Page 103

“That’s okay. I just thought it would be easier for us. Much more natural than all that texting back and forth, don’t you think?”
The voice on the other end was a sort of high pitched and non-threatening. This was the same guy that had been sending me texts for weeks now, but hearing his voice was different. It was more real, more intimate.
I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out the image of the man on the security footage. “Yeah, it sure is.” Wow, my voice sounded so normal and natural.
There was a pause, and I could hear the hacker breathing on the other end of the line. It was unnerving, but I tried to stay calm. I could feel Daniel’s eyes on me, and I knew he was ready to intervene if necessary.
“So, how have you been?”
Oh, so we were just gonna chat like we were best buddies. Alrighty then. “I’ve been good. Just trying to stay busy. Writing some songs and stuff. How about you?”
“Same.”
Another pause. More breathing. So fucking gross. “I really love hearing your voice. It’s even better than I imagined.”
“That’s really sweet of you.”
“You and me, Stef. We have something. Can you feel it?”
“I can.” How that made my gut churn. Blerch. “I’ve never known anyone like you before.” At least that wasn’t a lie.
“That’s exactly how I feel about you. I think you’re talented and beautiful and strong. And I think you deserve to be happy.”
“That’s…” I had to pause to swallow back the bile that rose in my throat. “That’s incredibly sweet.”
“I’m going to let you go now. But I’ll be in touch. I’ll be watching you, Stef. And I’ll be here if you need me.”
The line went dead, and I was left sitting there, holding the phone, my heart hammering in my chest. I looked up at Daniel and Scarlett, my eyes wide.
“Are you okay?” Scarlett’s voice was full of concern.
I nodded, but I wasn’t sure if that was true.
Daniel was trying his best to restrain himself, but he was so fucking thrilled at all of this. “What did he say?”
I told them everything. All of my impressions of him. That he sounded sort of young and insecure. Not a kid, more like mid-twenties. Around my age. He thought I was fascinating and talented and beautiful and strong.
And then I told them the one thing that scared me the most.
“I think he might be in love with me.”
CHAPTER 44
Grayson
The bright lights of the parking garage left me nowhere to hide in the sea of FBI agents waiting to take us upstairs for the briefing. Apparently, Stef had taken matters into her own hands and Wolfe, standing with Rhett and Farris, kept side eyeing me. He was ready to reassure me, yet again, that Stef had only done what she thought was right.
But I was fucking seething. How dare she go against me like that? Put herself in harm’s way like that? The knowledge that she was in daily contact with my nemesis, possibly in danger because of me, made my blood boil.
Rhett was no help, since he thought my predicament was hilarious. All my power, all my money, and I couldn’t get one blue-haired punk to do what I asked of her. He’d made more than a few jabs about impotence, which made me want to punch him.
A black SUV with tinted windows pulled into the garage. And before it had come to a complete stop, Stef was clambering out the back door. My heart lurched at the sight of her, then started pounding so hard it hurt. The look on her face as she ran towardme wiped all thoughts of anger from my mind. Then she was throwing herself at me, her whole body shaking as she wrapped herself around me.
I held her tight, burying my face in her hair and breathing her in. “Are you okay?” My voice was pitched low, so no one else could hear it, and I felt the shiver that ran through her.
“I am now.” Her voice was muffled against my chest.
Knowing that all eyes were on us, I went to pull away. But she tightened her hold, so I gave up, running my hand lightly up and down her back until the trembling subsided.