He took my wrists in a gentle grip and looked down at my bandaged hands.
That muscle in his cheek danced, then it did it again.
Oh boy.
“Battle, honey, I’m fine,” I stated. “Really. But I’d like to know what’s happening.”
His gaze lifted to mine and he said one word.
“Chelsea.”
I gasped.
Prue gasped.
“What on earth?” Chassie whispered from where she was tucked with Christian’s arm circling her shoulders against his side.
“She hired someone to mess with Vivi,” Christian shared.
I pulled my hands from Battle’s hold and snapped, “Oh my God! Seriously?”
“He’s been watching you for a few days,” Christian said. “Getting your habits down. He crept up to the house, locked the door you usually use. He cut the electricity and phone line to the studio, doing that just to spook you, but also to get you out of the studio. And when you took off, he stalked you. As he was ordered to do.”
“This will be explained,” Battle said dangerously Harry and Scotty’s way.
Both had hangdog faces.
Both nodded.
I’d have a word with Battle later about Scotty and Harry. They weren’t responsible for this, and they couldn’t be expected to have a mind meld with every inch of The Downs so they knew when there was an intruder.
But that wasn’t for now.
I should have known from the way she was staring hatred at us at the wedding reception that Chelsea would pull something.
But this?
The woman was deranged.
“How did you see Vivi?” Chassie asked Christian.
“I was up late, working on my paper,” he told her. “Good luck, I was looking out the window when I saw a shadow trying to get into the armory. I couldn’t tell who it was, until I went out. Then I saw it was someone chasing Vivi in the rain.”
At this moment, I realized my mistake at allowing Chassie to request the story before I calmed my man down, because hearing Christian say that, Battle prowled to the teapot, picked it up, and hurled it violently into the fireplace, shattering it with splashes of the remains of the tea wetting the stone.
It was probably Limoges or something.
Yikes.
“That bloody, fucking cunt!” he exploded.
I moved to him to put a soothing hand on his back. “It’s okay. I’m okay, honey.”
He turned furious eyes to me. “It is not okay, Vivienne. It’s fucked up.”
It was that.
“But I’m fine and the bad guy was caught,” I reminded him.
