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By the time we got back to Chicago later that night, I was exhausted from the entire day. It hadn’t helped that I had been slightly on edge ever since the elevator fiasco. Valik left me at my front door, and Harvey sat out in his chair in the hallway. Cian wasn’t playing around this time when it came to security. Harvey was to stay put until another guard came to relieve him from his shift at one a.m. Someone was to be at our door twenty-four seven until we caught Ryzen. I felt bad that he had to sit out there and be on high alert “just in case,” but I had to remember that they had signed up for this job, and that Cian was paying them a pretty penny.
Cian had dinner laid out and my heart ached at how sweet it all looked. Roses adorned our dining table, with candles casting a warm glow throughout. After dinner, he drew us a bath, and we lathered each other up with body wash, which ended up with us having sex against the bathroom sink soon after.
The week flew by without incident, but I would be lying if I had said there wasn’t a heaviness in the air. It was a mixture of anticipation, fear and anger, waiting for Ryzen to rear his ugly head at any moment. But it never came. Not a single threat, call or word from him. Was it possible I had killed him? Could this all be over?
I spent some more time at the shooting range with Cian, and I had to admit, I was getting better and better at my aim. In no time at all, I could hit the bullseye on my first try, and pride rushed through my veins.
Let someone try to attack me again, and they would be in for a huge surprise.
A bullet right to the head.
Come the end of the week, my mood had shifted from on edge to more relaxed. I was feeling free and optimistic, and by the time I was to have lunch with the museum director in charge of the gala, I was on top of the world.
I met Lexi Poppins, the museum director of the Grandiose Gallery of Artistry in Chicago, for lunch, and as it turned out, she just wanted to network with me. I sat and listened, trying to be as helpful as I could, but I had no idea how the owner of a sexual wellness company and a museum director were supposed to build a professional relationship. Unless she wanted to put special-edition sex toys on display at the museum, which suggestion only made her howl with laughter. By the end of the lunch, we were both laughing, and I decided I liked her.
My good mood was ruined as I left the lunch and spotted Piper Lawless across the street.
“Damn it,” I groaned, and Valik followed my gaze to where Piper stood.
“Harvey, go get the car.” Valik tossed him the keys and stood in front of me, blocking my view of her. “Maybe it’s just a coincidence?”
My entire face scrunched up as Piper called my name, and I peeked over Valik’s shoulder as she jogged across the street in heels, waving at me.
Harvey pulled up the car and Valik helped me step inside the backseat before jumping in the front himself. Her fists pounded on my window, and I sighed.
“I need to talk to you, Nova!” she yelled, her bracelets slamming against the window with each bang of her fist. “It’s about Ryzen Goodacre.”
I cracked the window and glared at her. “My fiancé filed a restraining order against you, Piper. You better get away from me before I call the police.”
“What?” She furrowed her brow. “Seriously? I didn’t get served any paperwork. Why would you do that?”
“Because you’re harassing me? This”—I pointed between us—“this is harassment. You’re following me and trying to corner me. You need help, Piper.”
Her lips set in a flat line, her eyes glistening.
Oh, fuck, was she going to fake tears now? God, this woman was out of control. What part of “leave me the hell alone” did she not understand?
“I need help. I think Ryzen’s been calling me. I’ve been getting cryptic messages all week.” She reached into her purse and pulled out a small tape recorder, hitting play.
Ryzen’s voice came over the speaker, and my blood ran cold. If she was getting calls from him this week, then that meant he was alive. Not dead in an alley like the gutter rat he was. Damn it, I’d known that had been wishful thinking. But maybe the recording was a fake? She did work at a tabloid, where they had no qualms about deceiving the public. Maybe she was just trying really hard to get her exclusive. That had to be it.
Valik reached over and honked the horn as Harvey pulled out of our parking spot.
“Look, Piper, you need to call the police or the FBI in charge of the case. They can help you. I can’t,” I shouted as we sped off, leaving her standing there with wide eyes.
The nerve of that woman to try to pull something like that. She had a history of trying to make my life miserable, but this was a new low. If she was as smart as she claimed to be, then I hoped she was armed, because it sounded like she might have a stalker.
I shot a text off to Cian, telling him what had just happened. He said he would call Delove so he could check it out, just in case there actuallywassomething to be alarmed about.
Fuck, this was one of those times that I hoped she was just lying. If Ryzen was still out there, then he would come for me again soon. But there was nothing I could do about that except wait and prepare myself for what was to come next.
What ended up coming next was a frantic Valik pounding on my front door later that night as Cian and I cuddled up on the couch watching trashy television. Cian threw the door open and found a pale-faced Valik at our door, his breath ragged.
“We have to go to the hospital. It’s Milliani. Ryzen got to her.”
The blood drained from my face as I processed what he had just said. Ryzen had attacked her? But how? I asked a million questions as I threw on my shoes and jacket and followed them out to Harvey, who was already waiting in the car for us. Valik had few answers, just that she had called him sobbing and begged him to come to the hospital.
We made it there in under ten minutes, and the nurse at the front desk pointed down the hall to where Milliani was staying. We turned the corner, and I gasped as Althazair sat in a chair with his hands on his head. He glanced up, his eyes darkening when he saw Cian. He stood, puffing his chest out and flipping his jacket open, showing us he had a gun.
