29. Lennie
TWENTY-NINE
LENNIE
My fingers danced on the keyboard as I tried using my analytics software to find Sarah. Now that we knew that she was responsible for the letters and taking Badger’s sister, I was being extra vigilant with my time. I wanted so desperately to find Sarah and bring her to justice.
I was hyper-focused on my screen when my phone dinged with a text.
BOHDI: Hey, any chance you have a minute to chat?
I narrowed my eyes at the text. Did he want to talk about our hookup? I thought I’d made it clear to him that I wasn’t interested. But something about his text made my hackles rise.
ME:
Sure, what’s up?
BOHDI:
Dinner tonight at Pablo’s? I’ll explain everything there.
I agreed to dinner. Hopefully he didn’t want to talk about our relationship more, but if he did, at least I would have a chance to set him straight. We worked out a time to meet, and I went back to typing on my computer.
Another text pinged on my phone, and I huffed at the interruption. When I saw the name on my phone, my frown turned upside down.
DANTE:
Do you want to get together tonight?
My heart skipped a beat at the thought of hanging out with Dante more, at the chance to get to know him more deeply.
ME:
I can after I get dinner with Bohdi.
I saw the bubbles on the phone light up before disappearing. Why did I tell him I was meeting Bohdi? He probably thought it was a date and he was sloppy seconds. Then again, screw him if he thought that way. Bohdi was my friend. A text from Dante stopped my spiraling thoughts.
DANTE:
Okay, where are you guys going?
Without thinking twice, I told him the time and place.
Later that night, I was sitting across from an unusually grumpy Bohdi. I took a bite of taco and continued to fuel the conversation, only getting small responses in return.
Something was clearly bothering him, and I wanted to know what was going on. I was talking about the latest book I was reading when Bohdi finally snapped and cut me off.
“You know I saw Zombie lurking outside your condo the other night like a total creep, right?”
I placed my fork back on my plate and looked at him, confused. “What do you mean?”
Bohdi straightened his shoulders and crossed his big arms over his chest. “I mean I saw the doctor just standing outside your condo, and it looked like he was watching you when you had Darcy over.”
Anger washed over me when I responded. “And how would you know if he was doing this when Kade stopped surveillance over three months ago?”
Bohdi had the nerve to look unfazed. “So, you’re not weirded out that the doctor was watching you like a stalker?”
I clenched the edge of the table, fully pissed now. “You mean just like what you were doing?”
“Well thank god I was there! Who knows, maybe he’s the one who broke your window!
” Bohdi said sharply. I wasn’t about to tell Bohdi that he was right.
I knew if I did it would get back to Kade and that was the last thing I wanted.
It had taken a lot of much-needed yoga and meditation classes to help clear my mind of the hard things I had faced during this past year.
And right now I didn’t want to think about what Dante had done.
We had moved past it. If I wanted Bohdi to believe me I had to be quick on my feet.
“Dante wouldn’t hurt a fucking fly. And he sure as shit would not stalk me like you clearly have!” I bit back.
“Big words for someone who barely knows the guy. All I’m saying is you need to be careful with him. Something isn’t right.” If I didn’t know what I knew now, I would have appreciated his caring words. However I was still annoyed that he too was doing the behavior that he was warning me about.
I scoffed. “You’re one to talk, Boh; you’re still watching over me when you aren’t supposed to be.”
Bohdi’s jaw clenched. “Because I fucking care about you and didn’t want anything to happen to you.
We never did find out who threw that rock that night.
Don’t you think that’s weird that one of the best forensic specialists out there couldn’t figure that out?
Not to mention did you forget that I single-handedly saved you when you were taken? ”
A noise of frustration left me. “Don’t go there. And you know just as well as I do that the person could have been wearing gloves or something. You know what you have been doing is wrong.”
Bohdi just stared at me while he waved for the check. Good. He was just as done with this conversation as I was.
I put my coat on and threw some cash on the table before standing up to leave. Bohdi was hot on my heels as I left the restaurant. As we got outside, he called to me, but I didn’t listen.
Bohdi caught up with me and grabbed my arm, gripping it like a vice and pulled me toward him. “Just please be careful. I don’t trust him.”
Before I moved to leave, Bohdi leaned down and kissed my cheek. A growl came from beside us, and I froze.
Dante stood there in black slacks, a black long peacoat, and black button-down. He looked delicious with his hair tousled just right from running his hands through it—and he had just seen Bohdi kiss me.
Shitballs!
“Get in the car, Lennie,” Dante ordered, sending a shiver down my spine.
He must be pissed. I’d give anything to hear him call me by a pet name again.
I gave Bohdi a small wave before climbing into the Jeep. As soon as I was in, Dante closed the door, making it impossible to hear what he was saying to Bohdi. But as I watched Dante furiously point at me and then jab his finger toward Bohdi’s chest, I could tell he was not pleased.
Feeling nosy and a little daring, I cracked the window, catching the last thing that Dante said.
“She’s mine; touch her again, and I will make sure they never find your body.” There was so much authority in his voice that I sank into my seat a little more.
I had never heard Dante talk like that to anyone. Part of me was a little unnerved by his possessiveness; the other part of me overjoyed at the overreaction. Dante turned and stalked toward the car before Bohdi could say a word.
The ride to Dante’s place was silent. I wasn’t sure what to say or think. My mind had been reeling from the warning that Bohdi gave me, but also the way Dante swooped in and took me away from Bohdi like he owned me.
When Dante put the car in park in his driveway, he turned to me and leaned close, cupped my cheeks, and said in a dark tone, “You are mine, kitten, and one thing to know about me is I don’t share. Is that understood?”
I nodded my head fervently in response. My heart picked up as he guided me upstairs and to the threshold of his playroom.
“I’m going to show you what it means to belong to me,” he said as he pulled me across the threshold and closed the door.