I wasn’t comfortable with the direction the conversation was taking. I had agreed with Chanel that we didn’t need to tell anyone yet, until we figured out what we were and what we expected from each other. That still held true.
“Listen, whatever you need to get through this, let me know. I’ll pay all your medical bills too. I just . . . I needed to make sure that you were okay.”
“What about . . . her? Is she okay with that?”
“Chanel was the one who encouraged me to come and helped me make arrangements to get here.”
A weak smile trembled on her lips as she stated, “You’re lucky to have her, I guess.”
“Give yourself a chance to be loved.”
She nodded. “Look at your inner circle, Ashton.”
I stood, leaned over her bed, and kissed her forehead. I had been thinking she was behind the physical attacks on Chanel and me, but it was clear to me that she wasn’t. I had a strange feeling that I needed to return to Chanel’s side.
“You be good, and I pray that you’ll get well soon. They’ve got APD’s finest right outside of your room.”
“Yeah, I’ve been told.”
“You also have a personal bodyguard assigned to you until they catch this person.”
“Why?”
“Because I meant it, Zoe. I don’t want anything happening to you.”
“You be careful out there, Ashton.”
“I will, Zoe. Take care.”
I headed out of the room and made the phone call after I departed the elevator. “Hey, Sal.”
“Yeah?”
“I know that I called you back yesterday and told you to let shit go with her. I need you back on her. She’s at New Mercy now. I’ll send you all the details. Can you cover her without being seen?”
“You already know the answer to that. Send me the details, and she’ll be covered.”
I ended the call and headed out to catch a cab back to the airport. I hadn’t planned on leaving as soon as I had, but I couldn’t ignore the sensation that I needed to be at home.
“No,boo. I want to know what’s going on between you two. You don’t just run away with a man you barely know because someone is stalking you. I mean, come on, Ci-Ci, you’re not even telling your parents where you are.”
“It’s safer for everyone this way, and I assure you that we’re just friends.”
“The way that your voice rose in that high pitch is saying something different. Did he lick, stick, or both?”
“Damn, girl. You must be horny, because you’re all between my legs.”
Sabrina giggled. “No, ma’am. My business is being handled, but according to reputable internet sources, so is yours.”
“Please. Don’t start with that crap. I’m so tired of what everyone on the internet has to say.”
“So are you going to tell me that there’s not a grain of truth in any of it?”
“Sabrina, you’ve been my best friend forever.”
“Which is why I know that you wouldn’t be hiding out with that man and nothing is going on.”
“Okay, I have feelings for him. All right? But the type of man that Ashton is, he wouldn’t cheat on his wife. He wouldn’t pull me into the mess between them while they were divorcing.”
