Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 90164 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 451(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90164 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 451(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
All the men are on their feet, gesturing for me to stop. Even Remington has climbed to his feet, but his jaw is firmly set as he watches me through those hazel eyes, and I hate how frustrated he looks.
“Why don’t you sit,” Chase suggests, “and tell us what happened? I need to know so I can put out an APB in case this asshole has decided to come here. I’ve already spoken with your uncle Matt in Seattle, and he’s given me some solid information. But it’s always best to get it straight from the horse’s mouth.”
I have to talk about it all over again, is all I can think to myself as I lower into the chair, and someone passes me a glass of water. I pause, take a sip of the water, and play with a string on my dress as I think about where to begin. My gaze finds Remington’s, and I wish that coldness in his eyes would go away.
“I was twenty,” I begin. “In college. I started getting stupid messages on social media. Look, my dad is a famous football player and still works closely with the team. Not to mention, I have all kinds of famous people in my family, so it’s not unusual to get some weird messages or comments from time to time. You learn to ignore it. One thing that’s true is, people are really brave when they’re behind their phone or a computer screen, you know?”
“Sure,” Chase says with a nod. “Sounds reasonable.”
“It evolved into getting flowers where I worked. Blood-red roses.” I can’t resist the shiver of disgust that rolls through me. “And the card always said something like, You look beautiful today, or Wow, you smell great.”
“Creepy as fuck,” Millie whispers, and I nod over at her. “And that’s why when the flowers came for you yesterday, and I said Rem is sweet, you ran out like you’d been stung by a bee.”
“I knew they weren’t from Remington,” I whisper and close my eyes, completely mortified. “I’d told him I like daffodils, and he hadn’t even seen me that day. He didn’t know what I looked like.”
“What does that have to do with it?” Ryan asks.
“This time, it was the You look beautiful today message,” I reply. “We found out much later, after he was caught and was in questioning, that he liked to be nearby when I got the deliveries so he could watch my face when I read the card.”
“Fuck,” Brady mutters, shaking his head.
“He’d worked up this whole imaginary life in his head. He was convinced that I was his girlfriend and that Will Montgomery would be his father-in-law.”
“So, he’s a little obsessed with your dad, too,” Remington adds, and I nod.
“For sure. But I’m the one he’s convinced is his.” I take a drink of water. “The way he watched me in court when I was giving my testimony was repulsive. He smiled and watched me with heart eyes, as if I were his soulmate.”
“How did they catch him?” John asks.
“I got a text from what I thought was my sister’s phone. She asked me if I could pick her up from a party because everyone else was drinking, and she didn’t want Mom and Dad to freak. I knew she was going to that party, so I said, Of course, no problem. Just shoot me the address.” I lick my lips and have to grip my hands together because they want to shake.
After all this time, I feel like I’m going to lose my shit.
“I put the address into the GPS and drove over there, and all the lights in the house were on. There was even loud music coming from inside.”
“The fucker made it look like there was a party going on,” Brady says.
“Yep. So I wouldn’t question it. I texted her and said, I’m here, come on out. And she replied with, Just come inside for a sec.”
I have to take another drink of water.
“It’s okay,” Millie croons, rubbing my back. “Take your time. We’re not in a hurry.”
“It’s best if I just get it all out.” I sniff and puff out a breath. “So, that was weird to me, that message from Zoey. She never would have said that, and I suddenly got a weird feeling in my gut. It was almost as if someone was yelling in my head, screaming, ‘This is not safe!’, you know?”
“Yeah,” Ryan says, nodding. “I know.”
“I think we all know that voice,” Millie says. “Especially women. Tell me you listened.”
“I called Zoey. I didn’t text her. I just called her, and she picked up. I said, ‘I’m here, dude. Just come outside already.’ And she was confused. I knew. I immediately knew, and before I could put the car in gear to leave, he was standing in front of me, and he ran around to my door and opened it.”