I can almost see the ticking of a muscle in Luke’s jaw. He wants to come over here, probably to put me in my place, but he’s also trying to be respectful of my mother. Honestly though, they were the ones who opened the door to include me. They shouldn’t be surprised when I want to step through it.
“Zach is a menace to women.” I lean forward and look at each of them. “Maybe he craves power. Maybe he’s just an asshole. Either way, I’m his target.”
Swallowing the fear that chases through me at that thought, I inhale sharply. “He isn’t going away. He approached us at the coffee shop. Sidney was with him. And it was public so he couldn’t do anything, but he’s not afraid of you guys. He’s not afraid of retribution.”
Caden glances over his shoulder. “Ava starts school tomorrow. She needs protection.”
“I have a meet set up for tomorrow.” Luke puts his laptop to the side and checks something on his phone. “They’re her age so they should be in some of her classes.”
“That way we can focus on you, kitten.”
“Much as I love your focus, that doesn’t stop Zach from hurting someone else. Especially since he knows the girls and Kenz are close to me. No one is protecting them.”
Fuck, I hadn’t even thought of that. I’m putting a target on Penny, Nat, Izzy, and Vicky’s backs.
Eli rubs the back of his neck. “The only one that matters is you, kitten.”
“That’s not good enough.” I blow out a breath. “You wanted power so fucking bad you dominated the school. So now that you rule, you have to take care of your people, including girls that Zach might target.”
“Speaking of Zach. I’ve got to go.” Jack nods. “We’re doing something. We’re trailing his guys in an attempt to figure out where they hang out to get more information. We can’t just go after him blind, sweetheart.”
“I get that.” Sighing, I tug on my hair. “I just feel so helpless. We can’t go to the authorities. Most of our parents are not on board with us dating. And I’m kind of sick of dealing with creepers.”
I shiver because tomorrow is the dinner with Luke’s dad. He’s the biggest creeper of them all.
“Me too. Good night, sweetheart.” Jack’s feed disappears, but I know I can track his phone if I need to.
“As soon as we get more intel, we should be able to come up with a plan for Zach,” Eli says. “I’ve got people watching over the girls.”
“People who we don’t know whether we can trust or not,” I point out.
“We’re not all knowing, little nympho.” Caden’s voice is sharp, surprising me. “This isn’t a guy we can tie to the flagpole or make him dance in women’s underwear. He’s smart and cunning and he’s got his own plan that we have to figure out so we can get ahead of him. The only person in this equation that we’re worried about is you. So far, you’ve been his target. When we get more intel, we’ll find out if he has other targets in mind. Until then, you stick to public spaces with the girls or at home with your mom. Don’t go off on your own. And don’t be stupid if the asshole tries to lure you somewhere alone or without us.”
I narrow my eyes. “I’m not stupid?—”
“You got trapped in a laundry room.” Caden’s eyes glow with his rage. “You shouldn’t have been in there alone. You shouldn’t have trusted those other girls to keep you safe.”
I glare at Caden. I don’t care that he’s right. That I put myself in that situation, but the fact is, if they would have left me alone this year, none of this would have happened. But that’s the problem.Noneof this would have happened.
In the beginning that’s what I wanted, but now, I don’t want to be without them. I wish I didn’t have to be scared every second that someone is going to do something to me, but whatever this is between us is worth it.
“As soon as we have a viable plan, kitten, we’ll discuss it with you. But you know everything we know.” Eli shakes his head. “Which isn’t a lot. We still don’t know why he’s coming at us.”
Nico sighs. “I’m reviewing bedroom footage when I can. Maybe we should put a tail on Sidney. She doesn’t seem to be spending a lot of time at home.”
“Maybe.” Luke rubs his chin.
When someone knocks, I turn. I tip the guys down a little and go to open my door.
Mom glances behind me into my room.
“He’s not in here.” I open the door wider so she can see.
She nods. “I just got called into work. The nurse who was scheduled called in sick.”
“But didn’t you work this morning?” It’s not typical to call in a nurse who’s already worked a shift during the day.
“I don’t have to work tomorrow morning.” She’s tying her hair into a bun. “Staffing is an issue right now. There’s a bad virus going around. Are you going to be okay here tonight?”
