Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 71212 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71212 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
Gabriel came into the kitchen, concern twisting his normally neutral expression. He filled up the doorway, his broad shoulders nearly up against his earlobes with how tense he must have been.
“Anything?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
“Nothing.” Gabriel came over to me, and for a second, I felt like he was going to reach out for my hand, but he veered off at the last moment and grabbed an empty cup from the clean side of my sink. He poured himself some water, gulping it down like someone who’d just been saved from the desert.
“I feel sick. Violated.” Another shiver shot down the center of my back.
“That’s exactly what he wants you to feel,” Gabriel said. “And that’s exactly why I’m getting us an Airbnb to stay at. It’s no longer safe here.”
I tried to take in another deep breath, but all that managed to sneak past my tightening chest was a wisp of air. I let it out with a rattle. “This is my house. It’s one of the only things I have to my name. I can’t… I can’t let him win.”
“It’s not about winning or losing right now.” Gabriel’s blue eyes held a growing storm in them. It was as if I were seeing the lightning clap against the sky on the distant horizon, hearing the thunder roll in moments later. “It’s about keeping you safe.”
His jaw twitched, the lines that formed his silhouette growing even sharper.
“Gabriel’s right,” Eric said. “It’s not safe here. Not right now.”
The sick feeling in my stomach began to disappear, replaced instead by a sudden and intense sadness. “Why? Why is this shit happening to me?”
Gabriel did reach across the distance that separated us this time. His hand landed on my elbow, squeezing gently, his thumb making tiny circles as his stormy blue eyes worked as lighthouses leading me back to shore. “There isn’t always a reason for everything, Tristan. Random chance created the universe, and random chance drives our lives. Trust me. The shit I’ve seen as a Marine and then as a detective, it makes me realize life just isn’t fair, not to anyone. Sometimes the dice lets you walk away with the bank, and sometimes it wipes you out.
“But, and this I do know, chance always comes back around in your favor. You just have to keep playing the game. You can’t give up.”
His words landed with a sharpness that cut through some of the brain fog currently eating away at my thoughts. He was right. There was nothing I could do in this moment but keep going, keep fighting. And something about Gabriel’s hand still on my elbow helped make that idea even stronger. I was able to take in a deep breath, shaking out the tension in my shoulders with the exhale.
“Okay, let’s get everyone out of here safely, and then I’ll pack, and we can go.”
Gabriel nodded, his blue eyes scanning me as if searching for any sign of physical harm. Like he wasn’t just my bodyguard but my doctor, ready to tend to any wounds.
Unfortunately for me, these wounds were the invisible kind. The ones that were the hardest to treat. I looked to Noah and Eric, both of whom appeared stoic, even though I could tell the fear hadn’t spared them, either. Noah fidgeted with his bracelet, and Eric was rolling his fisted hands in a circle, both telltale signs that my best friends were anxious, and they had good reason to be.
The rest of the night became a blur. We decided to have everyone leave all at once and to take the long routes home, just in case they picked up any unwanted tailgaters on the way. I had everyone call me the second they arrived back to their place, gratefully answering their calls as I rushed around my bedroom, tossing clothes and device chargers and toiletries all into one big suitcase. It started to hit me as I zipped the overflowing suitcase up, realizing that this wasn’t me packing for a trip to London or the Bahamas—this was me packing so that I could run for my life.
And being back in my bedroom… knowing this creep had likely been inside here while I was sleeping, the rain machine blocking out any sounds of footsteps or doors creaking open—it chilled me to the bone. Even with all the lights turned on, I still jumped at every shadow. I had Gabriel open the closet for me, and I couldn’t put my feet near the bottom of the bed, even though I’d already checked to see that it was empty.
I just couldn’t trust my own bedroom. My own house. I couldn’t trust anything.
Except for Gabriel. He tried to help me pack but stepped aside after I nearly trampled over him running around my room. Of course, I needed to bring books, so I went to the bookshelf and grabbed a couple that were highest on my to-be-read list. I looked up at the hanging plant that dropped her green leaves down the soft brown wood of the bookshelf.