Chapter 18 #2
But as her brush swooped off the canvas, the mood changed.
Something shifted, and before I could take a step back, she launched her brush at the canvas, marking it beautifully again, but it wasn’t long before she set her sights on that, too.
Both hands gripped either side of it as she threw it across her room.
Flashes of light disturbed the darkness, before shadows settled through the room again.
Her headphones were next, crunching against the floor as she stood, her hands raking through her hair as a soft groan escaped her, like she was crying without really crying at all.
I took that as my cue to wait for her downstairs, but, because the universe seemed to have it out for me today, my foot fell on a creaky floorboard.
My head whipped up as she spun around, our eyes locking in a silent conversation.
You saw that? Her eyes asked.
I did. Mine answered.
With my tail between my legs, I stepped forward, pushing the door open and walking into her room.
Her cheeks were red, her eyes swollen, but still no less fierce. Her breaths were quick. They always were. But this time I couldn’t tell whether my being there was making them better or worse.
I cleared my throat. “Hi.”
She blew a breath from her nose, a humourless tug of her lips lifting her mouth. “Hi.”
I kept my eyes trained on her, my body still. “Did you—”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” Her words were laced with panic.
Like she didn't know which direction to turn, she stumbled, her hands raking through her shiny hair and falling by her side, before wandering over to her bed and perching on the end, her elbows on her knees, head hanging low as her heavy breaths filled the silence.
The very portrait of frustration.
“That’s okay.” I spun idly in a circle, my mouth pulling to the side as the silence took the lead. Before it became unbearable. So, I wandered to the spot next to her and sat down, expecting her to shift. But she didn’t. “Did you still want me to take you to your shift?”
Her head barely lifted. “I’m not really in the mood to be smiley with the general public right now.”
“Do you want me to make a call and let Florence know?”
She shook her head, lifting it finally, keeping her eyes on her twiddling thumbs. “No, it’s fine. Flo said if I’m ever not feeling up to a shift to just not come in. She gets it.”
It was nice to know Cora had another adult in her life who cared about her.
She sat back, scooting to the wall and locking her knees against her chest.
I twisted enough to face her, my hand resting behind me to prop me up. “Would you like some good news to cheer you up?”
Her head tilted, a slight smile invading her face. “Are you quitting?”
I deadpanned. “What do you think?”
She rolled her eyes, and I couldn’t help but hold back my smile as I watched her settle into the Cora she rarely ever showed me.
“Alright then, Romano. What’s this good news?” She asked, leaning her head against the wall, eyes raking over me.
Was it hot in here, or was the sun getting closer?
I shook my head. “Oscar was able to trace where those texts you’ve been getting are coming from.” She sat up at that. “And it’s an address in Chelsea.”
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ears and crossed her legs. “Chelsea?”
I nodded. “It’s where most of them have been sent from. Meaning whoever it is is probably hacking into the cameras from the safety of their couch, most likely.”
I watched the cogs turning in her head, suspicion fogging up her eyes. “Whereabouts in Chelsea?”
I slipped my phone out of my pocket and clicked on the saved address Oscar had sent, scrolling until the street came into view.
I handed my phone over to Cora, her face hovering over the screen.
And in that moment, it was like all evidence of the sun vanished from the world.
Her already pale skin getting even paler.
“That’s Jamie’s place.” She barely whispered.
My brows tugged. “No, no, Jamie lives in Kips Bay. I dropped him off there once.” Her eyes met mine. “His wife and their baby girl came out to meet him.”
Her head shook, that scared look invading her face. “That’s impossible.” She looked back at the screen, her finger tapping vigorously. “No, he stopped by here nearly every time he was escorting me somewhere. He’d always point it out.”
Clever. Probably so she never sought out his wife after everything happened.
Her head shook, crumbles of words coming out of her gaping mouth, like she was speechless. Her eyes rolled as her head sank back into the wall. “I don’t know why I’m surprised. It’s not like he was ever actually honest with me.”
My head tilted. “If you start making any of this your fault again, I’ll hide every single teabag in that mess of a kitchen.”
That made her laugh. “You know me far too well.” She sat up with a groan. “Do we have a plan? I mean, how are we going to deal with this?”
I pulled my head back, a small laugh escaping me. “I have a plan. Where Jamie Radcliffe is concerned, you are to be nowhere near him.”
She moved towards the end of her bed, her feet dangling off the edge. “I can’t think of a better way to fight this thing than to face it.” Her eyes narrowed. “Or would you rather have me rot away and throw more paint around?”
I laughed. “Not these paints anyway, they’re too expensive.” That earned me another giggle from her, one that made her dimples pop out. And then the word adorable floated through my mind.
Enough of that, you loser.
“What was your plan, anyway?” She asked, hand under her chin.
I shrugged. “Scope the place out, wait until he comes by and then, depending on if he has company or not, pounce.”
Her brows lifted. “Like a stakeout?”
“I suppose.” I didn’t like the suspicion in her voice. “But this has nothing to do with you.”
She flailed her arms. “It has everything to do with me. This guy is literally stalking me. Because it was me who’d turned him down. And it was me who made this thing a media circus. The guy wants revenge, and he’s made it clear that he’s willing to go to extreme lengths to get it.”
Before I could stop her, her hand covered mine, and my eyes shot to hers. “I chose to fight, remember.” Her shoulder lifted. “So let me fight.”
I shook my head. There was no way I was going to let this girl within ten miles of the man who’d hurt her, let alone have her sit with me on the stakeout.
I lowered my voice. “No way in hell am I letting this happen.”