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I fought having a bodyguard for too long. I pushed my parents damn near to their breaking point, and the note was the final straw for all of us. I can’t continue to ignore the very real possibility that I may be in danger.
“What do you need from me?”
Chapter 5
SJ
“I need to step out for a bit. SJ, are you available for a while?” Alex asks after looking at his phone.
I nod. “I’ll be here.”
We shake hands, and Alex leaves, the door clicking closed behind him. I turn my attention back to Nora. She still sits on the bed, turning the ring on her right ring finger. I noticed almost immediately that she spins it when she’s nervous or anxious.
“Can you tell me about the note?” I ask.
“The last time he left flowers, he left a note as well.”
As she finishes the sentence, she stands from the bed and gracefully moves past me. She goes to the dresser in the center of the room, opens it, and pulls out a folded piece of paper.
Without a word, she extends her hand to offer me the note. I give her an understanding smile when I see her face lined with concern. As I unfold the note, I furrow my brow. I’ve seen a lot in my time as a bodyguard, but this is just…fucking weird.
I take a deep breath, choosing my next words carefully. I don’t want to increase Nora’s concern, but this person is completely obsessed with her, unhinged, and clearly has a plan to abduct her at some point. Sooner rather than later from the looks of it.
“I’m glad your manager and parents reached out to our agency. This seems to have escalated quickly.” My eyes reach hers, and I find her fighting back emotions. I cannot imagine how scary this must be for her, but that’s why I’m here.
“Hey, it’ll be okay. I’m here now, and I’ll keep you safe. That knight doesn’t stand a chance against this steel.” I puff out my chest and earn a laugh. The fear in her eyes drifts away as a smile replaces her worried expression. Her smile does something to me, spreading warmth through my chest.
I motion toward the table and chairs, both of us taking a seat this time. I want to dig into the details and see what we can pull from this note. Sometimes things are given away with just a few words.
From what she saw at the restaurant and during one of her performances, along with the choice of the word knight, we can safely assume this is a man.
“The note says he’s kept eyes on you, and you’ve felt like you were being watched for a while. With this level of obsession, I have to assume he’s watched you extensively.”
She nods and murmurs the word “stalker.”
Once again, I inspect the letter in my hand. It was printed on cardstock instead of regular paper. It’s thick, durable, with texture to it. The lettering is in cursive, which is rare these days, though that doesn’t automatically make me assume he’s older. Sometimes that’s just a distraction.
“Princess Nora…” The words leave me in a hushed whisper as I run my hand left to right along my beard. “Are you a princess in your performance?”
She fixes her eyes on the table and gives an almost embarrassed smile. “Yes. I’m the classic damsel in distress waiting for her knight in shining armor to come rescue her.”
My deep chuckle gains her full attention. “Okay.” I clear my throat, doing my best to stay focused. “Could your stalker be the performer who plays the knight in your show?” It’s unlikely, but I need to ask.
“Derik?” She laughs loudly. “No way! I’m not his type.”
“Are you sure? He’s never made a pass at you or commented anything that maybe made you pause?”
“SJ, you’re Derik’s type, not me,” she says with another chuckle.
I hold my hands up and laugh, finally catching on. “Okay, definitely not Derik.”
With an amused nod, she agrees with emphasis as she says, “Right, not Derik.”
Circling back to my original question, “And you haven’t noticed anything else? Anything I need to know about?”
Nora’s hands are on the table, clasped together. Despite the intermittent humor and laughter, her knuckles are white from the tight grip.
After several moments, she releases a harsh breath. “Not that I can think of aside from those two incidents.”
