Chapter Fifteen
L exi
“You're kidding me!” Amelia's eyes sparkle with amusement over her coffee cup. “He actually said that? Christening every inch?”
Heat floods my cheeks as I pick at my club sandwich. I’m not sure why I told her that. It just sort of slipped out. “He did.”
“Oh, honey.” She leans back in the vinyl booth, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. “I might just have to put that in a book.”
I can't help but laugh.
Having lunch with Amelia at Dori's is exactly what I needed to distract myself from Shawn being gone. If I didn’t already love him so much I’d hate myself for being one of those women. It’s only been twenty-four hours and I don’t know what to do with myself.
“Speaking of books,” I rub my hands together, “how's the new one coming along?”
“Actually...” She glances around the diner before lowering her voice. “That's part of why I wanted to meet. I was hoping you might let me pick your brain about your experience being an ol’ lady. You know, for character research.” She waggles her brows.
I blurt out a laugh. She’s full of it. The ol’ ladies in her books are phenomenal. Seriously! Her Ghosttown series are the bomb.
Before I can say as much, my phone buzzes on the table and my heart leaps as I pick it up, hoping it's Shawn.
My excitement plummets when I see it’s just another one of the weird emails I’ve been getting.
“Everything okay?” Amelia asks, picking up on my disappointment.
“Yeah, it’s just...” I hesitate for a moment before deciding to confide in her. “I've been getting these weird emails. They're probably nothing, but—” What I don’t say is how they started at the same time of the ordeal with my rental that went to shit.
“But your gut is telling you otherwise?” She sets down her coffee cup, all traces of her earlier playfulness gone.
I nod. “Ever since that jerk Randall Brodrick scammed me, I've been jumpy about every little thing.”
“Have you told Easy?”
“No.” I fidget with my phone. “He's got enough to worry about, and the last thing I want is him thinking I can't handle being alone for two days.”
Amelia's expression turns serious. “Lexi, honey, that's exactly the kind of thing you should tell your man about. These men—they need to know everything. Even the small stuff.”
I know she’s right, but I feel like since the second I knocked on Shawn’s door, he’s been taking care of me. I don’t want to be a burden on him.
“It's probably nothing,” I repeat, not sure if I’m trying to convince her or myself.
The bell above the diner door chimes, and I glance up to see Trigg walking in. He gives me a subtle nod before taking a seat at the counter, where he can keep an eye on the entrance and our booth.
“Your shadow seems dedicated,” Amelia observes.
I roll my eyes. “Easy's orders. He thinks John might—” The words die in my throat when my phone buzzes again. This time, when I look at the screen, my blood runs cold.
Unknown: I know where you are, princess. Did you really think you could hide from me?
The message is from an unknown number, but I know it’s John because of the pet name.
“Lexi?” Amelia's voice sounds far away. “You look like you've seen a ghost.”
My hands are shaking so badly that I almost drop my phone when I hand it to her. She reads the message quickly, her face hardening.
“Okay, here's what we're going to do.” She hands me back my phone and slides out of the booth, waving Trigg over. “First, you’re calling Easy. Then we're showing this to Trigg.”
“But—”
“No buts.” She squeezes my hand. “Trust me, I've written enough stories to know what happens to the heroine who tries to handle everything alone. This is real life, sweetie. Let your man and his club take care of you.”
My heart hammers in my chest as Trigg approaches our booth, his expression shifting from the easygoing vibe I’ve grown used to, to concerned as he picks up on the tension.
“Lexi? Is everything okay?” he asks, his eyes scanning the diner before settling back on me.
“Show him,” Amelia prompts gently.
Hands shaking, I clumsily unlock my phone and hand it to him. His eyes scan across the screen, and his jaw clenches as he reads the message.
“How long have you been getting these?” he asks carefully.
“This is the first one.” I wrap my arms around myself, suddenly cold despite the warmth inside the diner. “But I've been getting weird emails too?—”
“And you didn't think to mention this?” Trigg's voice is sharp, making me flinch.
Amelia steps in. “Hey, ease up. She's speaking up about it now.”
Trigg runs a hand over his face, looking torn between frustration and concern. “Shit. I’m sorry, Lexi. It’s just that Easy's gonna lose his shit.”
“I know.” And that's exactly why I didn't want to say anything. The thought of adding more stress while he’s on this run makes my stomach turn. “Maybe we could wait?—”
“No,” Trigg and Amelia say forcefully at the same time.
“Call your man, darlin’,” Trigg orders, handing me my phone before pulling out his own. “I need to let Viper know what's going on.”
My hands shake so badly that Amelia has to help me find Shawn's number. I press it to my ear when it starts to ring, each one feeling like an eternity until finally, his gruff voice comes through the speaker.
“Miss me already, baby?”
The warmth in his tone breaks something inside me, and tears well up in my eyes. “Shawn...”
There's an immediate shift in his voice. “What's wrong?”
“I...” My voice cracks, and Amelia squeezes my shoulder, giving me her support.
“Lexi.” The edge in his voice makes me flinch. “Talk to me. Now.”
“John...” I swallow hard. “He sent a message?—”
“What?” The word comes out as a growl, and I hear movement in the background. “Where are you?”
“At Dori's with Amelia and Trigg.”
“Have Trigg take you to the house, baby.” I can hear him on the move and voices in the background asking him what’s going on. “I'm on my way.”
“Honey, no. Your run?—”
“Fuck the run.” The raw fury in his voice makes me grateful he's not here to see my tears. “Go with Trigg. Understand? I mean it, Lex.”
“Okay,” I whisper.
“I love you,” he says, his voice softening just slightly. “I'll be there in four hours.”
“I love you too. Please be careful.”
When I hang up, Trigg's ending his own call. “It's time to go, darlin'.”
I nod, too numb to argue. I climb out of the book and Amelia slides up beside me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.
“It's going to be okay,” she says softly. “Let the club handle this.”
But as Trigg throws some bills on the table and hurries us toward the door, I can't shake the feeling that this is only the beginning. John's never been one to give up easily, and now he knows exactly where to find me.
When Amelia pulls into her driveway, I turn to her with an apologetic smile. “I'm so sorry about lunch. This isn't exactly how I planned for our afternoon to go.”
“Stop apologizing right now.” She gives me a stern look that softens almost immediately. “This isn't your fault, honey. Not one bit of it.”
“Thank you.”
“For what?” She looks genuinely confused.
“For being a good friend.”
Amelia's face softens. “You don't have to thank me for that.” Her eyes shift behind me at the sound of Trigg's bike pulling into my drive. “You should go before he starts freaking out again.”
“Yeah,” I agree, reaching for the door handle and climbing out of her car. I watch Trigg dismount his bike as I walk through the yard to the front door. His expression is hard as he pulls out his phone.
“Go on inside,” he says, motioning toward the front door. “I need to make another call.”
I nod, unlocking the door and doing as he’s said.
Closing the door behind me, I head straight for the kitchen. Maybe a couple shots of José will help settle my nerves.
As I grab the bottle of tequila Shawn has stashed in the freezer, I hear the front door closing.
Must not have been a long call.
Pouring a finger of the golden liquid into a shot glass, I lift it to my lips, but before I can take a sip, I feel someone behind me.
“Trigg,—” As I start to turn around a cloth is pressed tightly over my mouth and nose, and the acrid scent of chemicals has my head spinning.
The glass in my hand crashes to the floor, shattering into pieces as I try to put up a fight, but it’s pointless. My muscles refuse to respond, and the kitchen tilts violently, my vision blurring at the edges.
“Once you’re back home where you belong, you’ll see things clearly, princess.” John’s voice is the last thing I hear before my body hits the floor and the world goes dark.