Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 27767 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 139(@200wpm)___ 111(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27767 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 139(@200wpm)___ 111(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
Brian scoffs, shaking his head. "You should be. Because if I ever catch you anywhere near Blair again, I'll fucking end you."
With that, Brian grabs the stalker's collar and hauls him out of the coffee shop. I can hear them scuffling outside and the sounds of a fight. My heart is in my throat, and I can barely breathe.
A moment later, Brian comes back inside. He isn’t even disheveled, but he looks darkly triumphant, and I know the stalker has gotten his due.
"Get in the car, Blair. I have a few things to take care of and I expect you to be waiting patiently for me back at the penthouse." His voice is rough and annoyed. My stomach is churning with nerves, and I'm all too aware that I’ve made a big mistake, but what can I do now except obey?
With tears in my eyes, I exit the coffee shop and find Brian’s driver waiting. I slide into the backseat, and as the car pulls out into the street, I lower my face into my hands and sob.
8
BRIAN
“You have no idea what you're getting yourself into, you fucking idiot," I growl, shoving him away from me.
The stalker is a college-age kid, probably someone who used to work in the mailroom or something at the company. The kind of person who's so bitter they would try to ruin an innocent woman's reputation.
"Who are you to tell me what to do, anyway?" the kid sneers.
I chuckle, shaking my head. "Blair is mine. You don't fucking touch what's mine."
His face pales. He's finally realizing he fucked with the wrong man. I crack my knuckles and roll my shoulders, preparing to beat the shit out of the fucker.
"If you ever come near Blair again, I'll end you," I say and land a solid punch to his jaw.
The kid stumbles back but doesn't fall. He wipes the blood from his mouth and glares at me. "Fuck you." He spits and lunges forward, swinging his fist wildly.
I dodge the punch easily and deliver a blow to his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. The kid crumples to the ground, and I stand over him, resisting the urge to kick him when he’s down.
"This is your last chance," I say. "Stay the fuck away from Blair. Next time, you won’t walk away.”
He coughs and nods, and I turn and walk away, leaving him broken and bloody on the sidewalk.
Now that he's taken care of, it's time to go back home and take care of someone else—Blair who, if she's a good girl, will be waiting for me to return. Getting an alert from the tracker I slipped into her backpack that she had left on her own had put me on alert immediately. Something instinctual told me she was in danger, and I've never been more unhappy to be right.
While racing to the coffee shop, the tech guy I had put on the case of the stalker calls to tell me he has news. Blair, connected to the penthouse internet, had logged into her emails. This allowed him to see both the email she had received earlier this week and the one she had gotten just a few hours before telling her to meet at the coffee shop.
I'm pissed, but I can't be surprised. I was hiding things from her too. Most glaringly, that I’ve been putting things into motion to make sure she never moves back into her apartment. But I was doing it for her own good, and I would have told her the truth if the situation had gone down differently.
The point is, she needs a firm hand. Someone who will hold her accountable and keep her safe, even if it means making decisions without her knowledge.
Once I arrive at the penthouse, I take a deep breath and enter the elevator, steeling myself for what's to come. No matter how many deep breaths I take, I'm fuming. Fucking fuming. But seeing her in one piece waiting for me in the center of my penthouse foyer makes a wave of relief course through me. God, when I thought she might be hurt...
"What the hell were you thinking meeting that prick alone?" I bite out. "He's been making threats all week and you think the right move is going alone?!"
Blair's throat bobs as she swallows, tears forming in her beautiful eyes. "I just wanted it to be over. I wanted things to be easy for us."
"Well things didn't go easily now, did they, Blair?" I curse under my breath, stepping away from her and folding my hands behind my neck. I can still feel the soreness on my knuckles from knocking the kid out. I could have broken him if we hadn't been out in public. "Now I've got to pay off the cops, I'm sure, and we still don't know why he was bothering you."