Page 48 of Claiming Veronica

Maxim’s brow furrowed, and I could tell he also picked up on Reed’s weird energy. “Don’t be ridiculous. There is plenty of room here.”

“I’m just going to get her settled in the guest room. Eli, can you bring the suitcase?”

“When you’re done with that, Eli, we have some questions,” Dimitri let the comment hang in the air for a torturous second. “About the fight.”

“No problem. I’ll be back to answer those for you after I do what my girl tells me to.” He winked at them like he wasn’t pissing off people who could and would kill him.

As we retreated, I could hear behind us a litany of comments.

“I want to kill that little fuck.”

“He’s my brother. No killing.”

“Ronnie likes him.”

“Maybe we could just beat him up a little.”

“Why do you have to poke the bears?” I asked Eli with exasperation, blowing hair out of my face.

“I thought that was what all the signs said. Poke the bears? Feed the Bears? Don’t feed the bears? Don’t poke the bears? I can’t remember. I never went to school, you know.” He gave me a wicked smile.

Once we reached the guest room, he put her suitcase on the foot of the bed and kissed me. “Alright, angel, I’ll go face the bears. You come to find me soon, alright.”

“Alright.” I leaned up for another quick kiss. “See you soon.”

Once he’d left, I turned to face her. “Ok, Reed. Seriously, what’s going on?"

She sighed heavily, sitting on the edge of the bed, her fingers trembling as she fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. "I don’t know how to explain it, Ronnie. I just... I had to get away. There wassomeone at home that wouldn’t leave me alone. I promise I won’t stay long.” She flopped on the bed and let out a sigh. “It just all seemed to go wrong.”

“What are you talking about? Who wouldn’t leave you alone? Like, you’re in trouble? You can stay as long as you want. I mean that. Forever if you want.” My pulse skyrocketed, and I looked at her in alarm.

“Thanks, Ronnie. I really appreciate it and the ticket. I didn’t know where else to go. She leaned forward to hug me, sniffling. I hugged her back but withdrew as soon as I felt the telltale buildup of the tickle in my throat, which meant I was about to start coughing.

She watched me with concern as I struggled for a few minutes before I gave in and started coughing. There were always those few moments where I just struggled to get air into my lungs and then coughed some more. It was a vicious cycle. Reed got up and went to get a cup of water from the bathroom. “Have you been hydrating? You know that you should be hydrating.”

The bedroom door burst open, and I considered going for my inhaler. Eli came in carrying my purse. He thrust it at me and then sat to rub circles on my back while I took a puff and then another.

“That’s it, my good girl. You’re fine. You’re okay. Take slow breaths.”

I nodded as I coughed, but I could already tell that the medicine was taking effect. “I’m okay,” I repeated. My body gave a few more half-hearted coughs and heaves, my lungs feeling like they were aching in my chest with each breath. I thought about asking Eli how he knew I needed my inhaler, but I decided I didn’t care.

“Stalker,” I whispered.

“That’s me.”

Reed watched me with concern and guilt in her eyes. Her lips pressed tightly together as she fidgeted with the hem of her shirt again. "I shouldn’t have come here, Ronnie. Not with you already dealing with your own stuff." Her voice was quiet, but the weight of her words was heavy. She was spiraling, and the worry I had for her deepened.

"You’re exactly where you should be," I said firmly, leaning back against Eli for a second as I caught my breath. "You needed to get away, and you’ll be safe here. Don’t think for a second that you don’t belong here. You do."

Eli’s hand moved from my back to my shoulder, squeezing gently as he stood up. "Veronica’s right. Whatever’s going on, we’ll handle it. Youdon’t have to be alone if something is happening or someone is bothering you.”

Reed didn’t respond; she just stared down at the floor, her brows furrowed as if she were wrestling with something in her mind. Even now, she was still on high alert, even in the safety of the house, as if she half-expected someone to burst in and drag her out.

"Reed, who was bothering you back home? Who couldn’t leave you alone?"

She hesitated a long moment before finally whispering, "I took an extra job at the front desk of a hotel. I needed the extra money. There was this guy, Doug. He was a customer at the hotel. He stayed a few nights, and he asked for my number.” At the alarm on my face, she rushed to answer. “He was a creep, so I said no.”

The knot in my stomach tightened. “I’m guessing that wasn’t the end of it?”

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