11. Julian
JULIAN
Ellie has seemed off for the last couple of days. Almost scared. Is Miles still coming around? Giving her crap about me? I don’t want to step in, but maybe I should.
“Boss, there’s something here to see you,” one of the guys says, pointing to the makeshift office building, which is really just a small shed.
Miles. No way. Thinking he’ll just waltz over here and try to hassle me into leaving her alone, make me back off? He has another thing coming. Maybe I’ll be the one to give him a piece of my mind. If he’s looking for a fight, I’m sure as hell not afraid of one.
Who does this guy think he is? I steel myself for whatever confrontation is about to happen, clenching my fists tight and ready, the anger boiling up hotter than the day.
Miles notices me coming and sticks his hands in his pockets. He has a grin on his face, like he’s already got it in the bag. Damn joker. I’ve got news for him: I’m not playing. I will not let him get to me. I will not let him win.
“What can I do for you, Miles?” I snap, stopping right in front of him.
He shifts his weight, that smug smile never leaving his face. “Just came to talk. Man to man.”
“Is that right?” I cross my arms over my chest, conscious of the sweat sticking my t-shirt to my back. “I’m working. Some of us have jobs to do.”
“Won’t take long.” Miles glances around the construction site, eyeing the half-finished framework of what will eventually be luxury condos. His casual assessment of my workplace only pisses me off more.
“Spit it out then.”
“Ellie’s been through a lot,” he says, dropping his voice. “More than you know. I’m just looking out for her.”
“Looking out for her?” I almost laugh. “Is that what you call showing up at her place unannounced? Calling her at all hours?”
His smile falters. “She told you about that?”
“She didn’t have to. I’ve seen how she gets when her phone rings.” I take a step closer, close enough to smell his cologne. Too fancy for this heat. “Listen to me carefully. Whatever you two had is over. She’s made that clear.”
“You don’t understand?—”
“No, you don’t understand. Ellie makes her own decisions. And she’s decided she doesn’t want you around. So back off.”
Miles’s jaw tightens, that friendly facade cracking. “You think you know her? A couple of dates and a good fuck and suddenly you’re the expert?”
Something cold slides down my spine despite the heat. “Get off my site, Miles. Now.”
He holds up his hands in mock surrender. “Just having a friendly chat. But remember what I said.” He turns to leave, then stops. “Oh, and Julian? She always comes back to me. Always. Ever since our first date.”
I watch him walk away, fighting the urge to put my fist through something. Or someone.
I head back to work with my blood boiling, trying to focus on the beam measurements but seeing only red. What the hell is that supposed to mean? “Our first date.” Like he’s got some hold on her I don’t know about.
The rest of the afternoon drags by in a haze of sweat and distraction. Twice I catch my crew exchanging glances when I snap at them over minor issues. Not like me. I’m not that guy.
By quitting time, my head’s pounding from more than just the heat. I head straight to Ellie’s.
She answers the door, surprised. “Julian? I wasn’t expecting you tonight.”
“Had to see you,” I say, searching her face. She looks tired, dark circles under her eyes that makeup can’t quite hide. “Can I come in?”
She hesitates just long enough for me to notice before stepping aside. Her apartment is neat as always, but something feels off. A suitcase sits half-packed in the corner of her living room.
“Going somewhere?” I ask, trying to keep my voice casual.
“Just... organizing some things.” She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, a nervous habit I’ve come to recognize. “Want something to drink?”
“Miles came to see me today,” I say, ignoring her offer. “At the construction site.”
Her face goes pale. “What? Why would he?—”
“That’s what I’d like to know.” I move closer, needing to see her eyes. “He said some things. About you two. About how you always go back to him.”
Ellie wraps her arms around herself, suddenly looking small. “Julian, it’s complicated.”
“Then uncomplicate it for me.”
She sinks onto the couch, shoulders slumped. “I’m just... I need to get away for a while. Clear my head.”
I sit beside her, fighting the urge to pull her into my arms. “What aren’t you telling me, Ellie? Because something’s not right here.”
She stares at her hands for what feels like an eternity. When she finally looks up, there’s something in her eyes I’ve never seen before.
“Miles isn’t just my ex,” she says quietly. “He’s... he’s been my everything for a long time. Friend, boyfriend, family.”
“That doesn’t give him ownership of you.”
“It’s not that simple.” Ellie stands, pacing to the window. “There are things you don’t know about me, Julian.”
I follow her, keeping my distance but close enough to reach out if she’ll let me. “Everyone has a past.”
“Not like mine.” Her voice cracks. “Miles knows everything. He was there for all of it.”
“Whatever it is, it doesn’t change how I feel about you.”
Ellie turns to me with glistening eyes. “You say that now.”
“I say that, period.” I step closer, relieved when she doesn’t back away. “Look, I’m not asking for your whole life story tonight. But I need to know what’s happening now. Why the suitcase? Where are you going?”
She glances at the half-packed bag. “Miles thinks... he thinks I should go stay with his sister in Phoenix for a while.”
“And what do you think?”
“I’m tired of looking over my shoulder. He found me. And I know you don’t know what that means, and it’s such a long story.”
“Who found you?” I reach for her hand, giving her plenty of time to pull away. She doesn’t. “Let me help you. Whatever this is, you don’t have to face it alone.”
“You don’t understand what he’s capable of,” she whispers.
A chill runs through me despite the lingering heat of the day. “Has he hurt you?”
“Not physically. Not yet.” She squeezes my hand. “But he knows people. Has connections. The kind of people who don’t ask questions.”
The implications of what she’s saying hits me like a sledgehammer. “Has he threatened you?”
“Left a note on my car. Text me the other night. He’s trying to scare me. Watch me squirm.”
“Who is he?”
She takes a deep breath and finally spills everything about a guy named Rick.
“I met Rick five years ago at a charity event. He was charming, successful—a real estate developer with properties all over the Southwest. He hired me, but things escalated fast.”
“What happened?”
“He snapped when he found out I gathered incriminating evidence of embezzlement and theft and handed it over to the police.”
I don’t interrupt her once, because I want her to get it all out. The truth.
“And then Miles found out he got out of prison and warned me. Has been warning me.”
“You don’t need to leave. Did you forget I live right next door? Rick isn’t getting anywhere near you.”
Ellie’s shoulders slump with what looks like relief, but her eyes still hold doubt. “You don’t know what you’re offering to protect me from. Rick isn’t just some jealous ex. He’s dangerous.”
“I don’t care who he is. Nobody’s going to hurt you.”
She shakes her head, a sad smile playing at her lips. “That’s what Miles said too.”
“If you haven’t noticed, I’m nothing like Miles. On any level.” I pace the small living room, processing this. “So Miles isn’t the problem. He’s trying to protect you, too?”
“In his way. But his way means I keep running, keep hiding.” Her voice hardens. “I’m tired of living like that.”
I stop pacing and face her directly. “Running is exactly what he wants. It isolates you, makes you vulnerable.”
“First, you stop packing that suitcase.”
“It’s not that simple?—”
“Second,” I continue, squeezing her hand, “we call Miles.”
Her eyes widen. “What?”
“I don’t like the guy, and I sure as hell don’t like how he talks to you or about you. But if he genuinely wants to help, we could use the extra set of eyes.”
Ellie pulls her hand away, standing up to pace again. “You and Miles in the same room? That’s a disaster waiting to happen.”
“Maybe. But we’re both on your side, even if we can’t stand each other.” I lean forward, elbows on my knees. “And third, we find out exactly what Rick is after.