“This is really bad, Desiree. If they’re sending guys to your place, you know what that means,” Sammi said, her voice getting louder and higher as she spiraled further into completely freaking out over the situation.

“Yes,” I said. “I know what it means, which is why I’m here with Aiden. They found me there, but they aren’t going to track me down all the way out here.”

“I don’t know if that’s enough,” she said. “I really don’t. You should let me call my father. He can get some of his guys, and they will…”

“No,” I said, cutting her off before she could go any further into what her father and his men would do if they got involved. “We’re not getting them wrapped up in this. I’ve spent my life trying to get away from this life. I’m not going to combat it by getting in deeper.”

“You don’t have to get involved. You just let me get them involved. Then you don’t actually have anything to do with it,” she said. “They can protect you, Desiree. They can find out exactly what’s going on and who is doing what and make sure you are safe.”

“I’m safe here. Aiden will take care of me,” I said. “I really don’t want to bring any more drama into this. It’s already enough of a mess.”

My best friend wasn’t going to let it go that easily. She continued to argue with me until I finally agreed to just have her father and his men on standby just in case. I never intended on having them be a part of it, but it made Sammi feel better.

I hated everything about the entire situation. I just wanted it to go away.

Brett got back about an hour after I got off the phone. I was curled in Aiden’s arms, watching something on TV. I didn’t even know what it was. It was going in through my eyes and totally missing any of the parts of my brain that would actually process it. That didn’t matter. All I cared about was being curled up tight against the one person that made me feel safe.

Brett came into the room with several bulging bags hanging from his fingers.

“I hope I picked out the right things,” he said. “I did my best with the list you gave me.”

I took the bags and peered inside them. From what I could see, everything looked perfect. It seemed luxurious just to have the option of thinking something was or was not good enough. At that point, I was in a dire situation, but it looked like Brett had really gone out of his way to make sure I had everything I needed and wanted.

“This all looks amazing. Thank you so much. This was incredible of you, and I don’t know how to even begin to tell you how much I appreciate you,” I said.

“No problem,” Brett said. “Like I told you, I’ll do anything I can to help.”

I scooped the bags up close to my chest and scurried off to the bedroom so I could change. As the fabric settled over me, I felt calm, thrilled to change into new, fresh clothes.

17

Aiden

A week had passed since the event at Desiree’s house, and things had gotten a little tense. It was to be expected, I would assume, considering how much stress she was under, but it had built up in the house like a wall of smoke. She was scared and hurt and angry. There was no other outlet than me, and it meant days of built-up tension.

I would wake up in the morning and start breakfast for her, oftentimes finding her awake in the bed, tears in her eyes. Sometimes she would be quiet and distant, other times overly chatty, like she was convincing herself that everything was okay. But I knew better. I had seen people in the most pressure-filled situations, people teetering on the brink of sanity.

Hell, I had been one of those people.

She wasn’t okay, and as the days went by, it became increasingly clear. She was stressed out, worried, confused, and terrified. Her ability to function like a normal person had been ripped from her. She was essentially a voluntary captive in my home. She chose to be here, but it wasn’t like she could leave.

She was stuck, and while things had boiled over between us once, there was no promise that it would happen again. I told her I would protect her, and I meant it. Brett was willing to do whatever he could as well. But that meant that for now, romance needed to be on hold. I would hold her and comfort her. I would even sleep beside her in the bed. But for right now, I had to let go of any notions of building a relationship. Not while this was going on. I needed to be clear-headed.

Tags: Natasha L. Black Romance
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