Me: Are you going to arrest him?
Matt: This is going to sound rude. I don’t mean it that way. But for what? Texting you? Driving someone else’s car and parking it where you were? I need to catch him doing something illegal first. If he got into your place and deleted your file, there’s no proof. I asked your neighbors, and nobody saw anything. And even if we had been able to lift prints, you used to live with him, which means he had access to your laptop.
Me: Damn. Stop making sense. I want to kick his ass.
Matt: Yeah, same. Hang tight. I got this. Promise.
I exhaled. Long, slow, all the way out. Travis was an ass. I already knew that. But this hurt. Why was he trying to scare me? I shoved it out of my mind to think about later. Dwelling on it was pointless when I had Matt ready to handle everything. I was safe; he couldn’t do anything to me.
I turned when Levi stirred in the bed.
“Good morning.” His voice was deep, gravelly with sleep.
I set my mug down and moved to the bed, smoothing my sweatshirt automatically like I was about to be interviewed for something important.
His eyes flicked over me in a quick, assessing sweep that felt more protective than intrusive, like he was taking inventory without making me feel examined.
“Come here,” he said.
I sat next to him at the edge of the bed.
“You’re riding with me,” he said. It wasn’t a question.
My first instinct was to bristle on principle. My second instinct was to melt a little because he’d said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world that he’d take care of this before I had to ask.
“I was going to text Elizabeth,” I said, because I couldn’t let it be too easy. “I’m on her way.”
He lifted one brow. “You were going to inconvenience your boss before you were going to let me drive you.”
“I was going to solve my own problem,” I corrected.
His mouth curved faintly, not amused exactly, more like he’d expected that answer. “Right. And I’m going to drive you.”
There was something about his steadiness that made my resistance feel performative. Not because he was pushing too hard, but because he wasn’t wavering. He didn’t need to convince me. He was simply there, solid, dependable, and completely irresistible.
“You sleep good?” he asked.
“Yes, you’re very warm. Better than a blanket.”
He didn’t pretend that was enough. He didn’t pressure me either. He just nodded once, like he’d file it away and quietly compensate for it.
“And no more nightmares?” he asked, voice low.
I shook my head. “None. You’re bad dream repellent, too. I need to tell you something before we leave.”
He went still.
“About the sedan I saw last night. Matt got the camera footage from Elizabeth’s security company. The driver got out briefly—but it was a bad angle. We couldn’t see his face, but we recognized his jacket.” I kept my voice even. “It was Travis.”
Levi’s eyes held mine. Something moved through them. He was not surprised.
“He sent me the screenshot at five this morning.”
“And you’ve been standing here with that information since five,” he said.
“Yeah. I mean, it wasn’t that long. Forty minutes?”
Levi nodded once. “Next time, forty minutes is too long to stand in the kitchen alone with something like that. Wake me. Please.”
