building, the Audi was gone. Nothing like a playful game of cat and mouse to start the day , she had mused to herself. Maybe I can do the following next time . Julia knew that she had probably seen the last of the Audi and laughed at herself for even indulging in such a thought.
The next time she saw the car, that same morning during a cross town trip to a client’s office, she was not laughing.
Much like it had earlier, the Audi followed at some distance behind her – too far to be an obvious threat, yet close enough to definitely be noticed. This time she was positive the driver’s eyes were trained on her. But of course they couldn’t really have been. Like the Audi, the windows of her Range Rover were darkly tinted, making it nearly impossible for a person driving behind her to see inside. Still, she couldn’t help but dwell on the possibility.
Not possible , she thought. No one is watching you. It’s purely coincidence . She repeated the word until she finally lost sight of the Audi two blocks from her destination. Coincidence .
But what were the odds that the same car would end up behind her twice in the same day by strict coincidence? Far greater than that car ending up behind her intentionally, she concluded.
She decided right then that she would not succumb to the fear that was beginning to settle in over her; fear that had caused her to believe that the dickhead in the Audi had either the time or the inclination to follow her; fear that she was slowly losing her grip on reality.
The roots of that fear had begun to take hold long before the Audi. But seeing it that day only served to bring her situation into clearer focus. It reminded her of what could happen if she wasn’t careful; what could happen if she didn’t begin to make better decisions; what could happen if the trouble she currently found herself in reached the levels that she knew it had the potential to.
The thought was too much to consider and she decided to push it as far out of her mind as she could. For the most part she had succeeded in keeping it out.
Until yesterday.
When she saw the Audi for the third time, she knew once and for all that it wasn’t coincidental. She also knew that his attention was far more than that of fellow motorist. It didn’t matter how good-looking she imagined him to be, or how many guys like him she had dated in the past. Dangerous men in black suits may have been figments of Hollywood’s imagination, but dangerous men in black Audis were very real.
Eying the car in her rearview mirror, she knew there were only two options: call the police or put her foot on the gas and try to outrun him. She wasn’t crazy about either one. Calling the police was the most logical thing to do, but it would also open her up to scrutiny that she was desperate to avoid. Outrunning the Audi was simply not realistic, especially if he was the least bit motivated to keep up with her.
Instead she continued to drive as if nothing were wrong until she came upon a fast food restaurant. She quickly pulled into the crowded parking lot, hoping like mad that he didn’t follow. Much to her relief he kept going.
After fifteen minutes, the trembling in Julia’s hands had calmed down enough for her to put them back on the wheel and pull out of the lot. Her eyes were locked on her rearview mirror for the entire fifteen minute trip home. The Audi had not come back into view. But Julia knew he was somewhere, and she knew she would probably see him again.
After she arrived home, she strongly considered checking into a hotel until she could meet with Camille and figure out her next move. But she didn’t know any of her neighbors well enough to take the dogs, and their overly-rambunctious nature made the doggy-daycare folks a little too nervous. That meant leaving them alone for the night. And no matter how uneasy being in the house made her feel, she couldn’t leave them alone.
So she closed the blinds, armed the security system, and
The next time she saw the car, that same morning during a cross town trip to a client’s office, she was not laughing.
Much like it had earlier, the Audi followed at some distance behind her – too far to be an obvious threat, yet close enough to definitely be noticed. This time she was positive the driver’s eyes were trained on her. But of course they couldn’t really have been. Like the Audi, the windows of her Range Rover were darkly tinted, making it nearly impossible for a person driving behind her to see inside. Still, she couldn’t help but dwell on the possibility.
Not possible , she thought. No one is watching you. It’s purely coincidence . She repeated the word until she finally lost sight of the Audi two blocks from her destination. Coincidence .
But what were the odds that the same car would end up behind her twice in the same day by strict coincidence? Far greater than that car ending up behind her intentionally, she concluded.
She decided right then that she would not succumb to the fear that was beginning to settle in over her; fear that had caused her to believe that the dickhead in the Audi had either the time or the inclination to follow her; fear that she was slowly losing her grip on reality.
The roots of that fear had begun to take hold long before the Audi. But seeing it that day only served to bring her situation into clearer focus. It reminded her of what could happen if she wasn’t careful; what could happen if she didn’t begin to make better decisions; what could happen if the trouble she currently found herself in reached the levels that she knew it had the potential to.
The thought was too much to consider and she decided to push it as far out of her mind as she could. For the most part she had succeeded in keeping it out.
Until yesterday.
When she saw the Audi for the third time, she knew once and for all that it wasn’t coincidental. She also knew that his attention was far more than that of fellow motorist. It didn’t matter how good-looking she imagined him to be, or how many guys like him she had dated in the past. Dangerous men in black suits may have been figments of Hollywood’s imagination, but dangerous men in black Audis were very real.
Eying the car in her rearview mirror, she knew there were only two options: call the police or put her foot on the gas and try to outrun him. She wasn’t crazy about either one. Calling the police was the most logical thing to do, but it would also open her up to scrutiny that she was desperate to avoid. Outrunning the Audi was simply not realistic, especially if he was the least bit motivated to keep up with her.
Instead she continued to drive as if nothing were wrong until she came upon a fast food restaurant. She quickly pulled into the crowded parking lot, hoping like mad that he didn’t follow. Much to her relief he kept going.
After fifteen minutes, the trembling in Julia’s hands had calmed down enough for her to put them back on the wheel and pull out of the lot. Her eyes were locked on her rearview mirror for the entire fifteen minute trip home. The Audi had not come back into view. But Julia knew he was somewhere, and she knew she would probably see him again.
After she arrived home, she strongly considered checking into a hotel until she could meet with Camille and figure out her next move. But she didn’t know any of her neighbors well enough to take the dogs, and their overly-rambunctious nature made the doggy-daycare folks a little too nervous. That meant leaving them alone for the night. And no matter how uneasy being in the house made her feel, she couldn’t leave them alone.
So she closed the blinds, armed the security system, and
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