“No,” I snap. “I mean I feel violated by all of you.”
They all stare at me. Dad opens his mouth to say something, then closes it again.
“You all knew I had a stalker,” I whisper. “And you chose to keep it from me.”
Mum looks aghast. “We didn’t want you to worry.”
“That wasn’t your choice to make.” I don’t know how to make them understand how I feel.
“Baby…” Dad says.
“I’m not a baby,” I yell. “I’m a grown woman. A director at the company. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about this. All this time… I was so angry with you,” I say to Marcus, who’s looking alarmed, “for making me have a CPO. And so upset with Luke for being on my case the whole time. I feel like such an idiot.” I look at him. His brown eyes are full of pity and understanding. “I’m so sorry,” I tell him.
“Why are you apologizing to him?” Marcus says indignantly. “He didn’t tell you either!”
“No, but that was because you told him not to.Youdidn’t tell me out of choice.” I press a hand to my heart. “I can’t believe you kept it a secret from me.”
“We did it for your own good,” Dad snaps. “We can argue about it later. Now, after you’ve given your statement, we’ll take you home, and you can stay with us for a while.”
Ice filters through my veins. “No.”
“No what?”
“I’m not staying with you.”
Impatience flickers across his features. “Don’t be childish. Do you understand how serious this is?”
I move closer to him, absolutely furious. “Don’t you dare call me childish or baby again. This is my life. Do I understand how serious this is?” Suddenly, I don’t care who knows. I need them to understand how bad this is. “He left my underwear on the bed, Dad. And my vibrator.”
Mum goes white. Marcus says, “Jesus.” Caesar and Dad both look horrified.
“I don’t think you understand exactly what’s happening here,” I continue. “It’s not the Russian mafia trying to kidnap me. They’re not going to demand a ransom. And he’s not some James Bond villain. He’s a mentally disturbed man who’s developed a sexual fascination with me.”
Dad looks upset, but tries to recover. “That makes it even more important that you come home with us.”
“No. He sent a photo of me at your house. Did you know that? He knows where you live. He knows everything about me. I’m not safe there either, Dad.”
I look at Luke, who’s listening quietly. “I want to go somewhere he won’t be able to follow,” I tell him.
“Okay,” he says.
“Like where?” Dad asks.
“I’ve got an idea,” Caesar says. “What about 35 South?”
I frown. “A holiday resort?” I’ve heard of it, although I’ve never been there. It’s on Evermore Island and named after the line of latitude that passes through the Bay of Islands.
“It’s not just a resort,” he continues. “It’s a private coastal estate where they hold international conferences and symposiums. There’s enough security that half the country’s CEOs disappear there when they need to get off the grid. If someone’s trying to find you, they’ll have a much harder time there than they will in Auckland.”
“Do you know the owner?” Marcus asks.
Caesar nods. “I met him at a conference there. I can call him. If he has a villa free, I can fly you up tonight.”
“I’ll come with you,” Mum says.
“No, I’ll go,” Marcus states.
That makes my mind up for me. “Absolutely not. I need some time to myself.”
