Margo gasped. "She's been following you?"

  Axel cleared his throat. "We're not sure it's her. But things seem to point to her."

  Maddyn's gut twisted slightly. As long as they'd been a band, no one had had a stalker before. This was all new, and it was scary. Was she looking in the windows? What exactly did she know? Apparently, she didn't know they were a couple until a few minutes ago. She may have suspected it, but that suspicion seemed to seed itself when she saw them holding hands and staring into each other's eyes. Their conversation was serious. It was deeply felt, and that must have shown.

  The door opened, and Jace stepped inside. “I called Blossom Springs PD, and they escorted her off the property." She did nothing that could get her arrested. But they removed her from the property, and they'll drive by often to make sure she doesn't come back."

  Axel nodded. "Thank you, Jace. We appreciate it."

  Jace stared at Axel for a long time. "Do you know her?"

  Axel shook his head. "No. I mean, not really. She showed up here the other night when we played. She introduced herself as Lacey. Said she was excited to meet us."

  Maddyn leaned into Axel. "She was excited to meet you."

  Axel stopped and looked into her eyes for a few beats.

  "At any rate, that's the first time I ever met her."

  He didn't seem interested in going any further, so Maddyn repeated what she had told Margo. "Since then, someone has put a note in his mailbox, left a rose in a box on his front porch, and just today, left a box with a key and a note that he's been naughty and how about he come and be naughty with her."

  She turned and looked at Axel, puzzled because he never wanted to bring that up when they were talking about Lacey. It was obvious who was doing it.

  Axel took a deep breath. "Last night, we left town, went to an Airbnb, and someone keyed my car."

  Jace whistled. "Something is definitely going on here. Do you have Mitch working on this?"

  Axel leaned forward. "I had him install cameras at my house and at the Barn, because Lacey showed up there. She's uncanny in the information she ferrets out. But I don't have him working on anything else."

  Margo leaned forward. "You need to. That woman was definitely deranged. Her behavior was disturbing. And the look on her face - I've never seen a face distort like hers did. I can't get the sight of it out of my mind."

  Maddyn nodded. She felt the same. It was disturbing. Now she was afraid to go back to Axel's house. She clearly knew he had cameras installed. Maybe she saw them leaving town last night and followed them. Maybe it was her, but she didn't flip out like she had tonight.

  Axel nodded. "I'll call him now and ask him to work on this."

  Jace nodded. "I have to get back out there. Stay here as long as you like. But I think your food will be ready soon. If you'd like to take it home, we can box it up for you. But your table is also still available to you."

  She smiled at Jace. "Thank you."

  Jace left the room, and she turned to Axel. "Should we go back out and eat our dinner? I'm a little hungry."

  He chuckled. "I'd like that. I'm hungry too."

  Margo nodded. "Follow me."

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Axel's eyes scanned the area as they neared their table. The feeling of being surprised and dreading it, wrapped around him like a cloak. He wasn't all that hungry now, and he was surprised Maddyn was.

  He held her chair out. She smiled when she sat, which made his heart flutter slightly. Just being with her, like this, on a date, made him feel great. The words of a song kept coming to him. This incident with Lacey, oddly, had the words barraging his brain. He couldn't wait to get home and put it together.

  "You look far away."

  His eyes snapped to Maddyn's. "I'm not. Not really. It's just that being with you has words to songs bombarding my headspace. I can't wait to pull them together."

  She smiled sweetly. "I know what you mean. My mind is reeling with song lyrics and melodies. Maybe when we get home, we can each spend some time honing our craft."

  He grinned and reached across the table to hold her hand. "You said when we get home."

  "It was figurative."

  His grin grew. "Or a Freudian slip."

  She squeezed his hand but didn't respond.

  A waitress brought them their meals. "Anything else I can get you folks?"

  Mads shook her head, and he smiled at the waitress. "No, thank you."

  "I'll leave you to it then."

  The waitress left, and Mads picked up her fork. She took a deep breath and pushed the asparagus on her plate around.

  "You're not all that hungry, are you?" he asked.

  Her eyes stared into his. "Not really. I just didn't want people who witnessed Lacey's scary outburst to think she scared us away. If tongues are wagging, I want it to be for a good reason. But right now, I feel exposed and would rather be writing a song. I'm sorry."

  He shook his head. "Don't be sorry, Mads. I feel the same way. We can have our meals packaged up and go home and work. If we're hungry later, we can pull these from the fridge and eat."

  "Thank you for understanding. It was our first big date, and I feel bad for cutting it short."

  He leaned in, so his words were only for her. "You and I have written a different path for ourselves. We've let duty to our friends and co-workers dictate our love. At least our ability to be together. We've been in love with each other for a long time. So, if our dating is different from others' dating is, who cares? We'll go home and write for a while, then we'll sit together on the sofa, eat our meals, have a drink, and that will be our date."

  Her smile lit up her face. "Yes, you're absolutely right. Can we make a pact?"

  His brows rose. "A pact?"

  "Yes. Let's agree to never let others dictate our lives ever again. That means our friends. Our families. And the Laceys of the world."

  "I agree to your pact."

  He chuckled, and she responded with a chuckle of her own.

  He signaled the waitress. She rushed over, and he motioned between them. "We'd like our meals packaged up, please. We've decided to take them home."

  "Of course. Just give me a minute to get them packed up for you."

  She took their plates to the kitchen, and he sat back in his chair and stared at Mads. "The next time we're here, it'll be different."

  She smiled and laid her arms on the table. "In what way?"

  "We'll be more famous. After our gig in Tampa tomorrow and the short tour Tony booked for us leading up to the stadiums, we'll be on the road for a while. We won't have the time to get back here."

  "Okay. Is that what you're most looking forward to - the fame?"

  "Not really. But, in a way, I guess it comes with the territory. We have to get popular or famous to get the big gigs. When the big gigs come, the big money comes."

  "That's true. We're doing pretty good now."

  He grinned. "We are. I'm surprised you still live in your apartment."

  She shrugged. "My rent is low, and I've managed to save a lot of money. Plus, I'm not there that often. And my neighbor has only been playing her music loudly for the last couple of months. She's newer to the building, I think. I'm not there much and didn't see anyone moving out or in, but this behavior is different."

  The waitress came back with their meals packaged. "Here you go. Jace and Margo are embarrassed and sorry for the interruption. There's no charge for your meals. I hope you both have a great rest of your evening."

  He looked at the waitress and shook his head. "They don't need to do that. We don't blame them at all."

  The waitress smiled and stepped away. He took a deep breath and stared at Mads. She had a soft smile on her face. "That was very nice of them. They want to do it, let them. Let's say thank you. We'll come back again and bring friends to support them."

  He nodded. "Okay."

  He stood and pulled her chair out for her. He took the bag with their meals in one hand and held her hand in his other. They waded through the tables and into the restaurant. Mads led him to Margo, who was at the hostess station chatting with a customer.

  Margo turned to see them and smiled. Mads stepped up to her and hugged her. "Thank you, Margo. We didn't expect it."

  Margo shook her head. "It was the least we could do."

  He leaned in and hugged Margo briefly. "Tell Jace thank you as well."

  "I sure will. You two have a great night."

  He took Mads' hand again, and they exited the building together. As he backed from his parking spot, he turned them toward his home. Excitement raced through him at the thought of going home with Mads and working together. It was like all his dreams were coming true. He'd always wanted a life where they could write songs and be together without fear of anyone finding out. It was almost too good to be true that they were finally here.

  Mads turned to him. "Do you think we can stop by my place and pick up my car?"

  "Sure."

  He turned onto the road that led out to Mads’ apartment. Something caught his attention in the rearview mirror. A white car passed the car two cars behind him. It seemed far too fast. He inhaled deeply and watched the mirror while also watching the road. The white car passed the car behind him and tucked in behind him. He swallowed as he saw Lacey's blonde hair behind the steering wheel. She was following them and not at all being coy about it.

  "Honey?"

  Mads looked toward him. "Yes."

  "Make sure your seatbelt is on good and brace yourself."

  "Why, what's..." She turned to look behind them.

  "Don't look back." He took a deep breath and turned off the road leading to Maddyn's place. "Lacey is following us. She's driving erratically. Please call Blossom Springs Police Department and tell them what's happening and that we're on our way there."

  "Oh my God." She breathed. Pulling her phone from her purse, she dialed 911. He listened as she relayed the information he'd asked her to. She put the call on speaker and the operator asked, "What are your names?"

  "Maddyn and Axel."

  "Okay. Axel, are you driving?"

  "Yes."

  "Okay. How far away are you?"

  He responded, "About five minutes."

  "Okay. Don't speed up, just keep things level."

  He inhaled deeply. "Okay."

  Why now? He finally had Mads with him, and now this lunatic was trying to ruin everything.

  She sped up, and he yelled, "Brace."

  Mads held her hand out to grab the dashboard, and another car hit their car from behind. It wasn't a hard hit, but it caused him to swerve a bit.

  The operator asked, "Is everything alright?"

  Maddyn said nothing, and he was afraid to look away from the road. He called out, "Mads?"

  Her voice came barely above a whisper. "Yes." She inhaled loudly and cleared her throat. "Yes," she said louder.

  The operator spoke evenly. "Stay as calm as you can. Where are you now?"

  "I'm turning off First Street onto Hospital Road. I should be at the station in about three minutes."

  Bam!

  Mads yelped in surprise. The operator once again asked, "Are you alright?"

  "Yes, she hit us again."

  He made the right onto Second Street. "We're on Second."

  Bam! Harder this time.

  Maddyn lurched forward and cried out as pain shot through her.

  Police sirens sounded, and he saw the lights up ahead as a squad car raced toward them. He glanced in the mirror and saw that look on her face. That evil, hateful look she had at the Sandbar. "Brace yourself." He knew what she was going to do. He saw Lacey speed toward them and, at the last minute, he turned into the supper club parking lot, across the street from the police station. Lacey sped past them and toward the officers.

  He pulled the SUV to a stop in the grassy area below a palm tree. Putting the SUV in park, he turned to look at Maddyn. Her face was ashy gray, and she was clearly in pain.

  "Mads? What's wrong, baby?"

  "Can't breathe."

  He yelled to the 911 operator. "We need an ambulance. Maddyn can't breathe."

  "Stay with me, Mr. Peters."

  The sirens grew louder. Axel brushed his fingers along Mads' cheek. She was cool to the touch, and she closed her eyes. "Mads, baby, please stay with me.”

  She made a rattling sound as she tried to drag air into her lungs. "Should I unbuckle her seatbelt? She can't breathe."

  "Are you in an upright position?"

  "Yes."

  Someone pulled his door open, and he turned. An EMT asked, "Are you alright?"

  "Yes. Help her. Maddyn. She can't breathe."

  In all his years, his heart had never beaten so fast. Fear, real fear, raced through his body. With Maddyn's head lying against the seat, she kept trying to drag air into her lungs, and he was helpless. There wasn't anything he could do. Not a thing.

  An EMT opened her door and put an oxygen mask over her nose and mouth. "Breathe deeply, ma'am."

  The EMT unbuckled her seatbelt. Another EMT jumped in the backseat behind Mads and checked her for neck injuries. She could lift her arms and move her legs, though she was weak. Once he was sure they could move her without causing additional injuries, they lifted her from the vehicle.

  Axel jumped out and ran around to be nearby. His stomach twisted, and he felt as though he'd vomit watching Maddyn's limp body lifted onto a gurney. The EMTs were calling out to each other, and he stared at her, feeling as helpful as a broken drumstick.

  He could hear the faint voice of the 911 operator and turned to see Mads' phone lying on the seat. He picked it up. "Hello, this is Axel. EMTs have Mads."

  "Are you alright, Axel?"

  Tears sprang to his eyes. "I..." He swallowed. "Yeah." His voice was faint.

  He ended the call and followed the EMTs as they moved Mads to the ambulance. "I'm sorry, sir, you can't come in. We'll be taking her to the hospital here in Blossom Springs."

  He nodded and prayed Mads would open her eyes. As they lifted the gurney into the ambulance, she did just that. He stared at her. "I love you. I'll be right behind you."

  She nodded. It was weak, but he saw it. Quickly, he hurried to the SUV, ignoring the smashed-up back. Pulling out onto the road, he waited for the ambulance. Looking the other way, he didn't see Lacey's vehicle. Hopefully, the police had caught up with her.

  The ambulance pulled onto the road, and Axel followed behind it. His mind raced with thoughts of what he'd do if she didn't make it. He'd be lost. He never loved anyone like he loved her, and she'd been in his life for so many years. They'd finally found their way to each other. He just couldn't lose her now.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Maddyn woke in the hospital. The first person she saw was Axel, sleeping in a very uncomfortable-looking chair, his head hanging to the left. She inhaled and regretted it as pain squeezed her lungs. She focused on small breaths.

  Turning to look out the window, she saw the sun had set. A quick glance at the bedside table showed a box of tissues. Nothing else. Not her phone. She didn't know what time it was, so she closed her eyes.

  "Are you alright?"

  Axel's deep voice replied. "I'm fine. How is she?"

  "She'll be fine. Sore for a while. She had a phrenospasm. Which is a spasm of the diaphragm. In layman's terms, it's called getting the wind knocked out of you. She will have bruises from the seat belt, and she will feel sore when taking deep breaths for a while.

  She stared at Axel, who locked his eyes on hers. He stood, though he moved stiffly, and came to sit on the side of her bed.

  "How are you feeling?"

  She smiled, though she knew it was weak, then she said, "Well, I had a phrenospasm. I'm sore."

  His smile spread across his handsome face, then he laughed. "You're the best."

  He leaned down slowly and kissed her lips. She took a shallow breath. "Are you sore?"

  "I'm sore. But not hurt. I think I tensed every muscle I have. You'd think after all the drumming I do, I'd be okay, but I'm not immune, Mads."

  She reached for his hand and squeezed it. "None of us are, Babe. I guess you're human like the rest of us."

  His face scrunched up. "Well, shit. I thought I was above that."

  She chuckled. It hurt slightly, and she stopped. But she managed a smile. "I think you are."

  She saw him swallow, and his face grew serious. "We need to have a meeting with Tony, Mitch, and Jami. Security for our shows and at our homes will need to be strengthened."

  "And my apartment."

  He shook his head slowly. "Move out. This is a sign. Move in with me so we can stay safe together, work together, and be together every day."

  "You may find every day with me boring."

  "I don't think I will. At all. I've dreamed about it for years."

  She smiled and stared into his eyes. Maybe it was a sign. But her common sense told her to give it some thought and not jump into it.

  The doctor entered the room. "How are you feeling, Maddyn?"

  "I'm good. Sore when I take a deep breath or laugh."

  The doctor nodded. "That's normal. Bruising from the seatbelt and the phrenospasm." He paused. "Getting the wind knocked out of you. You'll be sore for a few days. You're in great physical condition, so you'll heal quickly."

  She nodded. "Can I go home?"

  "Yes. I don't see why not. I'll sign the release, and Destiny will go over the paperwork with you and get you out of here."

  "Thank you."

  The doctor left the room, and Axel squeezed her hand. "I'm going to call Mitch now to arrange security at the house tonight. We both need rest and peace of mind."

  She nodded. He kissed her lips softly, then pulled his phone from his pocket as he stepped from the room.

  She practiced taking a slow-deep breath to see just how deep she could inhale. She had to sing tomorrow. It was a big deal, and she needed to be on top of her game.