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Cal must have opened the door.
I jolt back a step and look up at him, his intense eyes regarding me carefully, and his strong arms not showing any signs of letting me go.
It’s been days since we made our arrangement in his office, and I’m still not sure how I’m supposed to act around him, what I’m supposed to do.
I look over to see Jaxon standing directly to Cal’s left, watching as I inch another step back, and Cal finally lets me go. Even though things between Jaxon and I are settled safely back in the friend zone, I’m still not ready to fill him in on all the gory details about Cal.
I meet Jaxon’s confused gaze. “I’m sorry… I didn’t know who else to call…”
Cal clears his throat, and a surge of guilt rushes over me.
Him.
I could’ve called him.
How? I don’t even have his number.
Why can’t things with him just be easy? Normal?
Because he is not a normal man.
“Hey. It’s okay. Don’t worry about that. What happened? Why are you so upset?” Jaxon questions.
Cal hasn’t moved, and something tells me he isn’t going to until he’s heard my explanation. Yes, Makenna. Tell them why you came barging into this restaurant, straight into Cal’s arms. I hate that I feel completely weak and vulnerable right now.
I take a deep breath. “Someone followed me after work. They tried to run me off the road. Then they followed me to a gas station and while I was inside, they left a pretty clear message for me in my car.”
I work to stay focused on Jaxon but can’t ignore the fact that Cal’s eyes are locked on my face as I speak. I refuse to let my fear show any more than it already has, so I reach down deep and put on my game face.
“Holy shit, Maks. Who would do that to you?” Jaxon asks.
“I don’t know for sure, but I have a pretty good idea.” I don’t offer any more information than that. The less they know, the less likely either of them will be dragged into this mess. I can’t stomach the thought of anyone else I care about getting hurt by this asshole.
“What was the message?” Cal chimes in.
I shift my gaze toward him and find something feral in his eyes, the blue seas now almost a deep black abyss.
His gaze leaves mine for a split second to note Jaxon pulling me against his chest but quickly returns to await my answer. “You said they left a message in your car. What did it say?”
I swallow hard. “It’s still there. In the passenger seat.” With no further explanation, Cal is heading out the door, and Jaxon makes an attempt to follow him. I grab Jaxon’s arm. “No. Please just let him go. Stay with me.”I’m not thrilled about getting anyone else involved, but instinct tells me Cal wouldn’t have listened even if I had told him to leave it alone.
“Yeah. Okay. I won’t leave you,” Jaxon replies as he places a hand on my back and leads me to the bar.
He pours me a drink, watching me cautiously, not sure how to proceed until Cal finally reappears from the hallway that leads to his office. How did he—
Right. The door in Carlos’s office.
“Tell me you aren’t going home,” he says as soon as he rounds the corner and comes into the bar area.
The look on his face, blended with his disgusted expression confirms he got the same message I did.
“No. Brynn is already on her way.” What was he gonna do? Follow me?
At that moment my phone rings, startling a screech out of me.
I spend the next ten minutes convincing Mrs. Landry that I’m safe and plan on staying that way. Her concern is endearing but totally unnecessary. She offers to have a police officer bring me to their house, but I’m not about to take it that far. And I didn’t even tell her about the rope and the polaroid—or the message on the duct tape. She’d have me locked in a tower in the middle of the woods.
Cal and Jaxon watch me like I’m the Hope Diamond and there’s a thief on the loose. It makes me really uncomfortable. I’m happy to see them talking, though. It looks like my negotiations worked after all.
Your negotiations were shit. Jaxon’s job was never in danger.
I want to ask Cal about the stuff in my car. I want him to go grab that stuff and burn it. Then I want to run back into his arms, back where I felt safe. I also want to smack my horny ass back into reality for thinking that’s a good idea. How am I ever going to survive an entire night with this man when I can’t even be in the same room with him without thinking things I shouldn’t?
I thank God above and nearly sprint out the door when Brynn finally shows up.
