Page 85 of Bound By Words

“I’ll try to call soon. Please text me to let me know you got this. I miss you, Kell,” Tom finished.

The video cut off, and she sighed heavily, leaning in to wrap her arms around my waist.

“You alright?” I asked, kissing her temple.

“Yeah, I’m good. Just sad I wasn’t there to meet him,” she sighed. “Not sad that I missed the newborn blowouts, though. Nasty.”

I stayed quiet, unsure of what to say. Kelly meeting Tom’s new baby meant her returning home to Chicago, and I didn’t want that happening so soon. I still needed more time with her, although I worried it would never be enough as my attachment grew each day.

“You coming inside for lunch?” she asked quietly as she leaned back, smiling at me. I’d never get tired of the way she looked at me.

“I can come inside something,” I teased, leaning down to nip at her neck.

She giggled, trying to push against my chest as I started tickling her. “Behave, or I’ll get out that bondage tape,” she laughed loudly, grabbing one of my wrists to keep me from continuing my attack.

“I thought I was supposed to be behaving,” I grinned. “Tying me up sounds like playtime, sunshine.”

“Fine,” she sighed dramatically, leaning her forehead against my shoulder. “You go back to work out here, and I’ll finish what I need on my laptop. Any requests for your sandwich?”

“Nope, you know what I like. Thank you.” I leaned in, stealing a quick kiss before she returned to the house.

The chime of a text message drew my attention, and I watched as she pulled her phone out of her pocket, immediately stopping as she read it. A sense of urgency propelled my movements, my feet striding quickly to where she stood by the front door, taking the phone from her hand seconds before it slipped from her grasp.

???: I hope you’re happy, whore. Don’t think I can’t find you. Now that I have time on my hands, I don’t need to wait for you to return to Chicago. Good luck hiding. You’re going to need it.

A red haze clouded my vision as my jaw clenched. That fucker would regret threatening her.

Kelly was shaking as I pulled her into my chest, tucked her head under my chin, and squeezed her tightly. “You’re safe, sunshine. I’ve got you.”

My chest tightened at her first quiet sniffle, and then my heart cracked wide open at the sob she tried to muffle into my shirt. “Why is he doing this to me?”

“We’re leaving in the morning. You need to go pack,” I whispered as I grasped her shoulders, pulling her back to look at me. “He won’t hurt you, but we need to leave. I don’t feel comfortable staying here anymore.”

“But the house,” she sputtered, waving at the unfinished framing behind me.

“Fuck the guest house, Kelly. I’m not risking it. We’re going back to Boston tomorrow. I’ll finish as much as I can today, but you need to be ready to drive back in the morning.”

With a shaky nod, she pitched forward, her forehead resting on my chest as her fingers clenched the material of my shirt.

Throwing off my work gloves, I combed my fingers through her hair, hating that she was becoming the target of this psychopath. At least I was here to support her through this, to protect her. Images of what could have happened if she had been here alone made my pulse race, and the urgency I’d felt a few minutes ago intensified.

Cupping her cheeks, I lifted her face toward me. “Please go get ready. I’d feel safer if we weren’t here tonight. We can take the trailer to my property and spend the night there before we go home tomorrow.”

I knew I was probably paranoid. Even if he did know Evan’s address, it’d take him a day to get here, maybe more so we were probably safe for now, but he was unstable and targeting her for what was happening.

Kelly’s lips quivered as I leaned forward to kiss her, lingering momentarily before I pulled back. “I’ll keep you safe,” I vowed, staring into her eyes. “I promise. You’re safe with me.”

She nodded, her hands grasping my wrists as her eyes darted between mine. “Take me home.”

For a moment, I thought maybe she meant Chicago, but then I realized she was asking me to take her to my home. I desperately wished that someday it could be our home, but I’d stopped trying to put expectations on this. Unfulfilled expectations only lead to heartbreak.

“I will. You’ll be safe there.”

This piece of shit, Trent, had no idea who I was, so once she left here, she was untraceable. I doubted he was smart enough to know how to track her phone. Instead, he chose to send bullshit text messages from a burner phone like a coward to terrify a woman who had embarrassed him by being a better employee and human being.

Kelly reluctantly let go of me, glancing back over her shoulder before disappearing inside the house.

“Fuck,” I exhaled, picking up my gloves. I tucked them under my arm before I pulled my phone from my pocket, quickly selecting Tal’s number from the speed dial menu and waiting for it to connect.

---