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During the elevator ride up to her floor, Ariel laid her head on my shoulder. I wrapped my arm around her and held her close, not wanting to let her go. We had spent most of the weekend together, and I wasn't exactly eager for it to end.
As we walked toward her door, she said. "I had a really great time this weekend. You were so…,"
"Me too," I replied, cutting her off and pulling her in for a hug.
Ariel typed in her key code and opened the door. I followed closely behind her to ensure she was safe, and when I looked around, I noticed a vase of wilted roses on her table. "Who sent you those flowers?
Her hand flew to her mouth when she sucked in a breath. "Oh, Guy, I'm so, so, sorry. I tried to call you... Oh, God. I can't believe I forgot to thank you for the beautiful bouquet. It was so thoughtful of you. I called your office and was told…”
"I'm not sure what you mean?" I was confused. Stepping further into her apartment, my stomach began to churn. Was Ariel seeing someone else?
"Guy, I mean. I'm so ashamed. I never had a chance to thank you for sending me the roses." Ariel ran to her desk and handed me a card that read:
Ariel, I'm so looking forward to our time together this weekend at the zoo! ~ Guy
“Those flowers aren't from me! And this isn’t my handwriting.”
Chapter Twelve
Ariel
At first, I wasn't sure if Guy was joking or not. Then it dawned on me that the only person I had told about us going to the zoo was my editor. When I glanced up at Guy, still looking at the card curiously, turning it over in his hands — a shard of fear cut through me.
"Hey, who'd you tell about our plans? The only person I told was Marcie, and I received the bouquet before our phone call." I told him.
"Ariel, does anything look different in here than when you left yesterday? I mean, the door was locked, wasn't it?" He asked, ignoring my question.
"You saw me unlock it, didn't you?" I breathed in sharply. "Do you think this might have something to do with...you know, the stuff going on at your office, the stalking...?
"And murders…"
"So. Tell me. Did you tell anyone about us going to the zoo?" I insisted.
"Just, Chase. He is the only person I mentioned our plans to… and was concerned."
"Concerned about what?" I asked.
"He was afraid I might accidentally drag you into this… I mean, that's what's happened to Ryder and Daniel. As soon as they got involved with someone in a serious romantic relationship, shit started happening to them." Guy pulled me close. "And now, here we are. It's weird because it seems 'big brother is watching.' The question remains, who is big brother? And why? As far as I know, none of us have pissed anyone off bad enough to deserve this."
"So, what you're saying is, I'm already involved? That my life is in danger just by being here with you?" My voice trembled, and I hated myself for sounding afraid.
"It… it seems like it. Maybe? But I promise I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe, Ariel. I won't let anything happen to you." He said earnestly, taking my hands in his.
"I believe you," I whispered as I looked into his eyes. And at that moment, I realized no matter what happened, I would trust him. Because I knew he had my best interest at heart — albeit he was not in control of what the killer would do.
But that was him… I wasn't ready to trust a man, yet… with my life, at least.
"Before we get too carried away, let's think about this rationally. You had no idea this would happen. And if anyone was here in my apartment, we would have known by now, right? Besides, I'm prepared for the unexpected." I pulled my Sig Sauer from a drawer in the kitchen as I spoke.
"Wow… I'm impressed."
"One of the first things I learned when writing crime mysteries is that a single woman living alone should always be prepared for an intruder. And, if she is prepared, it never happens." I tried to make a joke, but it had fallen flat, according to the frown on Guy's face.
"I'm sorry, Ariel. I shouldn't have dragged you into this." He ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "After I told Chase about our weekend plans, he warned me something like this might happen. I should have hired private security to keep an eye on us. That's what I need to do now. I need to get private security in here for you...I already have a security detail, but I gave them the weekend off so we could have some privacy."
I smiled and squeezed his hand. "I'm glad you did. I'm pretty sure our weekend would have been different if you had cops sitting around."
Guy nodded. "You're probably right. That's what I was thinking in the first place. But something could have gone wrong. I should have been more proactive. The way things are going, I'm not sure we will ever find out who is stalking us and… well, basically trying to disrupt our business. We still don't have a good lead, and it's getting very frustrating."
