Who to Trust

By Lacey Pearson

Lexie Evans moves to a new town after being attacked by a man who has been stalking her for years. Her older brother , a local detective, helped her change her name and appearance after she is released from the hospital, and She and her twin sons buy a new home in a new town. They move in next door to Detective Jackson (Jax) Stephens. Jax wants nothing to do with the woman next door, or any woman at all really. His ex wife turned him off women for life. He sure doesn't want anything to do with her two trouble making boys. When Lexie's stalker returns Jax and his friends step in to help. He still refuses to get close to her but the twins have started to grow on him, and The cop in him won't allow him to just standby and do nothing while her and her children are in danger.
Can they find out who her stalker is in time to stop him before Lexie is hurt again? Or will he remain one step ahead of everyone like he has in the past? and What could they lose in the process?
*** standalone with no cliffhangers***

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lacey Pearson
• Release date: Jul 12, 2016
• ISBN: 9781310819100

Book preview

Who to Trust?

Lacey Pearson

Copyright 2016 by Lacey Pearson

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved.

Prologue

Lexie

September 12, 2011

The ambulance has stopped, and everything around me is chaos. We must have finally arrived at the hospital. I thank god, because my entire body hurts. My right side feels like it is on fire, my abdomen and chest is burning, and my left arm is completely numb. I look to my left and see my older brother, Shawn, with tears running down his face while he looks at his lap. He won't even look at me. I know him not looking at me is not as much about what happened to me as it is about his own guilt, but i can't help but wonder if he will ever look at me the same way again. The back doors to the ambulance burst open and I am met with familiar faces. These are the people I usually work next to, saving other people, but today it's me they are here to save.

My entire body is shaking, and I can't make it stop. I’m not sure if it is the pain, the fear, the panic, or if I am going into shock, but I can't make it stop. I want to be strong in front of these people I see almost every day, but I know I can't appear strong lying on a gurney, covered in blood, with my entire body shaking, naked except for a thin blanket protecting my body from everyone's eyes. The gurney has been pulled out of the ambulance and the nurses are running next to me, pushing me down the hall of the hospital toward the operating rooms. They are barking orders to each other, things I should understand since I am also a nurse at this hospital, but nothing is making sense to me. Why isn’t anything they say making sense?

We're losing her, one of the nurses yells to the others. I'm sorry sir but you can't go any further. who is she talking to?

I look over and see Shawn still running with us. He looks at me and meets my eyes, I'm going to check on the boys.

Oh god, my boys! How has this effected my boys? I know they weren't injured, but will they ever be the same after the things they saw tonight? Will they still have that sweet, childlike innocence? Will they ever get it back?

We push through double doors into another hall, and a doctor meets us there. Things are starting to get blurry, and I can’t understand anything anyone is saying. What is wrong with me? Why is it getting worse? I can't make out anyone’s faces anymore as they run through the hospital halls beside my gurney. The pain is even starting to fade. I want to thank god, but what does it mean that I'm not in as much pain? Am I dying? We burst through the doors into the operating room, and everything goes black.

Chapter 1

Lexie

October 17, 2011

What the hell do you think you're doing? I turn around to see my younger brother, Mason, standing in the door of the u haul. I'm unloading MY boxes. I snap at him. I am so sick of being babied. Sure my left arm is still in a cast, and I have a few broken ribs still healing, but the pain isn't quite as bad anymore, and I got my stitches out. My siblings need to back off! I look back again to see that my little sister, Mason’s twin, Madison, has stepped up beside him and has her arms crossed across her chest and her hip stuck out, and I know this is about to be a fight.

I turn to face them and mirror her pose. Look you two, I'm not capable of just sitting down while you two do all the work! I appreciate y’all helping me move, but y’all are leaving in the morning and it's just going to be me and the boys in a new town where we know no one. I have to get used to doing things on my own again. Besides, I feel fine! I turn back and pick up the box I came for. Pain shoots through my ribs, and I drop it. I look back to find Mason and Madison looking at me with the same concern on both their faces. I turn and stomp out of the u haul, and into my new home without saying a word to either of them.

Sitting on the floor in my new, empty bedroom with my back against the wall I allow myself to think about the last month. The first two weeks after the attack was spent in the hospital. For the first 2 days I was in a medically induced coma. After I came out of the coma my days and nights were filled with pain. They had to operate on my left arm to fix the break, I had hundreds of stitches all over my chest and abdomen, and I had a stab wound in my right side. I had lost a quarter of the blood in my body.

When I left the hospital my brother Shawn had me and the boys put into a safe house until I could get my name changed and was recovered enough to move away where no one would know where to find me. I cut off my long beautiful blond hair to a pixie cut and dyed it dark brown. I changed my name from Lindsie Brown to Alexis Evans.

I wouldn't dare tell my siblings this, but sitting here all alone in an empty room I can admit to myself that I am terrified. Almost consumed with fear. I am in a new town 650 miles away from everyone I know, and tomorrow morning when Mason and Madison go back home to Birmingham, Alabama I will be alone except for my two sons. I know I will be safer here and shouldn't be scared, but with three siblings and a few close friends I have always been surrounded by people I knew and loved. I thought the fear would leave me when I arrived in my new home and knew I was safe, but I guess I was wrong.

MOM! The sound of my son's voice startles me and pulls me from my thoughts. I push myself up using the help of the wall as I hear his feet pounding up the stairs as he calls for me again. My bedroom door flies open and bounces off the wall. I give Justin the mom look.

Sorry, he replies with a grin. Uncle Mason told me to come get you. He runs off again before I can even ask why.

I find Mason rolling in the front yard with Justin. Looks like you're getting a lot of work done.

Oh hey Lexie, I was going to run get something for lunch right quick, do you want anything?

I tell him to grab me a burger and he gets both the boys in the car and pulls out of the driveway. Maddie walks out of the house just as a metallic blue mustang pulls into the driveway next door. Three very large men climb out of the car and all just stand there looking our way. About 7 feet away from them I immediately become uncomfortable with the attention. They are all absolutely gorgeous. The one that climbed out of the backseat doesn't look friendly at all. He has a hard stare and stands there with his hands stuffed deep in the pockets of his jeans. He stands a few inches over 6 feet and has short light brown hair and sky blue eyes and a long scar along his left cheek that descends to his jaw. It does not make him any less attractive. The one who was driving is also a little over 6 feet, but has messy brown hair and amazing gray eyes. This one looks friendly though, as he stands there staring at us with his arms folded on top of the car and a smile on his face. My eyes move to the third man, and I take a step backwards. He is probably the most gorgeous man I have ever set eyes on with shaggy jet black hair and the brightest green eyes I've ever seen. His eyes almost seem to shine they are so bright, as he stands there glaring right at me. What did I do to piss him off?

Well damn, it’s true what they say about hot guys traveling in packs, Maddie whispers to me. I try not to laugh at her as I turn my back to them and walk towards the u haul. I see a box that says linens and know its light enough for me to carry myself. As I walk back out of the u haul. With the box, the friendly looking man is standing there.

Now I can't let a woman in a cast carry her own stuff while I'm around. Let me get that for you, beautiful.

I want to kick him in his shin and run in the house and lock the door. I don't handle being around strange men well since the attack. I feel a little panic swell up in my chest and shove it back down. He's only trying to help me and be neighborly. I think maybe I can handle him carrying the box inside as long as i stay outside. I can't be in that house alone with a man I don't know. I know for a fact that would start a panic attack, and I don’t want to push it. I also don’t want to seem like a bitch. I have no idea what to do. He raises an eyebrow at me and I realize I've been standing here looking at him for too long. I hand him the box and look at Maddie. She nods that she understands and follows him into the house.

He comes right back out, Maddie still trailing behind him and walks right up to me. I fight the urge to step back away from him. I'm sorry I didn’t even introduce myself. My names Dillon. Dillon Johnson. I ignore the hand he's extended towards me. I don't really like being touched anymore, not by anyone besides my siblings. I stick my hands in my back pockets.

Hi, I'm Alexis Evans, but everyone calls me Lexie. I point to me left, This is my sister, Maddie. My eyes go to the other two men still standing by the car. The biggest one is still glaring at me and I shuffle my feet nervously.

The one with the hard stare pulls a hand from his pocket and gives a little wave, I'm Carson.

I look over at the pissed off looking one and wait for him to tell us his name. He turns on his heel and stomps up the driveway into the house and slams the door behind him without even a hello. What the hell was that? Dillon clears his throat and I turn back to him.

I'm sorry about that. That's Jax. He's not very social, or friendly really. he chuckles. Can me and Carson help you two finish unloading the truck? We can knock this out in no time. I look at all the stuff still piled high in the u haul, and then back at the two very large, strong looking men and nod my head. I might be very uncomfortable around men I don't know, but I really could use their help. As long as they don't touch me and I'm not alone with them I think I'll be fine. I call Mason and tell him to get a few extra burgers.

I start back into the truck to help, only to be stopped by Carson. He just looks at me and snaps, no. Dillon looks at him and rolls his eyes before telling me in a soft voice, you just go sit down, we got this.

Sitting beside Maddie in the rocking chairs on the front porch we watch as they make trip after trip into the house with boxes and furniture. I can't believe you live next door to these guys Lexie, if I hadn't sworn off men forever I would move in with you just to be close to them. she giggles as Dillon walks out the door and down the steps grinning. He looks back over his shoulder We don't live next door, Jax does. I look back towards the house next door and wonder again what his problem is. Not that I want him around, because I don’t. I'm uncomfortable enough around the other two without him glaring at me, but I do wonder why he seemed to hate me at first sight.

**********

Jax

This is bullshit!

I stomp back into my living room with a beer and sit down in my recliner to think. I should have moved somewhere away from other houses so I couldn't have neighbors! That is what I should have done, but did I? No! I hate having neighbors. I am definitely not a neighborly guy anymore. I live at the end of a dead end so there isn't a house to my right. The house to my left has been empty since before I bought my house. So I haven't had to deal with neighbors so far, and I don't want to now!

Having an attractive woman living next door is the last thing I need in my life! I swore off women all together, and I'm sticking to it no matter how attractive she is. I learned that lesson years ago. After Nicole, and what she did to me, I will never get close to a woman again. She showed me what women are capable of and I don’t want anything to do with any of them. Yes I have needs like any other man, but I can take care of that myself. I haven't been with a woman in....... four years. Huh, has it really been that long? Damn, maybe that’s why I had such a strong reaction to Lexie when I first set eyes on her. Yeah, that's it. It's just been too long and she's so beautiful it hit me twice as hard, no big deal. I'll just stay away from her and it won't be a problem. I'm not home too often anyway, and when I am I usually stay inside unless I need to work in the yard, or me and the guys drink a beer on the back patio.

I'll just avoid her and when I do see her I'll make sure she realizes I'm an asshole so she will avoid me too. There, problem solved! That shouldn't be too hard after the first impression I just made. Hell, I didn't even introduce myself to her or the other woman. I just glared at her like she just kicked my puppy or something, but I couldn't seem to help it. I've had no problem staying away from women for four years and she moves here and all the sudden my body is reacting like a fourteen year old boy.

My body's reaction to seeing her was so strong it pissed me off. I realize it's not her fault, but it isn't my fault either, and I don’t know who to blame so I choose to blame her. The sound of loud laughter breaks the silence. I walk across my living room and look out the front window. I don't see Carson and Dillon anywhere, they must be inside

Reviews for Who to Trust

[Gail Du Preez · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed every page thoroughly and can’t wait for Carson’s story....

[Christina · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved it however I can't seem to find the other books in the series and that saddens me

[Tina Aguilar · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very well written, I won't lie I was triggered with the stalker. That being said I look forward to more from this author.

[sherry · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book couldn’t put it down till the very end

[Ana Carolina Sierra · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Love the plot!!!! By far my favorite book. I kid of knew who the stalker was so I was thrilled to confirm it at the end.

[Peter Foster · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good story plot. Writer needs to learn usage of pronouns and check for grammatical errors.

[Bernice Levens · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I wished I could’ve read the entire book but the F-MF put a stop to that. The part that I did read was good but the
Profanity stopped me from going farther. It is not necessary to use that type of language to write a good or a great story. All the books that I had saved to read later now I will have to delete them. What a real shame.