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Chapter 22 - Worth
I ground my teeth as I walked to my car. Part of me understood Geneva’s anger and frustration, and could even kind of gather how she might be suspicious of us. We were strangers, and as she said, she didn’t have any enemies.
It was nothing more than a coincidence, and all three of us sincerely wanted to protect her. It would be smart to let her cool off for a little while. Maybe I would try to talk to her again in the morning after she slept off her irritation.
That didn’t mean I would leave her side, even if I wasn’t physically with her. Someone had left that note. I walked out to my car and drove around the block before I finally settled on a curbside spot adjacent to Geneva’s apartment. Her terrace faced the street behind her parking lot and that’s where I decided to plant myself and watch for anything disturbing.
No one was going to threaten or harm Geneva again. Not on my watch.
I adjusted my seat and prepared to settle in. I glanced at my phone. It wasn’t very late yet, so I decided I’d call Caleb and see what he was up to. Conveniently, he lived a few blocks away.
“Hey,” I said after he picked up on the fourth ring. “Where did you have to find your cell phone to answer it? Mars?”
“Very funny, jerk,” Caleb joked. “I was in the other room. What the hell do you want anyway?” He yawned. “It’s getting late.”
“What are you, a hundred years old? It’s barely midnight.”
“Whatever. What are you doing?”
“I’m sitting in front of Geneva’s apartment complex.”
There was a pause. “That’s… creepy. Are you her stalker now?”
“Of course not,” I snapped, irritated. “I went to dinner with her.” I purposefully left out about us fighting at the end of the date.
“Wow.” I knew Caleb’s voice. He was jealous.
“We just hung out,” I lied, my voice flat. “She was tired, so I left.”
“So, what are you still doing there then?” he asked suspiciously.
I exhaled and decided to blurt out the truth. “Something happened. We heard a noise and I went outside to check, and someone had left a note on her doorstep. It read ‘Watch your step.’”
“What the hell? Why did you leave her then?”
“She insisted she would be okay by herself.”
“Let me guess. You don’t want to leave, but you wanted her to make it seem like you did?”
“Right. I just need to watch for anything happening around the area that is out of the norm.”
“Do you want some company?”
“Yeah. I’m not leaving until I’m certain she’s safe. Bring a couple of lattes when you come.”
“Am I your delivery boy now?” he demanded.
“Yeah.” I rolled down my window because it was getting stuffy in the car. “Just hurry up, will you?”
He cursed. “I’ll be right there.”
Caleb only lived a few blocks away, so I knew it wouldn’t be long. I continued to watch Geneva’s apartment complex like a hawk. I was so zoned into the moment and my surroundings that I jumped about a mile in the air when Caleb knocked on my window.
“Ouch,” I rubbed my aching elbow joint from where I’d accidentally slammed it into the door handle from the unexpected startle.
“What’s up, sucker?” He laughed and climbed into the passenger seat. He slammed the door and chugged down a few swallows of his latte as he handed me one.
I shrugged and took it from him, slugging down a hefty swig. “We might be here for a while.”
