Cody froze.
“Cody.” Reid’s voice came from the doorway, sharp and controlled.
Cody turned slowly. “Were you going to tell me?”
Reid’s jaw tightened. “I was going to handle it.”
“He hacked me.” Cody’s voice rose. “He’s not just sending letters anymore, Reid—he’s inside my life.”
“It’s being handled. Garrett is good at what he does. He…”
“You didn’t tell me.”
Reid stepped closer. “Because I didn’t want you panicking over something that’s already contained.”
Cody laughed, sharp and humorless. “Contained? He broke into my hotel room and took photographs of me sleeping. He got into my accounts. What part of that feels contained to you?”
Reid stopped a few feet away, every line of his body tense.
“I’m handling it,” he said again, quieter this time.
“That’s not the point,” Cody shot back. “This is my life. You shouldn’t have kept this from me. I have a right to know what’s going on.”
Silence stretched between them.
Then Reid took another step forward.
“You’re right,” he said.
The admission landed heavy.
“Ishouldhave told you,” Reid said. “My instinct was just to eliminate it before it reaches you, before it could upset you.”
Cody’s chest tightened. “You can’t eliminate everything.”
Reid’s eyes went amber, a flash of something primal breaking through. “I know, but I’m going to damn well try.”
The intensity in his voice made Cody’s breath catch.
“I won’t do it again,” Reid said. “I promise.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then Cody said quietly, “He’s getting closer, isn’t he?”
Reid didn’t answer.
And that was answer enough.
Chapter Seven
Cody
The dream didn’t feel like a dream. It felt real.
Cody was back in the hotel room. The same room. The same bed.
The air was wrong—too still, too quiet. Someone was there.
