“Did something happen at dinner last night? Did Luke overstep? Because I can put a stop to that shit in a heartbeat,” I said.
“Rhett, come on. You’re not my personal bodyguard,” Chanel said.
“Chanel, just tell him. He might be able to help.”
If Ana was trying to whisper, it wasn’t a very good one. Anger clouded Chanel’s eyes as my gaze darted between the two girls. Ana’s back was now straight and leaning over the table, gazing hard into Chanel’s eyes. She was trying to wear her down. She was trying to get her to talk.
“You know you can tell me anything, right?” I asked. “At the very least, I can be an unbiased opinion.”
“You’re hardly unbiased in this situation,” Chanel said.
“What situation? Let me determine that for myself,” I said.
“Tell him,” Ana said. “Or I will.”
“You promised,” Chanel said.
“I promised I wouldn’t go to the captain. But he’s a trained Navy SEAL. If anything, he can keep you safe on the rest of this trip. Especially after the second letter this morning” Ana said.
“Safe? Chanel, what’s going on?” I asked.
“Rhett, it’s really—”
“Chanel.”
Her eyes wh
ipped up to me as Ana turned her gaze toward my profile. I hadn’t used that voice on her in years, but occasionally it had to happen. Chanel caved in on herself whenever things became too much. It was a defense mechanism. She would push people away, hoping to alleviate the stress she was under. It took a harsh voice and a calm hand to draw her out of that place, but I was determined to do it. With what Ana was saying, it sounded like she might be in danger, and I wanted to know why.
Chanel sighed as she turned her body toward me. Her tired eyes hooked onto mine as tears rose in her gaze. I held my hand out for her, and she took her, her small hand slipping delicately into mine. I curled my fingers around it and pulled her closer, our feet intertwining underneath the table.
Then I braced for the story she had for me.
With each word that left her lips, I grew angrier. These letters were fucking preposterous, and I couldn’t believe she wasn’t telling anyone about them. They were grotesque and threatening. Someone was clearly trying to frighten her for their own gain. They wanted her to themselves and they weren’t happy that she’d been spending her time with me. And I had a pretty fucking good idea who it was. I was pissed beyond reason. Not only because Chanel was being threatened, but also because someone had been intruding on our very private moments.
I let Chanel keep talking, the hand that wasn’t holding hers flexing and tightening in my lap. I wanted to beat someone to a bloody pulp.
“You got another one this morning?” I asked.
“Yeah,” she said breathlessly. “And it’s bad.”
“What did it say?” I asked.
A tear fell down Chanel’s cheek as I squeezed her hand.
“It said that I was going to be his whether I wanted to be or not.”
“What?” I asked, my mouth going dry and my heart hammering in my chest.
“Tell him about the doors,” Ana said.
“The doors?” I asked.
“The letter went on to say that there weren’t any locks on any of the doors in this place that would protect me from him,” Chanel said.
I felt my blood boiling as my muscles shook with anger.
“There’s more,” Ana said.