Page 30 of Under His Embrace

“They’re very controlling,” Chloe and I said in unison.

“Anyway,” she said, “I refused. Each time he tried to come back into my life, I would shy away from him, not give him thetime of the day, and plan to move again. And again. For a while, I think he just wanted to do as expected. Maybe they were paying him to retrieve me or something. After a while, I think it evolved into a game, some sort of sick, twisted ploy, like an obsession. That’s where I learned to leave as little of a trail as possible. No cards, watch my internet use. All of it. I’ve been trying to start over with nothing traceable.”

“He’s no longer a cop, though?” Liam asked.

“No. But I think he has enough connections that he can find out whatever he wants,” she replied sadly. “I was very careful coming to New York. I got a decent job through a friend in Philly, but when someone shared a video that went viral and I was walking by in the background, he found me.”

“Damn. That’s shitty luck,” Eva said with a wince.

“Yes. But not as shitty as thinking I could be anonymous here, one among so many in the city, then having my new workplace shot up.” She rubbed her face. “If the deli was shot up because of Wes, it’s my fault Manny and Suzie are dead.”

I rubbed her back, wanting to console her. “Has he ever used force or shot at you or anyone in your life before?”

Romeo frowned at me. “I’m not sure Wes shot up the A&J himself.”

I nodded. “He’d hire it out, but still.” I looked at Chloe expectantly.

“No.” She shook her head. “I know he’s got a gun. And he’s trained with firearms from his time in the police department he started at before he went into politics, but he’s never escalated to that level of violence. He’s always stayed on the down-low. The most he’d ever done to me physically was slap me around a few times, mostly just backhanding my face, but that was it.”

That was it?I fumed at that phrase. Like this fucker raising his hand to her wasn’t so bad in the scheme of things. Sure,a backhand to the face was nothing compared to being shot. However, neither of those were okay—at all.

If Wes was responsible for the attack on the deli, that was a significant change in his intentions. If he wanted to stalk her and just follow her, then that was one thing. Engaging in a shooting like that—even hiring it out to be done on his say so—that was an entirely different matter.

So, why would he change it up now? Why try to shoot up her workplace now, after seven years?Even though Chloe’s suspicion had some substance, I couldn’t be sure that the shooting at the deli was because of her being there and her stalker ex wanting to see her wounded or dead. The attack happened on Constella property—a place where drugs were packaged and distributed. It could have been a hit on the Family.

“Did you give away anything that could’ve had him tracking you here? Use anything that could be registered anywhere?” the hacker asked. “Cards, phones, anything?”

She shook her head. “No. I learned from my mistakes, unfortunately. From trial and error, I figured out what he could use to find me, and I avoided those things.”

Liam followed up with more questions, and Romeo did as well. It was a thorough and extensive investigation, and Chloe cooperated through it all.

“I think that’s all for now,” the hacker said. He stood, tucking his laptop under his arm. “I’ll take this back to the office and have my team do a deep dive.” With one more nod at us, he took his leave.

“If I think of anything else, I’ll let you know,” Chloe said, rubbing her eyes. She was still so tired, and I couldn’t blame her. Fucking each other like we did last night would wear a person out. Plus, it had to be mentally taxing to relive the experiences she'd suffered under Wes’s abuse and stalking.

“Want to hang out by the pool for a while and unwind?” Eva asked as she stood, smiling at her. “I’m pretty sure the others would be up for a swim or soak.”

Chloe raised her brows. “Now? In this weather?” She glanced at the window. While it was still chilly, some signs of springtime showed outside.

“No, no. The indoor pool.” Eva tipped her head in the direction of where that enormous conservatory-like room was.

Chloe opened her mouth wide, giving a silentOh, wow.

Her parents were wealthy, but it sounded like since she forsook them and left, she had been living penny to penny. All to get away from her ex. An ex she never would have met if she’d chosen a life with me, like she promised she would.

Enough. Stop.It wasn’t so easy to tell myself enough was enough, but I wasn’t sure what to think anymore. I'd spent so long hanging on to this bitterness that she left me, and now that she was present and we’d reconnected to some degree, I wasn’t sure how to act around her.

“Am I… allowed?” she asked, looking up at me. “Can I go with her?”

I nodded. “You don’t need to ask permission. You’re not a prisoner here.”

She arched a brow.

“You need to stay on the premises, under guard, though. Until we know who attacked that deli where you happened to be working, you have to stay safe and hidden.”

“Come on. It’ll help,” Eva said, coaxing Chloe to follow her out of the room. She’d find her a suit or whatever she needed.

I was glad for the break from her too. “Did you look at the report that he found?” I asked Liam and Romeo about what the hacker sent us all just before we met here to talk with Chloe. I skimmed it, but I’d reread it later.

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