Page 11 of Cruel Betrayal

ThatsRenfieldInTheCorner:How about dinner instead?

Me:Dinner sounds good.

ThatsRenfieldInTheCorner:I’ll send you the details once I get my schedule for the week.

I glance up at Haven with a smile. “We’re going to be getting dinner sometime soon.”

Haven smirks and shakes her head. “Look at you, making the first step into getting your own life.”

Butterflies burst to life in my stomach at the thought of finally meeting the man I’ve been talking to.

We’ve sent countless messages back and forth, but this is it. This time, we’re going to meet, and I’m going to have one more person actually in my life who knows what’s happening to me.

It’s terrifying.

Haven tips her head to the side, staring at me. “Do you think he might be the stalker?”

I laugh and toss the phone to the side. “Not a chance. He knows all about the stalker and not once has he said anything that would even lead me to think one has anything to do with the other. Hell, I’ve been talking to this guy in the chatrooms for longer than I’ve had a stalker.”

She crosses her arms over her chest, her dark eyes narrowing and strands of her purple hair falling in front of her face. She blows them away, fixing that glare back on me. “And what’s chatroom guy’s name? Since you never told me that.”

“Jameson.”

“Uh huh. Well, I hope it all goes well.”

“Me too.” I shift to the side, sprawling out on the couch and trying to get the butterflies in my stomach to settle. “Now all I have to do is hope that he’s not some crazy killer.”

And with my track history with men, I don’t have much hope in that.

Chapter Four

EZRA

I hopemy little minx likes the retreat I have planned for us. She always said that she loves the woods and going hiking. Of course, she’s going to be unconscious when I bring her here, but maybe when she wakes up—if she’s willing to cooperate—we could go for a hike.

There are so many places out here I could show her.

Like the lake that’s only a short hike east from here, or we could keep going north, into the Catskill Mountains.

She could spend time with me hiking to the high peaks and looking out over the valleys below.

My little minx will love the cabin, too. It took far too long to build, but every inch of it is solid wood.

She loves leather, so I made sure to have the couches and chairs upholstered with the warm whiskey-colored leather she has all over her apartment.

I open the door, and it feels like coming home.

At least, it would if I didn’t have the cabin draped with thick plastic.

I don’t know what’s going to happen when the little minx wakes up once she’s here, but I want to be prepared for the worst. She’s always been so good to me, but this is going to scare her.

She’s strong, though. Resilient.

My little minx isn’t the kind to go down without a fight, but soon she’ll see that this is for the best. She’ll find out that this is the best way for her to be.

I’ll be around to take care of her, to make sure that she wants for nothing.

She won’t have to worry about all those other stressors in her life.