Page 72 of Creed

Let us help.

It’s so simple. At least, it should be. But a lifetime of being a people pleaser is a habit that’s really fucking hard to break.

Be fucking selfish.

Lay your burdens down.

Let. Us. Help.

“I—” I rasp, trying and failing to clear my throat. “I got more texts. Earlier.” Both men in front of me bristle at that.

“Are they from?—”

“I think so.” I answer quickly when Riley tries to ask. “But now the numbers are just blocked, coming through my phone as ‘unknown’.” I sigh, the sound rough and exasperated. “Which means I can’t even block him now.”

“What did the texts say?”

“They were…crude. Always some vulgar text with underlying threats. But this time…he—he sent pictures.”

“Pictures?” Riley parrots. I nod.

Creed goes positively rigid, his jaw ticking from side to side. “Pictures of what.”

“They were pictures of…me.” I swing my eyes to the left, meeting Riley’s dark gaze. “And you. Us. Today at the mall.” Riley’s eyes widen and his lips part in shock. He looks like he wants to say something but he doesn’t. I close my eyes slowly and feel a stray tear I didn’t even realize had built up fall down my cheek. I don’t bother wiping it as I whisper. “I think he found me, Creed. And I’m scared”

Before another tear can fall, Riley and Creed move at the same time and wrap me up tight in a hug, their arms cocooning me and soothing my already frayed nerves.

“Hey, everything is going to be alright, Snow.” Riley says, his voice soothing, and I absorb the way his words vibrate against my skin, causing me to relax a little more.

“Just rest now, Stardust. You’re safe here. I swear it.” He says, his voice, too, rumbling through his chest melts away a little more of my anxiety. He kisses the top of my head before saying, “If you don’t mind, I’m going to take a look at your phone, is it password protected?”

I nod against his chest and rattle off my passcode.

He disappears for a few minutes but the warmth of Riley’s arms hugging around me has my head now drooping against his bicep and drifting off to sleep before Creed can return.

It’s so early that it’s still dark as I sit in the passenger seat of Creed’s Range Rover, Riley in the middle section, sitting behind Creed because he said he wanted to sit where he could see his new best friend. I couldn’t help but smile at his sweetness, even though I’d been dragged out the door at three in the morning.

Earlier, after retrieving my phone, I’d shown Creed and Riley exactly what Guy had sent. Riley told me that Creed had silently fumed for several minutes before he stormed out of the room while I napped against Riley’s arm. I say ‘napped’ because I was only out for a moment before the crackling static of Creed’s electric guitar sounded from the studio down the hall, waking me. I sat up to see that Riley just looked stunned at what he’d read. And sad. And mad. But he wasn’t mad at me. I felt guilty as shit for involving them in my problems, but I knew I’d done nothing wrong. No, he was fucking pissed because my privacy had been violated, as if his celebrity status and his own privacy meant nothing. I know because he’d told me repeatedly before leaving to go find Creed.

Apparently that’s Creed’s coping mechanism still. He plays the guitar and loses himself in a song to help release some of the rage that builds up under his skin.

Before he left the room, he told me to pack my suitcase because we had a short trip to take and by the time we get back, it’ll be time to load up on the tour buses. I stuffed all I owned into a borrowed suitcase that I found in the bottom of Creed’s massive closet, and an hour later we were on the road.

Creed had hugged me and told me he would help me figure out what to do next. He still had some tension lining his features, but he offered me a smile so fucking sexy it had my thighs clenching, despite being dead tired and mentally and physically drained from the day’s events.

He may have friend zoned me, but that doesn’t stop me from still wanting him or being insanely turned on by a mere smile gracing his sinful lips.

We’re currently headed north, and Creed said I can choose wherever I want to eat for breakfast. I’m not familiar with northern California, so I just tell him that anywhere that sells hashbrowns and pancakes.

“We’re almost there, Stardust.” Creed says quietly, checking his phone at a red light before setting it back in the cubby of the center console.

“Unless you’re talking about food, I don’t know where here is, Creed.” I sass back because yeah, I’m tired and cranky and a little hungry.

“Obviously I’m talking about food,” he scoffs, turning left when the light turns green. I narrow my eyes at him because I know he’s planned something else, I just don’t know what.

“So tell me, why did we drive three hours to get breakfast at a…” I lean forward as he pulls into a parking lot and I read the sign on the vintage building in front of me. “Brunchy Barb’s?”

“I read online that they’ve got the best all-you-can-eat pancakes in Northern California.” Riley chimes in from the back seat. I turn to look at him as the engine cuts out and he just shrugs and smiles that damned panty-melting fae prince smile. “You wanted pancakes, Snow. So I found the best…and cheapest.”

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