Bianca was doing the same with her bottomless tote bag.
Suddenly, she stopped.
“Chayton?”
Hell. He could hear that tone in her voice. The one that said she was about to take a stand.
Telling a woman as determined as his Bianca that you were about to disrupt her life wasn’t going to be a piece of cake. Yes, she’d seemed to accept it, but he should have known things were going too smoothly.
“Chay. I cannot do this.”
“Can’t do what?” he said, as if he had no idea what she was talking about, when, of course, he did.
He started towards the closet. She stepped in front of him, effectively barring his way. “I cannot simply leave New York.”
“Bianca.” A muscle flickered in his jaw. “We’ve been all through this. You’re not safe here.”
She caught her bottom lip between her teeth. A couple of seconds went by. Then, to his relief, she nodded.
“No, maybe not. But I can’t simply leave for the West Coast.”
He moved around her, took a couple of shirts from the closet, walked back to the carry-on and placed them in it.
“Because?”
“Because…” She threw out her arms. “I have responsibilities.”
“Such as?”
“ I have appointments with patients.”
“Reschedule them.”
“I have to collate the data from my study.”
“You have your laptop. You can work wherever you are.”
“Well, yes. But—but—but—”
“But what?” he said. Stay calm, he told himself, but how could he? “Goddammit, we’re talking about a maniac, and you’re worried about appointments and notes?”
“You think I do not understand this? That someone wishes to turn my existence inside out? That someone hates me enough to—to want to hurt me?”
Shit.
Chay leaned over his carry-on, caught hold of her chin and kissed her.
“I’m sorry, baby. Of course you understand. But you also have to understand what I’m telling you, that there is no other way to end this thing except to keep you safe while I figure out who this crazy son of a bitch is.”
She nodded. “I know.” Her eyes met his. “The thing is, I cannot think of anyone who would do this to me.”
“No one?”
“No one.”
He’d been waiting to ask her that question, but she’d already been through so much that he’d intended to wait until they were on the plane, heading away from here.
“Think back, honey,” he said gently. “Do you have enemies?”