Page 45 of Forever Only Once

The words now sent my tea straight up my throat again, and I vomited everything I had eaten during brunch.

My hands shook, my whole body felt clammy, and I rechecked my security, then held my phone close to me.

I knew I needed to call the detective, like I had before. Because this could be Thomas. Or it could be Thomas’s friends. He’d relied on them in the past to help him and I wouldn’t put it past them and their money to do this—even if they’d cut him off when he’d gone to jail.

I didn’t know.

Thomas was out.

Even though I had built my security around me, a bubble that I had hoped nothing could penetrate, I knew it wouldn’t be enough.

It would never be enough when it came to Thomas.

As I hung up the phone after talking with the detective, getting empty assurances that they would help me, that they would do their best to protect me, I wondered if taking myself out of my comfort zone and trying with Cross was too much.

Because I had made a mistake before.

What if I was making one again?