“Keys are in the bike,” Sheldon told her.
“Wow. I can’t believe you’re letting me drive it. When do I get to drive the car?”
“Never. Thank you for your help.”
She waved him off. “Just another day in Dremest.”
Sheldon’s eyes met mine. “Ready to go?”
No. “Yes.” I had to get out of here. Reality slapped me in the face with the note and flowers. Flowers the person must have seen getting delivered so they did the same.
I hadn’t put much thought into my privacy. No one had cared what I did before I moved here. In my apartment, I wasn’t at street level and didn’t think much about who could be looking in, or who could hurt me because of the man my brother and best friend were in a relationship with.
Today, that changed. I couldn’t help but wonder what else they’d seen. Had they been watching me since I got the job? Did they see me in my apartment? In my brother’s studio? Were they watching him too? Was this how Hartley and Vail felt being with Jordan? Fuck, I was spiraling.
Sheldon helped me to my feet, drawing me from my thoughts. He kept my hand in his as he took the bag Keith offered and led me into the shop where the Navigator waited behind a door. The sound of a bike revving could be heard on the other side.
I waited for Sheldon to make a smart-ass comment about Kayli and his bike, but he didn’t say a thing. His attention was solely focused on getting me inside the vehicle and him driving us out of here.
Keith opened the bay door. In front of us was another of Jordan’s SUVs. I was sure Micah and Winnie were in it. They pulled away first and we followed. Kayli rode alongside us as another SUV drove behind us.
“Sheldon, I don’t need all of this. It’s not necessary.”
“Yes, you do. You’re mine. Not only that, you’re Hartley’s brother and Vail’s best friend. Jordan doesn’t want anything to happen to you. You’re his family.”
“This is too much. I’m not that important.”
His gaze slid to mine briefly before focusing on the road again. “That’s where you’re wrong. I haven’t been telling you how I feel enough if you doubt how much you mean to me. I’ll rectify that once we’re home. This isn’t a fling or any other just for fun bullshit for me.”
“I know.” I did. My head was all fucked up over what happened. I was afraid, wondering what I was thinking, that I could go to work and not worry about myself. How did one note and a bouquet of flowers upend it all?
“Sometimes all it takes is a trigger,” Sheldon said.
“What?”
“You were fine and then you weren’t. The flowers were the catalyst. It happens to all of us. We go through situations like nothing new happened, then we get triggered. The whole world feels like it’s closing in.” That was precisely what occurred.
Sheldon gave my hand a squeeze as he drove. My eyes swept around us, jumping from vehicle to vehicle and then to the buildings. Could the person after us be in one of the cars around us, pretending to be a regular citizen? Could they be waiting on the street or in one of the buildings? Were they stationed across from Jordan’s, where they could see when we came and went?
“I hate this,” I said.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to have you wrapped up in my shit.” He tried to pull his hand away but I wouldn’t let him.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing? I don’t mean you. I…” Fuck me, did I almost say I love you? How did I fall for Sheldon so fast? “You’re mine too,” I said instead. “Don’t ever pull away from me again.”
23
SHELDON
“Now that Forest is here for good, can I please have you focused on your goddamn job?” Jordan yelled. “You’ve been everywhere but with me. I get it, but enough. Forest is safe. Let’s find this motherfucker before I lose my mind.”
Jordan was mad and rightfully so. I was scattered. After I’d helped Forest settle in the building, I’d driven back to JJ’s shop and spent hours canvassing the area, looking for where the person who was doing this could have been hiding. I didn’t find anything and it frustrated the hell out of me.
Who was I dealing with? I’d killed a lot of people over the years. I was lucky to remember a dozen of them. After a while, they blurred.
“I apologize, sir,” I said to Jordan. “I didn’t mean for my personal life to get involved with my work life.”
He sighed, deeply and dramatically. He was completely done with having these conversations. I was yet another of his guards who had fallen for someone and couldn’t keep everything focused on my job. It was a human reaction. We couldn’t put it aside.
