Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 58342 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 292(@200wpm)___ 233(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58342 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 292(@200wpm)___ 233(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
He’s always been overprotective. Partly because it’s just who he is and partly because our dad died when Dalton was thirteen and I was ten. For the past sixteen years, Dalton has tried to be a big brother who fills as much of the space left behind by our dad’s loss as he can, and I love him for that.
“I’ll go to the police when I get home,” I assure him. “And I’ll--”
“You’re not going home.”
I pinch my brows together in a skeptical look. “Yes, I am. My flight leaves at six twenty tomorrow morning.”
“You’re flying out of a small private airport as soon as I drop you off there. One of my teammates is going with you and he’ll take you to my place in Minneapolis and stay with you until I get home.”
My jaw drops. “No, absolutely not.”
“I’d take you myself, but I have team captain shit tonight I can’t miss. Interviews and stuff. Lincoln’s my best friend on the team, I’d trust him with my life.”
“It’s not about you taking me or not taking me, I have to get home to prep for the launch.”
He folds his arms across his chest and frowns. “You’ve told me you can work remotely.”
My laugh is laced with the stress I’m feeling. “Not twenty-three days before a launch.”
“You’ll have to figure it out.” He shrugs. “I’m not letting you go back home with this guy getting ballsier and ballsier about stalking you. I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night.”
I bury my face in my hands. “What if I told you it’s not actually about you?”
“The fuck it’s not. You’re my sister.”
“Dalton—” I give him an imploring look and he slices a hand through the air dismissively.
“You aren’t moving in with me or anything, okay? This might only be for a day or two. Once the cops in Chicago find him and have a talk with him, you can go back home.”
I stand, coming face to face with him, torn between aggravation and affection for my stubborn brother. “I can go home anytime I want because I’m a twenty-six-year-old adult.”
He groans. “Just do this, Trin. Please. For me. I’m really worried about you.” When I don’t answer right away, he adds, “You know I’m right. It’s not normal for a man to follow you to fucking Alaska when you went out with him a couple of times in October.”
I exhale heavily, hating to admit he’s right. The timing couldn’t be worse, but Dalton is saying out loud what I’ve been denying for a while; I need to take Ronan’s actions more seriously, whether it’s convenient for me or not.
“Fine. But I can’t stay more than a few days, and I mean that. I have to be in the office all week next week. I’m compromising now and I need you to be open to compromising too.”
He considers. “I could always hire private security for you. We’ll work it out.”
I glance down at my watch. “When did you say we have to be at the airport?”
“There’s a private plane and pilot on standby for us. Linc’s meeting us there.”
I pick up my cell phone from the desk. “Let me text my coworkers about my overbearing brother cutting off our meeting and then I’ll pack my stuff.”
“I’ll pack for you.” He starts toward my open suitcase on the king-size bed.
“No.” I say it firmly. “You’ll manhandle my stuff.”
“Have you told Mom about your stalker?”
I scoff and look up from my phone screen. “What do you think? If I’d told her, you’d know about it.”
“She’s gonna flip her shit and fly straight to Chicago with her baseball bat.”
His mention of our mom’s “security system”—an old, solid wood baseball bat—when we were growing up makes me laugh. I don’t doubt that Maria Lorenzo—all one hundred and twenty pounds of her--really could use that thing to take out someone who was threatening one of her children. I got my hazel eyes, strong work ethic and functional anxiety from her.
Well, mostly functional. If my mom flew in from her Tampa retirement community because she was worried about the Ronan thing and stayed for more than two weeks, my anxiety would skyrocket. I love her more than anything, but the way she reorganizes my apartment and nags me about not dating makes me crazy after several days.
I text my work team, then quickly pack my belongings that are scattered around the room. Dalton shakes his head as he picks up my full suitcase.
“Did you really need all this for a two-night trip?”
“I didn’t know how cold it would be.”
He points at my boots, his brow furrowed. “I don’t think you were worried about the cold when you bought those.”
I glance at my suede Jimmy Choo ankle boots, purchased with a work bonus a few months ago. “These are lined with shearling. They’re warm.”