Page 61 of Protected

“Good question, but it’s probably because I don’t change up my routine enough,” Chelsey mumbled.

She used to have Fridays off, and instead of running in the mornings, she’d run in the middle of the day depending on the weather. All he’d had to do was drive by, and he’d easily see her car since she always parked in the same lot.

“I was going to offer to drop you off at home,” Chelsey said, “but I think it would be better if you weren’t seen with me. I don’t trust this guy. I don’t want him to know who my friends are or anything else about me. So to be on the safe side, you go and head home. I’m going to talk to him.”

“Not by yourself,” India said. “If you’re concerned about my safety, then you should be concerned about yours, too. Either we go together, or you call the cops to get rid of him.”

Chelsey pinched the bridge of her nose. “India, I can handle him. He’s not a criminal. He’s just a low-down-dirty-liar, and the less he knows about who I hang out with, the better. Now go. If I don’t text you in ten minutes to let you know all is well, then call the cops.”

“Or maybe I should call Parker. I doubt if he’ll want you meeting with this guy alone.”

Chelsey sighed. “Please don’t and besides, he’s on an assignment. I promise you nothing is going to happen with Terrance. Just go. I’ll text you soon.”

After a slight hesitation, India relented. “Fine, I’ll go, but I’m not going far. I’ll be out of sight, but in shouting distance. So go before I change my mind and call Parker anyway. You’ve got ten minutes. Starting now.”

Chelsey growled under her breath. India was one of the most stubborn people she knew. It would be a waste of time arguing with her.

Chelsey jogged in place while glaring at her friend. “You get on my nerves.”

India flashed her a saucy smile. “Yeah, I love you too, Mrs. Wilcox. Now, go handle the loser, ’cause I got things to do.Chop. Chop.”

Chelsey sputtered a laugh, then took off at a jog.

Mrs. Wilcox. It had a nice ring to it.

As she neared the parking lot, Terrance spotted her and straightened.

She had only seen him for their dates, and during those times he was nicely dressed. Today, though, he looked like any other guy hanging out near the basketball courts wearing a T-shirt and basketball shorts.

She never would’ve pegged him for the tattooed type, though. He had a sleeve tattoo on both arms, which was something she hadn’t been privy to when they’d gone out. Each of those times, he’d been fairly buttoned up, looking like the professional she thought he was.

Barely winded, she stopped a couple of feet from him. “What are you doing here?”

“I came here to play a pickup game of basketball. When I saw your car, I figured you were running one of the trails. So I waited for you. I’ve missed our talks, and I was hoping we could hook up. Why haven’t you returned my phone calls?”

Seriously?

There was definitely something wrong with this man if he thought she’d ever want to be anywhere near him. Surely, he hadn’t expected to ever hear from her after the stunt he’d pulled.

Then again, considering how expectantly he was watching her, maybe he had.

She planted her hands on her hips. “Why should I have called you back, Terrance?”

He gritted his teeth. “Because it’s common courtesy to return people’s calls.”

Chelsey’s mouth dropped open, but she quickly closed it. Apparently, he was an idiot.

“It’s also common courtesy not to lie to someone about who you are, but that didn’t stop you, now did it?”Bastard, she wanted to say but kept the term of endearment to herself.

“Come on, Chelsey. I made a mistake. I should’ve been honest, but since me and my ex weren’t together any longer, I figured I didn’t need to mention her.”

There was no way she’d ever believe him over Parker. If Parker said Terrance was still with the woman, she believed him, but this was a non-issue. She was engaged to the man she loved, and Terrance was just one of many mistakes of her past.

“Get away from my car, Terrance, and lose my damn number.”

He charged toward her, but she wasn’t sure what he saw on her face, because he suddenly stopped less than a foot from her. She was ready for him. All she needed was an excuse to knock him the hell out.

Breathing hard as if he’d been the one to have just run four miles, he pointed a finger at her. “You ain’t all that!” he snapped.

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