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“No,” I answer flatly.
“Are you sure we shouldn’t join her?” Cam asks hesitantly.
Leaning my head against his shoulder, I tell him, “I’m sure. But I meant what I said about you going.”
He takes a deep breath and says, “Get it out of your head, Little Dove. You’re stuck with me. Now, do you want to hang out down here or go upstairs?”
“Let me make a quick call, and we can go back up,” I whisper to him as my heart jumps.
Cam chooses me every second of the day when it would be so much easier for him to run and forget about me. If I can’t force him away to keep him safe, I’ll have to find a way to keep him safe next to me.
The line rings twice before Bill picks up, and I speak before he can, setting the tone of our call immediately. “Don’t say my name or let her know I’m on the phone.”
“Good morning,” he answers.
“You want to keep Chloe safe, right? That’s your job?” I ask him, knowing what he’ll say next.
“Yes, sir,” Bill responds firmly.
Keeping my voice clear and concise, I tell him, “After lunch, she believes that I am coming over there. But I will not be doing that. My ex-boyfriend is coming here. He’s a dangerous man, and there is no telling what he’ll do to the people I love, if given the chance. After lunch, do not let her leave that house until you hear from me again. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir,” Bill responds, a slight inflection in his tone.
“She might die if she leaves that house. I swear to God, if she gets hurt because you couldn’t keep her there—” My voice cracks, and Cam grabs my hand and places gentle kisses against my knuckles.
“I understand, sir. Thank you. You have nothing to worry about,” he tells me, and I know that he means it.
As hard as Chloe fights, her security team won’t let her leave.
Hanging up the phone, I’m rocked with the realization that if something happens to me, this morning might have been the last time I ever see her.
My best friend, her bright and bubbly face. The stranger who saved my life and gave me my new one. I can never repay her for what she has done for me. But I can make sure she is safe and untouchable from Trey.
“Are you okay?” Cam whispers, turning me toward him.
Nodding, I wipe away the tears building in my lower lashes. “I will be. When all of this is over.”
The overwhelming feeling of dread pushes down on my chest and shoulders. It’s a waiting game now. Going back to bed actually sounds amazing right now.
“Upstairs?” I lightly smile at him.
“Yes, please,” he says, yawning.
Intertwining our fingers, he leads me back to my bed and crawls in next to me, pulling me into his arms with my head on his chest.
“We could fly back to New York. I could keep you safe there.”
“What happens if a cop shows up and starts asking questions about me? Are they just going to force him away because I said so? He’s a cop, Cam. You know that his words mean more than mine,” I say, my voice muffled against his chest.
He sighs, and I know he’s frustrated. He wants to find a way to fix this. But he, of all people, understands how different this situation is because Trey’s a cop. Right now, it’s his word versus mine, and Cam and I both know how much higher valued the voice of a law enforcement worker is.
“Okay, I’ll do whatever you need me to do,” he says, rubbing my back. “Don’t want to go to New York? Fine, we’ll stay here. But we need a plan for when he shows up. I’m guessing a stern conversation isn’t going to send him walking? Should we try to involve the police? Or should I go out and buy a couple of shovels?”
I laugh. “The police? They are the ones protecting him. I can’t tell you how many times I went to the doctor or the ER, covered in bruises, getting X-rays on my wrists or ribs. They all saw what he had done to me, and yet nothing ever happened.”
If you think the first call I’d make when someone broke in is to the cops, you’re wrong. I would call Chloe. She would have a team with her, breaking down the door, before the cops were even close.
“So, are we going with the shovel option?” Cam genuinely asks.
