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I kiss her mouth. “It won’t happen. If anything, each second that passes, I become worse. My brain is scrambled with you. I can’t think straight. I can’t work. I can’t sleep. Not when I’m worrying about you. When you’re sleeping in my arms or by my side, my life seems to level out. The way I hyper focus on shit seems to fade away. Yes, I’m completely focused on you but I also somehow see the world around me for the first time. You make me better.”
Her cheeks redden slightly. “I want you to be better.”
“I am better with you.”
We’re quiet for a moment, simply content to hold each other.
“What do you want to do? I know mortgages wasn’t it.” I look up at her with a brow lifted in question.
She lets out a small chuckle. “Actually, I’m doing it. I love the stuff I do at Maxwell. Especially now that my job doesn’t revolve around making coffee. I love analyzing every aspect of the properties and businesses you want to acquire. It’s like a puzzle I have to put together to make sure it’s a good fit for the company.”
I beam at her. “You’re nearly as good as me at it,” I tease. “What do you like to do for fun? You know…when I’m not embedding myself in every second of your life?”
She grows thoughtful and looks past me at the window. “I love watching those shows on HGTV. You know…the ones where they flip old homes and spaces. I’ve never had a home of my own to do that sort of thing with. I love the idea of taking something old and ruined and then turning it modern and beautiful.”
“I’ll buy you a house to fix up,” I tell her, my tone fierce. I’ll buy her a thousand houses.
She smirks and darts her eyes back to me. “You’re literally insane. You know that, right?”
“There are worse things I could be than your stalker.”
Her eyes close as she shakes her head. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around this. If I had any friends, they’d be telling me to run for the hills.”
“I’d just follow you there.”
“Crazy. You’re crazy.”
I laugh. “I know.”
BULL IS mid-sentence explaining about a new client when my phone buzzes in my pocket. Violet is off at brunch with Gwen so I’ve actually been able to focus on work for a change. Assuming it’s her texting, I pull out my phone to make sure everything is okay.
Dusty: Found the slippery fuck.
I flash Bull a look that has him going silent. With one nod, he knows what to do. He rises from his chair and stalks out of my office.
Me: Here or there?
Dusty: There. You’re not gonna like this.
I scratch at the stubble growing in along my jaw. With Violet, I never seem to have any time or means to shave. Once I have her at my house indefinitely, I can settle back into a normal routine—one that doesn’t require me spending the night under her bed.
Me: Spill.
Dusty: I saw him and two men go into her mother’s house. Then, the target left alone. I’m in pursuit now. He’s headed that way.
My heart rate spikes. I knew I’d draw the little cocksucker out.
Me: Eyes on him. Give me the location of her mother’s house. I need pictures. Send one of your guys to get me the layout. I need to know everything down to the motherfucking weather.
Dusty: On it, Hawk.
It’s hard to remain calm, but I have to. Vaughn has been slippery thus far, but I won’t let him get away from me. He thinks he can use her mother to find her now that he knows where she lives and works. I’ll be damned if he ever harms her again.
I quickly shoot off a text to her. There isn’t any time for me to intervene. All I can do is follow the plan.
Focus.
Adjust.
Hoping she’ll see my text before it’s too late, I fire off a message.
Me: Be brave for me. I’m going to get you your life back but I need you to be brave. I love you.
When she doesn’t respond, I worry it’s too late. I bolt from my office just as Bull is striding my way. Together, we haul ass out of there.
We have a plan.
Focus.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
VIOLET
I STARE DOWN at my phone in confusion.
Be brave?
Gray’s cryptic words send alarm shooting through me. With him, I forget to always be aware of my surroundings. I’ve felt protected from Vaughn, even if Gray was stalking me like a creep.
A sexy creep.
Oh my God, I have issues.
“So, anyway, Dr. Ward thinks I should take on the task with a friend or family member. Gray has always offered to help when I was ready, but I’d kind of like it to be you,” Gwen says as she pokes at her eggs. “I mean, if you want to.”
I look up at her and smile. “I’d love to help you. You know that.”
“I know you think I’m disgusting,” she murmurs, tears shining in her eyes. “It just got out of hand.”
I reach across the table and grab her hand. “Together we can work through it. I love to clean and organize things. When I had a peek, I saw some useful salvageable things. I bet you’d be able to donate a lot of stuff to those in need.”
Her lips quirk up on one side. “I think I’d like that. Dr. Ward says I need to connect with people, not things. She thinks I should ask some local churches to see if they would help us clear out the trash.”
“I think that’s a great idea,” I tell her gently. “And just think, once you get your rooms cleared out, maybe you could help your mom with her house.”
Gwen sniffles and pulls her hand away from mine to swipe away a tear. “Gray said once the house gets cleaned back out, we can bring Mom back home. That we can hire a nurse to look after her. And with him being serious with you…” she trails off. “I thought I could move back in to take care of her.”
“I think she’d like that,” I assure her. “Then maybe we could fix it up. Redecorate and make it look nice.”
She nods. “Do you think Dad would come back home then?” Her eyes soften and she regards me with such an innocent look it makes my heart hurt. All I can think about is the way he forced Gray to eat his pet. The anger swells up inside me but I don’t let her see. Apparently she was too young to know what an asshole her father was to her brother.
“Maybe,” I say to placate her.
She starts babbling on about one of the paintings she’s working on. I nod and engage but my gaze keeps darting out the window.
Be brave.
Everything Gray does and says has a reason. Everything he does revolves around me.
Gwen continues to ramble. My eyes keep roaming the street outside when they land on something that makes my blood run cold. Across the street, a man leans against a sleek vehicle. He’s wearing a baseball cap and his head is lowered, hiding his face, but something in his stance is familiar. His body is larger and more filled out—as if he’s spent six years straight working out.
I know exactly how he found me too.
The newspaper article. My promotion was splashed all over one of the biggest newspapers in the country. Plain as day, he was told where I worked. All it would take is one phone call. I’d let the receptionist know earlier this morning that I was having brunch with Gwen at the best waffle house in the city. Our receptionist babbles a lot and probably mentioned this. So many careless moments led to this.
When he lifts his head and I lock eyes with familiar evil ones I know, I realize I have to get the hell out of here. Away from Gwen. Vaughn would destroy her like he once destroyed me.
“Gwen, sweetie,” I say, jerking my eyes back to hers. “I need to leave. You have to stay here for me. Okay?”
Her nose scrunches in confusion. “Why? What’s wrong? You’re white as a ghost.”
“Tell Gray I need him.”
“Violet,” she whines. “You’re scaring me.”
My eyes dart out the window and I see Vaughn stalking across the street with a purposeful look in his eyes. “Just promise you’ll call him ri
ght after I leave and make him find me.” I shove my phone down into my bra and shakily hand her my purse. “Keep this for me, please.”
I don’t wait for an answer. I bolt out of the restaurant, shoving past people along the way. The moment I step outside and the warm breeze whips around me, I’m chilled by a voice.
“Letty Spaghetti,” he chides. “You know I hate Hide and Seek.”
