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“Oh.” Hope fluttered in my belly. Liam cared about me enough to reach out to my brother and make sure I had the support I needed. That must mean something, right? “That’s surprising.”
He snorted. “Tell me about it. So, what’s up?”
I debated whether to be honest and decided he deserved the truth. “I received a gift from the stalker.”
“Shit. Does that mean they’re definitely in Destiny Falls?”
“I’m not sure. A courier could have delivered it.”
“Still.” He sounded tense. “That’s serious, Kenz. What did he send you?”
“I know it’s serious.” My heart was heavy. “Nothing dangerous or threatening, but it was still disturbing.”
“I’ll say. Why didn’t you call me?”
“The police were here, and I only just got off the phone with Jeff from the security company.”
“Thepolice?” He was quiet for a moment. “I’m not gonna lie—what you’re saying doesn’t sound good. Are you sure you shouldn’t come home?”
There it was. I’d been expecting it.
“I understand where you’re coming from, but I’m not letting this person run my life. Especially when we don’t know for sure he’s here. I know I need to take precautions, but what if he’s trying to frighten me into running back to L.A.?” The possibility hadn’t occurred to me until now, so I unraveled the thread of thought to see where it went. “If he’s over there and can’t follow me for whatever reason—perhaps he can’t afford it, or he has a job or dependent he can’t leave—then making me think he’s here would be a great way to get me to return home.”
“You have a point,” Blair said. “But at least here you’d have support. Over there, you’re on your own.”
“Not quite—” I started to say, but he interrupted.
“Your angry ex doesn’t count.”
“I have Grace too.” I heard the defensiveness in my voice, and I was sure he could as well.
“She’s not a trained personal security professional. Just think about coming back. Please.”
“I’ll consider it.” But I doubted it was going to happen.
“And the others deserve to know what’s going on.”
I groaned. If Mina, Joel, and Jamie heard about the stalker, I’d never get any peace. Mina would want to bubble-wrap me and the twins would go looking for some heads to bust. “I don’t want to worry them.”
“They deserve to know,” he repeated.
“Ugh, fine. Next time I talk to each of them, I’ll mention it. But I’m not calling a virtual family meeting to freak them all out right before Christmas. Deal?”
“I guess so.”
I’d take that begrudging acceptance. “Thanks for calling, Blair. It means a lot to know how much you care.”
“Anytime, Kenz. Look after yourself.”
ChapterNineteen
LIAM
Yesterday would have beenour one-year anniversary. I got drunk off my ass and fell asleep at Asher’s place. When is everything finally going to stop reminding me of you? - Unsent text message from Liam to Kennedy
On the morningof Boxing Day, the last thing I’d expected was to be hours from home, shopping for security equipment. Yet I found myself driving back with a haul worth a good chunk of my savings just before lunch. I’d barely slept the night before because I kept thinking about Kennedy.
Worrying about her, if I was honest.
