“Alright.” I got up and went to the door, pausing briefly. I wanted to say something to her. Something to make her feel better, but the words were stuck and I didn’t think they would help. So, I said, “Please lock the door behind me, and lock your windows.”
She said, “Yep,” as I left without looking back.
I spent the rest of the night working out the details of the security plan and fired it off to Cass in an email. Thankfully,he replied, “Great work. Let me know if anything significant changes or there’s a break in the case.”
I replied with my usual, “Will do,” and thought about it for a while. I wanted to catch the guy and wondered if it was the same guy at Velvet Arrow. I felt bad for not thinking of it sooner and blamed myself for being too focused on me and Serayah. I decided to bring it up to Serayah as soon as possible, and I was determined to not let our past get in the way of her safety.
Chapter 5
Serayah
“Girl, what are you mad about?” Tasha asked as she filed her nails. “You got dicked down in a club by a literalKingding-a-ling who saved your life once already. Now he’s your bodyguard and you’re mad?”
Tasha had no filter whatsoever, but that’s what I loved about her. “Tash, that’s not the point. This whole bodyguard thing is a terrible idea. What are the fucking odds thathewould be my bodyguard? What if our one-night stand gets him in trouble at work? Or it gets serious?”
Tasha laughed. “Sounds like fate stepping in to me but think what you want. Heartline is the best security around. I’ve heard great things from my cousin. Trust the process, girl. You can’t be havin’ some psycho messing with you.”
I pulled my hair into a ponytail and said, “Yeah, okay. I’ll trust the process. Listen, I’m going out for a run. Ihaterunning.”
“Then why are you doin’ it?”
I shrugged. “Because…exercise.”
She laughed her loud Tasha laugh and said, “Babe, the only place I’m running to is the bathroom. Besides, I can think of a much better exercise for you, and it involves a muscle man.”
“Tasha! I’m done. I’m out. Lock up when you leave.”
***
When I came out of the elevator to the lobby, Mack was standing there. “Ms. Flores,” he greeted with a nod of his head.
I showed him a quick, pleasant grin and kept walking toward the front door. When I walked outside, the cool air hit me, and I took a deep breath. It was late January and the air was crisp, but not cold enough that I couldn’t go for a run. There wasn’t any snow or ice on the ground either, so it was a perfect day to clear my head and jog it out.
Looking down at my watch, I set the timer and picked my playlist. I loved running toLysander. The piano was peaceful and kept me focused, almost in a trance-like state. I took off running and was thinking about everything that had happened since my book signing. The crazy guy at the end of the book signing. Getting attacked that night in the club. Returning home to find those photos of me.
It was all a bit much, and I didn’t know who was doing it. Was the guy who attacked me the same one from my signing? Was that possible? I wish I could’ve seen his face that night in the parking lot, but everything happened so fast. Either way, I felt like a fool for not thinking of it sooner and made a mental note to tell King about it when I got back.
I slowed down and finally stopped to catch my breath a bit. How far I’d ran, I didn’t know, but I wasn’t familiar with the neighborhood and needed to start making my way back. To cool down, I started walking, and that’s when I realized there was aslow-moving black car behind me. My heart rate ratcheted up, worried that it was whoever sent me those pictures.
What if itwasthe guy who attacked me in the parking lot? I looked over my shoulder and started walking faster. The car moved faster with me. Finally, I started running, and that’s when I ran into what felt like a brick wall. Someone put their arms around me, so I closed my eyes, screamed, and punched their chest.
“Ms. Flores! Stop, it’s me, King!”
Finally, I calmed down and said, “Fuck!!! Someone is following me in that black car,” pointing to the car parked a short distance away.
“It’s…I’m sorry. That’s Mack. He was just following closely to make sure nothing happened to you.”
I was angry. “Where the fuck didyoucome from? And I thoughthewas in the lobby.”
King took a step back and said, “Chase took his spot in the lobby to give Mack’s feet a break. They rotate every hour. When you stopped to take a breather, I got out of the car and stood over there.” He pointed to the tree not far from us. “I just wanted a different angle since Mack was in the car.”
I let out a breath and shook my head. “I just wanted to go for a run without freaking out. Are you guys seriously going to follow me and every move I make?” I did hire them for that, but it was jarring to see it in play.
King stood there with his hands together in front of him. “It’s our job, Ms. Flores. Itwouldbe helpful if we talked about your schedule for the day or week so neither of us is caught off guard.”
I absolutely hated that he was calling me Ms. Flores. “Well, speaking of the schedule, there’s a Valentine’s Ball that I’ve regretfully already committed to at The Gilded Hart Hotel tonight. They asked if I’d be alocal celebrityin attendance.”
“No problem. We’ll be nearby to make sure nothing happens to you.” King was stone-faced.
