Page 16 of Fractured

“Focus, Luv. Rewards are for later,” he says with a quirk of an eyebrow. His hand reaches out across the table and his index finger runs distracting circles on the back of my hand.

Shit. He wants to know details of why I need to ice out my stalker. I didn’t think this through. Damn accent distracting me from thinking clearly. I clear my throat, trying to decide exactly how much detail to give him. “Could you just give me a crash course on how to block a hacker. Or maybe how to trace back where it’s coming from?”

“If it was that easy, Countess, then your simple google search would have given you the answers you wanted. Situations vary and typically involve carefully coded firewalls and… your eyes are glazing over on me.” He gives me a knowing look. I may be well versed in many subjects, but zeros and ones aren’t my thing.

“Countess?” I question.

“Well, you don’t seem like the type to appreciate being called a princess.” He chuckles with a shrug of the shoulders. Must be a quirky name to match his nerdy persona.

“I’ve been getting messages that pop up on my screen from time to time. They look like texts but disappear seconds after I finish reading them and there’s no way for me to reply to them,” I admit to him. I’m out of options. Google isn’t giving me the answers I want, and I’m not willing to let anyone like Vander find out I have a stalker.

Cole’s gaze becomes distant as he thinks about solutions. “I suppose you don’t want to give me any more details?” he asks for confirmation.

“Not until the third date at the very least,” I quip.

His eyes light up. “Already thinking about our future together, Luv? Now you have me looking forward to gaining all of your secrets. So, can I count this as date number one? Dinner later this week, and breakfast in bed the next morning. I’ll pen you in for pillow talk secrets four days from now.”

“Ha! In your dreams, lover boy. Have to try harder than that,” I say with a flirting shove.

“Damn. It was worth a try. I have a few things I can do with your phone to try and block the messages from coming up anymore, but if you want me to try to find out where the person is who’s sending them, I’d have to know when they are actively hacking into your phone to send them. Unfortunately, without more details, it’s an either-or situation right now for a quick fix. Or you could give me your phone to work with for a few days, but I assume that’s not an option.” He stops drawing shapes on the back of my hand and picks it up instead. It’s disconcerting how quickly I’ve grown used to his touch.

“If I change my mind about blocking the messages, can you reverse it?” I question, suddenly uneasy about the decision to cut my stalker off.

Cole stares at me before answering. “Yeah, Luv. I can reverse it.”

I nod my head and hand him my phone after unlocking it. Hopefully, this will draw my stalker out. If not, I’ll have to try another tactic…

eight

I blink away my confusion. Or at least I try to. The sight before me is still there, no matter how many times I try to blink the sleep from my eyes. In front of my face, on the pillow next to me is a box with a red bow and a familiar cardstock.

My stalker was here.

While I slept.

And I didn’t wake up.

A grin split my cheeks and a giddy thrill zinged through my limbs. He was here and left me another gift. Sure, it’s not exactly what I wanted from him, I wanted to meet him myself. But this is a compromise I can settle on. At least for the time being. Maybe just today. I’ll build my shy guy up to meeting in person.

Snatching the box off the pillow, I sit up with a bounce and lean back against the headboard. I ignore the cardstock and pinch the tail of the ribbon instead. A smooth snick sounds as I yank the silk and the bow releases. This is better than prototype day at the corporate office when we dole out budgets for each department.

I shake the lid of the box trying to dislodge the tight fit of it hugging the bottom and with a sucking sound, it finally releases. Inside the box, I find a brand new phone, and I stare at it for a moment, blinking with confusion. With a quick glance at my nightstand, I find my phone is missing. In its place is the empty case, making it instantly clear that he took my phone, giving me no other option but to use the one he gave me.

Sure, I could just get a new one, but something tells me he’d just replace it again. It hasn’t even been a full twenty-four hours since he was blocked from hacking into my device. Yeah, he’s obsessed. I pick up the new phone and a polaroid flutters to the bedspread covering my lap. Without looking at it, I place it with the cardstock that I’ll read next. First, I have a present for my stalker.

Whipping my shirt over my head, I hold the phone out and snap a photo with my tits pressed together. I can’t be sure he’ll see it, but I’m convinced he’ll be keeping track of me through the phone. A smirk replaces my grin. Whoever this man is, he gives me just as much sense of being alive as killing Scott made me feel. It’s something I can get used to.

I could also get used to spending time with Cole. He was somehow able to get me to relax enough to remove my mask around him, giving me a sense of being normal for the first time in my life. Our entire interaction felt so natural; I didn’t have to fake anything with him. The realization shocks me, because the only other person to have done that is Vander…

I pick up the cardstock and see the same script as the last note. Although, this one has a lot more written on it.

Raven,

Did you really think I wouldn’t notice your naughty maneuver to try and manipulate me into doing what you want? You can use those tactics on everyone else in your life, but not me. I will however reward you for the attempt. It shows you’re now thinking more strategically than you have in the past. I’ve given you the ability to respond. Just don’t expect me to answer any of your questions. Remember who’s in charge here.

The fifth rule of killing: Don’t bring any devices with you that can track your location. Unless it’s one of mine.

Check your photos. I’ve left you proof from your old phone of everywhere you went the past week. This new phone is completely untraceable, and I’ve ensured I’m the only one who can hack it. If you ask your new friend to look at it again, you’ll be locked out for two hours and on a timeout from messaging me.

---