Page 43 of Archer

I found them thrown in plastic bins at the far end. I was pointlessly reading the label describing their dimensions when I became acutely aware of someone standing at the opposite end of the aisle.

A man with brown hair and a medium build stood with his body turned toward the shelves. But his eyes weren’t on the merchandise.

They were on me.

Chapter 12

Harper

I had one frozen second of direct eye contact before he looked away. The expression of disgust on his face struck terror through my soul.

“Harper.” Archer’s voice spun me in his direction. He stood only a few feet away, a packet of bolts in his hand.

My heart rate soared, and my pulse roared in my ears.

“Hey.” Archer closed the distance between us. “Are you okay?”

I turned my head, wondering if he saw the man too. But we were alone in the aisle.

“Harper.”

Archer positioned himself between me and the place where the man had been. “What’s wrong?”

“There was a man.” I shook away the shock and started talking while there was still time to find him. I lifted a finger to indicate the place where someone had stood, glaring at me. “He was watching me. When I looked at him, he walked away.”

Archer’s expression didn’t change, but something went very still behind his eyes. “What did he look like?”

“Brown hair. Average height, average build. He was wearing—” I tried to remember. “A gray t-shirt. Jeans. I think.” I swallowed. “I thought he recognized me. Maybe he was a fan? But he looked so angry. Then he just turned away when I saw him.”

Archer pulled me to a pole with a telephone attached. “This is an intercom for employees. If the man comes back, use this.” He handed me his basket. “Don’t move from this spot.”

“Okay but⁠—”

“Stay. Right. There.” He turned and strode away.

I stood, alone, in the aisle and counted my breaths while fluorescent lights hummed overhead. A child shrieked with laughter somewhere nearby, the sound echoing through the cavernous store. Two birds darted through overhead rafters.

The store felt too large and suddenly scary. Full of people I didn’t know. With infinite places for a stalker to hide and watch.

Archer reappeared at the end of the aisle.

“I don’t see him,” he said. His voice was low and controlled. “Let’s wrap this up and get out of here.” He took the basket back from me and angled one crooked arm in my direction. “Hold onto me.”

I slid my hand over the bend at his elbow, and we hurried toward the front of the store. Archer moved us through the checkout line with ease, while I searched every face for the man I’d seen in the aisle.

We finished and headed across the lot to his truck a few minutes later.

Archer tucked me into his passenger seat and locked the door for the handful of seconds it took him to circle the hood and arrive at his door.

“What if it was nothing?” I asked. “We’re acting as if my stalker walked right into the aisle where we shopped just to give me a dirty look and leave. That’s highly unlikely. Right?”

Archer started the engine and shifted into gear.

“Maybe that guy just had a fight with his wife, which was why he was scowling. And maybe he left abruptly because he had somewhere else to be.”

I wet my lips, watching the store shrink behind us as we pulled onto the main road. “Maybe that was just some guy.”

“You looked as if you’d seen a ghost back there. I trust your instincts.” Archer glanced in my direction. “You should too.”