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Karma’s a bitch.
Someone followed me. Someone snuck into my car. Someone left a pretty clear message thanks to a polaroid, a Sharpie, and a roll of duct tape. Someone wants to hurt me. And whoever it is, doesn’t care if I know that. Whoever it is, wants me to know that. Oh my God. What the hell was I thinking? I ran out of the store to my car like some sort of vigilante. I wasn’t thinking at all, apparently.
I drop the tape as if it had just bitten me and swallow the dread that is building within. My body feels as if someone has pricked me with a thousand tiny needles all at once, and I have to remind myself to breathe.
So much for not flinching.
“Call Brynn,” I try again.
“Hey, Maks. I was just about to call you back. What’s up babycakes?” she says after the second ring.
“He found me, Brynn. He found me, and he wants to hurt me.” My voice is frantic and shaky, and for some reason I immediately regret yelling because I’m afraid he might hear.
“Call the police,” she says, the initial perk in her tone replaced with authority.
“Yeah, because they’ve been great so far. They’re the ones that let him go, Brynn.”
“Shit. I’m in Baton Rouge. Go to the Landry’s.”
“He’s probably going there next.”
“Dammit, Maks. You need to work with me here. There has to be somewhere you can go. And don’t even fucking say home, because I will kick your ass.”
“I can go to the hospital?” I say, fully believing that’s a logical place to be if someone is wanting to cause you harm.
“Jaxon,” Brynn shouts, ignoring my suggestion. “Suppato’s is a public place. No one is going to bother you there. Yes. That’s a great idea.” Her voice rises an octave with every word.
“No. I can’t bring Jaxon into this.”
“Suppato’s, Maks. Now,” Brynn says, and I envision her shaking her head and rolling her eyes. “I’ll pick you up there in an hour.”
I don’t respond. There’s no need. She has her mind made up.
“Great,” she says as if she’d heard my silent agreement, “I’ll call Rye, so she can warn her parents.”
Defeat wraps around me like a dense fog, suffocating me. I almost cry when I pull into Suppato’s and see that they’re closed. A soft yellow glow peeks through the closed window shades, and a tiny spark of hope that someone is still inside begins to rise. The thought of sitting in an empty parking lot for an hour waiting for Brynn makes my stomach turn. And the thought of going home is even worse.
“Call Jaxon,” I say into thin air. Please pick up.
“Hey there, beautiful.” His cheerful voice echoes through my car speakers.
“Jax.” I don’t think I’ve ever been happier to hear his voice. “Please tell me you’re at work.”
He must hear the anxiety bubbling within me, because he tones it down a notch when he responds. “I am. What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“I’m outside. I need you to let me in. Please. It’s important,” I tell him, my voice starting to tremble as I fight back fear. I glance in my rearview mirror, fully expecting the headlights to reappear at any moment.
“Yeah. Sure. I’ll be right there.”
I open the door without even saying goodbye, catching sight of my predator’s gifts of warning when I reach for my purse. The reminder sends me walking as quickly as I can for the door. Without even thinking, as soon as Jaxon opens the door, I wrap my arms around him and bury myself in the comfort of his embrace.
My chest heaves against his as the reality of the events of the past hour sets in, and I fight back tears. His arms pull me closer as I search for safety. I finally find it, the feeling I’ve been grasping at since the moment I saw the headlights. Confidence. Security. I inhale deeply to keep from hyperventilating. That scent. I’m lost in it.
“Sssshhhh. I’ve got you. You’re okay,” he says as his hands soothe me by gliding up and down my back.
Cal.
Not Jaxon.
