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“Not exactly. She just wants you back and said she was ‘playing for keeps.’”
Melissa has always been tenacious, going after what she wants. Unfortunately, she usually wants what she can’t have; in this case, that’s me. Regardless, I can’t imagine Melissa doing anything nefarious to reach her goals—at least not the Melissa I once knew.
Not ruling anything out, I wave my hand for the conversation to continue. This time, it’s Sebastian who speaks up. “Leanna is making light of the situation. Her rear tire had a three-inch nail that was driven in like a stake, causing it to go flat. It could have been an accident, but as soon as she had it fixed, all four were slashed while parked in the lot by the fire station.”
“Then there were the dead flowers left on our porch and the note that read ‘all good things must come to an end,’” Daphne says, truly worried for her sister.
“And if that wasn’t bad enough, Brody and I had to go and clean red paint off your door this morning that was meant to look like blood,” Ansel utters.
“Did anyone look at the security feeds for the house or the parking lot? That might give us a better idea of who might be behind this. And did anyone contact the police to file a report?” I ask.
“Yeah, we did. Whoever did the stuff at your house was wearing all black and a ski mask, not to mention it was dark outside each time. Other than itlookinglike a man, there was nothing we could see that would identify them. Maybe when you watch the feed, you might see something we missed,” says my friend Callum.
“What about in the parking lot?”
Sebastian shakes his head. “The lot isn’t monitored by cameras, although it should be. As far as the police are concerned, Officer Jordan responded to our call, and we filed a report with him. He doesn’t think it’s anything to get too worried about, but we disagree. It’s our sister’s life that’s being messed with.”
“Oh! Don’t forget about that Joe guy! He has a history of sending Leanna flowers and might not have appreciated the brush-off she gave him. He also knows where we live since he brought her home.” Daphne adds.
“I didn’t brush him off…per se. He’s a nice enough guy, and friendly outings are okay,” Leanna defends.
I notice Brody and Ansel scowl at the mention of Joe. I’m sure mine looks similar.
“You mean friends like you and Carter?” Callie asks ever so sweetly. The glint in her eye when she poses the question is anything but. Rather, it looks mischievous and cunning. Their mom, Elena, bursts out in laughter, and Leanna turns and glares at her.
“What? That was the funniest thing I’ve heard today!” Elena declares. “But it’s a great segway for what we are about to ask of Carter.” At this, Leanna’s face turns red with shame and embarrassment.
“You don’t need to do that, Mom. We’ll be gone on the ski trip, and all this will blow over. You’ll see.”
“That’s what we thought when we went to Vegas and Callie was being stalked. You may not want to admit it, Leanna. But this kind of trouble can follow you wherever you go.” Callum grabs his wife’s hand and squeezes it lovingly.
“Callum’s right. That’s why we have a plan to get to the bottom of this,” Ethan says. My boss glances at his wife, Amelia, and gives her an almost imperceptible smile. It’s her beaming one in return that has me nervous. I take back my previous assessment. Maybe she is involved in all of this.
“Carter, you will go on the ski trip and provide round-the-clock protection for Leanna. Nick and Elena have assured me a room will be available for you so that you’re never too far away. Also, you’ll be placing minicams around the house and outside, similar to the hospital job you did when you first started with us. Unlike the ones at your home, these cameras are designed for obscurity. You’ll have your laptop to access data at any time, but the feeds will upload to a server here as a backup,” Ethan continues to detail the type of equipment that will be used, not for my benefit, but for that of the family.
Ben stands up, leans forward on the table, and directs his comment at me. “For this assignment, you will pose as Leanna’s boyfriend.”
Leanna begins to object, and frustration mars her features. Ben holds up his hand to stop her. “You need a reason to always be together. If you are being targeted because of jealousy, either from Joe or Melissa, then playing the happy couple might get them to back off peacefully without any of this escalating further. If it’s Mark Jenkins coming after you for revenge, then I want someone licensed to carry a weapon with you day and night. It’s going to happen this way or not at all.”
Leanna looks like she’s on the verge of tears despite the rest of the room having slightly upturned lips. I keep my face blank but am nearly biting at the bit to start this assignment. If I needed a way to show Leanna how I feel about her without risking our friendship in the process, this might be the ticket. I just wish Leanna looked as excited about the prospect of fake dating me as I am her, even though none of it would be fake for me. Instead, she seems like she wants to hurl.
I’m sure Leanna feels like everything is spiraling out of control, and I want to give a piece of that back, so I say the only thing that comes to mind.
“I’ll do it, but the choice belongs to Leanna.”
Chapter sixteen
Leanna
IwasgratefulthatCarter gave me the choice, giving me some semblance of control even though I knew I would do whatever I could to give my family a sense of peace. My hesitancy in agreeing to “fake date” Carter isn’t because I don’t want to. I just know that there is no way I can pretend. I’m afraid he’ll see through me and run away faster than I can blink.
After the meeting ends, the ladies in the room pull me aside for a private conversation. Mom, Callie, Daphne, and I follow Amelia into a separate conference room while the guys talk security and logistics.
As soon as the doors close, my mother pulls me into a hug and simply holds me while I get myself together. Overwhelmed by everything that’s been happening lately, I inadvertently let a few tears fall. I always try to be strong when faced with adversity, but sometimes, the bottle has to be uncorked. The past few days, after holding everything in, I’ve been shaken up and feel like I’m ready to explode. The motherly hug lets the pressure slowly release so that doesn’t happen.
“I’m okay,” I tell her, stepping back and seeing all the faces staring at me with sympathy, especially Callie, who has been down this road before. She walks over and puts her arm around my shoulders.
“Tell me what’s really bothering you about this whole thing, Layleebug,” she demands lightly, using a nickname she hasn’t said since I was seven.
