Chapter 42 Colten
FORTY-TWO
COLTEN
Today I’m adding to the list of things I can never tell Lexi, because I left the apartment this morning with the intention of being stalked by her stalker.
Her other stalker, that is.
Her original stalker, me, has been upgraded to boyfriend status.
The idea came to me last night when I went down to the lobby to chat with Ken about our needs for the rest of the week.
Given I have security at the building anyway, it doesn’t make sense to have him there all day when Lexi has multiple lines of protection already.
So after speaking to Cruz, we decided Ken deserves a well-earned holiday with his wife and kids, which is why they’re heading to Disney World this weekend, a bonus from the De Luca family.
He’s been beating himself up that Lexi was almost hurt because he missed her sneaking out, but the reality is that she’s been living with a bodyguard for well over a decade, and she’s been sneaking out on them for just as long.
She’s good at it, and even though I hang off every single thing she does, she could evade me if she really wanted to.
It’s not Ken’s fault, and this is our way of reminding him of that.
Now, back to the stalker being stalked.
I felt eyes on me the moment I stepped into the lobby, and after finishing my chat with Ken, I went for a walk around the block to test a theory.
I was certain it wasn’t in my head, but I needed to be sure before I could put a proper plan in action, and after just ten minutes outside, there was no doubt in my mind that I was being followed.
Which brings us to right now.
I’ve spent the morning on foot, visiting various businesses we own for spot checks. It’s something Cruz had marked to do on his return, but it works into my plans, and I may as well save him from one of his least favorite tasks while I’m at it.
The other benefit to all this is that while this asshole is following me, he’s leaving Lexi alone, and that’s the most important thing of all.
I step out of the bar and glance around the busy street for anyone out of place but come up empty.
Whoever it is, he’s good at blending into a crowd.
I’m still wading through the complaints from Fan Faves, hoping to find something useful, and if this guy is a chameleon, I’ll be able to rule out a good chunk of suspects with that information alone.
I don’t care what anyone says, you’re not blending into a crowd if you’re six foot five and built like a linebacker.
Heading in the direction of one of our nightclubs, I pull my phone out to check if anything pressing has come up while I’ve been distracted.
A few messages from Cruz about their travel plans, a missed call from Mary, likely wanting to know when we can see Lexi, and a few emails that can wait until I get to them, but it’s the missed call from the Mafia Matchmaker that gets my attention.
I listen through the voicemail, my stomach churning with each word that comes over the line.
There’s no possible way they can tell I rigged the algorithm, that much I’m certain of, but that doesn’t mean someone hasn’t tampered with our files, and with the limited information I have about Lexi’s attacker, I wouldn’t put it past him to have that kind of knowledge.
If I’ve got this call, there’s a very real chance Lexi has as well, and she’s probably freaking out.
My girl has an imagination that loves to run itself ragged.
I check the street again as I ponder my choices.
I could head home now, set Lexi’s mind at ease, and spend the rest of the day inside her pretty holes. But is that what this asshole wants? He wants to sow doubt into her mind, and me running to reassure her might play right into his hands.
The club is on the way back to the apartment, so I may as well do my checks there and then head home with lunch for my wildcat.
It was my final locked-in location to hit today anyway, and if our stalker somehow has access to my calendar, he won’t suspect anything is amiss by that move.
Decision made, I turn the corner to take the shortcut through the back streets.
I’ve been taking as many of these routes as I can because I’m more likely to spot someone out of place than I am on the busy street, but so far it hasn’t done me any good.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, and when I pull it out and see Lexi’s face there, I can’t help but smile as I answer her call. “Wildcat.”
“Colten, you have to come home. He’s following you.” The panic in her voice makes my chest clench painfully. There’s nothing I hate more than seeing or hearing Lexi upset, and I doubt that will ever change.
“Lexi, what’s going on? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine! You’re the one being followed. He took photos of you. They were delivered to the apartment. There was a note. A threat.”
Her words are rushed and full of anxiety, but I get the general gist of what she’s telling me.
I don’t say it to her, but it’s good to know he has actually been following me today because I would have been pissed if I’d done Cruz’s least favorite job for him for no reason.
“It’s okay, Lexi. I’m okay, I promise. I’m just heading to one more club, and then I’ll be home.”
“No, Colten. Please come home now. I need to know you’re okay. Please.”
Warmth spreads through my chest. Knowing she’s as scared to lose me as I am her is weirdly reassuring, and I massage the space over my heart in the hope it will calm the erratically beating organ.
“I’m fine, Wildcat. Even if he is following me, I can take care of myself. I’m armed. I’ll be okay.”
A sniffle comes over the line, and my resolve wavers. I could do the final check tomorrow, or maybe just leave it to Cruz. He is partial to that club, seeing as it’s where he met Riley the night before their wedding, so he won’t mind that much.
I press my eyes closed for a moment, thinking through how this decision could be perceived by the stalker, but it really doesn’t matter.
All that matters is Lexi, and if she’s upset and needs me home to calm her, that’s what I’m going to do.
“Okay, I’ll come home.”
She breathes a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Colt. Thank you.”
“I’ll see you in twenty.”
We end our call, and I slip the phone back into my pocket.
I’m almost to the end of the alley when I feel the cool barrel of a gun press to the back of my head, stopping me in my tracks.
“You should have kept your filthy hands off what doesn’t belong to you.”