Chapter 25
TWENTY-FIVE
SOFEE
Just as I spot my pants on the floor, the roar of an engine pulls my attention, making me think that perhaps fate had always intended this for me and Declan. Maybe all this time, we have been too blind to see what was right in front of our faces, allowing our stubbornness to render us both sightless to our future.
Quickly, I grab my scrubs and hastily shove my feet inside the stretchy fabric. The loud rattling exhaust quiets to an idle as I hop toward the window while pulling the maroon scrubs over my hips. Once my gaze snags on the metallic purple Harley Davidson rumbling in the parking lot, I have no doubt that this was written in my destiny. How else would you explain my brother coming back from his ride with Tatum at the exact moment Declan left to speak with him?
My heart threatens to climb out of my throat as I see him shoving out the door just below where I’m standing. I hear nothing from inside the building as the door slams shut behind him and I smile to myself. He did a good job of soundproofing this place. It’s much quieter here than it is in my current living quarters, which is a good thing. If we are really going to attempt this relationship, it would be best if my brother isn’t able to hear us fucking just down the hall from him.
That, and it will be nice not to hear the biker bar directly beneath my bed. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve fallen asleep to the soothing vocal renditions of Nikki Sixx as he sings about his favorite exotic dancers.
I can’t tell if it’s a thrill of excitement or trepidation that snakes down my spine as I watch Declan walk across the parking lot with determination in each step. He draws nearer as the couple slowly stands from the motorcycle. Tatum removes her helmet and shakes out her long, wet-looking, purple locks before glancing up at Liam. His smile is so bright for her that I have no issue seeing his pearly whites even at this distance.
Look your fill now. That smile is about to disappear.
The thought makes my breath catch in my throat as Declan strides toward the couple next to the bike. I see the moment Liam spots him and sends him a short wave. His footfalls never falter as his stride remains steady. Too bad I can’t say the same about my heartbeat. The feeling of a thousand drums beating inside my chest has me checking my smartwatch to track my heart rate. This must be what a heart attack feels like.
No, this is a panic attack, girly pop. You might not want to watch this next part.
But I can’t force myself to stop watching as Declan steps up to Liam right as Tate steps away. Her mostly wet hair flies behind her as she walks my way with a bounce in her stride. The easy smile on her lips is so at odds with the anxious feeling in my gut as my eyes find my brother again. He still has a small grin on his lips as he pulls his eyes from Tatum’s backside and meets Declan’s as he begins to speak. My stomach drops as if I’m in free fall.
“Oh, God. I’m gonna hurl,” I mumble to myself before bending at the waist and grabbing my knees, trying my hardest to keep the contents in my stomach at bay even as I refuse to take my eyes off the men.
Told you to look away ? —
“Just shut the fuck up already,” I say to the invisible voice inside my head and then bite back a nervous snort of laughter, remembering what Declan said about me always mumbling to myself like a fucking lunatic. For some reason, the thought calms my stomach and even lowers my heart rate.
I slowly stand back to my full height as I recall all the other things Declan admitted to me in this room. All the little things that he has noticed about me over the years. With each revelation I recall, I become calmer than ever before. My chest loosens, and the knot in my gut shrinks. I feel like I can breathe normally again, even as my gaze lingers on Declan’s back as he and Li start to walk into the clubhouse. As they disappear inside, I push away from the window, feeling lighter than I have in days. Weeks even.
The truth is, I don’t know if this was always fate’s plan for me. But finally discovering how Declan has truly felt about me for all this time has made things feel more settled. Declan may call himself obsessed with me, but I only see a man who took the time to learn about the woman he’s interested in. He picked up on all the little things, unlike most others would have. He actually took the time to learn about me—my preferences and needs. And it’s a breath of fresh air.
So, instead of having a panic attack about how my brother is going to handle all of this, I’m choosing to leave it up to fate. Because at the end of the day, I haven’t the slightest inkling as to how this will end for Declan and me. He could shatter me, break my heart into such tiny pieces I wouldn’t have a prayer at reassembling it. Total devastation could very well be the only thing I discover at the end of this road. But I could also find everything I’ve been looking for. And that knowledge alone makes the risk worth it.
So, with that solidifying notion, I straighten my spine and step away from the window. Whatever happens, I’m going along for the ride. Because it’s better to be on the bike than to be dragged behind it.
I really should be a part of this conversation with Liam. But one quick glance at my watch has me scanning the floor in search of my scrub top. I’m supposed to be receiving report in about twenty minutes. I’ll be lucky to make it to work on time with traffic. Maybe I put it in the kitchenette.
“Hey, you heading to the bar?”
The softly muffled words coming out of nowhere make my steps falter. I glance toward the closed and locked door that leads to the hallway in search of the voice. Furrowing my brows, I listen as another soft voice speaks, but it’s not coming from the hallway.
“Yeah, I’m just changing my top really quick. I don’t think Li was expecting the sudden change in weather we ran into, and I’m soaked.”
I flick my gaze toward the bathroom where Tatum’s voice sounds like a beacon to my ears. My feet move on their own as if someone is pulling my strings. Wracking my brain, I step past the open door and glance around the mostly empty room.
“Can we talk? I want to run a job by you.”
Max’s voice, coming from a phone resting on the vanity, has me crinkling my brows together. I step into the bathroom and pick up the black phone. The screen is dark, but by the sounds of it, an app is running in the background. Is this Declan’s phone?
“Yeah, give me a f—” A loud rustling sound comes from the speaker. “What is this doing in here?”
Tatum’s voice suddenly sounds louder and clearer over the speaker, startling me into dropping the phone. I fumble to grab it, hitting the button on the side and lighting up the phone as I do. Glancing down at the screen, I squint at the illuminated display, trying to figure out what I’m looking at.
Confusion thrashes me like a stiff breeze as a security feed fills the screen. Multiple camera angles, at least fifteen, all clustered together on the small display. My breath trembles in my lungs as I start to vaguely recognize the scenes before me. My fingers shake as I reach out and press one. The surveillance feed fills the screen, and my heart leaps to my throat, trying to claw its way out.
The video feed appears to be from a hospital waiting room. But not just any waiting room, my hospital waiting room. I tap the screen, searching for a pause or play button. But when nothing appears except for all the other feeds, I realize this isn’t a recording. It's a live feed. Why does Declan have this on his phone?
“Why is Sofee’s scrub top in here?”
Tatum’s question is almost drowned out by the high-pitched ringing that starts in the back of my skull and creeps forward until it’s consuming my eardrums. I frantically click through screen after screen, exploring every possible angle that the app has available. Each view displays various perspectives from the security feed in the hospital. I notice my coworkers on the screen, some of whom I am scheduled to work with tonight and others who are clocking out at this very moment.
My hands are trembling so hard I fear I may never be able to steady them again as I swipe out of the app. And when I read the bold letters in the small app icon, all the breath is knocked from me. Tears spring to my eyes as the letters “TSA” become imprinted in my brain, along with the small words below.
The Sofee App.
Gasping, I drop the phone as if it burned my hand and back away from the vanity. The phone clatters around the sink before finally coming to rest, taunting me by remaining on. My chest feels like it's about to cave in and explode at the same time. Emotion swamps me, burning my nose and the back of my throat as if I’ve swallowed hellfire. I pull in a ragged breath before clamping my hands over my mouth and squeezing my nose with my fingers, holding my breath until my eyes feel like they’re about to bulge out of my skull.
“Wasn’t she in here earlier?”
Max’s voice echoes around the sink as my vision becomes watery, and realization settles into my bones. Pulling my hands away from my face, I try to take a calming breath even as hot tears continue to leak from my eyes. My hands are wet as I grab for the phone again and turn toward the door in a rush.
“Yeah, but ? —”
Tatum’s response fades away, ending with a soft gasp just as I grip the door handle and yank it open. Nearly bouncing off the doorframe in my haste, I rush out into the hallway to catch the live-action version of their conversation. How could he do this to me?
“Fuck, she left her badge here.”
Her words are echoed with a half-second delay as I hear them coming from her apartment and my hand. I never slow my stride as I step past the open door and spot Max and Tatum next to the window seating area. Both of their eyes snap to me as I barrel down on them. Tate faces me fully with raised brows as if I’ve caught her by surprise.
That makes two of us then.
“Sofee,” she says. Her eyes widen as her voice reverberates around the room from my hand. “Shit,” she breathes and holds her hands up toward me, my matching scrub top dangling from her hand. And with that one word, I realize that she has known what was happening right under my nose this whole time.
A raging inferno takes root in my gut and bleeds hotly into my veins, scorching me from the inside out. Hardening my jaw, I step up to her and yank the top out of her hand. My fingers fumble with the badge until I get a good grip on the hard plastic. The soft fabric rips before the clasp gives way, releasing my ID. Dropping the ruined garment, I hold the badge up to my face and scowl at the picture of myself before turning it to Tatum.
“Shit, shit, shit,” Max chants beside her, her words echoing around the room. Her panicked words proving that she’s also involved in this elaborate invasion of privacy, as she agitatedly threads her fingers through her short-cropped hair.
I barely manage to swallow around the enormous lump in my throat as I stare between the two girls I just accepted as friends. That old hurt rears its ugly head as the betrayal swells thickly between us in a river of deceit.
“Sofee, wait—” Tatum tries, but I’ve had enough. I turn my back to them, then tear out through the open door and book it to the stairs, the girls right on my heels.
“Sofee, please, let us explain,” Max pleads at my back as I jog down the stairs. I keep my head up and my eyes forward even as fat tears stream down my cheeks.
“Explain what? Why you’re helping Declan spy on me?” I choke out before slamming my side against the heavy door, pushing it open, and flooding my vision with daylight. I can’t tell anymore if the sweat gathering on my brow is from the heat of the day or this unholy anger simmering in my gut.
I’m all too accustomed to dealing with overbearing men invading my personal life. I have three of the most protective men in the world as brothers. Privacy has never been a concept I’m familiar with. But the realization that Declan is just another man willing to intrude on my life so effortlessly feels like a betrayal I’ve never experienced before. It settles heavily in my chest, suffocating me from the inside out.
Was he actually telling me the truth about his obsession with me? Has he been stalking me this entire time? Now that I know about the app, his sudden appearance in my ER with a knife sticking out of his thigh, while I was talking to another man, doesn’t seem so coincidental anymore. How far was he willing to take his depravity to get what he wanted from me?
My feet never stop moving as I head for the clubhouse. I’m about to demand an explanation, but not from Max. I want it from him. I want to know why Declan betrayed me like this, then I can hear why she and Tatum evidently helped him.
“Nobody was spying on you, Sof. It’s not that simple,” Tatum is the first one to catch up with me. Her hand reaches for my arm, but I jerk it out of her grasp roughly and snap my attention in her direction.
“Then simplify it for me!” I shout as I hold my arms out. Clamping my hands around both Declan’s phone and my name tag, I let some of my anger out. “By all means, keep treating me as if I’m a fucking idiot, Tatum. Please, dumb it down and explain to me why Declan has an app called ‘The Sofee App’ on his phone,” I seethe.
Tatum glances at Max in a panic before returning her dark gaze to me. She fumbles over her words as she speaks. “I think— I think Owen should really be the one to explain everyth?—”
“Owen?” I cut her off as I spit his name like a curse word. Why would Owen— “Oh my God,” I breathe and back away from them slowly as humiliation doubles down and makes me feel like the stupidest girl in the world. “Everyone’s in on this.” My voice is barely above a whisper as my vision blurs around the edges. “Aren’t they?” I ask and seek out their sympathetic stares.
Max diverts her honey-colored eyes to the ground in front of her as Tatum shifts nervously on her feet. Neither of them speaks, fueling my anger to new heights.
“Aren’t they?” My voice breaks as I shout the question. Both girls wince as if I’ve struck them. The silence stretches between us, creating a taut line of tension ready to snap at any moment and decapitate us all. I shake my head and tighten my features, trying desperately to keep my tears of anguish at bay.
“You made me think you actually cared for me,” I mumble as I fidget with the phone and badge in my hands.
“Sof,” Max starts, but I shake my head, cutting her off.
“Made me think that it’s okay to finally let people in,” I grit out from behind clenched teeth as liquid fire leaks down my face. I blink rapidly and sniff loudly. Using the back of my arm, I swipe angrily at the moisture on my face before meeting their gazes again. I ignore the furrowed brows and sorrowful sheen in their eyes as I slowly turn away from them.
I spot the motorcycle I’ve been driving to work parked next to my broken-down car and decide that I don’t even want to see any of these people any longer. I’m completely humiliated and defeated. I don’t want to hear any excuses or explanations anymore; I only want to get the hell out of here.
With one last glance at Tatum, I start walking toward the bike. “Thank you for bringing me back to reality before I did something really stupid.” Like allowing myself to fall for a man I shouldn’t.
“Don’t leave like this,” Tate tries.
Tossing my leg over the leather seat, I thrust Declan’s phone out to her. She looks at the device as if it might explode between us. She would be wrong; it already detonated the moment I realized what was in my hands. My heart having been obliterated in the explosion.
“Here, this way you can still keep an eye on me after I’m gone,” I snarl with a wicked sneer marring my lips.
A distant popping sound registers in my ears right before the phone in my hand literally explodes between us. Shards of plastic spray from around my fingers like some sort of sick confetti before ricocheting off the ground in a violent display.
Before I have a chance to take a surprised breath, Tatum reaches behind her back and produces a shiny black pistol. My brows furrow just before my eyes widen in surprise as she raises it and fires two quick shots. The bullets find a mark somewhere behind me just as my breath is knocked from me altogether, and the world erupts into chaos.