Page 17 of Obsessive Love

"What are you not telling me?" Jericho asks, tilting his head to the side as he examines my face. I lift myself into a seated position, lean my back against the headrest, and stretch my arms behind my head. He narrows his eyes at me as I watch the gears start to turn in his mind.

"When you said that she was yours and you were gonna make sure of it, what exactly did you mean, Kaleb?"

I roll my lips inward to stop myself from smiling and shrug my shoulders.

"Kaleb. What did you do?" he growls, shoving my shoulder and causing it to bash against the headboard.

"If you must know, brother, I found out where she was the other night and went to the same place."

His whole expression changes as fury takes hold of him.

"Keep fucking talking," he demands, clearly knowing that the story doesn't stop there.

I stretch my arms out and twist my head from one side to the other until my neck clicks, and then I stand from the bed and walk around him towards the adjoined bathroom, making sure I'm close to an exit point before I tell him the rest of the story.

"Well, she saw me and clearly she liked what she saw because a few hours later, I had her in one of the back rooms with me doing all sorts of unimaginable things." I step over the threshold and slam the door shut behind me, locking it just in time.

"Are you trying to fuck up this whole god damned thing?" he screams, pounding his fists against the door. "Your stupid fucking obsession with this woman is going to mess with our plan, Kaleb! I swear to God, if this ruins everything, I will happily fucking kill you after I'm through with him."

After Jericho realised I was going to stay locked in the bathroom until he no longer wanted to kill me, he finally left me in peace to shower and get ready. By the time I went downstairs, he was nowhere to be seen, which was fortunate because I didn't want to explain to him that I was on my way to go and watch Sophia for the night.

I have a gift being delivered to her tonight and I want to see her reaction in person as she opens it. I know she's going to love it because I know what she likes after watching her and researching everything about her for years, but I want to see the shock and confusion on her face as she reads the note and sees the thoughtful gift inside.

Parking my car down the dark alleyway beside a rundown abandoned pub a few streets away from Sophia's parent's house, I flash my headlights three times before switching off the ignition and stepping out of the car. I wait mere moments before I see a ladder drop down the side of the building.

I roll my eyes as I watch Miles clamber down the ladder in the dark alley, looking at both openings as he goes. I chuckle at his paranoid self as he jumps down to the floor and hurries over to me.

"Are you ever going to make a normal entrance?" I ask, genuinely curious considering he's just climbed down from the roof, and the last time we met here, he climbed out of the bin.

He shakes his head and pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"All of the cameras are on a loop," he says, pulling a small circular tracker from his pocket and handing it to me. "You knowhow it goes by now. I'll unlock the gates when you get there. Courier is ten minutes out with her package so you might want to get a move on."

I pull the envelope filled with money from my pocket and give it to him, then I lock the car, pull my hood over my head and hurry down the alleyway toward Sophia's street.

Chapter Eleven

Sophia

As I wrap the towel around my body and step out of the shower, I hear a piercing squeal through the house and instantly know it's Jess. Something exciting must've happened for her to react like that and no doubt, she'll be charging up the stairs right now and barging into my room within the next minute or two.

I walk out of my bathroom and sit on my bed, wrapping my hair in another towel as I wait for Jess' inevitable appearance. Seconds later, my bedroom door slams open and Jess rushes inside carrying a purple box.

"Soph, this was just delivered for you!" she shouts, running excitedly over to my bed and planting the box in my lap. "Open it, it's from Jericho. I want to see what it is!"

I frown at the box, assessing the purple velvet exterior and the thick white ribbon wrapped around it, forming a pretty little bow on top. I lift the little note from beneath the ribbon, and a wave of happiness washes over me as my eyes scan across the words.

Sophia,

Please accept this gift as an early wedding present.

I've been told that you already have something old, blue and borrowed, so consider this as your 'something new' and wear it tomorrow on your big day.

It'll suit you well ;)

- Rossi.

Jess fidgets beside me, impatiently waiting for me to unravel the ribbon and lift the lid off the box, but I continue staring at the note for a few more moments as intrigue starts to seep into my mind.

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