Silent Hero

By Wendy Zuccarello

So, what happens when the person you are kind of stalking, ends up stalking you back, but you have no idea, so you keep stalking them? So, the stalker becomes the stalkee of her stalkee?

It's not complicated at all.

Casey Phillips is alone. She prefers it that way because if you are alone, no one can hurt you. At twenty-five years old, she has had enough people walk out of her life to know that she is meant to live a solitary existence. The only one she needs is her little chipmunk friend in her backyard. Well, that and her secret crush that she has been watching at the local park for the past few months. It's not really stalking because she is just watching him. Right?

Dave Fredrickson can sense her when she is near. He knows she is watching him, and it doesn't bother him one bit. But now that he knows she is there, he is overcome with the need to know more about her. He does his own stalking, but it backfires on him.

When Dave and Casey finally meet face to face, there is an undeniable pull. But everything from Casey's past sends her running the other way.

Can Dave convince her he is here to stay, or will Casey's demons prevent what could be a great future?

Silent Hero is a standalone story with a guaranteed HEA and no cheating. You may recognize some friends from Michelle Rider's book, Above and Beyond, as Colby and Ember help their friend Dave find his forever.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wendy Zuccarello
• Release date: Sep 20, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201251697

Wendy Zuccarello

Wendy Zuccarello lives in central New Jersey with her husband, two teenagers, and many pets.  In her spare time, when she is not reading or writing, she is working on her MFA in Creative Writing.  She also enjoys watching movies with her family, photography, and baseball.

Book preview

Scars

Dave

Icould feel her eyes on me, just like I can every week when she is there.  I don’t think she realizes that I know she is there, and I’m not ready for her to know just yet.  I noticed her for the first time a few months ago.  I kept seeing movement over on the other side of the trees.  I didn’t think anything of it at first, but each week, the same thing would happen.  After the fifth time seeing it, I decided to check it out.

I dropped my dog, Bones, a black lab, off at the office and looped around the path to come up behind the place I saw the light.  There was a woman there, a gorgeous woman.  She had long, champagne hair that was slightly wavy.  She was short, probably only five foot five or so, with curves for days.  She wore tight leggings and a hoodie with a dirty pair of sneakers.

I watched her for a few minutes before she turned and started walking away.  She mumbled to herself as she left.

Next week.  I’ll see him again next week, she had said softly to herself.

I had hoped she was talking about me, so I left that day with a smile.

The next week, I asked Colby to come with me.  She was there again in the same spot.  Colby noticed her as well, probably our Army training kicking in.  We are always aware of our surroundings, no matter the situation.  I think that’s why I knew I was being watched.

The following week, he came with me again, but this time, he looped around behind her while I was in the park, just to see what she did while I was there.  He reported back that her eyes never left me, the entire time I was there.  She kept saying things like he’s so happy, and I wonder what his name is.  He said from the second I appeared to the time I left, her eyes stayed glued to me.  If I looked in her direction, she held her breath.

It seemed I had a little stalker.  As much as that should probably scare me, it didn’t.  It thrilled me.  She wasn’t dangerous, that much I could tell.  She always made sure to stay hidden.  I asked Colby to follow her one day after she left the park, just to see where she went.  She lives on the other side of town in a small Cape Cod.  He said from the outside, it looks a little shitty.  She also drives a run-down little Honda.  He got me her license plate number and her address, and from there I had a friend of mine from my old unit do some digging on her.

Her name is Casey Phillips.  She is twenty-five years old and lives alone.  He couldn’t find much on her other than the name of the company she works for.  She has a family but doesn’t seem to have anyone else in her life.  Her phone records are all but blank with not much activity at all on her cell phone.  The only time she leaves her house is to come to the park, to see me.

My little stalker is alone, and that breaks my heart.

Bones, I call out to my dog, who is currently chasing a poor squirrel around a tree.  I can’t help but laugh at him as he runs circles around the tree scaring the shit out of his unwilling partner.  Little does the squirrel know that he just wants to be friends.  Bones thinks that every single soul on this planet should be his friend. His shenanigans draw me out of my thoughts, so I decide I need to head back.

We make the short walk back to the office and head inside just as Colby, my business partner, and his wife, Ember, are heading out with their two dogs, Tonka and Juliette.

Was she there? Colby asks, and I don’t need to question who he means.

I just nod.  I have talked about my little stalker many times to Colby.  Even brought him with me to check her out.

Still haven’t talked to her, huh? he asks as he wraps his arm around Ember.

I shake my head.  Nah.  She obviously doesn’t want me to know she is there, or she would say something, I say.

Maybe she is shy, Ember suggests as she unconsciously tucks her hands into her hoodie.

Ember, Colby, and I share a common history.  We are all wounded veterans.  Colby and I served in the same unit, and we were both injured the day he saved my life.  An IED took out our vehicle and he had to drag me out of the burning truck.  I took the worst of the burns on my legs, whereas Colby was severely burned on his torso.  Ember, in a completely separate incident, was severely burned on her arms and hands as she tried to save her dog, Romeo, from her vehicle.  It was taken out by a missile.  Sadly, she couldn’t save him.  But that is how we met her.

Ember was having a rough time with everything, so her therapist, the same person that both Colby and I had seen when we were discharged, recommended that she come and work with us at Alpha Dog Training.  Colby and I started our company after we both recovered to give back to our fellow brothers and sisters who are injured while serving.  We train service dogs who can help with day-to-day tasks.  Long story short, Ember and Colby are now happily married.

I smile at Ember’s positive attitude.  She sure has come a long way.  Maybe she is.  But something tells me I need to give her time, to let her come to me.

A squirrel dares to run past us at that moment, and all three dogs take off after it. 

The three of us turn to go after them, but Ember holds her hand up to us.

Stay.  Talk.  I’ll get the three musketeers, she says as she jogs after them.

You sure hit the jackpot with that one, didn’t you? I ask Colby, laughing at the completely mushy face he is wearing right now as he watches his wife chase the dogs.

He turns to look at me and he has a slight glint in his eyes.  She’s pregnant.

Holy shit, man!  That’s amazing!  Congratulations! I say, pulling him into a hug.

I’m terrified, Dave, he says into my shoulder.  She has come so far with her therapy.  I just don’t want anything to mess that up.

I take a step back and put a hand on his shoulder.  She is going to be the best mother.  I think if anything, this will give her yet another thing to keep her on the right path.

Thanks, man, he says.

We both turn and watch Em wrangling the dogs and laugh.  All three dogs are very well trained, so she doesn’t have too much trouble, but the sight of her laughing and wrestling with them warms my heart.

I want that, I say without meaning to.

Want what? Colby asks in a growl.

Dude, I don’t want your woman!  I just want... someone of my own.  I want what you guys have, I say, to which he relaxes.

Oh.  Well, who says you can’t have it? he asks.

I stick one of my scarred-up legs out in front of me and turn it back and forth.  This says.  No woman is going to want to be seen with these ugly monstrosities.

Are you seriously blaming your bachelor status on your legs?  That’s lame, especially coming from you.  You have never once balked at your scars or hid behind them.  Hell, you even helped me convince Em that hers don’t matter.  What’s the real reason you think you can’t find someone? Colby says in anger, and I flinch.

He’s right.  I don’t care about my scars.  To me, they say that I survived something terrible, and came out stronger.  I have no right to hide behind them now after everything that Ember went through.  She went an entire year wearing long-sleeved shirts and gloves to hide her scars.

I’m sorry, man.  I shouldn’t have said that, I say.

Said what? Ember asks as she trots back over to us, all three dogs in tow.

Shit.  Nothing, I say quickly.

He is saying that he can’t find a woman because of his scars, Colby so nicely says, throwing me under the bus.

I glare at him.  Thanks for that.

You’re welcome, he says with a smile.

Ember turns her attention to me.  I expect to see anger there, but I don’t.  There is only concern.

Do you remember the very first thing you ever said to me, Dave? she asks.

I nod because I still remember that day like it was yesterday.  Colby had convinced Ember to come to work with him.  He was so worried that it would be too much for her, so on his way in, he stopped at his place to pick up Tonka and give me a call.  He told me to do whatever I can to make her comfortable.  He wanted me to let her know that her scars don’t matter.

I asked you how you could make burns look so goddamn sexy, I say.

You also kissed my hands.  You refused to let me think that my scars were anything but a part of me, she says as she takes a step closer to me.

That’s different, I say, hating that I sound so pathetic right now.

Why?  Because I am a woman? she asks defensively.

Danger!  Danger!  Back away slowly.  Ember may be one of the nicest people I know, but a pissed-off Ember is not someone you want to mess with.

I shake my head quickly.  No.  Not at all.  It’s different because you are beautiful.  How could anyone even notice your scars after seeing your gorgeous face?

Colby takes a step closer and leans in close.  Nice.  Good recovery, he says in a whisper.

Ember notices, but smiles.

Dave, any woman would be lucky to call you theirs, she says.

I blush.  Yeah, actually blush.

Okay.  Enough of that.  Babe, why don’t you get the dogs in the car, and I’ll be right there, Colby says, obviously not happy about the attention I am getting from his wife.

Before she takes off, I pull her into a hug.  Congratulations, by the way.  You are going to make the most amazing mother.

Thanks, Dave.  And you are going to be the most amazing godfather, she says, squeezing me.

Really? I ask, suddenly full of excitement.

Of course, man.  There’s no one else we would even consider asking, Colby says from my side.

Well, shit.  I guess I’d better start watching my mouth, now, I say.

Ember just laughs.

I watch at Colby chases after her, pulling her into his arms and kissing her deeply before dropping to his knees to kiss her flat stomach.  She runs her fingers through his hair as he whispers to their growing child.

Yeah, I want that.  My little stalker comes to mind, and I smile.

Silence

Casey

My alarm goes off and I hit snooze... again.  I think I may have a problem.  Is it wrong to set your alarm based on how many times you plan to hit snooze the next morning?  Oh well.  I know I have just one more until I absolutely have to get up.

I curl onto my side and pull the covers up to my chin, cocooning myself in warmth.  I wonder if this is what it feels like to have someone hold you.  Does it give you the sense that all is right in the world?  Does it help you feel safe?  Does it make you feel whole?

These are things that I have read in my romance books that I am so sadly addicted to.  Those are my friends, the people I lean on.  I know when things feel at their worst, I can disappear into another person’s life, even if they are completely fictional.  I love to forget for a while.  I love to feel like I belong somewhere.

My alarm goes off again, and I fight the overwhelming urge to just throw it across the room and stay in bed forever.  What would it matter?  Really.  My job would be easily filled by someone else.  It would probably be weeks before anyone even noticed that I stopped showing up.  That’s just how unimportant I am.  Even my work could survive without me.

I feel the tears pooling in my eyes, so I force myself to sit up and start my day.  Pee, brush my teeth, wash my face, pull my hair into a ponytail... wash, rinse, repeat.  I make myself some eggs and chocolate milk for breakfast.  No coffee; can’t stand the stuff.  But chocolate milk?  Can’t live without it.  I even have my Nesquik powder this week because it was on sale at the grocery store.  At least something went right.

I am standing at the kitchen sink washing my dishes when I see a familiar head poke up by my bird feeder.

I smile and grab a cup of peanuts from the cabinet and head outside.

Hey, Squirt.  What are you up to this morning? I ask my little chipmunk friend.  Squirt and I became friends a couple of years ago.  He started hanging around my bird feeder, so I spent a lot of time just sitting out here for him to get used to me.  Last year, he finally started eating from my hand.

He hesitantly approaches my outstretched hand.  This is the one thing that I splurge on.  His peanuts aren’t cheap, but I love talking to him, so I get a huge twenty-five-pound bag once a month.  And he goes through them, that’s for sure.

What’s new in the chipmunk community? I ask.  I know he won’t answer, but it’s nice to have a conversation, even if it is one-sided.

I spend the next twenty minutes just sitting here, feeding and talking to Squirt.  Our time together is interrupted by the loud screech of a crow.  Squirt isn’t a fan of big birds, so he takes off and disappears around the side of my house.  I know he won’t be back until tomorrow now, so I head inside and finish cleaning up.

Work is the same.  Lunch comes and goes. 

When my day is finally over and I can log off, I make my way back into the kitchen to try and decide what to make for dinner.

My cell phone suddenly rings.  Probably one of those people trying to tell me my car warranty is about to expire.  I’m ashamed to say that there are times when I just sit and listen to their prerecorded message, just to hear someone else talk.

It’s an unknown number which is even more evidence that it is a telemarketer.

Hello?

Nothing.

Hello?

Nothing again.

I hang up.  Probably a wrong number.

I turn to open the refrigerator and my phone rings again.

Unknown number, again.

Hello?

Silence.

What is this?  Is someone pranking me?

Who is this?

Silence.

This isn’t funny.  Please don’t call back.

I hang up, wishing I was able to slam the phone down, but I’m sure my cell phone wouldn’t take too kindly to that action.

I stare at my phone, waiting to make sure it doesn’t ring again.  After a few minutes, I give up and go back to making dinner.

Just as I am sitting down to eat, my phone rings again.

Unknown number.

Listen, I don’t know who you think you are, but this isn’t funny anymore!  Please, leave me alone!

Silence.

I hold it to my ear, listening.  There is no response, no sound.  Nothing.

Hello? I say again, quieter this time.

Nothing.

I hang up, not wanting to play this game anymore.  I put my phone on silent and eat my dinner. 

The rest of my night passes uneventfully.  I watch some reruns of The Big Bang Theory.  I read one of my favorite romance books for what is probably the tenth time.  I go through my standard nightly routine and climb into bed, pulling my blankets up to my chin again.

My TV is on in the background, just loud enough that there is some noise.  I can’t sleep when it is too quiet, my mind wanders all over the place and I end up getting myself all worked up.

I lay there for a long time, just staring at my phone, wondering who was calling me earlier.  For some reason, I can’t shake the feeling that it was someone important.  I have no idea why; I can’t put my finger on it.  But it is nagging me, and I can’t think of anything else.

What if they call back tomorrow?

Should I just ignore it?

Should I answer?

I wish I knew the answer.  I’m probably making too big a deal about it.  I’m sure it was a mistake.  No one wants to talk to me.

No one.

Reverse Stalking

Dave

Worst night’s sleep ever.  It’s hard to sleep when you are filled with guilt.

I shouldn’t have called