Chapter 32
Lizzy
Clanking noises in the kitchen wake me. I check the other side of the bed, and sure enough, it’s empty. Bash must be cooking. My stomach growls, reminding me that I haven’t eaten since the party last night.
Before I attempt to find Bash, I make a pit stop at the adjoining bathroom.
After using the toilet, I look in his cabinets for a toothbrush.
When I open the one under the empty sink, I laugh.
All of my skincare products and toiletries are organized under the sink, all unopened.
Of course, my sweet stalker stocked up on all my essentials.
After going through my usual morning routine, I leave the bedroom, follow the racket, and end up in the kitchen with Bash. He looks up from where he’s frying eggs at my entrance.
Upon seeing me, his face drops. “I was going to bring you breakfast in bed.” His devastated expression has me holding back a smirk.
“I can go back to bed,” I offer.
“Well…” He’s silent for a moment, then shakes his head. “No, of course not. That’d be ridiculous. We’ll eat together at the table.”
Walking towards him, I freeze when the time on the microwave catches my eye. “Oh my God. Is it really noon?”
Before he can answer, I’m halfway across the kitchen toward…
I don’t know where I’m going. I’m late for work and need to change.
But I don’t want to go back to my apartment.
I can’t. I’m not ready to face the aftermath of the break-in.
Icy tendrils of fear curl around my ribs at the idea of going alone.
Maybe Bash will go with me over there? Or, at least, will watch over me from his cameras.
“Lizzy, wait!” A warm hand wraps around my bicep, halting me in my tracks.
Bash turns me towards him. “I called Janine and informed her of the break-in last night. She insisted you either take the day off or come in whenever you’re able to.
I told her I’d pass the message along, but that I wasn’t going to wake you. ”
Exhaling in relief, I feel my heart rate decreasing with his caring actions. “You did?”
“I’m sorry if I overstepped. Last night was very stressful for you, then selfishly, I kept you up even later. You needed your sleep, and I couldn’t bring myself to wake you.”
Crazily, I’m not upset that he overstepped this boundary. I mean, there are very few boundaries between us anyway. He saved me from being late for work. How could I fault him for that?
“Thank you,” I tell him softly. “Would you mind coming with me to get my clothes?”
“No need. I went over this morning and packed you a bag.”
I sag into him, relief overwhelming me. His arms immediately envelop me, pulling me into the safety and warmth of his chest.
“I will always take care of you. You don’t have to be scared or stressed. That’s my burden now.” He presses a kiss to the top of my head, then rests his chin there. “And, for the record, those men don’t scare me. Nor does whoever sent them.”
“Okay,” I murmur into the crook of his arm, eased by his words. By his vow. Obviously, Bash will take care of me. Hasn’t he been watching over me for years? He’ll continue to do so. And he’s mafia, or whatever he is. He took out those men from last night and came back unscathed.
…
“She’s on break!” a gruff voice behind me commands, the only warning I get before I’m physically turned around.
Tom studies me, inspecting every inch for… I don’t know what for. “Umm, can I help you?”
“Ridiculous girl! Your house gets broken into, and you don’t call us to help you. I hear it from Janine of all people!” Tom’s grudge with the bubbly Janine has me biting back a smile. He’s clearly concerned, so now is not the time to be caught laughing.
“She shouldn’t have told you that.” I’m upset with her, but only because she worried Tom.
“I demanded to know why you weren’t here for lunch. She knows we’re close, plus I wouldn’t leave her alone, so she eventually told me. Are you okay?” His tone softens on the latter sentence, his concern evident.
“I’m fine,” I assure him. When he still doesn’t seem convinced, I double down. “Really, I am. Everything’s fine.” Bash made it fine.
“What happened?” he urges.
“Two men broke into my house in the middle of the night.” I purposely leave out that they were there to take me. I guess the less I know and the less he knows, the better.
“And then?”
“And then…” I blush when I recall the rest of the night. “I snuck out of my bedroom window, climbed my backyard fence, and ran to Bash’s house.”
His face sours. “Was this his fault?”
“What?” Why would he think Bash has anything to do with this? Has my track record really been that bad with men? “No, of course not. He scared the men away or something like that. I don’t know. But he kept me safe.”
“Hmmm,” he muses in a disbelieving tone. “How bad is the damage?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t been back.” It comes out slowly as it dawns on me. How could I not have checked out my house? Or at least on my sweet pets.
“Lizzy, you need to check it out. I can go with you after work today if you’re afraid. What did the cops say? Have they cleared the house?”
I open my mouth to respond, then close it. Because how do I tell Tom that calling the police isn’t an option, because I can’t have my identity inspected.
“We didn’t involve the cops.” The words taste sour in my mouth because of how ridiculous they sound.
“Of course, he wouldn’t want the cops involved,” I think he mutters, but I can’t be sure.
Then he straightens and wraps me in a short hug.
“The important thing is you’re okay. I’ll let Betty know that I’ll be late coming home because I’m checking out your house with you.
If you don’t feel safe staying there, you’re welcome to stay with us as long as you need. ”
His offer reminds me of the life I’ve built here. It solidifies that I won’t let my past ruin it. Even though my house scares me, I have no intention of taking him up on his offer. Because there’s a different guy whose house I intend to stay at. Whose bed I intend to sleep in.
Avoiding eye contact while reddening like a tomato, I try to find the right words to tell Tom.
“I really appreciate it, but Bash is letting me stay at his place.” Or, at least, I think I can convince him to let me stay with him.
“He’s probably going to check my house for me, and I’m going to go directly to his place after work. ”
Tom’s eyes narrow skeptically. He clearly doesn’t trust Bash.
But that’s only because he doesn’t know him like I do.
He doesn’t realize there’s no safer place for me than Bash’s house.
Because Bash will protect me with his life.
But I can’t exactly tell Tom that he can trust Bash because Bash has been stalking me for years, protecting me from afar.
He wouldn’t understand how sweet that is.
“That boy sure has wormed his way into your life very fast. Are you sure you can trust him?” Tom’s gruff voice causes my stomach to roll. He won’t understand, but I can’t fault him for being skeptical.
“I promise you, Bash is a great guy. He’s…” I sigh. How do I even put it into words? “He’s exactly what I need. You have nothing to worry about.”
Tom makes a doubtful noise in his throat, but drops the subject.
“Fine. At least let me walk you to your car.” When I open my mouth to protest, he sighs. “Let me do this. For me. It’ll make me feel better.”
“Okay,” I agree and loop my arm through his offered one.
After a few minutes, he lets out a hearty laugh. “You know Betty’s going to freak out when I tell her, right?”
“Do you have to tell her?” My whining is immature, but I really don’t want to deal with a worried Betty.
“I don’t keep secrets from my wife,” he grunts. “Honesty is the key to a healthy relationship. Be sure to remember that.”
His warning sounds targeted, but there’s no way he can know about my past, right? And even if he did, I already told Bash about it. We don’t have any secrets between us anymore.
I just nod in response, and we walk the rest of the way in silence. When we get to my car, someone on the far side of the parking lot catches my eye.
It’s the way he stands, so familiar in my memory. The slight slouch with his left shoulder scrunched higher than the right. He’s too far away for me to make out his features, and despite every logical neuron telling me he’s dead, all I can see is Vincent.
“Lizzy, are you okay?” Tom demands, following my gaze to the ghost across the lot. The one staring back at us. “Who is that?”
“I have no idea.” I pray that’s the truth. That it’s just a stranger. One who’s paying too much attention to us.
“I’m going to go talk to him,” Tom decides. Before I can protest, he’s marching away. But as soon as Tom steps in the man’s direction, he turns and disappears into the rows of cars.
Tom turns on me. “Lizzy, you need to be careful. Go straight to Sebastian’s. If at any time you don’t feel safe with him, call us. We’ll come get you immediately.”
The urgency in his tone has me throwing my arms around him. He’s so worried about me, but for all the wrong reasons. Bash isn’t my danger, he’s my safety. It’s my past that’s the real threat.
“I promise I will.” Even though I know it won’t happen, I still want to reassure him.
He comes back and opens my car door for me. As I back out of my spot, he remains there, watching me until I’m out of the lot. Only then does he turn away.
On the ride home, I rationalize with myself. Vincent is dead. I watched him bleed out. Caused it. Clearly, there’s a man that resembles him who frequents the zoo. He’s the one I keep seeing. There’s no need to tell Bash and worry him. I’ve already caused him enough problems.