AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yes.” He gives her a little smile and pushes away from the table, walking over to a desk nearby. Picking up a small box, he returns to his seat and opens it. “Some self defense tools that we’ve found to be helpful to some of our other clients.”
As Cole pulls each item out of the box, he gives a brief description before handing it across the table to Ari.
“The whistle is self-explanatory—you can test it, if you want—but trust me, it’s very loud.”
“Hold the pepper spray away from your body if possible; that way you avoid getting it in your own eyes.”
“If you’ve been restrained, hold the keychain firmly between your fingers and jab back, toward their face.”
Ari’s face grows paler as each item is deposited in front of her.
"What about work?" she asks. "I can't have some of these things on me in school. If a student got a hold of them..."
"That's okay," Cole reassures her. "Just keep them securely in your bag until you're out of the building. But then make sure you have them ready for easy access.”
As Cole hands over a clear baggie with earrings inside, he says, “The earrings have trackers in them. So we’ll know where you are at all times. If you’re in trouble, press the center of either earring hard. We’ll get an alert and get to you immediately.”
She gulps. “O…okay.”
And then there’s the last item, another piece of jewelry. “A ring?” Ari raises her eyes in question. “Another tracker?”
“No.” Cole smiles grimly. “This is something we just started giving out, and only to clients we feel can handle it. Given your calm thinking when you escaped the trunk of that car, I’m confident you will use it properly.”
Then he presses something on the side of the ring, and a little blade pops out.
Ari recoils. “You think I could usethat?”
Cole holds her gaze, his eyes dark and serious. “If you had that when you were trapped in the trunk, and you needed to use it to escape, would you have?”
Her jaw tightens. After a beat, she says firmly, “Yes.”
The meeting wraps up quickly after that. Ari and I give Cole our schedules, and he tells her that his teammate, Finn, will be taking her to work and back for the week. “Anywhere else you need to go,” he adds, “don’t be afraid to ask.”
As we’re leaving, I clasp Cole’s hand and clap his shoulder. Dipping my chin at him, I say, “Thank you for protecting Ari. It means the world to me.”
Cole gives me a knowing look and the corner of his mouth pulls up. “I can see that.”
Once we step outside, I take a deep breath of the crisp autumn air, feeling my lungs expand fully for the first time since we started the meeting. We have a plan. A solid strategy to keep Ari safe.
Ari stops on the front step and turns to me, her eyes haunted. Stress is etched into all of her features. “Cash,” she begins, but trails off.
“What, hun?” I take her arms, rubbing them gently. She needs a warmer coat, I remind myself. Mittens. A scarf.
“It’s just…” Her chin wobbles. “It’s all so much. Kyle. Guards. Weapons.”
“Ah, Ari. I know.”
“And it’s all my fault.” Her eyes drop from mine, and she whispers, “If I had just been more careful.”
No.Just no.
Tugging her to me, I wrap my arms around Ari’s trembling body. “No. It is notyour fault. Not any of it. I don’t want you to even think that.”
“Are you sure?” It’s a murmur against my chest.
“Yes.” I’m adamant. “I am absolutely sure. One hundred percent.”
Her arms twine around my back and she sags into me, giving me her weight. “Okay, Cash.” After a pause, she asks softly, “Can we go homenow?”
