Page 49 of Claiming Veronica

“No. Then, he started to come by during my shifts. He called the desk, and somehow he got my number.” Eli’s face hardened. “I saw him a few times near my apartment, so I moved.”

“Sounds like he was stalking you,” I said. It was all making a lot more sense to me now, her trepidation about Eli’s stalking and my reaction to it. It hadn’t made sense to her why I’d been okaywith it when she’d been scared by what was happening in her life. I fumbled in my purse for a throat lozenge, unwrapping it and popping it in my mouth.

Reed shook her head slowly. “I don’t know, but I felt like I was seeing him everywhere. I quit the hotel job and blocked his number. I couldn’t afford to get a new one. Then, I stayed on a friend’s couch for a few nights, but when I went back one night, he was on the street outside. Maybe he’s nice and just really likes me.” She looked down, her eyes rimmed with exhaustion. "I can’t tell what’s real anymore."

“Reed, did you get a good feeling from him? Like a feeling that you felt safe with him? That he was a good man for you?” I asked.

“No.” A whole body shiver took her from head to toe, and her eyes met mine. “No,” she repeated.

“Then that’s what’s real babe. That fucker is a creep.”

"You’re not paranoid," Eli cut in, his voice quiet but firm. "If your gut tells you something’s off, you listen to it. Always. You did the right thing to run.”

I nodded, feeling the seriousness of his words. "We’ll handle this, Reed. You don’t have to do this alone anymore."

She gave me a small, grateful smile, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. "Thanks, Ronnie. I’m just... really tired. I hope I didn’t bring trouble here.”

“Take a nap,” I told her, squeezing her hand. “I’ll wake you for dinner. Maybe we can watch a chick flick and video the girls.” She nodded. “What was the hotel called?”

“Sunset Lodge.”

As I stood, Eli followed me out of the room, his hand resting on the small of my back again. "You think she could have been followed?" he asked in a low voice once we were out of earshot.

I sighed, feeling the weight of the situation pressing down on me. "I don’t know, but that guy sounds like he was a total dick.”

“Well, let’s see what we can dig up on Doug,” Eli said, his voice thoughtful. "And I’m sure you have ways to see if anything pops up around the house. If someone’s following her, we’ll find out. We can take care of it if he doesn’t follow her, but I hate to chase people.”

We made our way back to the courtyard where the others were gathered. Pike and Dimitri were in the middle of some banter about bikes, and the easy flow of conversation was the opposite of what Reed was dealing with.

"Did Reed settle in?" Natasha asked, her voice soft and happy. She still sat with Pike, her legs swinging idly.

"Yeah," I replied, sitting down next to her. "She’s just tired. She’s going to have a nap before dinner."

“Maybe a nap is a good idea,” Eli suggested, tucking me next to him and placing a glass of water in my hands. “Drink up.”

“For fuck’s sake. Are you insane?” Dimitri growled at Eli.

“She’s tired it’s been a long day, and she could use a nap. Don’t be such a dick.”

On any given day, the notion of me taking a nap would have been met with a round of applause if they had noticed. I usually didn’t even come upstairs to socialize, so my nap habits were unlikely to be common knowledge.

Maxim’s gaze was on my face, and I knew he’d clocked something.

“A rest would be a good idea. Why don’t you lie down until dinner?”

I nodded, feeling a bit more drained than I wanted to admit. The concern in Maxim’s voice was subtle, but it was there. He always noticedwhen something was off with me, even if I tried to hide it.

"Yeah, maybe you're right," I said softly.

Eli leaned in to gently kiss my forehead. "I'll wake you for dinner," he promised.

I collapsed onto my bed, the weight of everything finally settling in. Reed’s problem, Eli’s protective side, my health—I felt like a delicate thread pulling tighter and tighter, just waiting to snap.

Before I knew it, I drifted off, lulled into a shallow sleep by the hum of voices upstairs. But in the back of my mind, the thought of Doug lingered. If he had followed her here, we’d have more than just our troubles to worry about.

And I wasn’t sure how much more we could handle.

Chapter 25

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