Chapter 6 #2
Elias takes it and reads the words on the screen. His jaw clenches, and then he meets my eyes. “I need to show this to Sully.” His voice has a deadly tone to it I’ve never heard before.
“You don’t have to run right to him. Why don’t you rest so you can heal?”
“It was just a nick. I’m fine.”
“Serenity said you needed stitches.
He sighs. “I’ve had worse in this line of work. It’s why I stopped taking bodyguard jobs. And then Sully moved to New York right after.”
Last I knew, Sully also owned businesses in Granite Falls. I don’t get why he’d go to the city. “I guess I’m lucky he still had the same cell number. So, he moved to the city too?”
Elias nods. “This is his apartment. We’re just staying here until tomorrow. That way, we can rest, and you can get changed before people notice you.”
“Speaking of, are there any clothes I can wear that aren’t so … suffocating?”
Serenity stands and grabs a shopping bag off the floor. “I bought a few things for you while you were unconscious. I’d let you use my clothes, but I only brought enough for today so that we could travel lightly.”
My stomach twists. She spent more money on me when I was trying to help her financially. But I’ll never say that to her. “Thanks. I appreciate you thinking of me.”
“Well, actually, it was—”
Her words cut off when Elias says, “How about I go show Sully these messages so you can get changed?”
I nod. Serenity stands and takes Summer’s hand, leading Summer and Elias out of my room.
The moment the door closes behind them, I strip down to my shapewear and sink onto the bed again. Being free of that dress is exactly what I need after everything today. I fall backward so that I’m lying on my back. Letting my arms sprawl out to my sides, I let out a long overdue sigh.
Finally, I have some peace and quiet. And I’m safe. Or as safe as I can possibly be.
Five minutes later, I’m changed into the leggings and sweater that Serenity gave me.
I wiggle my toes in the slipper socks she slid into the bag.
I can almost forget about everything that happened.
I inhale a deep breath and get a whiff of the perfume they drenched me in for the wedding ceremony. Well, I said almost.
A knock sounds, and I jump, scooting myself into a seated position. My heart hammers against my ribcage. Calm down, you’re safe. It’s probably just Elias or Serenity.
“Who is it?” I call out lamely.
“It’s me.”
Elias. What do I say to him after all this time? Can I still hold my grudge against him after he was injured protecting me?
“Come in,” I finally say. “I’m changed.”
The door creaks open, and Elias appears.
My heart swoops as I take him in. He’s now dressed in a black sweater and jeans.
His short, wavy hair is disheveled as if he forgot to fix it after pulling the shirt over his head.
His dark eyes pull me in as he strides over and sits on the bed about a foot away from me.
“Sully questioned your alleged boyfriend.”
My jaw drops. I’m over here ogling a man I shouldn’t, and he gets right down to business. “How?”
“Why do you think I didn’t shoot him when I had ample opportunity? I knocked him unconscious to bring him to Sully.”
He says it so matter-of-factly that I almost think he’s joking.
Before I left, Elias was a sweet guy who worked at a coffee shop with me.
He’d pass me notes in Math class our entire senior year, saying something so outrageous, just to get a laugh out of me.
Now, he’s a gun-slinging bodyguard who takes unconscious attackers to be questioned.
I don’t know him at all anymore.
“Did he give any information on who’s behind this?” Because in all honesty, that man looked more like a grunt than the brain.
“As much as he could.”
“Oh, my goodness. Did you…” I pause and look around, before loud-whispering, “torture him?”
Elias throws his head back and laughs. Until now, he has been stone-faced, but he has tears leaking out of his eyes at how hard he’s laughing. After a few more moments, he sobers and says, “No. We don’t torture people.”
“So, he just told you everything?” Elias nods, so I say, “Wow, what a wimp.”
A chuckle rumbles out of Elias’s chest, and I can’t help but laugh with him.
“He only told us that there’s a middleman who hands out assignments. He doesn’t know his name because he goes by ‘The Tagger.’ But Sully agreed to have one of his local men follow up that lead so we can get out of here.”
“And where do we go now?”
Elias stares so deeply into my eyes, it’s like he’s seeing my soul. “We go back to Granite Falls. And then you move in with me.”
I widen my eyes. “What? I can’t move in with you. Are you sure you didn’t bump your head, too?”
He gives me an unamused look. “I didn’t hit my head. Do you want Serenity and Summer to be in danger? What will you do if something happens to them just because you don’t want to stay at my house?”
What will I do if something happens to them because of me? Yesterday was too close. If I hadn’t called Sully … I’d never forgive myself. So, even when Elias is frustrating, I have to remember he’s what’s best for us.
“Fine. I’ll talk to her,” I say through gritted teeth.
“Tonight?”
I throw my hands up. “Yes, tonight. Can you drop it now?”
He clasps his fingers in front of his body so hard that his knuckles turn white. “What? Drop it like you dropped me when you left early?” His tone suddenly drips with disdain. Even though I never expected him to like me again, this sounds more.
I rear back. This conversation took such a turn I almost got whiplash. “I dropped you?” I laugh so maniacally that I glance at the door, afraid someone might pop in. Looking back at him, I finish, “That’s not what I remember.”
He narrows his dark brown eyes at me. “No? Then how do you remember it?”
My muscles tense, preparing for a fight. “What I remember is the truth. I don’t need to rehash it now. It’s about four and a half years too late.”
“Sure.” He sighs and runs his fingers through his hair. “Let’s get through our time together the best we can.”
“You’re the one who brought it up.”
His gaze pierces me, snaring me to my spot. “I’ve had all that time since you’ve been gone to dwell on it, and I guess I couldn’t hold it in now that I have you in front of me. This,” he motions between us, “has to work or else next time you could lose your life.”
I raise a brow. “You started it. I agreed to your ludicrous plan.”
Elias’s eyebrows pinch, and his forehead creases.
Is he worried about me because it’s his job? Or does he still have feelings for me? He’s still upset about how things ended … And … and …
God, I’m still such a mess. I’m assuming it has only been a few hours since my wedding, and I’m wondering if my ex still has feelings for me. And I’m trying to figure out how to tell Serenity that I’m moving in with my ex-boyfriend.
“Stop overthinking right now.” His voice is low. “You can tell her later. For now, we need you to rest up so we can drive the six hours back to Granite Falls.”
He can still read me like I’m his favorite book, and he has every line memorized. Or maybe I just wear my emotions on my sleeve. Stop thinking that he’s the same guy from before. He can barely be in your presence without throwing accusations at you.
Elias pushes off the bed. He bounces on the heels of his feet with his thumbs in his belt loops. “How about we go eat? Some Chinese food takeout just arrived before I came in.”
“I’m not really hungry,” I lie. The last thing I need is to be around Elias more than necessary. My stomach rumbles, and we both glance down.
“I’m pretty sure your stomach just shook the entire apartment complex.”
I roll my eyes. “Whatever.”
Pushing to my feet, my legs wobble, and Elias catches me. He pulls me closer to him, and I have the urge to lean into him. It’s almost as if I’m thrown back to my eighteen-year-old self. His scent—pine trees with a hint of coffee—wafts through my nose. It’s the exact same as before.
No. I need to remember that he isn’t the same guy as before. And even though he’s the one who ghosted me, he somehow believes I’m the one at fault.