“Clara, what the fuck happened while I was gone? It’s only been a few weeks.”
“I’ll tell you tonight. But RJ will probably want to install something there, just in case.”
“Shit. That doesn’t sound good.”
“You have no idea.”
“Are you sure you still want to come over?”
“Emma, I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“Okay then. I’ll see you in about an hour and a half, then.”
She hangs up, and I lay there staring at my ceiling yet again. This whole thing is so fucked-up, I can hardly breathe.
I haven’t gotten any more envelopes from Bryce, and somehow, that’s scarier than the surprise threats left on the porch. There’s no way he’s given up. That’s not Bryce’s style.
If he’s quiet, it means he’s onto something bigger. Something that will hurt more, scare me more, endanger the people I love more.
RJ was almost shot, and Bryce seemed so fucking proud of it. Smug. Like he’s winning.
And the stapled and taped curtains of my room tell me that in a lot of ways, he is.
I roll to my feet and head upstairs to find RJ and see what level of security we need for me to spend the night at Emma’s.
Talk about things I never thought I’d have to worry about as a twenty-year-old college student: security systems and alerts, stalking the stalker and moving in pairs.
I wonder who will join us to install the system—RJ won’t be able to go alone. Especially after his last solo outing ended so catastrophically.
Tapping on his door, he calls to let me in, and I slide my new key into the lock, turning it with a satisfying snick. He’s halfway to the door himself, his smile bright when he sees it’s me.
“Sugar, are you getting lonely?”
Closing the door behind me, I walk into his arms, the hug necessary in a bone-deep way. “Not yet. But Emma called andinvited me over for the night. I’m assuming you’ll want to install some kind of security at her place, right?”
He squeezes me a little too tight, then lets go. “You guessed right.”
“Do you need to go shopping?”
“Nah, I got a couple of systems in case I didn’t like the one I installed here. I figured we could use the rejects at the rental properties.”
“Prepared.”
His soft smile is his response.
“In that case, Emma will be here in a little over an hour. Who do you think will be your buddy?”
This causes RJ to sigh and slump down on his bed.
“What?”
“Walker needed some new art supplies—he and Jansen just left together.”
“So, Trips.”
“Yeah.”
I perch on the bed beside him. “Can you do it?”
