Page 25 of Twisted Redemption
As I run a hand through my hair, another thought enters my mind. Turning back to Felix, I say, “You’re going to tell the guys about the hard drive, aren’t you?”
He gives me a sympathetic look. “You already know the answer to that question, hon.”
“And you’re going to tell Alex that you told me all this, aren’t you?”
He nods, calm and even while I feel like my insides are crumbling. “Alex didn’t want you in on this for obvious reasons. But if it keeps you away from David, I have no regrets.”
And that’s when it clicks. The enemies Alex was talking about at Everly’s brunch. He was talking about David.
“Am I—am I safe, Felix?”
He pauses, looking me over, and I have a feeling he’s lying when he says that I have nothing to worry about. “Let me walk you out, Brooke. And then go home. We’ll call if there’s anything you need to know.”
I nod, grateful to have someone to walk through the halls with. I’ve only been here a few times, the more recent one to surprise Blaze on his birthday with presents and an office party.
But the walls still hold the terror of the first time I was ever in this building. It was when I was a teenager, and my parents got a ransom call for Alex. Mr. Grayson picked me up and kept me in his office, for my parents’ peace of mind, I guess.
My dad haggled with my brother’s kidnappers for days before finally settling on a price to pay. Of course, like the saint that he was, Blaze stayed with me the whole time, with tissues and chocolates and his arms around me.
As if my thoughts conjured him, Blaze walks around a corner and right into me. His hands on my arms steady me, but they do nothing to calm the uneven beat of my heart.
“Brooke? What are you doing here?”
I stare up into his cold, hard eyes, my chest tightening. I got here early specifically so I wouldn’t run into him. He’s never at work this early. Hell, no one is. The only reason Felix is here is because he never went home last night.
“I’m just walking her out. Don’t worry about it.” Felix wraps an arm around my shoulders, leading me out, and I can’t help but think I’m grateful to get out from underneath Blaze’s glare.
I hear Blaze curse under his breath, but he doesn’t come after us. When I look back, he’s stalking down the hallway, his shoulders tense in his perfectly-fitting gray suit.
“If you need anything, call, okay?” Felix says when we get to my car. “Especially if you notice anything out of the ordinary. I don’t care if you think it’s trivial, okay? Trust your intuition.”
Biting the inside of my lip, I nod. “I will.”
“Good. You owe me one—I just pissed my boss off for you.” But he grins, giving me a wink before heading back inside.
I get home as quickly as I can, checking my rearview mirror more than I ever have. Now that I know who might target me, it suddenly feels like it’s going to happen at any second.
But David wouldn’t hurt me. Not physically, at least. I have almost ten desperate, lovesick texts from him that tell me so. And if he shows up, I can handle him myself.
Still, when I pull into the garage and the door shuts behind me, I let out a breath of relief. But every sense of security leaves my body when I step into the mudroom and hear a solitary beep from the alarm, letting me know I need to enter in the code.
That tightness returns in my chest. Because I very clearly remember disarming the security system days ago. And I haven’t touched it since.
I type in the code, peering through the parts of the house that I can see. I hear a soft thump from the living room, and panic causes my knees to almost give out. Pushing my back up against the wall, I grab my phone. Every ring sends a new spike of dread through me.
“Brooke?”
“Blaze, I think there’s someone in my house. The alarm was on, and I just heard something, and—”
No. God, no. Why the hell would I call Blaze? He’s the last person on this planet I want to talk to right now, let alone come to my rescue.
Hanging up, I take a deep breath. Whoever is in my house, I can handle it myself. I’m not weak. I’m not weak. So I grab a rolling pin from the kitchen counter, tip-toeing farther into the house.
“Hello?” I shout. “Who’s there?”
Something soft brushes up against my ankle, and I yelp, jumping backward. I blink once, twice, staring at the sleek black cat rubbing against my leg.
What on earth?