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Elijah’s jaw dropped. Shock plastered across his face before giving way to a profound hurt. I put my arm around his shoulder and drew him into me. This betrayal cut beyond bone-deep. It sliced down to the very soul. If there were a way to shield him from this pain, I would do it in a heartbeat.
“Why? Everything okay, Ryan?”
“Everything’s fine. That’s all I had to ask—told you it’d be quick. Thanks, Jen.”
“Of course. Oh, and speaking of the Divines, will you let Blue Divine know that she’s the most requested queen at my club? I’ve got out-of-towners showing up and getting pissed when they find out she’s not performing, so, you know, just let her know she’s wanted. I can get her onstage any night she wants—well, except for tonight. Club’s shut down. We’re having a memorial for Julius.”
“I’ll let Elijah know, thank you,” I said, kissing Elijah’s head. He had heard all of that, of course. I was glad Jen offered that little beacon of light. She had no idea how badly it was needed.
Elijah sat up, looking at me with tears in his eyes. His lip quivered, and he worked on collecting his thoughts, starting and stopping a sentence a few times before laying out his thoughts.
“Billie is the stalker. I can see it now. He’s been acting extra weird ever since you showed up. I thought it was just the growing pains of a new relationship pushing on old ones, but… it’s because he was scared. He knew you’d figure it out, but he didn’t want to stop either.”
“I think it’s him, too.” I grabbed his head in my hands, making sure his eyes didn’t stray from mine. “I’m sorry, Eli. This is the last thing I wanted to happen. I didn’t want this hitting so close to home, but unfortunately with stalkers, it’s usually the case. We have to focus now on getting a confession or finding irrefutable proof.”
I reached for Elijah’s phone, resting on the floor next to his pants. I held it out to him. “I’m leaning on the confession route.”
He grabbed the phone, eyebrows knitting together.
“I need you to call him, Eli. Find out exactly where he is. This is going to end today.”
Elijah steeled himself with a deep breath. Determination etched lines in his sharp jaw as he gritted his teeth.
He pulled up Billie’s number and pressed Dial.
28
Ryan Diaz
Every ring felt like another bomb exploding in the distance, the shock waves growing closer and closer. Elijah’s face twisted with worry. I rubbed his back, knowing that was his favorite spot to be touched, finding it did nothing to help his anxiety. I wish I could protect him from this bullshit, but at least the end to this nightmare appeared to be in sight. We just needed Billie to pick up the ph—
“Hey, Eli, I was just thinking about you.”
Elijah’s eyes jerked to mine. His thumb hovered over the End Call button. Was he about to hang up? Was this too much for him? Maybe I should have been the one to make the call.
“Billie, hi.” Elijah’s voice flickered like a candle about to be blown out by a strong gust of wind. I stopped rubbing his back, sitting up straight. Our clothes were still sitting in a puddle of fabric a couple of feet away from us. The sun kissed my bare skin, accompanied by a cool breeze, and I barely felt any of it with how focused I was on this call.
“Billie, I was just wondering, what, uh, where are you? What are you doing right now?”
Elijah’s face scrunched up. I mouthed out the words “You’re doing great.” He offered a meek smile and shook his head, dropping his gaze down to the phone in his hands.
“I’m in my studio, actually. Working on a big project. Wait until you see it… Actually, are you free tonight? I’d love your opinion on it.”
Elijah looked at me, a question clear on his face. I nodded.
“Um, yeah, sure. What time?”
Billie was quiet for a moment. “It’ll have to be late. I’m performing tonight at the Queen’s Throne. Can you come over at midnight?”
I gave him another nod, holding his free hand in mine.
“Sure,” Elijah answered, swallowing. “Yeah, I’ll see you then.”
“Oh, perfect. You’re absolutely going to die when you see what I’m cooking up.”
The word hit like a bullet shredding through bone, muscle, and cartilage.
Die.
“Right, I’m sure I will.” Elijah’s hand started to shake. He shut his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them back up, I could spot a new spark of strength. His hand stopped shaking. “I’ll see you tonight, then.”
“See you, hon. Give a kiss to your new boy toy for me. A platonic kiss, obviously.”
Elijah gave a chuckle and promised he’d do exactly that before he hung up the call, letting the phone slide out of his hands and onto the ground, my shirt still serving as a blanket for us to sit on.
