Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Vanessa
Oh God. I felt like I was going to pass out.
"That's…" I swallowed down the lump in my throat and tried again. "That's the man who pushed his way into my house."
Nolen turned the phone around and cursed. "How the fuck didn't I notice that?"
I didn't have an answer to that question. I would remember that face anywhere, but I had the chance to look into his evil eyes before he attacked me.
"So this isn't the guy who was blackmailing you?"
I shook my head. "Who is he?"
"This is Joel Daniels. I thought it was the person who was blackmailing you because of what Hannah said, but now I'm more confused than ever."
So was I.
"So this is the man Hannah's in love with?" I didn't expect Nolen to know the answer. I was more or less thinking out loud.
"Unless both guys are named Joel."
Stranger things had happened, but in this case, I didn't think that was what was going on.
"I can't believe she sent her boyfriend to beat me up."
The Hannah I knew would never do such a thing, but I was starting to learn that I didn't know my sister at all.
"We don't know anything for sure, but we'll figure it out."
I knew. Deep down I knew it had to be true. Hannah hated me, so it wasn't a far stretch to think she would be okay with someone threatening me.
"I think my sister is involved."
It made sense. At least I think it did. My brain was a little foggy from all the information I was getting.
Nolen gave me a look that was full of pity.
"Don't look at me like that."
I hated when people pitied me. It was a senseless emotion.
"I just hate that you have to deal with this."
I wasn't a fan of it either, but it was what it was.
"It's fine. It will only make me stronger in the end."
Nolen cupped both of my cheeks with his hands. "I'm absolutely in awe by the strength you possess."
There he went, making me blush again. At the rate we were going, I was going to spend all my time with pink cheeks.
"Enough about me. What are we going to do about this problem?"
Nolen stepped back, and his hands dropped. Immediately I missed having his hands on me.
"We are going to find all of Joel's known contacts and figure out which one is responsible for this. Everything has to be connected, so it's just a matter of time before we find him."
"And if we don't?"
Nolen puffed out his cheeks and blew a loud exhale. "Then we wait for the next time he contacts you, and I go with you."
I wasn't sure I was a fan of that idea. Mostly because I didn't want to meet my blackmailer if I didn't have to.
Suck it up. You want this to end, don't you?
Hell yes, I did. I was absolutely over this whole ordeal.
"It should be any day now, right?"
I lifted one shoulder and dropped it. "I'm not even sure anymore. I didn't expect to get a beating the other day, so who knows what the asshole is thinking?"
"Well, I can promise you that's not going to happen again. Until we have this guy in cuffs, I'm not leaving you alone."
"But what about your job?"
"Maverick isn't going to care, and besides, this is what I do for a living."
"Yes, I know, but I'm sure there are other things you need to be doing." I don't know why I was fighting about this when I wanted nothing more than for him to stay with me so nothing else happened.
Nolen rubbed my arm. "Right now, nothing is as important as making sure you're safe."
I melted at his words. There was something immensely sexy about a man who put others before himself.
"Which reminds me, Lex is coming over to install a security system."
And then he had to ruin it by saying that.
"I'm sorry, what?"
"You need a security system with everything that's going on, so Lex is going to come over and install one."
I needed to take a shallow breath before I said something I couldn't take back.
"Don't you think this is something we should've talked about before you called him?"
"Would you have said yes?"
"Of course I would've said yes. I'm not stupid."
"Okay, then, what's the problem?"
Gah! Men. One minute you wanted to kiss them, and the next, you wanted to bop them upside the head.
"The problem is that I would like to have been consulted on something that has to do with my house."
I could see the minute what I said sunk in. "I'm sorry. I didn't even think about that. My only concern was keeping you safe."
And then he went and said things like that, and once again, I was like putty in his hands.
I rose up on my tippy -toes and wrapped my arms around his neck. "It's okay. Just try to remember for next time. I want to be involved in the things going on in my life not just some bystander."
"I promise next time to consult you."
I brushed my lips across his. "So when is Lex showing up?"
"Any minute now."
I shook my head. I guess a hot and heavy make-out session wasn't in our future.