voice. The one that said he was all business.

  Abel should’ve just gone to their parents’ house, but his mom and dad would’ve asked even more questions, and in the end, they would’ve gotten Aaron involved. Why worry them?

  “A few weeks ago I started getting flowers at my door then the weird notes, or I should say poems, but sometimes it’s a note because nothing rhymes. There was even one time when a picture of me at work was slid under my door.”

  Abel didn’t tell Aaron about Caine or how that stranger had tried to rob the gas station. There would be no way to explain the wisps of smoke that Caine had blown from his hand. Abel was still trying to figure that one out.

  Even so, he couldn’t stop thinking about the mysterious Caine—his devastating good looks, the deadly aura surrounding him, or those enigmatic dark eyes.

  Or those strange questions Caine had asked when they’d met. The guy hadn’t even known where he was and had asked Abel if he’d seen him before he came in.

  Strange. Very strange.

  “I’m on my way,” Aaron said. “We also need to talk about some kid coming into the station and confessing to trying to rob the gas station. Were you working when that happened?”

  Abel wanted to lie, but Aaron was good at his job and would eventually find out the truth. If there was one thing his brother couldn’t stand, it was being lied to.

  “We’ll talk when you get here.”

  Half an hour later, Aaron was in his apartment, looking through the box of stuff from Abel’s stalker. His hair was wet, which meant he’d taken a quick shower, and Aaron was wearing his uniform.

  He wasn’t there as Abel’s brother. Aaron was there as a deputy.

  “Why did you wait weeks to tell me about this?” Aaron skimmed through the papers. Some were scrap pieces while others were a page long. A few of the notes and poems had been written on the backs of envelopes.

  And more than one smelled like cologne. Not a very good kind, either. Cheap ones a person would buy at a discount store.

  “Were you there when the guy tried to rob the store?”

  Drat. Abel had already forgotten about that. “I was gonna call the cops, but he just walked out. I don’t know why, either.”

  “Damn it, Abel. You have to tell me these things as soon as they happen. You don’t know if he intended on coming back. You can’t take that kind of risk.”

  “I had a lot on my mind,” Abel argued. “You know, the whole stalker thing.”

  “But the guy had a gun,” Aaron argued right back. “Oddly enough, when I had your boss play me the tape from that night, all we saw was static.”

  Caine. That was the only explanation Abel could think of. There was definitely something off about the guy.

  Aaron closed the box. “I’ll take this stuff in and have it dusted for fingerprints. If the person stalking is in the system, we’ll find him.”

  “And if he’s not?” Abel assumed it was a guy after him because of the cologne, but it could be a woman, although he felt that was a slim possibility. Did women stalk gay men? Was that really a thing?

  “We’ll track him down.” Aaron stood from the couch. “There’s only one florist in town. I’ll ask Mrs. Willow if someone has been coming in lately to buy roses.”

  Abel hoped it was that easy. He wanted this over with. Having a secret admirer was one thing. That was sweet and made a person feel wanted. A stalker made Abel want to throw up.

  When his brother left, Abel locked his door again. He looked at his phone but decided against calling Caine again. The guy had more pressing matters that didn’t involve saving Abel’s life.

  * * * *

  Caine couldn’t get Abel off his mind as he walked the streets of Chicago. That was where Bowen had led him. The part of the city he was in was for crap, with guys looking at him like they wanted to rob him.

  He wished they would try. Humans as threats weren’t even a blip on his radar. Caine had to find the chameleon shifter and kill the bastard before Bowen did any harm to his reputation.

  That was what Caine needed to focus on. Finding Bowen and ending the prick. But he couldn’t get Abel’s look of disappointment off his mind.

  Why should he care that he’d walked out? Why did it bother him that he’d left Abel alone? Life had never been good to Caine. The worst. He’d been too much of a bastard for his mother to give him a surname before she’d abandoned him. Then again, most demons didn’t have a last name.

  As far as his father? He didn’t even know Caine existed, and Caine wanted to keep it that way.

  He’d been raised in a brothel, beatings commonplace until he’d grown into the fierce asshole that he was today. He gave two shits about nothing except his next pay. Why should he? The world had kicked him aside and treated him lower than trash.

  Yet he couldn’t stop thinking about Abel. The human had only wanted to use him for protection. That was Caine’s line of work. Bodyguard or enforcer or whatever else he wanted to whore himself out for.

  Caine gritted his teeth and shoved thoughts of Abel aside as he entered a gritty bar. At least the music was decent. Soul music, the kind that spoke to a part of Caine he kept hidden. The room was dark, with a few patrons lining the bar.

  The guy behind the counter looked up, studied Caine for a hot second, and then went back to serving drinks. Caine took a seat at the bar and then tried to latch onto the connection he had to Bowen.

  It had gotten weaker.

  “What can I get you?” the bartender asked in a lazy tone as though he’d simply given up on life. He was a beefy male, tattoos covering a large portion of his body, and wearing what humans referred to as a man-bun.

  The guy didn’t seem to recognize Caine, which meant Bowen—a copycat version of Caine—hadn’t been in there. He already knew what the shifter was doing. Making Caine chase him all over the place.

  Sooner or later Bowen would fuck up, and that was when Caine would be there to make the guy pay. He just hoped it wasn’t too late, that Bowen hadn’t caused any destruction that would be blamed on Caine.

  “Whatever,” Caine said. “Doesn’t matter.”

  He grabbed his phone from his back pocket, unsure why. Was he expecting Abel to text him? Did he want to send a text to Abel and explain why he couldn’t stick around?

  “That kind of day?” the bartender asked.

  “That kind of life.” Caine set his phone on the bar. He couldn’t get drunk off human alcohol, but sitting there would give him time to think.

  “I hear ya.” The bartender set a tumbler on the scarred countertop.

  Caine wasn’t in the mood to talk. He nodded, lifted the glass, and threw back the liquid, hissing as it burned down his throat.