Chapter 9
Rahat
'Hello!' It was one simple fucking word, and I couldn't keep my eyes off it.
The phone was hot in my hand. The voices of Gabriel and Rex faded into the background. I hovered my thumb over the delete button, but a second message arrived.
'Still pretending you don't belong to me?' it read.
The edge of my phone case bit into my hand as my grip tightened.
Not wanting Rex to see, I turned my back to the room and looked out the window.
It was small with vertical blinds, but it allowed some natural light into the office and allowed a view over the river Thames beyond the crawling traffic.
Time moved on, the world on. I'd moved on, only to be dragged right back.
I tried to tell myself over and over that I was a grown woman now.
Independent and strong. So why did my mind keep remembering the slam of my head against the door, and the press of the laptop against my throat.
God damn it! Fuck, Adam and his stupid games. I deleted both messages and was about to block the number when a third came through. It was a picture of Priya. I didn't know where she was, but she was wearing the scarf I'd brought her from Colorado.
Behind me, Rex laughed at something Gabriel said.
The sound brought a smile to my face, even though it was alien to my thoughts.
I didn't deserve him. He was so clever, so caring, and I'm a fool who just so happens to be good at coding.
Even now, I could feel the weight of his gaze.
I had to get a grip before he realised something was wrong.
The next message to arrive did little to help me with that.
'You want this to stay contained. Come alone. Bankside. The old print works on Hopton Street. Tonight. Ten.' I knew the place. Adam had taken me there along with a few others after I'd first agreed to meet them for drinks.
I read it twice before deleting it. If Rex saw the message, he'd want to come with me, and he'd want Gabriel to come too.
Adam would know before we got within a street of him.
Because that's what men like Adam do. They watch and they wait, and they plan.
He'd vanish and come back from an angle we hadn't thought of yet, or worse, he'd come at me through Priya, Auntie Deepa, or Ashraf.
I couldn't risk that. I needed to face him alone. To end this on my terms.
A car honked somewhere outside, drawing my gaze back to the window. The sun had shifted and my reflection stared back at me. My black hair fell in a long silky line over my one shoulder, and my make-up... well, it looked fabulous as always. But I didn't feel fabulous.
Gabriel stood and shook Rex's hand again before moving towards his desk.
Rex stood too and removed his jacket before folding it over his arm.
The tattoos on his forearms caught the light as he shifted his weight.
What I would do to have those arms wrapped around me now.
He carried with him a presence, a stillness that calmed my thoughts.
He was watching me. Sometimes, I felt like he was always watching me.
"You good?" he asked, as observant to my moods as ever.
"Yeah." I crossed over to him, slipping my phone in my pocket in the process. "It was Priya," I said, which was only a half lie.
Rex held my gaze, but I focused on giving him nothing to read.
His jaw eased as he gave me room. He was good at that, giving me room, waiting for me to gather my thoughts without pushing.
Right now that was both a gift and a cruelty.
It made it so much easier to keep the true origin of the texts from him.
Gabriel emerged from his desk and placed a key in my hand. "Andrea's outside. He's gonna drive you to Carina's place and keep a watch outside."
I nodded, although I wanted to protest the watch guard. But Carina's place was like a second home to me. I knew the ins and outs of every room. She'd even offered it to Rex and I instead of a hotel. But I didn't want to do everything I planned with Rex in her bed.
Gabriel walked us to the door. He wore that look he gets when deciding whether or not to say something or to keep it inside. "Call me, if anything changes," he said, choosing the latter.
"I will."
With that, he kissed my cheek and pulled me in for another hug that lasted longer than any of the others.