"Trust you?" I laughed bitterly, crossing my arms over my chest. "You vanish without a word and then show up in my apartment unannounced, and you expect me to trust you? You've got to be kidding me, Grant."
"Please, Erica," he pleaded, desperation etched on his face. "I know I don't deserve your trust right now, but if you just give me a chance, I promise everything will make sense."
"Make sense?" I muttered under my breath, my thoughts racing. What could he possibly know that would explain our connection and his sudden disappearance?
"Grant, why are you even here?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. "I thought you were gone for good. Damon told me that you had disappeared."
"I wasn't planning on coming back so soon," he admitted, running his fingers through his dirty blond hair. "But I heard about you publicly claiming Liam last night. I had to come."
"Is that what this is all about?" I scoffed, crossing my arms over my chest. "You're just jealous of Liam?" Grant laughed bitterly, the sound echoing through my apartment.
"Jealous? Erica, I have nothing to be jealous of when it comes to Liam. He's caused enough trouble already."
"Trouble?" I repeated, my brows knitting together in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"Erica, please," Grant begged, his eyes pleading with me. "Publicly unclaim Liam. You don't know what you've got yourself into."
"Grant, you're not making any sense," I snapped, my patience wearing thin.
He paced my apartment like a caged animal, the muscles in his arms flexing with each step. "There's so much at stake, and they're watching us. The things I've discovered... Erica, you need to trust me." As he rambled on, I tried to make sense of his words, but they seemed to slip through my fingers like sand. What secrets could he possibly hold that would put me in danger? Why was he so insistent on getting me away from Liam?
"Who are 'they', Grant?!" I demanded, my voice cracking under the weight of my frustration.
"Erica..." he hesitated, looking at me with a mix of anguish and desperation. "I can't tell you everything right now. But you have to believe me when I say that your life is in danger."
"From who?" I asked, my heart pounding in my chest. "Liam?"
"No," he whispered, shaking his head. "Not Liam. But claiming him has put you in their crosshairs."
“What Crosshairs,” I asked, “Grant, what are you talking about?”
The flicker of excitement in Grant's eyes was unsettling, like a storm brewing on the horizon.
"Erica," he said, his voice barely containing the urgency he felt. "I know you said no, but if you leave with me right now, I can keep you safe. It's what I've always been meant to do."
"Safe?" I scoffed, my heart racing at the intensity in his gaze. "What are you talking about? You’re not making sense."
"Look," he said, swallowing hard. "I'll explain everything once we're out of here. But trust me when I say that staying here with Liam isn't safe anymore."
"Are you talking about your pack?" I asked, trying to piece together his cryptic words.
"No, that place isn't safe either," he replied, shaking his head. "We need to go somewhere they won't find us."
Before I could respond, Grant darted into my bedroom and grabbed one of my bags from the closet. He began frantically shoving clothes inside, his movements growing more erratic by the second.
"I know where we can lie low," he continued, his voice almost breathless. "And I know how to get you out of this territory without being noticed."
"Grant, stop!" I shouted, my chest tightening with anxiety and confusion. "I can't just leave with you. I love Liam, and despite everything, I don't want to leave him behind."
"Erica, please!" Grant's voice was frantic, his agitation growing as he grabbed my wrist, yanking me out of the bedroom and into the main living area. "I'm trying to protect you!"
"Grant, you're hurting me," I choked out, wincing as his grip tightened. But it seemed as if he wasn't even listening.
"Taking you away from here is the only way I can keep you safe," he insisted, repeating his plea over and over like a broken record. I could sense the desperation behind his words, but it only served to fuel my anger and confusion.
"Let go of me!" I demanded, tears streaming down my cheeks. But before he could comply, the door to the apartment burst open with a bang that echoed through the room like a gunshot.
Liam stood in the doorway, his face contorted with rage as his eyes locked onto Grant's hand clamped around my wrist. Time seemed to slow as his gaze flicked between us, taking in the scene.
