15. Chapter 15
Chapter fifteen
— FEAR OF WATER BY NOAH KAHAN
“Ellie, I just told you I’ve never worked with that brand because of how they treat their own employees. I think this is your agency's problem, babes.”
I hear her scoff through my phone. “I don't ever remember signing anything! Ugh, this is a giant clusterfuck. Do you think I should address it? Lina said I should, just to be safe.”
In the past few years I’ve known Ellie, she’s the one who makes friends easier than I do. She’s friends with mostly everyone I’m acquainted with, but it’s easy to understand why—the girl practically throws up rainbows. “I think you should do what you think is best.”
“Thanks, Bree. I’ll keep you updated, but I have another meeting. We’ll talk soon!”
I barely get to say goodbye before she hangs up on me. Nice . I throw my phone onto the kitchen table before it buzzes again.
Teags: Are you filming today, or can I come over and rant about this book?
Bree: I filmed earlier! Get over here. You know how much I love a Teags rant.
Teags: If the main character talks about how small she is one more time, I’m going to throw this book out of a window!
I laugh when she says that just as Vince comes up from the basement, looking all sweaty, disheveled, and beautiful, as always.
It’s official: I’m lusting after my bodyguard.
I try to swallow, but the lump in my throat makes it difficult. His gray shirt is practically drenched from his workout, his hair messy at the top, but one strand hangs down in front of his face. Good lord . That one hair is one of the hottest things I’ve ever seen.
And to top it all off, I can see the outline of his abs through his wet shirt. My mind jumps back to when I saw him fresh out of the shower.
I almost saw him naked, and that’s all I’ve been able to think about when I look at him. So, yeah, maybe me lusting after the man who's supposed to protect me isn't a great thing, but come on—how do I not? We have history together, he knows all about me and my favorite things, and on top of all that, he’s protective of me.
That’s his job .
But sometimes, it feels like more , like maybe he could feel the same thing about me.
Lust, of course. Not that he would want anything more. Maybe I need to grab my Kindle and put all this sexual energy into a smutty book. Actually, that sounds like a great idea. Before I can get up, he speaks.
“I’m gonna go shower. Call me if you need me, okay?”
Shower. “Mhm!” is all I can manage.
“Are you okay? ”
I raise my eyebrows at him, hoping he can’t see the thoughts swirling around my head. “Yup! Perfectly fine. Why?”
“Your face is all red. Have you been overworking yourself again? I told you, you need to calm down in the midst of all this chaos.”
“And I am! Teags just texted me a bunch of funny things, and she’s on her way over.”
His gaze swipes down my body, and I think he knows I’m lying, but he doesn't call me out on it. “Okay. She’s already cleared to come in, so she should have no problems this time.”
Ah, yes. This time. Because the last time Teags came over, her name wasn't on the list of accessible people, and she ripped Vince’s men to shreds for it. I, for one, had a wonderful time watching that security footage. It made me laugh so hard that my ribs hurt.
I’ve been laughing a bit more lately despite still feeling like there’s another shoe ready to drop, and I couldn't be more thankful for the people around me.
“Are you sure you don't want to see her argue with Billy again?”
“Billy requested a transfer to the night shift, so Wilson would get it this time.” I see a small smile form on his face. “Your friend is one of a kind.”
“Teags is the best.”
“I’m glad you have her.” His eyes lock with mine for a beat too long before he shakes out of it and heads upstairs.
I grab my phone and swipe to Instagram, heading to my sister's profile to see what she’s up to today. I know she started her next manuscript, but she refuses to share anything about it with me until the first draft is done. It’s driving me crazy, but sometimes she shares snippets on her story about it, so I always check her profile during the day.
After finding nothing, I go through some of my messages and respond to some of them. I uploaded a new video yesterday where I had some of the authors I’ve worked with pick my reads for the next month. People are loving it so far, and I love it when they comment about how much they loved a book that I’m going to read soon. It gets me more excited to pick it up.
The doorbell ringing has me putting my phone down, knowing that it’s probably Teags. I always tell my friends and family they don't need to knock or ring the doorbell, but Vince quickly changed that. He told me it’s safer this way, and I agreed, knowing he’s pretty much always right.
But when I swing the door open and Nico walks in, I’m surprised.
“Hey, Nico.”
“Hi, princess. Where’s the brood?”
“Showering. It looked like he had an intense workout this morning.” I can feel my cheeks get hot when the image of him floods my brain. When I look at Nico, he has a weird look on his face, and that’s when I register the package in his hand. “What’s that?”
“It was on your porch. It says it's from a publishing house, so I figured I’d bring it in for you.”
“That’s nice of you. Tha—”
A low voice cuts me off. “Bree, what did I tell you about opening the door?”
“It was just Nico.” I look to where he’s stomping down my stairs, hair still wet from his shower, that one hair still dangling in his face.
“Yes, but you didn't know that. It’s safer for me to open the door, and you know that. Next time, come and get me.”
“I will. I’m sorry.” I hold the package close to my chest, and when it doesn't feel like a normal book, I tense up.
“Princess? Is everything alright?”
“Bree? What is that?”
“I-I don't know.” I examine the envelope, and it looks like a standard package I would get from a publishing house, but something feels off, and my gut is screaming at me that something’ s wrong.
Vince grabs the package from me, and Nico and I follow closely behind him as he places it on the kitchen table and carefully cuts open the package.
“Rule number five,” I whisper, and Vince’s eyes meet mine.
“I didn't think you remembered them all.”
Nico just laughs. “Oh, please, Vinny. Anyone who knows you well probably has your rules memorized. I should think about getting some laminated cards made.”
I stifle a laugh as Vince rolls his eyes and carefully dumps the contents of the package out. The sound of metal on the table has my eyes wandering, and when I see what it is, my heart stops beating.
There are two bullets on my kitchen table, rolling around as if they’re taunting me.
“What the fuck?” Nico says as he goes to pick one up.
“Don't. They could have fingerprints on them.” Vince goes to one of my cabinets and grabs a plastic glove, putting it on his hand as he reaches to inspect them. It’s from him. It has to be. The packaging was just a ruse to let my guard down and get it past the gate.
Vince picks one up, and I swear, I see something on the side. “What’s that?” He doesn't answer me. “Vince, is there something on the side of it?”
His eyes narrow at the bullet, and I watch his eyes go cold as he looks at Nico. They have some sort of telepathic conversation before I speak.
“No secrets, Vince. What does it say?”
He sighs heavily before he turns it so I can read it. Scratched on the side of the bullet is my name, and when I look at the other one, I see Liv’s name.
“What about the note?” Nico asks, and I look around the table. Sure enough, I see a small piece of paper.
I feel my palms start to get sweaty, my heart starting to race, and I know that this might finally be my breaking point. Vince can’t bear to read it out loud, so he just shoves it toward Nico and me, and as I read it, my body goes cold, my hands start to shake, and my throat feels drier than a desert.
One for you and one for your sister.
She’s keeping you from me, her and that supposed boyfriend of yours, so why not make it a two for one special? He’ll never look at you how I do, Bree. You know that.
You ruined our moment last time, and I’d hate to use one on you, but I’ll still enjoy watching the life drain from your eyes while I finally have my way with you.
Your last moments will be with me, just like I’ve been dreaming of.
Sleep tight, Bree. I’ll see you soon.
— R
I’m not in my body anymore. I can’t feel anything but the cold fear that courses through my veins. He’s going to kill me . Ralph has never escalated this quickly, and all I can think about is when he shoved his gun in my face and touched me without my consent. I have no energy. I’m drowning in the deepest end of my mind, the water starting to overflow, leaving me no room to breathe.
I feel disgusted. I want out—out of my body, my skin. I can’t do anything but stand here and tremble because I’m too afraid to move.
“Bree? Bree!” I hear someone yell my name, but I can’t seem to pinpoint who. I feel tears leaking out of my eyes, but I’m frozen where I am.
And that’s when I feel a hand on my shoulder.
“Don't touch me!” All I can remember is him. Him touching me, him breathing in my face, his calloused hands grabbing my skin.
I need to get out of here. I need to get out of my old room. I'm not safe. I’ll never be safe. The only voice in my head is his.
“ Haven't you dreamed of this? Me sneaking into your room at night? ”
“You’ve been a bad girl.”
“You’re going to take it, Bree.”
“I’d hate to blow your pretty brains out before I’ve had time to enjoy you.”
“S-Stop. Please, d-don't,” is all I can manage to say before a pair of arms sweeps me off of my feet. It’s him. Ralph is here, and he’s going to make good on his promise. “Let me go! Please, I won't fight this time. I’ll do whatever you want, just don’t hurt me or my sister.”
I hear a rumble from the chest I’m against, and I remember how he growled at me when I fought back.
“I’ll be good this time,” I say as more tears leak from my eyes. “Please, just get it over with.”
“Nico! Turn the shower on cold for me.”
Nico? He wasn't there that night. What’s going on?
Before I can try to answer that question, cold water attacks me from above, and a strong pair of arms wraps around me while I try to regain my bearings. I look around at the familiar space and realize that I’m in my shower.
“W-what?” I say as I shiver, my body slowly coming back to reality.
“Leave, Nico. Go deal with how this got past the door.”
I hear a door shut, and before I can say anything, another voice whispers in my ear, his arms anchoring me to my spot. “It’s Vince. Come back. You’re safe. Everything’s alright.”
“He was here.” My body feels heavy, like weights are attached to my ankles. If Vince wasn’t holding me up, I’d collapse.
“Just in your mind, Bree. It’s you and me here now.” The cold water and his reassurances are helping me come out of whatever tunnel vision I was in, but I’m still crying, still shaking, and it’s not from being cold.
I’m terrified. I could’ve sworn I was back in my old house, that he was with me, but I realize it’s just Vince and I here.
“You’re getting all wet,” I tell him. Both of us are fully clothed in my shower as the water cascades down my body .
“Don't worry about me, Bree. I’m not going to melt.”
I burst out laughing before I can stop it, and instead of quivering with fear in his arms, I’m laughing as tears continue to leak down my face, mixing with the cold water from the shower.
“What’s so funny, angel?”
“You made a reference to The Wizard of Oz .”
“And that’s funny because?”
“I can't imagine you sitting down to watch a movie and picking that one.”
I hear him chuckle in my ear, his arms still wrapped around me as if he can't bear to let go. “It’s my sister's favorite movie. After our parents died, we must’ve watched it a thousand times.”
I didn't know his parents were dead. I wonder how old he was when that happened. “I’m sorry.”
I feel his head shake next to me. “We’re not here to talk about me, Bree. Are you okay?”
No, and I never will be. I’m half in my body and half out of it. I’m so afraid of my own mind. It felt so real—being back in my house with Ralph. God, when will this end? When will it be over? “What happened?”
“You read the note, and your entire body went pale. Nico and I started talking about how best to go about this, and you started shaking. Nico tried to grab you to calm you down, and you yelled at him to stop.”
“I wasn't yelling at him. Ugh, I feel terrible. I need to apologize.” I try to get out of his hold on me, but he keeps me upright.
“Nico’s fine. He understands, Bree. Just stay here with me for a few more minutes. I need to make sure you’re okay.”
“I thought it was him. I thought he was touching me.” I feel more tears fall from my eyes, and he turns me around to face him, the water of the shower cascading between us .
“I figured,” Vince says in a low voice. “I thought you were going to pass out right where you stood, so I carried you in here. I thought it would help.”
“It did help, so thank you. You always seem to know how best to help me.”
My mind is my biggest enemy. All it does is play tricks on me when I’m trying to retreat into myself, and I hate it. “I’m sorry if I hurt you.”
“Not physically, Bree.” His eyes glance down at the tile of my shower, and a few seconds later, he turns the shower off. “I’ll grab us towels.”
I nod, and before he leaves, his touch lingers on my waist, and he’s looking at me as if I’m going to disappear into thin air. It sure felt like I did earlier, but once again, Vince helped me through one of the worst panic attacks I’ve ever had.
Because it’s his job.
“Thank you,” I say as he holds a towel out for me. He nods as I watch him dry himself off, ultimately giving up and heading back to his room to change.
I go to follow him to say more, but Teags barrels up the stairs and throws her arms around me.
“Teags?” I question the sudden physical touch.
“Nico let me in when Vince was carrying you bridal style up the stairs. Are you okay? I’ve never seen you so pale.”
I pull back from her, only to meet Vince’s gaze behind where she stands. “I’m okay, but I can’t talk about it.”
“That’s okay, Bree. When you’re ready, just know you can always talk to me. But buckle up because I have lots to say about this book.” Teags pulls me into my room, wet clothes and all, and I hear Vince yell at someone that just walked in the house.
“Find out how that package got through the fucking gate! Now, or you 're fired!”
I hope they find something, anything that can help catch this fucker before it’s too late because if he’s sending me bullets as a warning, I don’t want to know what will happen if he actually gets his hands on me again.