Page 49 of Bound to the Bodyguard

We were two people, each with our own set of scars, finding solace in the presence of the other.

My breath hitched as I ventured into the shadowed corners of my mind, the places I'd sealed off even from myself. "I never thought I'd be someone's target, you know? The letters, the photos—it's like I can feel his eyes on me, even when I'm alone."

The vulnerability made me uneasy, yet there was solace in sharing my fears with someone who didn't just listen, but understood the gravity of them.

Jerome leaned in. "I've spent years building walls, keeping people out. It's second nature," he admitted. "But those walls... they don’t just keep others out; they trap you inside."

His confession hung in the air between us, a silent testament to the battle scars etched into the depths of his soul. I saw the effort it took for him to peel back the layers of his own armor, revealing the man behind the soldier.

"Being strong all the time is exhausting.”

"Strength isn't about not feeling fear or pain. It’s about facing them head-on, knowing they won't define you."

I let out a slow breath, my heart a steady drumbeat against the chaos of my thoughts. Here, in the quiet sanctity of my house, with the night sky a canvas of darkness outside the window, I leaned on Jerome, to share the burden that had become too heavy to bear alone.

"Letting someone in... it might be the bravest thing we can do.”

"Thank you," I said.

Jerome's lips quirked into a half-smile. "I should be thanking you. It's not every day I meet someone who understands."

I chuckled. "Well, I must say, your armor could use a little shine."

"Hey now," he teased back, the corner of his eye crinkling. "Are you offering to polish it for me?"

"Maybe, but only if you promise to protect me from spiders. Those are non-negotiable."

"Spiders?" Jerome feigned shock. "You face down stalkers without blinking but cower at eight-legged creatures?"

"Everyone has their kryptonite. And don't pretend you're not afraid of anything."

"Guilty," he admitted, leaning back against the couch cushions. "I have an irrational fear of karaoke."

"Karaoke? A big, tough guy like you?"

"Laugh all you want, but there's nothing more terrifying than singing 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' in front of strangers.”

"Okay, I'll handle the spiders if you take karaoke duty."

"Deal."

Chapter 31

Raven

My heart skipped a beat as the shrill ring of the phone sliced through the stillness of the quiet living room. With a tentative hand, I reached for it. “Hello?”

“Raven Fields,” began the eerily calm voice on the other end, a voice I had come to dread. “Do you feel safe? You shouldn’t. I’m closer than you think.”

The phone clicked dead before I could respond, leaving me with a cold silence that seemed to echo the chilling words of The Phantom.

This isn’t just a game to them. It’s personal. But why me? What have I done to deserve this torment?

With each message, the fear that once simmered in the background of my daily life now boiled over, scalding my sense of security.

They could be anyone, anywhere. Watching. Waiting. And the anonymity—how do you fight an enemy whose face you’ve never seen?

My fingers trembled as I dialed Evelyn’s number, the screen of my phone blurring through anxious tears. I pressed the device to my ear, listening to the trill of the ringtone like it was the countdown to an inevitable explosion.

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