“She’s not my—” Except, isn’t she? Aside from the lack of a label on what we are, I do think of her as mine. “Fine. Cowards.”
Weston and Ryker both chuckle as they move behind me and say their goodbyes to Anastasia. Then, with one final wave, they leave the coffee shop.
She flips the closed sign and the lock. “Hey,” she says when she faces me.
“Hey.” I close the distance and pull her into my arms. The hug is simple, something we’ve done countless times before, but there’s an intimacy that wasn’t there before. “You okay?” I pull away.
“No creepy calls or packages, if that’s what you’re asking. Unless he called my phone while you’ve had it?”
“Nope.” I reach into my pocket and pull out the new phone I bought for her while we were out. “I had them transfer all of your contacts and photos to it, but it’s a brand-new number.”
“You bought me a phone?”
“I needed to keep yours. In case he calls again.”
She nods, and tears fill her eyes. “I’m so angry, Sawyer. Who would do this?”
Rip the bandage off. “I can tell you who it wasn’t. But you’re going to have to follow me over to my shop so I can grab a bag.”
“A bag—for what?”
“I’m staying here tonight.”
She stares at me. “What?”
“In the spare room, on your couch, down here at a table, I don’t care. But I’m not leaving you alone.”
“Sawyer, I’ll be fine. I panicked last night, but the truth is, I have locks and a security system.”
“Zane said he could stay if you didn’t want me here.”
“It’s not that.” She closes her eyes. “I don’t want to feel afraid in my space.”
Reaching up, I cup her cheek with my hand. “Then let me stay to put my mind at ease. I promise to be a good boy. I’m housebroken and everything.”
At that, she laughs, and seeing her bright smile warms my heart. “Fine. You can take the spare room.”
“Great.” I grab my laptop bag and start toward the back of the shop. Anastasia follows.
“So, you said you know who it’s not?”
We step out into the parking lot, and I wait for her to lock up behind us—something she never did before.
Then, we fall into step and cross the lot toward my place.
“About that. Zane and I needed to eliminate the one person we thought it might be, so we took a little road trip.”
Anastasia stops in her tracks, and I turn to face her as her hazel gaze narrows on my face. “You did not go to Georgia. Tell me you didn’t, Sawyer.”
“I would. But that would be a lie.” I unlock the door of my shop and push it open so she can move inside.
“Sawyer, you have got to be kidding me!”
A faint noise captures my attention. It’s subtle, but unmistakable. “Move!” I throw my bag, grab Anastasia, and spin her toward the door, shielding her with my body right before a massive explosion erupts at my back, and the entire world goes black.
Chapter 12
Anastasia
