The Men with the Golden Cuffs (Masters and Mercenaries #2)(3)

Adam was definitely interested. “You said it got weird? What were his private messages like?”

“At first I thought he was just role-playing.”

Jake pulled out his phone. He pushed off the desk. “Yes, I’d like to talk to Lieutenant Brighton. Please let him know it’s Jake Dean.”

Serena shook her head. “Oh, the officer assigned to my case was named Chitwood.”

Adam waved her off as Jake stepped away, talking quietly on the phone. “I’m sure they assigned someone very junior to your case. We know Lieutenant Brighton from our Army days. He’s sort of our liaison when we have cases involving the local police. I’m sure Jake would just like to get his hands on the source material. I take it the police have transcripts of all the conversations?”

“Yes. Apparently the network kept the conversations on file even after I unfriended him. I blocked him as well.”

Adam could guess what happened next. “And he simply changed his name and came back.”

“Yes. And he was angry. He laid low for a few weeks and then told me that I wouldn’t be able to get rid of him. He called me arrogant for even thinking that I could brush him aside. I blocked him again. That was when he showed up on my personal page.”

Adam frowned. This man seemed very determined. Usually the trollers gave up after the first rejection and went on to find easier prey. “How well known are you?”

“As Amber Rose? I have a following. I make my living this way. I sell tens of thousands of downloads every quarter. But I could be in a room with two hundred people and the likelihood of someone knowing me is very small. Even a successful author isn’t very famous. I’ve never hit the Times. I probably won’t, but I have some crazy fan girls. I didn’t get really worried until he sent a friend request to me as Serena Brooks.”

Adam didn’t like the sound of that. “How closely do you guard your name?”

Her hands threaded together in her lap, a sure sign that she was very nervous about the whole situation. “I’ve tried to keep it out of everything. Obviously my publisher, my agent and editor know my real name, but no one else does.”

“Not even your friends?” If this woman didn’t have a few deeply close friends, he would shoot himself. He would bet a lot on the fact that she developed intimate relationships. Perhaps not with many people, but there would be a few who would know all of her secrets.

Her eyes went wide. “Yes. I have two friends who know what I do. Bridget and Chris. But they’re writers, too. We all write romance. They would never give up my name. Bridget has been through the same thing. She’s had some guys write her letters from prison saying they were coming after her when they got out.”

“Is that normal?” It sounded horrible. She wrote romances. The worst she should have to deal with was some fan asking her when the next one would come out.

She shrugged. “It happens more than you would think.”

“And what have the police said?” He could guess. They wouldn’t do a whole hell of a lot. Even with stalking laws in place, unless they knew who the guy was, they couldn’t do much.

“He uses public access to computers. Everything has come from a library, and apparently he has several fake names.”

Adam was pretty sure he could do better than that. Damn it. He was going to have to take her case. She actually needed the firm, and not just the firm, but him especially. He was a computer expert. He’d been his unit’s communications expert in the Green Berets. He’d taken that to another level in the civilian world. He considered himself an excellent hacker. If this * was out there, Adam was sure he could find him.

“What has he threatened to do to you?” Adam was pretty sure he didn’t want to know, but he had to ask.

Her hands twisted in her lap. He wanted to hold one in his while Jake enveloped the other, the two of them providing a bulwark against the myriad of dangers she faced.

“He hates me. He says I tempt him, and I’m ruining his life. He says I’m dirty, and I should go to hell. He says he’s the one to send me there. It’s odd, really. It’s changed over time. At first it was about the characters. He thought one of my characters should be with someone else. It was fairly typical fan stuff. He said he was coming after me if I didn’t get Melissa and Dan together. He claims they were supposed to be together, but I never intended for those two to get together. Dan is very immature.”

She got animated as she talked about her work. He thought it was adorable, but they were getting off topic. Adam had to bring her back in line. “You said he changed?”

Her eyes widened as though she had to pull herself out of her own thoughts. “Oh, yes. Uhm, the online stalking stayed the same, but then the calls started and the e-mails. Those were about how evil I am. It’s weird. I don’t understand how this person can be invested in my books when he obviously thinks they’re pornographic.”

Adam sighed. “He’s obviously not right in the head. Our resident profiler could explain it better. He’s crazy. That’s all I’ve got.” Adam got out of his chair, unwilling to sit any longer. He walked around his desk and sank to one knee, sliding his hand over hers. He could practically feel her relax. “It’s going to be okay. Let me look into this.”

There was the low sound of someone clearing his throat. Adam looked up, and Jake stood in the doorway, a frown on his face. Fuck. He wouldn’t like what Adam had just said.