Best Friend's Ex Box Set

“Let go of me, Dominic,” I said as evenly as possible, hoping that my voice sounded stronger than I felt.

“I will never let go of you, Ava,” he whispered, as he leaned in close enough that I could feel his breath on my cheek. “And if I can’t have you, then I will make sure that no one else will.”

*****

“Let go of her!” Brian’s voice bounced off the stone walls as he rounded the corner and saw Dominic holding me as I struggled to break free. He pointed his pistol at Dominic and calmly repeated, “Let go of her. Now.”

Shocked that I’d been followed, Dominic let go of my arm and turned to confront my defender, but he took one look at the gun in Brian’s hand and backed away.

“Hey man, don’t shoot,” he immediately switched to the friendly guy-to-guy manner he had when he talked with his buddies, and even laughed a little as he assured my rescuer, “We were just talking about old times.”

“The time for talking is over,” Brian replied as he aimed the pistol at Dominic’s stomach. “It’s time for you to scram.”

“Hey, don’t get your boxers in a bunch, buddy!” Dominic joked as he looked over at me with narrowed eyes, and quietly muttered so that only I could hear him. “This isn’t over yet.”

“Get out of here!” Brian boomed, and Dominic turned and took off, running toward the quad.

As I stood there watching him disappear into the darkness, I heard Brian quietly ask, “I’m guessing that was the ex, right? Are you okay?”

I turned and looked at him for a moment before speaking. “I’m so sorry,” I said quietly as the tears began to well up in my eyes. “I was stubborn and I didn’t believe the threat was real, so I thought I could take care of myself.”

“Hey, hey, hey,” Brian interjected as he patted my shoulder. “It’s all good. I’m fully trained in hide and seek, so I knew I could find you.”

“I know, but I didn’t know he’d be out here following me, too.” I looked up into Brian’s face as I quickly wiped away the few tears that had run down my cheeks. “I feel stupid now.”

“It’s okay, he’s gone and you’re safe,” Brian reassured me. “Do you want to go back to the dorm?”

I considered the question more seriously than I would have a few hours ago, and then said, “No, I don’t feel safe going back to the dorm. At least not until he’s chilled out a bit. He knows where I live, and the last time he showed up there it was ugly.”

“Then let me take you somewhere safe tonight,” he suggested. “We’ll make sure he can’t find you, and then we’ll figure out a plan for how to take care of the threat.”

“Yes, sir, General!” I laughed weakly as I saluted.

“It’s Admiral, and your salute is sloppy,” he deadpanned. “Now, let’s get moving, I’ve got a place in mind, but you’ll probably need to stop and pick up a few things before we head out, right?”

“No, I’m okay,” I said softly. “I know how to travel light.”

“Well, once we get you situated, I can always come back and pick up your things later,” he said as he gently guided me toward the lot where he’d parked his black SUV.

*****

I sat quietly staring out the passenger side window as Brian drove. My mind raced as I tried to figure out what Dominic would do next. Would he actually hurt me? Was he capable of such a thing? I wasn’t sure anymore.

“I’m taking you to a hotel that I know has solid security,” Brian’s voice interrupted my racing thoughts. “I’ve arranged for a suite where I can monitor what’s going on while still giving you some privacy, okay?”

“What? Oh, yeah, that’s fine,” I replied, my thoughts still on what Dominic might do.

“What’s his deal, anyway?” Brian asked. “The guy seems more than a bit obsessed. What happened between the two of you?”

“He was never like this before.” I was annoyed by the question because I couldn’t answer it. “I mean, he’s written notes and called asking me to come back, but he’s never approached me since the breakup and he’s certainly never attacked me. I don’t know what’s gotten into him.”

“There has to be some reason that things have changed,” he mused. “Has something in his life changed recently?”

“How would I know?” I shot back defensively. “I broke up with the guy and we’re not BFFs!”

“I know, but something had to have changed if he’s getting more obsessed with you,” he continued.

“Look, I have no clue what’s going in with Dominic, and if I did, I’d tell you,” I lied. I knew I was dangerously close to spilling the whole story, but I also knew that if I did, Brian would go running back to my father and tell him everything. It wasn’t that I cared so much about whether my father knew or not, it was the fact that I knew if the whole story came out there would be hell to pay, and it would become another way for my father to mani