Chapter Nine
It had been three weeks, and Misty was still dragging around her life like a zombie.
She’d tried. Really, she had.
She’d set up girls’ nights, and had three dinners with Uncle Tim.
She’d gone on a little shopping spree for new summer clothes.
She’d got herself a gym membership and had done a couple sessions of personal training.
She’d called in favors at work and taken a few vacation days where she’d hopped on a plane and spent time in Vegas next to a pool with a lazy river and unlimited margaritas.
She’d gone to the crafts store and bought yarn and knitting needles and a book on how to make a blanket, and she’d made a terrible attempt at it.
She’d repotted her money tree, Veronica, and done as Dame had suggested and cut away the root rot.
She’d stayed busy at work, and if she had any downtime, she played crossword puzzles on her phone to keep her mind distracted.
She’d had security escort her to her car each night, but everything was quiet.
There was no Stellan, and there was no Dame.
They had disappeared like phantoms.
Part of her was happy, because she was safe, but part of her felt heartbroken, and she still couldn’t wrap her head around why a man she knew intimately for that one day had grown to matter so much.
She must’ve been broken or something by the two quick break-ups. Was it a break-up with Dame? He had marked her and that felt important, but then he’d ghosted her so easily.
She had moments when she tried to convince herself she hated him, and then moments when she thought she had never loved anyone as much as him. Crazy, right?
Maybe Cats had super seduction powers or something. Maybe it was magic.
Or maybe it was just her stupid heart yearning for something she knew she could never have.
On the girls’ night, she had even talked about Dame. Not his name or what he was, but she had talked about the crazy chemistry she’d had with him and had needed them to tell her she was insane and to move on, but all five of her friends had said similar sentiments—when you know, you just know.
Romantics, all of them.
She was pretty sure that if she had mentioned his brother had tried to kill her and probably would again in the future if he ever saw her again, they would be a little sparser with their encouragement.
They didn’t need to worry though. Plus, she’d invested in handgun lessons, got her conceal carry permit, and was the proud owner of a weapon that would at least slow a tiger down.
In addition, she’d purchased several cans of bear spray and switched her shifts to have Fridays and Tuesdays off.
That and Uncle Tim was dropping her off for her shifts most days.
She had been staying most nights at his place. She was probably safe.
Tonight, she had paid to park in the parking garage that was heavily lit and had cameras everywhere and had easy access and just a very short walk to the hospital. It seemed safer than the wide open parking lot.
The elevator dinged, and she stepped onto the elevator.
“Hey!”
Misty yelped and startled hard as someone grabbed her arms from behind.
She reached for the gun in her purse, but it was just Chris scaring her on a tease. He laughed at her reaction.
“Oh my gosh,” she said, grasping her scrubs at her chest as the door closed. “Don’t do that ever again. I don’t like being scared like that.”
“I remember.”
She tossed him a glare. “You remember what?”
“I remember you saying that.”
“Then why would you do it?”
“Hey, don’t be mad,” he said in that persuasive velvet voice of his.
He was tall and wore blue scrubs that made his blue eyes look brighter in the saturated light of the elevator.
She hit the right button and avoided eye contact.
“You caused some problems between me and Miranda, you know.”
“Good. She should run for the hills,” she said.
“Is that what you want her to do?”
She tossed him a dirty look and wished this dang elevator would go faster.
He scooted closer. “Seems to me the only reason you would have for trying to break us up would be because you still know there is unfinished business between us.”
“Oh, I just threw up in my mouth a little. Can you go stand in that corner over there,” she asked, pointing across the elevator from her. “The smell of cologne and beef jerky is overpowering.” She had no idea if he smelled like beef jerky. She was just saying stuff at this point.
The elevator dinged as the doors slid open on the wrong floor. Must’ve been someone getting on.
The elevator doors opened, and time slowed.
A man stood there, muscled and tall, wearing a black T-shirt, and black jeans that sat low on his hips. He lifted his gold eyes to hers, and she froze.
Dame.
He looked over at Chris, and slowly, he came to stand in between them, stood in a power stance, chin lifted into the air as he settled his attention on the elevator doors.
Chris looked around him with a slightly concerned look on his face. “Hey, I meant to talk to you about something.”
Dame cast a narrow-eyed glance at her and then back to the doors as the elevator started going up again.
Anger filled her, and she inhaled sharply. “What would you like to talk about, Chris?”
Dame huffed a barely audible laugh and nodded his head.
“You remember that big deal a few weeks ago, where there was all that blood in the parking lot, but no one could identify who had been there? And it was right out of camera range?”
Her heartrate stuttered. “Yep.”
“It’s just, they found a pocketknife near the blood, and it was familiar. It was the knife I gave you for your birthday.”
Fuck.
“I covered for you, but we should maybe talk about it. Over dinner or something.”
Her hand was so close to Dame’s. So. Close. If she moved an inch, her pinky would touch his.
The elevator dinged on the floor below the one she needed. Crap, more people coming in.
Her heart was beating out of her chest.
The doors opened and on the other side was the monster of her nightmares. The man had gold eyes like Dame, and he looked so much like him. Only his hair was longer, and the shape of his face slightly different. The gold in his eyes was darker, and when he saw her, his pupils nearly disappeared.
Dame moved immediately and slid his hand around Stellan’s throat, shoved him back immediately and they disappeared down the right side of the hallway.
“Whoa,” Chris said, rushing to the door. “Something’s happening.”
She pulled him back. “It’s a prank. I saw it online. They do that in elevators and record reactions. Be cool.”
“Oh.” He looked uncertain but pulled back in the elevator and stood in the other corner, which told her enough. He was still with Miranda and didn’t want to be caught in an elevator on camera with Misty. Nice.
The doors closed with a ding.
“What do you say?” Chris asked low.
“About what?” she asked, her heart racing. Dame was here. Dame was still protecting her. That had been Stellan. If Dame hadn’t been here, she would be dead right now.
He still cared. Right?
The elevator opened on the top floor, and she got out and strode for the skywalk that would lead into the hospital, leaving Chris to trail behind. He was trotting after her like a little lost puppy.
He was getting on her last nerve. “Get bent, Chris,” she called. “It’s a hell no forever on dinner. You couldn’t pay me enough.”
“Pretty sure my silence is more valuable than payment.”
“Your silence on what? The knife?” she asked, rounding on him. “They found a pocketknife I lost months ago. In fact, last I remember, I left it at your place. Was it you? Did you stab someone, Chris?”
His face relaxed out of its confusion as he realized she could manipulate him right back. “You know I didn’t.”
“I don’t know anything. Clearly, we don’t know each other if you’re accusing me of…
what? Hurting someone? I’m a healer, Chris.
I don’t know where the knife went or what happened to it.
Last I saw it was at your house. That’s all I’ve got for you.
” Lies, lies, lies, but he wasn’t a Cat.
He couldn’t hear it. “I have to get to work.”
She strode off, shaking out her clammy hands.
Stellan was here.
Dame had saved her again.
God, he’d looked so hot.
Stay steady.
“You were on shift that night,” he called after her. “I checked. It was the night I texted you.”
“Maybe talk to HR about that, and I’ll talk to them about why you’re stalking me.”
“Seriously?” Chris called after her.
She tossed a middle finger up in the air and brought it back down just in time for someone to round the corner ahead of her.
She smiled politely at them and pushed open the swinging door and made a hard right to head for the family bathrooms. There were two down this hallway that hardly anyone remembered normally.
She couldn’t breathe. Her lungs were struggling to draw oxygen, and she needed somewhere she felt safe.
Chris would be coming through that door any second, and she didn’t want him to see where she’d gone, so she kicked up to a jog and yanked open the first family bathroom door, and pulled it closed as fast as she could.
She locked it and backed away from the door, struggling for breath.
Misty grabbed the strap of her purse and hugged it to her chest. She couldn’t bring her weapon into the hospital. It was against policy, but she did have the bear spray.
Dame was here. He was in the building. Was he okay?
She fumbled her phone out of her purse and opened Instagram. It’s where he would’ve gone if he wanted to talk.
She had a red dot by her messages, indicating she had a new one. Fingers trembling, she opened up the messages and sure enough, she had one from LameDame10. She gasped and opened it.
Don’t go into the elevator!
I didn’t see this in time, she typed out. Send. Are you okay? Send.
A minute passed, and she paced like a caged animal. Would she walk out of this bathroom and come face to face with Stellan? He would follow her scent, right?
Her phone vibrated with a notification from the open app.
Dame had messaged her back. Where are you?