Chapter 21
BEEN THERE FOR HER
“Got any plans this weekend, Arden?”
She looked up from where she was typing in the rest of her case notes for the week to see Michaela smiling at her after she’d asked that question.
She didn’t normally chat too much with her coworkers, finding it easier to keep to herself.
Her life had enough drama in it and the last thing she needed was anyone to think it was affecting her job, or she was stirring up office trouble by being distracted.
“No. Gracie is going to spend the night at her grandparents’ tomorrow so it will be nice to get some things done around the house without her underfoot.”
Like finish breaking down all the packing boxes. One by one she’d brought boxes from the garage to the basement, even pushing a few down the stairs if they didn’t need to be unpacked on the main floor.
Mostly decorations she’d accumulated over the years, old clothes or toys of Gracie’s that she didn’t want to get rid of. She always thought she’d have another child but then told herself it might not be worth holding onto that hope with the way life was going.
The one bright spot was Blaze.
And though her body was telling her it was time to feel like a woman again and her heart was jogging close by, she knew her emotional feelings would take longer to fully develop.
They were getting there though.
It was hard not to with the way Blaze checked in on her and Gracie. Stopped over to say hi, brought cookies last night that he’d picked up at his mother’s cafe.
That was one sure way to win her daughter over!
“Are you done setting everything up in the house? I know when Ryan and I moved a few years ago, it felt as if we were never settled. I still don’t feel it and I wonder if it has more to do with this being the house he wanted and not me. So I can’t relax enough to make it my own.”
She pursed her lips. “I never thought of that. That’s how my apartment felt after I split with my ex. I knew it was never mine and couldn’t quite relax.”
“I never could make an apartment mine either,” Michaela said.
“I’m doing it with this house. Slowly. I painted first and that helped. Anything major will have to wait. Gracie loves her room, so if she’s content then so am I.”
“That’s great. I hope when our little one comes they feel comfortable in their room too.”
Michaela rested her hand on her belly. “Are you pregnant?”
“I am. Nine weeks. We are just telling people.”
“That’s wonderful. I’m so happy and excited for you.”
“We’re thrilled. So far I feel great, so I hope that continues too.”
“I breezed through my pregnancy, so I hope the same for you.”
Arden turned back to her notes because once she was done she could get out of here early. She’d put some extra time in this week as it was, coming in before her scheduled time and having to stay late a couple of days.
Five minutes later, she was swinging her purse over her shoulder, grabbing her lunch bag and walking out of the building.
The closer she got to her car, the harder her heart pounded.
Even from a distance, something looked wrong. The back end was tilted, slumped low like it had given up after a long fight.
And there it was again. The folded note pinned beneath the wiper, a painful echo of the last one.
Before she reached for it, she scanned the lot, her gaze flicking from car to car. People moved everywhere. Employees heading home, a couple laughing near the far row. But that didn’t stop the crawling at the back of her neck. The sense of being watched.
Like it was a cloud over her head for the past several weeks.
She circled around to the rear bumper and froze. Her stomach dropped. Her lunch from hours ago was ready to end up at her feet.
The tire wasn’t just flat—it was slashed. A clean, deliberate, vicious stab.
She shut her eyes, drew in a long breath, then another, forcing the panic down.
It wasn’t working. Her hands were sweating, her breath coming out in pants.
But she squared her shoulders, marched to the front and yanked the paper free just in case anyone was watching. She’d be damned if they could see what was really happening inside of her.
If they could feed on her fear.
The words were thick, pressed into the page: I TOLD YOU TO WATCH YOUR NEXT MOVE. YOU DIDN’T LISTEN. MAYBE NOW YOU WILL.
“Fuck me,” she muttered under her breath, though what she really wanted to do was scream. To stomp her foot. To throw a tantrum to rival one of a child when things didn’t go their way.
She spun around again. There were too many faces and too many unknowns. Her father was more than half an hour away. She didn’t even know how to change a tire. Security could help, sure, but that would mean reports, questions, and another reminder that someone was out there trying to scare her.
Her hands were shaking before she even realized she’d pulled out her phone.
There was only one name. One call. Only one person who’d been there for her recently.
“Arden,” Blaze answered on the first ring, his voice steady and alert. “What’s wrong?”
She swallowed hard. “I got another note on my car. And this time, my tire is slashed. I’m… I’m just standing here trying to figure out what to do.”
“Go back inside,” he said, his voice laced with authority. “Now. I’m on my way.”
There was no point arguing. That was exactly what she’d wanted to hear.
She turned and strode back toward the building, forcing herself not to look over her shoulder and not to run to draw more attention. The glass doors reflected the movement behind her, enough to keep her nerves on edge as she stepped inside and out of the way.
She waited by the entrance, watching every car that turned in. People came and went, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone out there was still watching for her.
Five minutes later, she spotted Blaze’s SUV flying into the lot. Her chest loosened a fraction. Her bunched nerves let go slightly. He was here. He’d calm her like he’d been doing.
The second he parked, she stepped outside to meet him.
“I told you to stay inside,” he said, his eyes scanning her, the car, the lot and everything he always did when he walked into the room to treat a patient.
“You’re here,” she said quietly. “I’ll be fine now.”
Blaze didn’t answer. He was already moving, his long strides eating up the space between them as his gaze swept the parking lot again. His warm and steady hand came to rest on her back, guiding her slightly behind him as if it were instinct. As if he were going to shield her from harm.
It was then that she noticed the bulge under his shirt. He was wearing a gun.
Why hadn’t she’d known he had one? Or that he would walk out with it on him?
He was supposed to be here to help calm her and it was only revving her up.
He crouched by the rear tire, the set of his shoulders telling her everything. “That’s not a slow leak,” he muttered. “Someone cut it. It’s a clean slice, deep enough to ruin it and get their point across quickly. Maybe even if they were in a hurry.”
Her throat felt tight. “I thought so. The note was on the windshield again.”
“Let me see it.”
She handed it over. He didn’t even unfold it right away, just looked at the paper for a moment, his jaw flexing.
Then he opened it and read.
The muscle at his temple jumped. “Whoever did this isn’t just trying to scare you,” he said. “They’re testing boundaries. Seeing how close they can get without being caught.”
Her pulse jumped. “You think they’re here?”
His eyes lifted, sweeping the rows of cars again. “If they were, they’re gone now.” He straightened, folding the note carefully before handing it back. “I’m going to change your tire, but you need to report this to security and see if they can find anything on the cameras.”
“You want me to do that now? I’ve got to get Gracie.”
“You need to do it,” he said. “I can pick her up if you want, or can she stay later? You need to call the police on top of it.”
She didn’t want to do any of those things but knew he was right.
“Let me call the daycare first and let them know what is going on. She can stay until six, it’s just I normally get her before five, but I don’t want them worried.”
“Do that and we’ll take care of this without her around to witness it.”
“Thanks, Blaze.”
“Don’t thank me yet. If I find out who is doing this, you might not like the side of me that’s making you wary.”
“Hard not to be. You’ve got a gun on you.”
“I do and I will again if someone gets near you.”
“Just as I expected. Not alone.”
I shake my head. Arden has been warned.
Words aren’t enough. Now she needs to feel it.
It’s my turn now to get what is due to me.
My turn for her and everyone else to know what I’ve gone through and what I’m feeling. What I’ve felt.
I start the car, content that my voice is finally being heard. A small, satisfied smile lifts the corners of my mouth as I pull away, gliding past Arden’s parked car and the evidence of my work.